Bethany Paul

Chair

Bethany Paul lives in Saint Paul, MN and brings a strong background of nonprofit fundraising to the RTC board. She currently serves as a major gift officer at the University of Minnesota College of Education and Human Development. Her focus is creating lasting and engaging relationships between invested community members and the causes that align with their philanthropic priorities.  In her free time, you can find her pulling weeds in her vegetable garden. 

Madeline Summers

Vice Chair

Madeline is a strategic leader in community engagement and a local food enthusiast. She is a Program Coordinator at St. Catherine University and previously served as the Community and Outreach Specialist at Mississippi Market. Madeline works at the intersection of agriculture, food security, and community building. She spent twelve years as a
volunteer coordinator, leading volunteer efforts in community kitchens and St. Paul Public
Schools. Madeline lives in Bloomington with her husband and their cat, Mina, and is interested in how we work together to champion resilient and inclusive food systems.

Brittany Johnson

Treasurer

Brittany is a certified public accountant and works as a Senior Tax Manager at a regional accounting firm in the Twin Cities. She brings an accounting perspective and critical eye for financial statements to the RTC Board. She is passionate about sustainable, local food systems.

Jennifer is passionate about rural development, creative spaces, and civic engagement. With more than two decades of experience across government, higher education, and nonprofit sectors, she has built a career focused on strengthening communities, advancing economic opportunity, and guiding organizations through meaningful change. She lives on a hobby farm in Southeast Minnesota with her partner David, tending to a small herd of angora goats in her spare time. 

Kimberly Klees

Kimberly Klees is an Senior IT Program Manager within the financial services sector and a poultry farmer based in southeast Minnesota. Actively engaged in local farmers’ markets, she brings both technical business expertise and hands-on farming experience to the board. She is a member of the American Pasture Poultry Producers Association and works to bridge the gap between farms and the public’s understanding of where food comes from. With a deep commitment to rural communities, food security, and sustainable farming, Kimberly is working toward ensuring farmers have the resources they need and that local food systems become more accessible to all.

Jerry Lynch

Jerry has substantial experience leading sustainability programs in food and agriculture, having
led General Mills sustainability efforts globally until his retirement in 2019. In that role he
facilitated the Chairman’s Sustainability Governance Committee and led development of the
company’s industry leading strategies on regenerative agriculture, climate, and water.

He has served in leadership capacities of numerous stakeholder initiatives including co-
chair of the Board of Trustees of the Keystone Policy Center, and the Ecosystem Services
Market Consortium steering committee. Currently Jerry chairs the Strategic Advisory Board of
Aliment Capital. He and his wife reside in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Jill Mitchell

Jill is an attorney with deep expertise in corporate legal, compliance and business matters. Born and raised on a hobby farm in Montana, Jill is passionate about improving the health of rural communities, increasing economic viability and supporting new models of sustainability. In her spare time she enjoys hiking, skiing, trout streams and farmers' markets.