ALLETE is a publicly held company that operates in a complex, dynamic, competitive and regulated environment. ALLETE’s board of directors, elected by and accountable to its shareholders, is responsible for the direction and control of the company.
ALLETE Directors
Lead Director
Bruce W. Stender, 65
Duluth, Minn.
Director since 1995. Lead Director, Chairman of the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee and ex officio member of the Audit Committee and Executive Compensation Committee. Vice Chair of Labovitz Enterprises, Inc. which owns and manages hotel and commercial real estate. Trustee of the C.K. Blandin Foundation and member of the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee for the University of Minnesota Duluth. Download high resolution image
Director Kathleen Brekken, 58 Cannon Falls, Minn.
Director since 2006. Member of the Executive Compensation Committee. Retired President and CEO of Midwest of Cannon Falls, a designer, wholesaler and distributor of giftware. Served on the ALLETE Board of Directors from 1997 to 2003. Member of the St. Olaf College Board of Regents and a board member of the Cannon Falls Medical Center – Mayo Health System.
Director
Heidi J. Eddins, 51
St. Augustine, Fla.
Director since 2004. Member of the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee. Executive Vice President, Secretary and General counsel at Florida East Coast Railway, LLC., a transportation company based in St. Augustine, Fla. Joined Florida East Coast Industries in 1999, and is responsible for all legal affairs of the corporation in addition to managing a variety of real estate related transactions.
Director
Sidney W. Emery, Jr., 61
Minneapolis, Minn. Director since 2007. Member of the Executive Compensation Committee. Chairman of MTS Systems Corp., a global supplier of mechanical testing systems and industrial position sensors. Director of Urologix, Inc., a manufacturer of medical products. Chairman, Board of Governors of the University of St. Thomas School of Engineering.
Director
James J. Hoolihan, 54
Grand Rapids, Minn. Director since 2006. Member of the Audit Committee. President and CEO of the Blandin Foundation. Board chairman, Industrial Lubricant Co., a provider of industrial supplies and services to logging, railroad and mining companies. Trustee of the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minn.; former mayor of Grand Rapids.
Director
Madeleine W. Ludlow, 53
Cincinnati, Ohio
Director since 2004. Member of the Audit and Executive Compensation Committees. Principal of Ludlow, Ward Capital Partners, an investment bank. Former Chairman of Cadence Network, Inc., a web-based provider of utility expense management services. Former vice president and CFO of Cinergy Corp. Director, Oglebay Norton Co., Cleveland, Ohio. Trustee of the Darden School at the University of Virginia.
Director
George L. Mayer, 63
Essex, Conn.
Director since 1996. Chairman of the Audit Committee. Founder and President of Manhattan Realty Group which manages various real estate properties located predominantly in the northeastern United States. Director of Schwaab, Inc., one of the nation’s largest manufacturers of handheld rubber stamps and associated products.
Director Douglas C. Neve, 52 Eden Prairie, Minn.
Director since 2007. Former Chief Financial Officer of Minneapolis-based Ceridian Corp., a multinational human resources company, and former audit partner with two international accounting firms. Member of the audit committee of Luther College and board member of Tyndale House Publishers. Served on boards of Special Olympics of Minnesota and International Students, Inc. Former director and audit committee chairman of Golf Galaxy.
Director
Roger D. Peirce, 70
Mequon, Wis.
Director since 2004. Member of the Audit and Executive Compensation Committees. Retired Vice Chairman and CEO of Super Steel Products Corp, a contract manufacturer of fabricated metal products. Director and Chairman of the Compensation Committee of Journal communications, Inc.
Director
Jack I. Rajala, 68
Grand Rapids, Minn.
Director since 1985. Chairman of the Executive Compensation Committee. Chairman and CEO of Rajala Companies, and Director and President of Rajala Mill Company, both of which manufacture and trade lumber. Director of Grand Rapids State Bank. Board of Regents of Concordia College in Minnesota.
Board Chairman
Donald J. Shippar, 58
Superior, Wis.
Director since 2004. President and Chief Executive Officer of ALLETE. Since joining the Company in 1976, has served as director of human resources, vice president of transmission and distribution, Senior Vice President for customer service and delivery, Chief Operating Officer of Minnesota Power and President of Minnesota Power. Was named President and CEO of ALLETE in 2004, and became Chairman in 2006.
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of ALLETE
Donald J. Shippar
Joined the Company in 1976. Educated at the University of Wisconsin, Superior. At Minnesota Power: Worked as a supervisor and superintendent of Electric Communication. Was manager of Labor Relations and Safety-Personnel. Named Director of Human Resources in 1989 and Vice President of Transmission and Distribution in 1995. Became Senior Vice President for Customer Service and Delivery, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Minnesota Power, and was named President and Chief Operating Officer of Minnesota Power in 2002. Named President and CEO of ALLETE in 2004 and became Chairman in 2006.. Download high resolution image
Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
Mark A. Schober
Joined the Company in 1978. Educated at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, he is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Management Accountant. At ALLETE: Began as a property accountant. Served as a general ledger analyst and as auditor, senior auditor and lead auditor in the internal audit department. Was named Director of Internal Audit in 1989 and became Corporate Controller in March of 1993. Was named Corporate Vice President in 2001 and Senior Vice President in 2004. Appointed Chief Financial Officer in 2006.
Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
Deborah A. Amberg
Joined the Company in 1990. Educated at the University of Minnesota and the University of Minnesota Law School. At ALLETE: Began as an attorney and was named Senior Attorney in 1998. Was named General Counsel, Corporate Secretary and Vice President of corporate legal services in 2004. She was promoted to Senior Vice President in 2006.
Controller Steven Q. DeVinck
Joined ALLETE in 1997. Educated at the University of Wisconsin-Superior, and is a Certified Public Accountant. Served as Chief Accountant for Enbridge Energy U.S. At ALLETE: Began as a financial analyst in the accounting department, he was named Assistant Controller in 1999. Beginning in 2004, he directed ALLETE’s non-utility business development efforts. Appointed Controller in 2006.
Senior Vice President, Marketing, Regulatory and Public Affairs
David J. McMillan
Joined the Company in 1989. Educated at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and the University of Minnesota Law School. Employed as assistant general attorney for the Union Pacific Railroad. At ALLETE: Served as an attorney from 1989 through 1997, when he was named Vice President of Customer Solutions. Was appointed Vice President, Strategic Accounts Marketing, in 2000 and Vice President of Customer Solutions and Strategic Accounts in 2001. Was named Senior Vice President in 2002. In 2003, he was named Senior Vice President of Marketing, Regulatory and Public Affairs. He was appointed to the additional position of Executive Vice President of Minnesota Power in 2006.
Treasurer
Donald W. Stellmaker
Joined the Company in 1980. Educated at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. At ALLETE: Began as a load forecast analyst for Minnesota Power. Became a market research analyst in 1984 and was named financial analyst in 1985. Has served as Supervisor, Manager and Director of corporate financial planning and budgeting. Appointed Teasurer of ALLETE in 2004.
Vice President, Investor Relations
Timothy J. Thorp
Joined the Company in 1978. Educated at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. At ALLETE: Employed as a property accountant and a budget analyst from 1978 to 1988. Was a financial analyst and a senior financial analyst before being named Manager of Shareholder Services in 1991. Was named Manager and then Director of Investor Relations. Was named Corporate Vice President in November of 2001.
Chief Administrative Officer, Senior Vice President, Business Support
Claudia Scott Welty
Joined the Company in 1979. Educated at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. Worked at Mankato State University and at the city of Duluth. At ALLETE: Was an employee benefits analyst and supervisor of compensation at Minnesota Power before being named manager of compensation and benefits in 1983. Was appointed organizational development consultant and co-leader of an organizational development team in 1989. Was named Director of Technical Support Services in 1994 and Vice President of Support Services for Minnesota Powerin 1995. Was appointed Vice President of Information Technology in 1999 and Vice President of Strategy and Technology Development in 2002. Named Chief Administrative Officer and Senior Vice President of Business Support in 2004.
Chief Operating Officer - Minnesota Power
Alan R. Hodnik
Joined the Company in 1982. Educated at the University of Minnesota-Minneapolis. At Minnesota Power, he began as an Auxiliary Operator at the Laskin Energy Center and then moved to the Boswell Energy Center as an Assistant Environmental Operator. He served as an Organizational Development Consultant, Co-Leader and Leader from 1989 to 1994, when he became manager of the Laskin Energy Center. Was named General Manager – Thermal Generation Operations in 2000, and Vice President of Generation Operations in 2005. He became Senior Vice President – Minnesota Power Operations in 2006, and was promoted to Chief Operating Officer in 2007.
President, ALLETE Properties
Laura A. Holquist
Joined the Company in 1987. Educated at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and Florida Gulf Coast University. Employed by KPMG Peat Marwick as a Certified Public Accountant.
At ALLETE: Served in the internal audit department from 1987 to 1990, when she became senior business development analyst in the corporate development group. Served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of ALLETE Properties from 1993 to 2000. Named Senior Vice President, ALLETE Properties, in 2000. Appointed President of ALLETE Properties in 2001.
Senior Vice President - Strategy and Planning
Eric Norberg
Joined the Company in 1979. Educated at the University of Minnesota and the College of St. Scholastica, he is a Professional Engineer. At Minnesota Power: Started as a Transmission Planning Engineer and moved into resource planning and fuels planning. Was named Manager of Strategic Fuels Planning and then Manager, and Director, of Large Industrial Marketing. In 1998 he was named Vice President of Minnesota Power and in 2000 became Vice President-Strategic Initiatives and Chief Operating Officer of MPEX. Was named Senior Vice President – Strategy and Planning in February of 2007.
