STEVE ARNOLD
Steve was appointed to the DMNA board in April 2023. He and his wife Susan have been owners residing in downtown Minneapolis for the past 10 years.
Steve’s background over the past 35 years encompasses both corporate and advisory leadership roles in management consulting and governance helping companies and organizations develop and execute transformational strategies.
Steve previously served on the Legacy Lofts HOA as board chair and member. He is passionate about promoting improvements for those who reside, serve and work in our downtown community.
Steve and Susan enjoy spending time walking, biking, hiking, and cross-country skiing on our Minnesota trails and attending local theater& entertainment events.
JIM BISHOP
Jim has been a homeowner at the Bridgwater Lofts since 2014, moving from Edina where he lived for 33 years. He is married, and has two adult children and three grandchildren.
Jim has been in the Human Resources management field for almost 40 years, specializing in the development of total rewards programs for large multinational companies (LDI, Abbott/St. Jude Medical, Cummins Power Generation and, Daikin/AAF-McQuay). He has a BA from St. John’s University and his MAIR from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. He is a Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS) and holds a certificate in Global Benefits Management through IFEBP. In addition, he served as a member of several HR advisory boards.
Jim has previously served on the Alumni Board for St. John’s University for six years. In addition, he has been a past volunteer for VEAP, including a member of VEAP’s Business Advisory Board, and with Habitat for Humanity as an on-site build volunteer.
Jim enjoys spending time at his lake home with family and friends, running and biking on the Minneapolis trails and recently has picked up pickleball. Jim was elected to the DMNA Board in October 2021 and is looking forward to working with many of you to make our community even better.
DAN BROPHY
Dan joined the DMNA Board in November of 2023. Dan has lived in downtown Minneapolis for 19 years. After bouncing around apartments for a few years he discovered the River Towers Condominiums and decided to buy a condo and call it home. He is very active at the River Towers including sitting on committees and loves to help his neighbors.
Dan loves everything that living downtown has to offer, work and play, from attending the Aquattenial events and Holidazzle to throwing a fishing line in the Mississippi River when the weather cooperates. You can see him around town on any given day.
For 15 years, Dan was a Twin Cities in Motion volunteer sitting on all of their committees. In addition to handing medals to smiling children crossing a finish line, Dan assisted with large event organization and planning for all of their race events.
Dan has worked downtown for 20 years. He is the Business Manager of Primus Law Office, PA, and Transportlawtexts, Inc. He wears many hats, but his primary responsibility is handling the finances of both companies. Dan also works with The Transportation & Logistic Council, a non-profit group whose mission is to promote and represent the interests of the entire shipping community in the United States.
Dan is honored and proud to be a part of the DMNA and looks forward to representing and supporting the community.
KRISTEN HANSEN
Kristen joined the DMNA Board in November of 2023.
ABBY LARSON, TREASURER
Abby is the Area Manager of Luxury Operations and Marketing for Sherman Associates. She was born and raised in Minnesota and studied Theater Performance at Perpich School for the Arts in Golden Valley, Minnesota.
Abby began her career in the hospitality industry and worked her way up to a management level where she opened the Home2 Suites by Hilton hotel in Eagan, Minnesota in 2018. Abby transitioned to real estate and property management when she took on her role with Sherman Associates at Encore in 2019.
Encore was the Starnet Design Awards Gold Winner for Mixed-Use Developments in 2017 and more recently won the Minnesota Multi–Housing Association’s 2021 MADACS Awards for Penthouse Floor Plan and Maintenance Technician.
Abby was elected to the DMNA Board of Directors in October 2021. She is proud to represent Sherman and further its commitment to community-building. She is an advocate for downtown renters and young residents, who she hopes to inspire to get involved in the community. She has a passion for making meaningful connections and brings a fresh perspective that will fuel our collective vision of a thriving downtown Minneapolis.
LATONYA REEVES
Latonya joined the DMNA Board in November of 2023. Latonya is a Career Probation Officer in Hennepin County. She is the mother of three and the grandmother of 1.5 children (soon to be here April 2024!). She lives and works in Downtown Minneapolis and loves the vibrancy of our neighborhoods. She is a certified lifelong learner. She has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Minnesota in Political Science and Sociology of Law, Criminology and Deviance, a Master of Science in Public Service Leadership in Criminal Justice, have completed all coursework for my PhD in Criminal Justice., and is working on a degree in Social Work. She is a 2023-2024 Hubert H. Humphrey Policy Fellow at the University of Minnesota, and a Commissioner on the MN Sentencing Guidelines Commission.
She is President of the American Federal of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 5 Local 552 Probation and Parole Bargaining Unit. She was elected to serve on the AFSCME MN Council 5– Executive Board- as the Vice President, and is President of the AFSCME Hennepin County Policy Committee. She also serves as the current Secretary on the Executive Board of the Minnesota Corrections Association, a member of the Minnesota Association of Community Corrections Act Counties and the Minnesota Association of County Probation Officers. She was appointed by the Minneapolis City Council as Mayor Frey’s representative to sit on the Community Commission on Police Oversight, and was elected as Vice-Chair. She also serves as the Justice Co-Chair of the Minneapolis NAACP, and is a member of the Advisory Task Force for Justice Involved Women and Girls as well as Mayor Frey’s Community Cabinet. She works on the Sexual Assault Multidisciplinary Action Response Team (SMART) as well as the Labor Management Health Care Committee. She sits on several other committees and workgroups including the Innovation and Inclusion Committee, the Eliminating Racial Disparities Workgroup, the Workplace Safety Engagement Team and worked previously on the DOCCR Out of Home Placement Redesign. She continues to work with criminal justice stakeholders on best practices for juveniles with the implementation of the Office of Restorative Practices that will soon be up and running at the state level.
She is the Co-Founder of the Elite Dollz of Faith based in Atlanta, GA, a non-profit 501c3 organization rooted in giving a hand up in communities across the United States. She is a member of the Midtown Atlanta Chapter of the National Women of Achievement based in Atlanta, GA, and a member of the Alpha Phi Sigma Criminal Justice Honor Society. She loves working in community and helping people get a hand up in their communities. She is very politically engaged and enjoy working with legislators and community partners to bring forward effective policy measures. As such, she was blessed to be the recipient of the Rick Scott Political Activism Award in 2019 from the MN AFL-CIO/AFSMCE Council 5, and serve as Chair of the Minnesota Civilian Public Safety Commission, working on legislative issues and policy. She enjoys learning in her chosen field to build on the practices of racial disparity reduction and best practices in Criminal Justice. She will bring her knowledge and experience to the Downtown Minneapolis Neighborhood Association as we work to address public safety concerns in our neighborhoods.
ISAAC RISSEEUW – VICE PRESIDENT
Isaac was excited to join the DMNA board in 2022. He has been a proud downtown resident since 2017, living, working, and enjoying all the neighborhood has to offer.
Isaac is a marketing and communications professional, currently working as a digital strategy consultant with RBA. He previously served as the Social Media and Content Manager with the Minnesota Orchestra, where he collaborated with musicians, staff and board members to create and share engaging content with Orchestra audiences. He began his career in communications at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire as the Community Manager, after studying public relations and music.
When not working, you can find Isaac at the many Minneapolis theaters, restaurants and breweries. He is looking forward to connecting with neighbors through volunteer opportunities and events!
CARLETTA SWEET – SECRETARY
Carletta is a homeowner at RiverWest Condominium in the Downtown West neighborhood of Minneapolis and co-owner of a small business consultancy also located in the Downtown West neighborhood. She enjoys promoting public and private sector collaborative relationships that foster affordable housing, business development, and cultural as well as educational opportunities for the residents, businesses, employees, and visitors to downtown Minneapolis. To accomplish these goals she has been instrumental in forging relationships between the DMNA and:
- East Town Business Partnership (https://easttownmpls.org/) on which she currently serves as the DMNA neighborhood representative;
- NūLoop Partners (https://www.nulooppartners.org/) on which she currently serves as the DMNA representative and staff;
- Minneapolis Riverfront Partnership (https://www.facebook.com/MinneapolisRiverfrontPartnership/) on which she formerly served as the Central Riverfront neighborhood representative;
- Above the Falls Community Advisory Committee on which she formerly served as the Central Riverfront neighborhood representative; and
- Aeon (https://www.aeon.org/) on which she formerly served as chair.
Carletta’s enthusiasm for serving her neighbors to help make their community a great place to live, work, play, eat and shop has not waned since she joined the DMNA in 1998. She brings a rich historical perspective of the issues that impact the downtown community, similar to what she experienced in the late 1980s and early 1990s during the renaissance of the South Loop community in downtown Chicago, Illinois where former warehouses and factory lofts were converted to residential buildings, and new high-rise apartments sprang up on vacant or underused land.
DIANNE WALSH – PRESIDENT
Dianne was first elected to the DMNA Board at the October 27, 2016, Annual Meeting. She has resided in downtown Minneapolis for twenty years. Prior to that, she and her husband raised two sons in the Highland Park neighborhood of St. Paul.
Dianne retired from the practice of law with Heacox, Hartman, Koshmrl, Cosgriff & Johnson in June of 2015. She had concentrated her law practice in workers’ compensation, representing employers, insurance companies, and self-insured employers. She litigated numerous cases, resolved complicated issues through mediation, and counseled her clients regarding procedural, medical, and litigation issues. Dianne maintained the highest Martindale-Hubbell rating throughout her years of practice.
Dianne and her husband reside at the Bridgewater where she is active on various committees including the Pet Committee (of which she is chair), the Communications Committee, and the Bridgewater Neighbors and Friends of the Arts. Dianne is secretary of the Board of Directors of the homeowner’s association at her family’s lake place. Two days a week, Dianne volunteers at Paul Wellstone International High School working with ESL students to improve their reading, writing, and speaking skills.
Dianne brings to the DMNA strong writing and organizational skills. She is committed to living downtown and developing the downtown area into vibrant residential neighborhoods. Having observed two decades of change in the number of people living downtown, she is aware of the importance of neighborhood communication. Having also worked in downtown Minneapolis for more than twenty years of her practice, she is committed to supporting businesses and employees in the downtown area.