Board of Managers

Sherry White joined the MCWD Board of Managers in 2012 and has served as President of the Board since 2014. During her time with MCWD, White has chaired the Policy and Planning Committee, led the Board through staff leadership changes, and facilitated the development and adoption of MCWD’s 2017 Comprehensive Watershed Management Plan. President White is a strong advocate for the MCWD’s Balanced Urban Ecology approach and serves as a liaison to the 325 Blake Road Restoration and Redevelopment project, which demonstrates our integrated approach to land-use and water planning.

White has practiced as a licensed attorney for over forty years, serving as legal counsel for Three Rivers Park District and the Government Relations Coordinator for the Minnesota Council on Foundations. White has also served as an active board member for several other organizations, including the Minnesota Association of Watershed Districts, Three Rivers Park District Foundation, and the Museum of Lake Minnetonka. Previously, White volunteered with Hennepin County Environmental Services through its Wetland Health Evaluation Program and Stream Health Evaluation Program.

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Bill Olson was appointed to the MCWD Board of Managers in 2011 to represent Carver County. During his tenure with the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District, Manager Olson has worked alongside the Board President to steward the MCWD through staff restructure and leadership changes. Olson is most proud of the District’s work on the Minnehaha Creek Greenway, Arden Park, the Six Mile Creek-Halsted Bay Habitat Restoration, and MCWD’s continued efforts to restore Lake Wassermann in Victoria, MN.

Olson has extensive experience in the field of business management and electrical automation and software. For over forty years, he managed corporate accounts at Rockwell Automation, where he supported over one hundred plants and hundreds of automation professionals. His other roles include volunteering with local Boy Scout troops, chairing the Lake Minnetonka “Save the Lake” Fund, and serving as a board member for the Lake Minnetonka Conservation District and the Metro Association of Watershed Districts.

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Richard Miller has served as an MCWD Board Manager since 2002. During this time, he has helped advance MCWD’s Balanced Urban Ecology approach and paved the way for partnerships that integrate land-use and water planning to create affordable housing, sustainable transit, and equitable access to recreation opportunities. Miller is devoted to long-term, science-based planning, particularly in the face of climate change. Miller chairs the Policy and Planning Committee.

Miller has over three decades of experience working in public finance investment banking, during which time he has worked diligently to execute partnerships between the private and public sectors. Alongside his professional work, Miller has served in local government in several capacities: Minneapolis City Council Member, Board Member of the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority, and Commissioner of the Metropolitan Airports Commission. Miller has long demonstrated his commitment to community well-being through his experiences working with the Greater Metropolitan Housing Corporation, Minneapolis 20-Year Revitalization Projects, and the United Way Housing Committee.

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Steve Sando joined the MCWD Board of Managers in 2021. A lifelong resident of Edina, Sando strongly supported MCWD in its Restoration of Arden Park, which involved removing a dam, treating regional stormwater, re-meandering the creek, and improving recreational features that allow the community to enjoy the park.

Sando worked as a Sales and Marketing Manager in the furniture industry for thirty-two years, during which time he traveled across the U.S. to hire sales representatives, cultivate loyalty, and create new relationships with furniture stores and manufacturers. When Sando is not stewarding natural resources as an MCWD Board Manager, he often finds ways to do so in his community as a volunteer with the Adopt-a-Drain program and an organizer of “Buckthorn Busts” in Arden Park.

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Eugene Maxwell was appointed to the MCWD Board of Managers in 2019 and currently serves as secretary. As a long-time resident of Hopkins, Maxwell has been an advocate for MCWD’s work along the Minnehaha Creek Greenway, located in Hopkins and St. Louis Park. He’s particularly energized by the 325 Blake Road Restoration and Redevelopment project, which is an exciting opportunity to align water resource improvements with community need.

Maxwell brings a wealth of city government experience to the Board. He held positions on the Hopkins City Council and served as Mayor of Hopkins for sixteen years. Apart from his public duties, Maxwell owns and manages a business in the retail and restaurant industry. Maxwell is also a member of the First Minnetonka Bank Board of Directors and Global Synergy Group’s Board of Directors.

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Jessica Loftus was appointed to the MCWD Board of Managers in 2017 and currently serves as the Board’s treasurer. She also chairs the Operations and Programs Committee. Having grown up on the water, Loftus is passionate about protecting our natural resources for future generations.

Loftus has worked in local government for over a decade, recently serving as the City Administrator for the cities of Orono and Tonka Bay. Loftus also puts her skills to use in her community by volunteering as treasurer of a local Girl Scouts Troop.

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Arun Hejmadi was appointed to the MCWD Board of Managers in 2019. Hejmadi is a strong supporter of the Balanced Urban Ecology approach that underlies MCWD’s work, and is most proud of projects along the Minnehaha Creek Greenway, which demonstrate the water resource and community benefits of MCWD’s approach. Manager Hejmadi is excited to continue working with Managers and staff to develop MCWD’s strategy for climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Prior to joining the Board of Managers, Hejmadi worked for over three decades as a mental health practitioner for both private and non-profit organizations. Hejmadi is an active volunteer with neighborhood associations near his home in Minneapolis. Previously, Hejmadi also taught meditation in an award-winning program at the Dakota County Men’s Jail in Hastings, MN.

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