Board of Directors

Board of Directors meetings are held the second Tuesday of each month from 7-8:30 pm. Call office to verify location.

Virginia Lorang, President
Virginia has lived in Northfield since 1998 with her husband Rich and their three children. She has worked at Laura Baker Services Association as the Chief Financial Officer since 2003. Over the years, each member of her family has participated in classes at the Arts Guild and discovered interests in clay, drawing, and painting. She feels that the guild is a wonderful place for people to explore new interests. As a board member she would like to work to expand membership and to keep the Arts Guild a healthy, vital place in the Northfield community.

Kate Flory, Vice President
Kate is thrilled to live in a town that cares about the arts. Since arriving in Northfield in 2011, Kate and her family have enjoyed the exhibitions, classes, and programs at the Arts Guild. She is a non-profit fundraising consultant who has worked with a variety of clients, including arts organizations, children’s museums, and social welfare agencies. She looks forward to being a part of the Arts Guild board as it works to promote the arts and creativity in Northfield.

Jerry Fox, Treasurer
Jerry have been involved with the Northfield Arts Guild since he decided he could shave his head to play Daddy Warbucks in Annie back in 2004. Since then, Jerry has performed in 20 or more productions at the NAG Theater-everything from a bear in The Jungle Book to a pot-headed Oklahoman in August Osage County.Jerry has lived in Northfield, with his husband, Kevin, since 2002. He looks forward to the opportunities that serving on the Board of Directors will bring. His hope is that he can be part of the plan that continues to expose kids to artistic opportunity and gives everyone a well-rounded scope of art in our community.

Wendy Placko, Secretary
Wendy lives in Northfield with her husband, Kevin, and companion rabbit, Annabell, all of whom have a mutual respect for good cilantro. She also finds time to take in films, play bassoon with the Cannon Valley Regional Orchestra, participate in community theatre at the Northfield Arts Guild and the Paradise Center for the Arts, try out new vegan recipes and volunteer as a mentor to a St. Paul high school student.  She joined the Board in part to help the organization gain stability by improving communication efforts and by helping to build relationships between artists, between patrons, and between patrons and artists.

Nancy Carlson
Nancy first started attending musicals at the NAG Theater even before moving to Northfield 27 years ago. She is a lifelong believer in the role art plays in an individual’s life and the greater community by bringing joy, beauty, reflection, challenging perspective, creativity and pleasure. She and her family have supported and benefited from NAG in many ways: theater and art classes for her three daughters, committee volunteering, fund raising and artist to her own show. She has served on a variety of local boards and organizations: WINGS, PEO, Healthfinders, Council of Champions, St. Olaf College, and Bethel Lutheran Church. As a registered nurse, she volunteers in women’s health in Latin America. She joins the board with a passion to expose and engage our community in quality artistic opportunities, thus strengthening the wholistic life of all.

Susan Carlson
Susan is celebrating 20 seasons with the Northfield Arts Guild Theater, contributing as actor, stage manager, costumer, props and set design, and director for more than 40 productions. She is (once again) a member of the Theater Committee. Previously in Central Park she has directed The Comedy of Errors, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Measure for Measure, as well as appearing in Twelfth Night and The Merry Wives of Windsor. Her most recent projects include directing The Man Who Came to Dinner in December 2013, and appearing as Gayeva in The Cherry Orchard last spring. Susan also costumed August: Osage County. Her day job is as Program Coordinator for the Center for Integrative Studies at the Center for Innovation in the Liberal Arts (St. Olaf College).

Richard Collman
Richard is a minister-musician, retired in Northfield, who has promoted the arts his whole life as a teacher, practicing organist/pianist, and arts administrator. He has served on the Northfield Mayor’s Arts and Culture Commission, founded the Northfield Noontime Organ Recitals in 2007, and most recently worked to organize the Cannon Valley Regional Orchestra and sponsorships. He feels that engaging business, people, and the arts is good for any city, especially this one. Richard recently served as Vice President of the NAG Board during the 2015-16 season.

Janine Haidar
Janine has worked with a variety of cultural nonprofit organizations, both nationally and internationally, for almost 15 years. She has consulted for a diverse group of arts organizations including museums, archives and small-scale art spaces on projects ranging from organizational sustainability and fundraising to governance and executive leadership transition. She has held positions in education, board development and fundraising at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Hammer Museum. Janine also served as the Managing Director for Exit Art in New York, a fiercely progressive exhibition space that explored ideas outside of the political, social and aesthetic mainstreams. She is excited to work in support of the Arts Guild and help it to sustain and expand its vital role in the Northfield community.

Emmett Lefkowitz
Emmett Lefkowitz is a Junior attending Northfield High School. He is grateful to the NAG because he’s very active in the arts – he’s been involved in numerous theater productions (such as Grease, A Streetcar Named Desire, etc) and plays saxophone and piano. In his free time, he loves being with friends, running, and sleeping in. Viva la Northfield! 

Addie Nelson
I am a sophomore at Northfield High School and one of four children. In our house, the arts are surrounding us and there is never a time when someone isn’t singing. Besides singing, I enjoy spending time playing my ukulele, dancing, painting, running, and gardening. Also, I love a good cuddle with my two dogs and chili chocolate.