Staff & Board

Nita provides the day-to-day business office leadership and is the point of contact for the organization’s members. She has been with the EDC since 2013.

Krista Paulus is a Commercial Lender for Security Financial Bank based out of River Falls. With over 24 years of lending experience, Krista has extensive knowledge in government funding programs such as SBA, USDA and Rural Development loans and programs. Current community commitments includes being actively involved as a Chamber Ambassador for both River Falls and New Richmond. Serving on the advisory board for Big Brothers/Big Sisters of St Croix County. Krista is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Business and is committed to aiding in the development and growth of our community.

Susan Yohnk Lockwood is the Vice President, Institutional Effectiveness and New Richmond Campus Administrator for Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College. She is active with several local organizations including the Forward New Richmond, New Richmond Area Economic Development Corporation, and New Richmond Area Community Foundation. Susan lives in New Richmond with her husband, two children, and two dogs.

Tom is a business, real estate and municipal attorney with Eckberg Lammers, PC a law firm with offices in Hudson and Stillwater, MN. He has worked in the St. Croix community for the past five years advising businesses in various transaction and serves as the civil city attorney for several communities.

Tom Aaby is currently the Senior Vice President of Business Development at OEM Fabricators Inc. in Woodville, WI.  He graduated from the University of Wisconsin Stout with a degree in Industrial Technology with a concentration in Manufacturing Engineering.  Tom has completed Executive Development programs at the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Business and the University of Wisconsin Business School.   Tom also just completed his first year as a Board Member for the Wisconsin Technology Council.  He has three grown children and has lived in Rush River Township with his wife Mary for more than 30 years.

Married to wife, Breanne Berning, 4 children in Hudson School District. I currently serve in my second term on the St. Croix County Board of Supervisors District 7. Current President of the Hudson Area Public Library Board of Trustees. President/Co-Founder of Growth Management Solutions in River Falls, WI, a startup technology brokering firm. We have lived in Hudson for 10 years, and St. Croix County most of my life. Proud to be an American, Wisconsinite, and resident of this great county!

Carrie Borgstrom is a Business Banking Officer with Royal Credit Union, serving New Richmond, River Falls, Somerset, and surrounding areas. She enjoys helping small business owners find the right lending solution to take their business to the next level. As an Ambassador for New Richmond Area Chamber, River Falls Chamber, and Somerset Chamber, she is very involved in the local communities. Carrie serves as Vice Chair for Forward New Richmond, working towards the growth, development, and vision for the city.

Mark Carlson is semi-retired and lives with his wife Linda in Pleasant Valley for nearly 20 years. Mark worked for 20 years as a Juvenile Probation/Correction worker in Ramsey County. Before that, he served in the Navy on Submarines for 12 years of active duty and then joined the Naval Reserves. He drives for Uber and Lyft part-time. Linda is also a Navy veteran and currently works for the Veteran’s Administration. Mark currently serves as a St. Croix County Supervisor for District 15, and has been president of Emmanual Lutheran Church in Hudson for the past 8 years. He is also on the St. Croix County Public Protection and Judiciary Committee.  

Steve is the CFO for Baldwin Lightstream. He has also served on the Woodville Village board since 2007 and have been the Village President since 2015.  Prior to running for the Village board, he was on the Baldwin-Woodville Chamber of Commerce board.  He grew up in the Baldwin-Woodville area and lives in Woodville with his wife Kristen, son Cameron and dog Jaxon.

Brian Hinz is the co-owner at Studio EA in Hudson, WI. Studio EA has practiced architecture in the St. Croix River Valley for 40 years with Brian joining the firm in 2006. He directs design, planning, and programming for a diverse range of project types from single family residential to industrial to professional office. A resident of St. Croix County since 2008 he has served as board member for the Hudson Area Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau and is a former President of the Hudson Noon Rotary Club.

Rob Kreibich is the Executive Director of the New Richmond Chamber of Commerce and currently serves on the New Richmond Economic Development Corp, the Momentum West Board of Directors, the West Central Regional Rail Coalition and at the state level, the Edvest College Savings Board. His past experience includes a journalism degree from University of MN, serving on the State Legislature for 14 years, served as chair of the Higher Education Committee, and  worked as a regional marketing specialist for Marshfield Clinic.

Scott brings 34 years of experience in the financial services industry. He is currently with First National Bank River Falls and focuses on commercial banking in the western Wisconsin market. He is involved with the River Falls Sunshine Fund, a local student lead non-profits, Rotary, and serves on the River Falls City Council as President.  He was also past Board Chair of the River Falls Chamber of Commerce.

April Nelson is Vice President/ Loan Officer for WBD, Inc., a Certified Development Company. Her role is assisting financial institutions and borrowers with SBA 504 financing in Western Wisconsin and 14 counties in Minnesota. April brings over 24 years of experience in the financial industry.

Ann is the Executive Director of the St. Croix Valley Food Bank. She has over 20 years of for-profit and non-profit leadership experience. Ann has worked in the St. Croix communities for the past eight years establishing collaborative partnerships that build healthy communities and is a member of Hudson Day Break Rotary.

Aaron Sundeen is the Director of Business Development for Derrick Companies in New Richmond.  He has lived in Hudson for 22 years with his wife and two children and has been an active member in many local organizations throughout the St. Croix Valley.

Most recently, Brian Zelenak was President/CEO at St. Croix Electric Cooperative (SCEC) late 2018-2023. Prior to joining SCEC, Brian was the CEO of a Minnesota Cooperative and spent over 20 years in various regulatory roles at Xcel Energy/NSP.  Brian has lived in the Hudson area since 2006 and has been active in area organizations including the Family Resource Center of St. Croix Valley, Camp St. Croix YMCA, and Very Special Arts of Wisconsin.