Community Advisory Council
Interlochen Public Radio is owned and governed by the Interlochen Center for the Arts and its Board of Trustees, with advice from our Community Advisory Council.
Current members are listed below.
Objectives
Help IPR engage with the communities it serves
Help IPR think strategically about its mission
Help IPR find the financial resources needed to thrive
Structure
Advisory boards are required of most public broadcasting stations to help stations serve their community effectively. The CAC is composed of at least 10 members serving two-year terms. A member may serve two consecutive terms for a total of four years and then must rotate off for at least one year. Members are appointed by IPR’s Executive Director who chairs meetings of the full council.
Expectations of CAC Board Members
1. Represent the interests of the communities served by IPR.
2. Be well versed in IPR’s mission, programs, services, strengths and needs.
3. Participate in three annual council meetings.
4. Actively serve on council committees.
5. Be willing to serve in a leadership capacity when asked.
6. Support IPR financially at a personally meaningful level.
7. Actively engage in open and honest dialogue about IPR programming.
8. Offer advice to Interlochen Trustees regarding IPR as required by federal law.
9. Identify candidates to serve as new advisors.
The role of the Council is purely advisory. Fiduciary responsibility and governance of IPR rests ultimately with the Interlochen Center for the Arts Board of Trustees.
IPR's Community Advisory Council meetings are open to the public. Learn more about upcoming meetings here.
IPR Community Advisory Council Members:
Annmarie Erickson is an accomplished nonprofit leader with thirty years of experience primarily in the arts and culture sector. Her longest professional tenure was at the Detroit Institute of Arts where she served as Chief Operating Officer. Over nearly seventeen years, she guided the museum through a building renovation and expansion including the reinstallation of the entire public art collection, a successful campaign requesting millage support from voters in three southeast Michigan counties and the successful defense of the museum’s art collection from creditors when the city of Detroit declared bankruptcy putting the city-owned collection at risk. Erickson acted as primary spokesperson during the bankruptcy, testified for the DIA in federal bankruptcy court and worked with a small team to raise $100 million to help fund city pensions and free the museum from city ownership. She has extensive expertise in operations, strategic planning, governance and board management, communications and marketing and fundraising.
In addition to her professional achievements, Erickson has been a dedicated volunteer for several Detroit-based organizations and led executive search committees at Pewabic Pottery and Inside/Out Literary Arts resulting in the placement of two highly accomplished leaders. Erickson and her husband, Paul, moved to Traverse City in 2022 where she continued to work remotely as a consultant with a Detroit-based public relations and marketing firm. She retired from the firm in December, 2023. Erickson is a published poet and is working on a book among other writing projects.
Raul Gomez was 5 years old when he came to the U.S. from a tiny village in Mexico. His father, who had been working on farms in Georgia and Florida for many years, was legalized under President Ronald Reagan’s amnesty act in 1986. This opened the possibility for Raul’s mother and then Raul to join him. When Raul and his family moved to northern Michigan they found work on the Old Mission Peninsula, renting migrant housing from Joshua and Barb Wunsch, long-time cherry and apple farmers. The family connections grew. After graduating from Grand Valley State University, Raul returned to the area and is now the managing partner of Third Coast Fruit Company at Wunsch farms and an integral part of the OMP farming community.
Megan Holtrey was born and raised in Southeastern Michigan. She holds a BS in Anthropology and Classics from Grand Valley State University. She worked for five years within the Grand Rapids museum scene as a volunteer, intern, and employee. After moving to Traverse City, MI, she accepted a job at the Dennos Museum Center and rose through the ranks to Operations Manager. In 2020, Megan was one of 15 arts and culture professionals to complete the Michigan Arts & Culture Council “Rising Leaders” leadership program. In 2023, she was part of Traverse City’s inaugural City Academy class, and has since served on the Absentee Voter Counting Board for the city precincts. In addition to serving on the Community Advisory Council for Interlochen Public Radio, she currently serves on the boards of the Northwest Michigan Arts & Culture Network and the Friends of the Traverse Area District Library.
Linda Koebert dedicated her professional life to education. She taught in public schools and as adjunct faculty at the collegiate level. In Traverse City she became active politically and headed the planning commission for two terms followed by a year appointment to the city commission. She remains an active community member serving as a Dennos Museum Center docent and as an IPR fundraising volunteer. She and her husband are Broadcast Circle sustaining members of IPR.
Al (Aldo) Manner grew up on Old Mission Peninsula in Traverse City, where he was active in all aspects of the music department, later going on to join the Michigan State University Spartan Marching Band while studying Ecology and Mathematics. Since returning to Traverse City, he has been an artisanal baker, specializing in sourdough bread and pizza baked in wood-fired ovens, and is now the Director of Grants and Data for United Way of Northwest Michigan. Outside of work he can be found exploring the diverse ecosystems of our area, playing music around town, or listening to IPR on his sailboat in Bowers Harbor.
Leah Bagdon McCallum is Principal/Owner of Blue Orange Consulting, a Michigan-focused firm leveraging years of nonprofit and government relations experience in assisting the people, projects and places that see Michigan’s bright orange sunsets on blue water. Leah has garnered nonprofit leadership at organizations including Goodwill Northern Michigan, Rotary Charities of Traverse City, the Detroit Zoological Society, and Northwestern Memorial Foundation in Chicago.
She understands Northern Michigan’s creative and hardworking constituents. She served as State Director for Senator Gary C. Peters, representing him in the 26 counties in northern lower Michigan and also serving as a liaison to federal agencies. In an advisory capacity, Leah has served the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum, Interlochen Public Radio, Michigan State Police, the Traverse City Downtown Development Authority and Farmer’s Market, and the Munson Hospital Community Health Committee.
Emily Modrall Ph.D. spent her early career as an academic archaeologist working on fieldwork and research projects in southern Italy. More recently she has worked in corporate and family philanthropy and is currently the Community Director for Boundless Futures Foundation, a Traverse City-based private foundation. She also coordinates a public history project focused on regional indigenous history through the Traverse Area Historical Society where she is a board member. Emily lives in Traverse City with her husband and daughter.
Nicco Pandolfi works as an instruction librarian at Northwestern Michigan College. He holds a B.A. in History and Environmental Studies from Denison University and an M.S. in Information Science from the University of Michigan. He has worked in food systems, public libraries, academic libraries, and archives, and has a longstanding interest in and commitment to the stewardship of the knowledge commons, ranging from agricultural seed stocks to public information and creative works. He has served on the board of Crosshatch Center for Art & Ecology and with Press Forward Northern Michigan and his nonfiction and poetry have appeared in Edible Grand Traverse, Pulp, and Dunes Review.
Tom Quinn, born and raised in Manistee, Michigan, is a graduate of Oakland University, Oklahoma City University, and Georgetown University School of Law. Tom began his legal career with the Internal Revenue Service, Office of Chief Counsel, in Washington, D.C. Tom was also Tax Counsel at New England Mutual Life Insurance Company in Boston which eventually became the Tax Counsel at Metropolitan Life Insurance Company in New York. For many years, Tom served on the Board of Directors and as president of the Insurance Tax Conference, an organization solely devoted to providing continuing education to insurance tax executives. He was also a very active member of the American Bar Association, Section of Taxation.
A long supporter of classical music, Tom was an early member of Interlochen Public Radio's Advisory Board and was on the Board during IPR's transition from an all music station to the two station format (news/music) in existence today. He worked with many members of the IPR community to expand IPR's signal strength in an attempt to reach as many listeners in the area as possible.
Kama Ross recently retired from her position as the Forestry Assistance Program Forester for Leelanau, Benzie, and Grand Traverse Conservation Districts. She also enjoyed a career as an outdoor environmental educator. After receiving her forestry degree from Michigan State University, she served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Paraguay, currently serving as the President of the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Northern Michigan. Kama plans to return to volunteer service in West Africa as soon as Peace Corps is back. Kama has three grown children (two who graduated from IAC) and lives just north of Cedar. Traveling and music are two of her other passions which bring joy to her life. Her first term ends in November 2023.
Ty Schmidt, born and raised on the Canadian prairies, now a proud northern Michigander, Ty is both an idea guy and a doer guy. Trained as a physical therapist, Ty left the clinic in 2017 after 18 years of practice to focus on founding several youth-focused, health-centered social change missions here in Northern Michigan’s capital. He’s a proven community organizer and experienced in fundraising, project management, strategic planning, communications, and a systematic approach to complex problem-solving. A highly motivated learner and connector, Ty is dedicated to helping build a happy, healthy, and just Traverse City where all kids thrive. He’s a 1999 graduate of the University of North Dakota with a master’s degree in Physical Therapy and was elected to the TCAPS Board of Education in 2024. He lives in Traverse City’s finest neighborhood, Oak Park, with his wife, Johanna, and two sons.
Whitney Waara has focused her career in nonprofits, business associations and philanthropy, serving in various leadership and non-profit consulting roles. She is currently the COO of Traverse City Tourism, the Grand Traverse region’s destination organization. She was formerly the Executive Director of the Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce and was the Vice President of Strategic Planning at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Whitney earned her degree in economics from Kalamazoo College, an MBA in Marketing from Kent State University, is a Certified Destination Management Executive (CDME), and holds other credentials including grants management, facilitator, and culinary certifications. Her roles have spanned all areas of operations and administration, strategic communications, advocacy, community engagement, planning and project management, and sustainability. A lifelong learner, Whitney loves to travel, hike, listen to great radio, and watch her boys play hockey.
Liaisons from our Board of Trustees, Nancy Hoagland, Sumit Sengupta, and Cindy Hann.
Former CAC Members:
Ron Becker of Glen Arbor
Tom Berg of Traverse City
Peter Bergin of Traverse City
Elara Coleman of Traverse City
Marcia Curran of Frankfort
Beth Fitzsimmons of Frankfort
Nancy Giles of Traverse City
Robert H. (Bob) Giles of Traverse City
Sarah Helge of Manistee
Pam Horne of Interlochen
Stephie Luyt of Traverse City
Charles (Charlie) MacInnis of Harbor Springs
Andrea Mack of Manistee
Larry Mawby of Suttons Bay
John McDonald of Frankfort
Walter Muellenhagen of Traverse City
Bill Northway of Frankfort
Peggy Pierson of Honor
Jessica Rickert of Traverse City
Karen Puschel Segal of Traverse City
Evy Kaplan Sussman of Northport
Suzy Voltz of Frankfort
Isaiah Wunsch of Traverse City