The Minnesota Valley UniServ Governance Board

Upcoming Events

Some Contracts Remain Unsettled

As of May 3, some locals have yet not settled their contracts for 2011-2013. These include St. Clair, New Ulm, New Ulm ESPs, Riverbend in New Ulm, and St. Peter ESPs.

Members: When you need help or advice in your position as a teacher or support staff member, call the UniServ office at 507-345-7500 or 800-622-8363 and speak with Nancy Benson, our field assistant, or Sandy Anderson, our field representative.

Field Assistant, Nancy Benson, was hired by the original Minnesota Valley UniServ Governance Board on October 13, 1978, the same year that she graduated from Mankato State University.  Having worked with members of Minnesota Valley UniServ and Cannon Valley UniServ for almost 33 years, she says,  “It is an honor and very satisfying to work with so many dedicated people who have had a great influence on me and taught me so much.”  She has been involved in public education in various ways with the Mankato Public Schools, including as a parent volunteer with the District 77 Legislative Committee for 16 years.  During that time, she also became the District 77 contact for Parents United for Public Education and was frequently at the legislature lobbying state legislators.  Nancy has been married to Thomas for 32 years and they have two daughters, Sara and Stephanie, both of whom have entered the teaching profession.  She is very involved with church work, enjoys time with family and friends, is an avid reader, runs and does weight training.

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The Minnesota Valley UniServ Governance Board meets monthly during the school year and holds a planning session each June. Our chairperson is Linda Wensel.  Thomas Storm is our secretary and Max Griensewic is our treasurer.

Our board is comprised of the following members and the areas they represent:
Area     I:   Doreen Metts (Glencoe-Silver Lake, Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop, Buffalo Lake-Hector)
Area    II:   Thomas Storm (LeCenter, Sibley East, St. Peter)
Area   III:   Gayle Fenske-Soma (Madelia, St. James, Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial)
Area   IV:   Max Griensewic (Maple River, St. Clair, Cleveland, Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton)
Area    V:   Eric Torgerson (New Ulm, Nicollet)
Area   VI:   Linda Wensel (Mankato)
Area  VII:   Virjean Griensewic (Mankato)
Area VIII:   Sue Date (New Ulm ESPs, St. James ESPs)

Who Are These People?
Our Governance Board representatives are teachers and support personnel just like you. Here are their stories.

Representing Area 1, Doreen Metts is a graduate of Buffalo Lake-Hector High School.  She earned her B.S. at Minnesota State University, Mankato majoring in elementary education and a minor in special education.  Doreen earned her Master’s Degree in education with St. Mary’s University.  She teaches center-based special education at Lakeside School in Silver Lake with the Glencoe-Silver Lake Schools.  She taught special education for eight years in Miles City, Montana and three years in the suburbs of the Twin Cities.  She loves to bake and cook and is always trying new recipes.  She also enjoys doing the cryptoquip in the daily newspaper.  In the summers, she works in a group home for adults with disabilities

Representing Area 2, Tom Storm graduated from Brigham Young University in 2000 and took his first teaching job in Lancaster, CA, where he taught Secondary Instrumental Music.  Three years later he and his wife moved to Le Center, MN, where he is the 5-12 grade band director, now in his seventh year.  He joined the Cannon Valley UniServ executive board in the spring of 2008.  The majority of LeCenter's teachers live toward St. Peter and Mankato, so LeCenter switched to the MVU two years ago.  "It is my pleasure to continue serving my colleagues - in my district and in the UniServ."

Representing Area 3, Gayle Fenske-Soma is a graduate of Winnebago High School, now part of Blue Earth Area Schools.Gayle attended Mankato State University and achieved a Masters in Education K-6 with a minor in Early Childhood. She is the grandmother of 3 girls and 1 grandson, a most rewarding experience! Her past 13 summers were spent traveling to 8 countries in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand with the People to People program and over 500 ambassadors from the United States.  She has served as vice president and president of the Madelia local after teaching for 35 years with the Madelia District. Gayle enjoys the Governance board position and looks forward to serving the membership in the Uniserv for the next few years.

Representing Area 4, Max Griensewic is a graduate of Balaton High School and Minnesota State University twice (Bachelor's and Master's). He has taught Special Education in the Maple River Schools since 1984. Max retired as a Major from the United States Army Reserve in September 2001 after serving over thirty years. He likes to buy and sell cars in his spare time. He takes care of his friend's Cleveland lake home when his friend is in Florida. Max is the Minnesota Valley UniServ treasurer.

Representing Area 5, Eric Torgerson is our newest member on the UniServ board.Eric is a graduate of Alexandria High School and Concordia College in Moorhead, MN.  He received degrees in Writing, English Language Arts Instruction, and a minor in Spanish.  Since his graduation he has worked as a teacher in a variety of assignments, but mostly in the instruction of English and at times Spanish as well.  He currently teaches in New Ulm, where he also acted as a football coach for 21 years. Torgerson also taught in Spring Valley, MN and in Clarkfield, MN earlier in his career.  He has acted as building representative, vice president and served as president for four years of New Ulm's local union.  He and his wife Sue took a leave of absence and taught for two years in Colombia, South America.  He enjoys reading, golfing, traveling and motorcycling in his spare time.  He is happy to continue service through the UniServ.

Representing Area 6, Linda Wensel is a special ed teacher in Mankato. She is a graduate of Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin with a major in learning disabilities and elementary education.  Linda received her Master’s in Education from St. Mary’s University. She worked in the Kenosha school district for 7 years.  Then her family relocated to Mankato 11 years ago and she has been a special education teacher in Mankato ever since.  Linda has served on the Uniserv for 4 years and is currently the chairperson.  She also is serving as a senior faculty representative and on the Meet and Confer Committee. She shared,  “I keep learning the more involved I become in the union.”

Representing Area 7, Virjean Griensewic is the high school media specialist at Mankato West High. She is a graduate of New Ulm High School and Mankato State University, where she earned her B.S., M.S., and Specialist degrees. Virjean taught high school English and German, as well as library media. She taught Library Media Education classes at MSU-M for ten years and is currently vice-president of the Mankato Teachers' Association. Virjean and Max have two adult children: a son and a daughter.

Representing Area 8 (paras in New Ulm and St. James), Sue Date is currently one of two Computer Assistants at New Ulm High School. Sue has been in this position for 20 years now. She is a graduate of Mankato State College in Elementary Education with a Kindergarten Endorsement and has taught in St. James (kindergarten), Lake Crystal (4th Grade), Oak Forest, IL (kindergarten), New Ulm (kindergarten and ECFE), been an elementary substitute teacher, and taught in Head Start. Married to Gary for 43 years, they have 2 adult children: Jennica, a para-legal in Minneapolis, and Joshua, who works for Apple. Recognition Reception The Minnesota Valley UniServ held its third annual "Friend of Education" Recognition Reception at the Applewood Restaurant in Mankato on May 2. Ten people from our area were honored for their diligence and hard work to support our schools. The group posed for an outdoor photo right as storm cloud were forming above them. We thank them for all they do for our schools! President of Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop, Heather Bakke, with her honoree, Carol Ann Messner Billy James, teacher at Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial, with president Sue Ehlers Bonnie Brown, honored by the Madelia vice-president, Chad Becker Mankato's honorees, from left: Bukata Hayes, from the Mankato Diversity Council; Emily Seppmann, teacher in the Mankato schools; and Jack McGowan, community member President of Maple River, Sue Burman, with her community honoree, Kristin Duncanson President of New Ulm's association, Charles Anderson, with New Ulm's honorees Janelle Woodbury (left) and Melissa Nelson (right) Vicky Bode, of the New Ulm ESPs, with her president Amy Haala