Franklin Center Board of Trustees

Franklin Center is governed by a working Board of Trustees composed of Franklin Center and committed community leaders. They are responsible for the development and implementation of policies and programs that will enable the school to reach its educational, operational, and financial goals. People who volunteer to serve on our board of trustees come from a variety of backgrounds, yet are all united in their passion for the mission of Franklin Center and its students.

2024-2025 Franklin Center Board of Trustees

Officers

Chris Rahill – Chair

Chris has over 20 years of experience in the marketing industry, including 11 years as the Chief Strategy Officer at Yamamoto. He has a dual BA in English and Economics from the University of Pennsylvania.

Chris has been involved with several area nonprofits’ fundraising efforts, including serving as the Chair of the Basilica Block Party and providing strategic and creative services to ensure successful events.

He has a neurodiverse son and would like to play a small role in expanding awareness, understanding, and appreciation for the difference that Franklin Center can make in the lives of the neurodiverse.

Bob Tift, Ed.D. –  Vice Chair

Bob serves as a Partner with Partners in Mission, a Catholic school consulting firm in leadership coaching, governance and board development, strategic planning and executive recruitment. He served for 30 years in public and private school education, most recently as President of Benilde-St. Margaret’s. Bob’s career began in the Minneapolis Public Schools where he served as a special education teacher and administrator. Bob currently serves on the Board of the St Louis Park Emergency Program (STEP); as a St Louis Park Community Representative on the Southwest Light Rail Transit (SWLRT) Construction Information Workgroup; on the Philanthropy Council of Crescent Cove; and serves as a Fire Commissioner for the St Louis Park Fire Department.

Andrew Lanik – Treasurer/Finance Chair

Andy is an audit partner in the Minneapolis office of KPMG and specializes in providing professional services to healthcare and not-for-profit organizations. Andy is also a board member and finance chair of Twin Cities R!se. Andy earned his Bachelor of Arts from Boston College.

Brenda Furlow – Governance and Nominating Chair

Brenda serves as the chair of Franklin Center’s Governance and Nominating Committee. She has been a legal executive for over 30 years and has extensive experience in governance, legal, and compliance matters. She recently retired as General Counsel for Minneapolis-based life sciences company Bio-Techne.  Brenda earned her bachelor’s degree from Calvin College and a law degree from the University of Chicago.  She is married with two grown children.

Aki Yoshino – Secretary

Aki serves as the Secretary of Franklin Center’s Board. She began her career as a Teach For America high school math educator in Los Angeles, California. After teaching many different grades and subjects in the United States and Japan, she shifted into a business career as a buyer for a national retailer. When her son was diagnosed with autism, she decided to dedicate all of her time to helping her son realize his fullest potential. She is the proud mother of a Franklin Academy 10th grader and is excited to begin her fourth year on the Board of Trustees.

Members-At-Large

Mike Brown

Mike is currently the Chief Operations Officer of Children’s Activities Management, which owns and operates 7, “kid focused” athletic activities facilities in the upper mid-west. He has consulted many public and private organizations in the health and fitness industry via ProfitPerformance Group, where he is Founder and Managing Partner. Previously Mike was Senior Vice President of Operations at LifeTime Fitness. He created LifeTime University, managed the growth and development of the first 70 locations nationally and assisted in taking the company public in 2003. Currently, he serves as Chairman of the Board of FISION corporation, a publicly traded company. Mike and Cathy Jo have been married for 33 years and have two daughters. Mike served in the US Naval Submarine service as a qualified US Navy Diver. He attended Naval Nuclear Power School and held multiple engineering certifications. He is honored to have been selected to the board of trustees and is excited to help the future growth of the Franklin Center.

Dr. Casey Burrows

Dr. Catherine (Casey) Burrows is an Assistant Professor in the Autism and Neurodevelopment Clinic at the University of Minnesota. She completed her doctoral training at the University of Miami, and clinical pre-doctoral internship at Duke University Medical Center. She received a post-doctoral training fellowship from the University of Minnesota’s Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (MNLEND) program. She loves working with children with unique perspectives on the world and is thrilled to be a Board Member of Franklin Center.

Kathy Elder

Kathy’s daughter Annie is a 5th grader in Franklin Center’s Cascade River Classroom. Kathy has a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Special Education from St. Cloud State University, a Masters of Art in Elementary Education from College of St. Catherine, as well as her K-12 Reading Licensure from Hamline University. Some professional highlights include: sixteen years of teaching experience working with multiple disabilities and diverse needs of children, and being skilled at researching and implementing curriculum based on best practices in education. Kathy’s most recent teaching experience was as an Elementary Education teacher at Nativity of Mary Catholic School in Bloomington, Minnesota.

Steve Hall

Steve is honored to serve on the Franklin Center Board of Trustees and as the Chair of the Development Committee. He recently retired as the Director of Product Management at Groves Learning Organization. Previously, he worked in marketing and in leadership positions at The Gillette Company, Sunbeam, LeapFrog Enterprises, and taught elementary school in San Francisco Unified School District. Steve earned his Bachelor of Arts in German Language from St. Cloud State University and his Master of International Business Management from Thunderbird School of Global Management in Phoenix, Arizona. He and his husband live in Minneapolis with their two sons; one is a 2020 graduate of Groves Academy, and the other is a high school student at Franklin Academy.

Rahul Kansara

Rahul has more than 22 years of experience in the hotel industry owner of Solus Hospitality. He has served on the boards of the City of Inver Grove Heights and Days Inn Alliance. Rahul earned a BA in Molecular Biology from UC Berkeley. One of Rahul’s twin sons has attended Franklin Academy and Franklin Therapy for 7 years.

Rahul has always been interested in taking part in an organization that helps his children success. He hopes that his 22 years of experience in business can help the organization grow.

Tina Lamb

Tina’s son JP is in 9th grade in our Lake Tulaby Classroom. Tina is currently a Co-Chair and Parent Representative for the Tonka Cares Community Coalition. In this role, she leads coalition meetings with community partners with the goal to promote youth wellness and prevent underage substance abuse and misuse, helps manage the Facebook group, and publicize at school and community events to support and educate our youth and students. Additionally, she is the CEO of KinderRead books. Tina graduated from the University of Minnesota with her BA in journalism.

Apurva Patel

Apurva has his Architecture degree from California Polytechnics San Luis Obispo, and is a business owner in Real Estate Investments and Development. He has fundraising experience with development and donor retainment with homeless shelters in California, as well as the Big Brother and Sister program. Apurva is interested in joining the Franklin Center Board to help students feel like they belong and are contributing to the community. Smiles and knowing he made a difference motivate Apurva as a volunteer.

David Salmon

David serves on the Governance and Nominating Committee. David is an attorney at Fredrikson & Byron P.A. where he represents private equity funds, venture funds, and other financial buyers in mergers and acquisitions matters. Before practicing law, David was an Internal Auditor for Ecolab for two years. David earned his BS in Finance and Political Science from Iowa State University and his JD from the University of Iowa.

Leah Schelin

Leah joined the Board of Trustees for Franklin Center in 2023. She has over 25 years of experience serving the healthcare sector, including positions at Accenture, UnitedHealth Group, GoodRx, and SVP of Product at UpHealth. Leah earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at UCLA. She has two children: one in the Upper School at Breck and one at Franklin Academy.

Darren Schuler

Darren’s son Sam is in our Capstone Program. Darren is the current Superintendent of schools PreK-12 for Watertown-Mayer Public School ISD 111. In this role, he led the district through 25-million-dollar bond referendum building projects in 2020-2023, directed the district through a strategic planning process in 2023, and manages a 20-million-dollar annual budget. Darren has his Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education from Minnesota State University, Mankato, as well as his Masters of Education from St. Thomas, Educational K-12 Administrative Licensure through St. Mary’s University, and his Graduate Certificate in Education Administration-Superintendent from St. Mary’s University.

Audra Williams

Audra sits on the Development Committee. Audra is an Associate General Counsel at Ryan Companies US, Inc., headquartered in Minneapolis. Audra previously practiced real estate law at Dorsey & Whitney LLP and earned her undergraduate and law degrees at the University of Minnesota. Her son is a high school student at Franklin Academy.

Mark Zeman

Mark is a founder of Zeman Construction Company and currently serves as the company’s President. He has nearly 40 years of experience in commercial construction management. Mark serves on the Board of Directors for Catholic United Financial Foundation and is the President of Golden Valley Golf and Country Club. Mark and his wife Carrie recently celebrated 25 years of marriage and have raised three children. He is honored and excited to be involved in Franklin Center.