Jeff Baldus is retired.

Baldus is a past Mower County Commissioner as well as the past Executive Director of the Austin Area Foundation. He was selected as the organizations first executive director in May of 2014.

Baldus is a longtime resident and prior to joining the foundation was employed by the Austin Area Chamber of Commerce, supporting Ambassador activities, membership and the 4th of July Freedom Fest. His career includes 33 years of restaurant management and was the successful owner/operator of Austin Culver’s Restaurant until he sold in June of 2009.

Currently active on many local boards and in volunteer positions including past Austin Chamber of Commerce president, Freedom Fest Director, KSMQ board member, Mower County Health Services advisory board member, Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau board member, Austin ArtWorks steering committee co-chair member, Paint the Town Pink steering committee member and past board member on The Hormel Foundation.

Jeff lives in Austin with his wife Kris and has two adult children.

Kim is a Principal in the National Assurance Techical Group for CliftonLarsonAllen, specializing in assurance engagements for state and local governments.  She has over 25 years of experience working with municipal governments, public utilities, housing and redevelopment authorities, counties and school districts.  Kim also leads continuing education on technical topics for government accounting and auditing.

Kim earned her Bachelor of Arts from Gustavus Adolphus College, with a major in Accounting and a minor in Spanish.

Kim resides in Austin with her husband and their three cats.  In her free time, Kim enjoys golfing and curling.

Jeff Gross is the Vice President of Commercial Banking for U.S. Bank. Responsible for growing and managing banking relationships for companies, government entities, and non-profit organizations; delivering innovative financial solutions that help clients grow and sustain their competitive edge.

Jeff holds a master’s degree in organizational leadership and has a wide variety of experience from running and managing businesses, real estate investing, and financial services. Jeff acquired the skills and experience of business ownership and an entrepreneurial spirit, growing up with parents running multiple businesses.

Jeff lives in Austin with his wife Katie, and two school aged children Charles & Teagan. He enjoys most outdoor activities such as camping, hiking, fishing, hunting, powersports, etc. Spending time with family outside is the best way to build lifelong experiences/ memories.  

Currently active on local boards and volunteer activities; including past Chamber of Commerce ambassador, Rotarian, board member of Bear Creek Services and Mower County CEO.

Allison has worked in education for 16 years.  During that time she has worked as a 3rd grade teacher, Kindergarten teacher, 5th grade teacher, Technology Integrationist, Behavior Coach, COVID Coordinator, and now as an AHS Assistant Principal.  This is her first year as part of the Mower County CEO Board as a school representative.  

Jill is the rehabilitation services manager at Mayo Clinic Health System Albert Lea and Austin.  She has worked in healthcare for 32 years.  Her current role includes supervising staff, marketing and ongoing development of rehab services, fiscal planning, collaborating wtih other departments and team building.  She is a graduate of Washington University, St. Louis, with a master's and bachelor's degree in Physical Therapy.

Jill is currently involved in many community activities and volunteering in Austin.  She is on the board for Hormel Historic Home, Autism Friendly Austin, Austin Aspires, Impact Austin and Riverland Massage Program.   In the past, she has been a volunteer at Austin Public Schools and previously involved with the high school mentorship program.

Jill and her husband, Garry, live in Austin and have 3 grown children.

Andrea has worked in Austin Public Schools for over 20 years.  During that time she has worked as Social Studies teacher, assistant principal, Austin High School Principal, and now in the Office of Teaching and Learning coordinating gifted and talented programs, teacher mentorship, and 5-12 curriculum.  She has been a part of the Mower County CEO Board as a school representative since the start of the program in 2018. 

I am Kane Malo, Principal of Pacelli Catholic Schools.  I work on the Board as a representative from Pacelli.  I have been on the board for three years during my time at Pacelli.  

I look forward to my continued participation on the Board and the continued success of the Mower County CEO program.

A native of Chicago, Amy is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Stout. She began her career in public relations in Orlando, Fla. After a few years, she returned to her roots in Chicagoland, where she accepted a new challenge: a position in the human resources field as a recruiter. She worked for Ernst & Young LLP and the American Dental Association before joining the Hormel Foods team in Austin, MN. Since then, she has served as corporate recruiter, supervisor of recruiting and corporate manager of talent acquisition to her current role, Director of Talent Acquisition.

Amy is passionate about developing talent and working with youth/high school programs in her community to help future generations realize their potential.  

Dale Wicks, Human Resources Director has been with Quality Pork Processors, Inc. since it began operations in 1989. Starting out on the Production line and moved into management.  His primary role in Human Resources is Labor Relations along with Payroll, Recruiting, Training, and Safety. He has served on several community Boards including, Oakland Baptist Church Board, Austin Chamber of Commerce Board, and the Austin Rotary Club Board. A lifetime resident of the Austin area, he continues to operate the small family farm with crops and cattle in rural Austin. He and his wife, both Austin High School Graduates, have 5 grown children and has 18 Grandchildren.

Austin is my hometown, although I spent most of my adult years living in Oklahoma, Texas, Ohio, and Indiana. I loved growing up here and chose to return home in 2019.

I'm fortunate to serve currently as the Executive Director of the Austin Area Foundation, the fiscal sponsor of the Mower County CEO Program.

Much of my professional career allowed me to establish my own businesses. After grad school, I spent 4 years as a stock broker before transitioning into the executive search profession, specializing in the recruitment of attorneys. Several years later, I had the opportunity to start a new business directing charity golf tournaments. While in the golf industry, I helped clients raise nearly $3 million for their organizations. In addition, I have served on the boards of multiple nonprofits and professional organizations.