Commissioners
Michael Vekich, Chair
Michael Vekich has served as the Chair of the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority, the governing board that represents the State of Minnesota’s ownership and oversight of U.S. Bank Stadium, since July 2017. Chair Vekich is an experienced senior executive known for innovative and effective leadership of complex organizations with a proven track record of providing business and financial counsel. Also known as Minnesota’s “go to guy.” He has consistently demonstrated expertise in strategic planning, finance, compliance, governance, succession planning and resource alignment. In addition to his leadership and guidance of the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority, Chair Vekich also serves as the Chair of the Board of Trustees, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities; CEO, Vekich Chartered; Chair of BNCCorp and BNC National Bank and providing leadership through other private and not-for-profit boards. He previously served as President/Chair the Bank Holding Company Association, and twice as the Acting Director of the Minnesota Lottery and Chair of the Minnesota Board of Accountancy. Vekich earned his degree from the University of Minnesota.
Bill McCarthy
Bill McCarthy is a Minneapolis native, a Vietnam War veteran and a University of Minnesota alumnus. He joined Hotel Employees & Restaurant Employees Local 17 in 1985, became a business representative and then was elected president of the local. In 2002, Bill was elected President of the Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation; the largest central labor body in the state. After serving as Minneapolis RLF President for more than 13 years, Bill McCarthy was elected President of the Minnesota AFL-CIO in 2015. Additionally, Bill serves on the Board of Directors for the Greater Twin Cities United Way. In March 2012, Bill was named as the winner of a national United Way award for labor leadership, the Joseph A. Beirne Community Services Award. Bill is a board member of Meet Minneapolis, Convention + Visitors Association, which works to market, sell and maximize the visitor experience of Minneapolis for the economic benefit of our community.
Bill is committed to organizing, mobilizing and reaching out to community allies in order to build partnerships and create jobs that can sustain a family and strong communities.
Sharon Sayles Belton
Sharon Sayles Belton currently serves as the V.P. Strategic Partnerships and Alliances at Thomson Reuters, Government. Her responsibilities include the development and management of private sector partnerships that serves Government Customers, and management of key government legal and law enforcement trade associations. She also provides oversight and management of community engagement and employee volunteerism in key locations.
Prior to joining Thomson Reuters, Sayles Belton served as director of Community Relations and Corporate Philanthropy at GMAC Financial Services. While at GMAC, Sayles Belton co-founded a nationwide foreclosure prevention program.
Sayles Belton served as mayor of Minneapolis, MN., from 1994 to 2001. She was the first woman and first African American to be elected mayor. During her time in office, she achieved national recognition as an expert on public/private partnerships in public safety, neighborhood revitalization, and economic development. She served on the Minneapolis City Council for 10 years (1984-1994) and was council president from 1990-1994. Sayles Belton began her career with the Minnesota Department of Corrections as a probation and parole agent, and later served as the Assistant Director of the Minnesota Program for Victims of Sexual Assault.
She is a board member at Head Start, Parents in Community Action, Vice Chair of Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, the co-founder of Homeownership Preservation Foundation, the co-founder of Harriet Tubman Shelter for Battered Women, the co-founder of National Coalition Against Sexual Assault (NCASA), the recipient of the American Association for Affirmative Action Rosa Parks Award, and the recipient of the National Bar Association Gertrude Rush Distinguish Service Award.
Sayles Belton completed the program for Senior Executives at John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University in 1986, attended Macalester College in St. Paul, MN in 1973, and received an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from Walden University in 2003.
Tony Sertich
Tony Sertich is the President of the Northland Foundation—a rural non-profit in northeastern Minnesota. The Northland Foundation is a resource for people, businesses and communities in Northeast Minnesota working toward prosperity through economic and social justice. Through grant making and programmatic activities, the foundation focuses on youth and families, seniors, self-reliance, leadership and small business development.
Sertich spent over a decade in elective office in the Minnesota House of Representatives. At the age of 32, he became the youngest Majority Leader in the state’s history. Sertich served in Governor Mark Dayton’s cabinet as the commissioner of the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board—a rural economic development agency. Sertich has been an instructor in the University of Minnesota Duluth’s Master of Advocacy and Political Leadership program and has a lengthy list of board service experience, including with the Duluth Seaway Port Authority, UMD’s Natural Resources Research Institute and the Center for Rural Policy and Development.
Angela Burns Finney
Angela Finney is a solutions-driven, team-focused, marketing professional who keeps the client experience and journey at the forefront with a career that spans over 25 years across private, public and nonprofit sectors. She is currently the industry lead for one of PwC's alliance marketing teams where she is focused on leading integrated campaigns across several industries to enable scale and growth across the practice, while creating memorable and positive customer experiences.
A St. Paul native, Angela was raised in the Rondo Community and infused with a generational legacy in community service. In addition to serving as a Commissioner for the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority, she proudly serves as the Chair of the Board for YWCA St. Paul, an organization dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. Whether at work or in the community, Angela is committed to creating opportunities and shaping communities where people can thrive!
Staff
Ed Kroics, Executive Director
ed.kroics@msfa.com
Mary Fox-Stroman, CPA, Chief Financial Officer
mary.fox-stroman@msfa.com
Michelle Hoffman, CPA, Director of Finance
michelle.hoffman@msfa.com
Sue Arcand, Accountant
sue.arcand@msfa.com
Phone: 612-332-0386
