Program Director, Policy & Compliance STAFF DIRECTORY Jeanne Weigum President Jeanne Weigum has served as the President of ANSR since 1980, though her path to leading the organization for nearly four decades has somewhat humble roots. The Association for Nonsmokers’ Rights, as it was called at the time, was in the midst of fighting for the nation’s first statewide clean indoor air law in 1975. Jeanne saw an ad in a local paper about the association’s work and decided to become a member, which only cost $1. After becoming a member, Jeanne soon joined the ANSR board and eventually moved her way up to the full-time President, a role for which she has never taken a salary. From ground-breaking smoke-free housing work to innovative approaches to preventing youth tobacco use, she has provided strategic direction for numerous public policy wins in Minnesota. She remains deeply committed to enhancing public health and her community. When not fighting the good fight at ANSR, you’ll find Jeanne baking in the winter, gardening in the spring and summer, and up to her ankles in rescue dogs year round. Email Jeanne Emily Anderson Director of Policy Emily Anderson is a Program Director who focuses on point-of-sale policy work and clean outdoor air in parks and on college campuses. Since her first year at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Emily knew she wanted to work at a nonprofit and contribute to a greater good. After graduate school and stops at a few other nonprofits, she found her niche in public health policy and tobacco prevention at ANSR. Emily has supported dozens of Minnesota communities in passing tobacco-free parks policies and has worked closely with colleges and universities, including the University of Minnesota, in adopting tobacco-free campus policies. She advocated for a first-of-its-kind cigar pricing ordinance in Brooklyn Center. She has presented at several public health conferences, including the National Summit on Smokeless and Spit Tobacco and the National Conference on Tobacco or Health. Outside of work Emily enjoys spending time with her family in Minneapolis and heading into the great outdoors to bike, camp and skijor. While Minnesota is now home, she takes pride in teaching her two young daughters to say “Go, Pack, Go!” Email Emily Esha Seth Director of Technical Assistance Esha Seth serves as the Technical Assistance Program Coordinator. In her role, Esha works with county health departments across the state and community organizations that represent various diverse communities to provide resources and guidance on their tobacco prevention initiatives in schools, worksites, grounds, parks, and point of sale policy initiatives. During her time at ANSR, Esha has worked on developing relationships with individuals and provides guidance and resources to assist with the implementation and enforcement of tobacco prevention policies and initiatives. Esha has also worked to help create the free online retailer training that helps educate tobacco retailers on state laws on selling tobacco. Most recently, Esha worked with the Isanti County public health department and their local substance abuse prevention coalition to increase the tobacco sales age from 18 to 21 for all licensed tobacco retailers in the county. Esha is currently working on wrapping up her Master’s in Public Health from the University of Minnesota. Outside of school and work, Esha enjoys travelling and is making travel plans for her next big adventure around the world. Email Esha Katie Engman Program Director Policy & Compliance Katie Engman is a Program Director. Since 2002, Katie has coordinated and supported diverse school- and community-based tobacco prevention programming and advocacy work. Katie is currently working to reduce the amount of tobacco advertising and marketing aimed at youth. Much of Katie’s career has been focused on youth prevention, education, advocacy and engagement resulting in national awards for students. Some of her policy accomplishments include: numerous tobacco-free park policies, a smoke-free workplace ordinance in Ramsey County, an imitation tobacco ordinance and sign ordinance updates in St. Paul, flavored tobacco restrictions in multiple metro communities, numerous city ordinance updates to reflect the changing landscape of tobacco. She also directs the North Suburban Tobacco Compliance Project working to reduce youth access to commercial sources of tobacco. This is a one of a kind model with coordination with cities, law enforcement and youth. Outside the office one might find Katie in the middle of a lake, having arrived there via swimming, boating, or paddling. She also enjoys planning family adventures, such as trips to the beach and cheering on her kids at their activities. Email Katie Jackie Siewert Program Director Live Smoke Free Jackie Siewert is the Program Director for the Live Smoke Free Program. Jackie joined the ANSR team in 2014 with a background in property management and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Minnesota. As Program Director for the Live Smoke Free program she works with local and national stakeholders, such as renters, homeowners, property managers, property owners, and public health advocates, to educate decision makers and promote smoke-free housing. Jackie has supported hundreds of multi-housing properties in adopting smoke-free policies, developed numerous educational tools and resources, and spoken at many health and housing events. Jackie also manages Live Smoke Free communications, including quarterly newsletters, social media, and website content. Inside Jackie’s office one will find a variety of cacti and vining plants. In her spare time, Jackie enjoys running, biking, art festivals, and cats. Email Jackie Kara Skahen Program Director Minnesota Prevention Resource Center Kara serves as the Project Director for the Minnesota Prevention Resource Center (MPRC). In her role she provides programmatic oversight and manages administrative duties. Kara has worked in public health prevention for over ten years, primarily in commercial tobacco prevention. Kara is also a Program Director for the Association for Nonsmokers-MN where she leads smoke-free housing policy initiatives and provides tobacco technical assistance to Statewide Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP) grantees. Outside of work Kara enjoys running with her dog, cooking, reading, and gardening. Kara has a Master of Social Work and Master of Public Policy degree from the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities. Email Kara Chris Smith Community Policy Advocate Chris started at ANSR as a contracted Campaign Organizer in 2020 and officially joined the team as a Community Policy Advocate in 2022. Chris enjoys connecting communities with lawmakers and city leadership. He believes that community engagement is key to developing sound equitable policies. Chris holds a bachelor’s degree in business and a master’s in advocacy and political leadership -both from Metropolitan State University. He comes to ANSR with a breadth of community organizing experience, from working closely with faith communities as a congregational organizer, to field organizing during numerous election cycles for political and issue campaigns. At ANSR Chris is focused on local tobacco prevention policy at point of sale and smoke-free housing. While not working in the office, Chris spends much of his time biking, developing bikepacking routes for his next adventure, and cheering on the St. Paul Saints with friends and family. Chris is a downtown St. Paul resident and considers himself to be an “armchair Urbanist” since he often criticizes street design, even though he does not hold a degree in engineering or urban planning. Email Chris Jason Lind Director of Finance Jason Lind is ANSR’s Director of Finance. He joined ANSR in 2020 and has more than 16 years of accounting experience, including six in the nonprofit world. Jason helps manage the overall ANSR budget and helps each program budget spend appropriately. He is passionate about technology and enjoys teaching and discussing tech of almost any kind. Personally, he enjoys going for long walk-and-talks with his wife and throwing not-so-perfect spirals to his twin boys. Email Jason Molly Schmidtke Community Outreach Coordinator Molly Schmidtke is a Community Outreach Coordinator. In this role, Molly is responsible for conducting outreach and education events, supporting youth policy and advocacy efforts, and supporting all other ANSR tobacco prevention efforts. Some of her accomplishments include: multiple flavored commercial tobacco restrictions in MN communities, working with youth to create, disseminate and evaluate vaping prevalence surveys with youth partners, as well as creating and disseminating a toolkit focused on the environmental impacts of commercial tobacco products. She has a BS from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in Public Health – Community Health Education and is a Certified Health Education Specialist. She is currently pursuing a Master’s in Public Health degree at the University of Minnesota. She is passionate about many public health topics, such as health equity, policy and advocacy. Outside of work, Molly loves to be out on the Mississippi River, cooking, and watching the Minnesota Wild. Email Molly David Olson TITLE Description Email Jack Madeline Bremel Events Manager Madeline is the Events Manager for the Minnesota Prevention Resource Center, and is responsible for planning and coordinating MPRC events, including the annual MN Prevention Program Sharing Conference, and supporting MPRC’s technical assistance and communications needs. Madeline has worked in Public Health in Minnesota, Oregon, and New Mexico, and has found a niche doing planning, organization, and communication-related work at the systems level. Madeline has an MPH from Oregon State University in Health Promotion and Health Behavior. Outside of work you might find Madeline cross-country skiing, crafting, or studying her dog, Pearl’s, personality. Email Madeline Kayla Baker Regional Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drugs Prevention Coordinator MN Metro - Region 7 Kayla is the Metro Regional Prevention Coordinator, which she works with coalitions and communities to promote substance misuse prevention. Kayla has her Bachelor’s degree in Community Health Education from North Dakota State University, and her Master’s degree in Wellness and Health Promotion Management from Nebraska Methodist College. She is also a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES). Prior to becoming a Regional Prevention Coordinator, Kayla spent time working in various health related roles including chemical and mental health, Responsible Beverage Server Training (RBST), alcohol compliance checks, diabetes prevention, and most recently, COVID-19. During her free time Kayla enjoys hiking, baking, and crocheting. Email Kayla Curtis Neff Campaign Organizer Curtis is the Campaign Organizer working to end the sale of flavor tobacco products in Minnesota. Much of his work is focused on recruiting community partners to educate and advocate for this change. Curtis comes to ANSR from a long career in organized labor and activism. He is a graduate of Iowa State University with a BS in Political Science. Outside of work he collects vinyl from many genres and enjoys a quiet life in St. Paul. Email Curtis Morgan Hamernik Administrative & Communications Specialist Morgan Hamernik is an Administrative and Communications Specialist. She joined the ANSR team in 2023 and is responsible for managing the organization’s social media accounts, writing newsletters, and supporting the staff’s education and advocacy efforts. She recently graduated from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities with a BA in English and a minor in public health. Morgan is passionate about digital accessibility, inclusive health communication, and public libraries. Outside of work, you will likely find Morgan cheering on the Packers or playing with her dog, Happy. Email Morgan

President STAFF DIRECTORY Jeanne Weigum President Jeanne Weigum has served as the President of ANSR since 1980, though her path to leading the organization for nearly four decades has somewhat humble roots. The Association for Nonsmokers’ Rights, as it was called at the time, was in the midst of fighting for the nation’s first statewide clean indoor air law in 1975. Jeanne saw an ad in a local paper about the association’s work and decided to become a member, which only cost $1. After becoming a member, Jeanne soon joined the ANSR board and eventually moved her way up to the full-time President, a role for which she has never taken a salary. From ground-breaking smoke-free housing work to innovative approaches to preventing youth tobacco use, she has provided strategic direction for numerous public policy wins in Minnesota. She remains deeply committed to enhancing public health and her community. When not fighting the good fight at ANSR, you’ll find Jeanne baking in the winter, gardening in the spring and summer, and up to her ankles in rescue dogs year round. Email Jeanne Emily Anderson Director of Policy Emily Anderson is a Program Director who focuses on point-of-sale policy work and clean outdoor air in parks and on college campuses. Since her first year at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Emily knew she wanted to work at a nonprofit and contribute to a greater good. After graduate school and stops at a few other nonprofits, she found her niche in public health policy and tobacco prevention at ANSR. Emily has supported dozens of Minnesota communities in passing tobacco-free parks policies and has worked closely with colleges and universities, including the University of Minnesota, in adopting tobacco-free campus policies. She advocated for a first-of-its-kind cigar pricing ordinance in Brooklyn Center. She has presented at several public health conferences, including the National Summit on Smokeless and Spit Tobacco and the National Conference on Tobacco or Health. Outside of work Emily enjoys spending time with her family in Minneapolis and heading into the great outdoors to bike, camp and skijor. While Minnesota is now home, she takes pride in teaching her two young daughters to say “Go, Pack, Go!” Email Emily Esha Seth Director of Technical Assistance Esha Seth serves as the Technical Assistance Program Coordinator. In her role, Esha works with county health departments across the state and community organizations that represent various diverse communities to provide resources and guidance on their tobacco prevention initiatives in schools, worksites, grounds, parks, and point of sale policy initiatives. During her time at ANSR, Esha has worked on developing relationships with individuals and provides guidance and resources to assist with the implementation and enforcement of tobacco prevention policies and initiatives. Esha has also worked to help create the free online retailer training that helps educate tobacco retailers on state laws on selling tobacco. Most recently, Esha worked with the Isanti County public health department and their local substance abuse prevention coalition to increase the tobacco sales age from 18 to 21 for all licensed tobacco retailers in the county. Esha is currently working on wrapping up her Master’s in Public Health from the University of Minnesota. Outside of school and work, Esha enjoys travelling and is making travel plans for her next big adventure around the world. Email Esha Katie Engman Program Director Policy & Compliance Katie Engman is a Program Director. Since 2002, Katie has coordinated and supported diverse school- and community-based tobacco prevention programming and advocacy work. Katie is currently working to reduce the amount of tobacco advertising and marketing aimed at youth. Much of Katie’s career has been focused on youth prevention, education, advocacy and engagement resulting in national awards for students. Some of her policy accomplishments include: numerous tobacco-free park policies, a smoke-free workplace ordinance in Ramsey County, an imitation tobacco ordinance and sign ordinance updates in St. Paul, flavored tobacco restrictions in multiple metro communities, numerous city ordinance updates to reflect the changing landscape of tobacco. She also directs the North Suburban Tobacco Compliance Project working to reduce youth access to commercial sources of tobacco. This is a one of a kind model with coordination with cities, law enforcement and youth. Outside the office one might find Katie in the middle of a lake, having arrived there via swimming, boating, or paddling. She also enjoys planning family adventures, such as trips to the beach and cheering on her kids at their activities. Email Katie Jackie Siewert Program Director Live Smoke Free Jackie Siewert is the Program Director for the Live Smoke Free Program. Jackie joined the ANSR team in 2014 with a background in property management and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Minnesota. As Program Director for the Live Smoke Free program she works with local and national stakeholders, such as renters, homeowners, property managers, property owners, and public health advocates, to educate decision makers and promote smoke-free housing. Jackie has supported hundreds of multi-housing properties in adopting smoke-free policies, developed numerous educational tools and resources, and spoken at many health and housing events. Jackie also manages Live Smoke Free communications, including quarterly newsletters, social media, and website content. Inside Jackie’s office one will find a variety of cacti and vining plants. In her spare time, Jackie enjoys running, biking, art festivals, and cats. Email Jackie Kara Skahen Program Director Minnesota Prevention Resource Center Kara serves as the Project Director for the Minnesota Prevention Resource Center (MPRC). In her role she provides programmatic oversight and manages administrative duties. Kara has worked in public health prevention for over ten years, primarily in commercial tobacco prevention. Kara is also a Program Director for the Association for Nonsmokers-MN where she leads smoke-free housing policy initiatives and provides tobacco technical assistance to Statewide Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP) grantees. Outside of work Kara enjoys running with her dog, cooking, reading, and gardening. Kara has a Master of Social Work and Master of Public Policy degree from the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities. Email Kara Chris Smith Community Policy Advocate Chris started at ANSR as a contracted Campaign Organizer in 2020 and officially joined the team as a Community Policy Advocate in 2022. Chris enjoys connecting communities with lawmakers and city leadership. He believes that community engagement is key to developing sound equitable policies. Chris holds a bachelor’s degree in business and a master’s in advocacy and political leadership -both from Metropolitan State University. He comes to ANSR with a breadth of community organizing experience, from working closely with faith communities as a congregational organizer, to field organizing during numerous election cycles for political and issue campaigns. At ANSR Chris is focused on local tobacco prevention policy at point of sale and smoke-free housing. While not working in the office, Chris spends much of his time biking, developing bikepacking routes for his next adventure, and cheering on the St. Paul Saints with friends and family. Chris is a downtown St. Paul resident and considers himself to be an “armchair Urbanist” since he often criticizes street design, even though he does not hold a degree in engineering or urban planning. Email Chris Jason Lind Director of Finance Jason Lind is ANSR’s Director of Finance. He joined ANSR in 2020 and has more than 16 years of accounting experience, including six in the nonprofit world. Jason helps manage the overall ANSR budget and helps each program budget spend appropriately. He is passionate about technology and enjoys teaching and discussing tech of almost any kind. Personally, he enjoys going for long walk-and-talks with his wife and throwing not-so-perfect spirals to his twin boys. Email Jason Molly Schmidtke Community Outreach Coordinator Molly Schmidtke is a Community Outreach Coordinator. In this role, Molly is responsible for conducting outreach and education events, supporting youth policy and advocacy efforts, and supporting all other ANSR tobacco prevention efforts. Some of her accomplishments include: multiple flavored commercial tobacco restrictions in MN communities, working with youth to create, disseminate and evaluate vaping prevalence surveys with youth partners, as well as creating and disseminating a toolkit focused on the environmental impacts of commercial tobacco products. She has a BS from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in Public Health – Community Health Education and is a Certified Health Education Specialist. She is currently pursuing a Master’s in Public Health degree at the University of Minnesota. She is passionate about many public health topics, such as health equity, policy and advocacy. Outside of work, Molly loves to be out on the Mississippi River, cooking, and watching the Minnesota Wild. Email Molly David Olson TITLE Description Email Jack Madeline Bremel Events Manager Madeline is the Events Manager for the Minnesota Prevention Resource Center, and is responsible for planning and coordinating MPRC events, including the annual MN Prevention Program Sharing Conference, and supporting MPRC’s technical assistance and communications needs. Madeline has worked in Public Health in Minnesota, Oregon, and New Mexico, and has found a niche doing planning, organization, and communication-related work at the systems level. Madeline has an MPH from Oregon State University in Health Promotion and Health Behavior. Outside of work you might find Madeline cross-country skiing, crafting, or studying her dog, Pearl’s, personality. Email Madeline Kayla Baker Regional Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drugs Prevention Coordinator MN Metro - Region 7 Kayla is the Metro Regional Prevention Coordinator, which she works with coalitions and communities to promote substance misuse prevention. Kayla has her Bachelor’s degree in Community Health Education from North Dakota State University, and her Master’s degree in Wellness and Health Promotion Management from Nebraska Methodist College. She is also a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES). Prior to becoming a Regional Prevention Coordinator, Kayla spent time working in various health related roles including chemical and mental health, Responsible Beverage Server Training (RBST), alcohol compliance checks, diabetes prevention, and most recently, COVID-19. During her free time Kayla enjoys hiking, baking, and crocheting. Email Kayla Curtis Neff Campaign Organizer Curtis is the Campaign Organizer working to end the sale of flavor tobacco products in Minnesota. Much of his work is focused on recruiting community partners to educate and advocate for this change. Curtis comes to ANSR from a long career in organized labor and activism. He is a graduate of Iowa State University with a BS in Political Science. Outside of work he collects vinyl from many genres and enjoys a quiet life in St. Paul. Email Curtis Morgan Hamernik Administrative & Communications Specialist Morgan Hamernik is an Administrative and Communications Specialist. She joined the ANSR team in 2023 and is responsible for managing the organization’s social media accounts, writing newsletters, and supporting the staff’s education and advocacy efforts. She recently graduated from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities with a BA in English and a minor in public health. Morgan is passionate about digital accessibility, inclusive health communication, and public libraries. Outside of work, you will likely find Morgan cheering on the Packers or playing with her dog, Happy. Email Morgan

Project Lead STAFF DIRECTORY Jeanne Weigum President Jeanne Weigum has served as the President of ANSR since 1980, though her path to leading the organization for nearly four decades has somewhat humble roots. The Association for Nonsmokers’ Rights, as it was called at the time, was in the midst of fighting for the nation’s first statewide clean indoor air law in 1975. Jeanne saw an ad in a local paper about the association’s work and decided to become a member, which only cost $1. After becoming a member, Jeanne soon joined the ANSR board and eventually moved her way up to the full-time President, a role for which she has never taken a salary. From ground-breaking smoke-free housing work to innovative approaches to preventing youth tobacco use, she has provided strategic direction for numerous public policy wins in Minnesota. She remains deeply committed to enhancing public health and her community. When not fighting the good fight at ANSR, you’ll find Jeanne baking in the winter, gardening in the spring and summer, and up to her ankles in rescue dogs year round. Email Jeanne Emily Anderson Director of Policy Emily Anderson is a Program Director who focuses on point-of-sale policy work and clean outdoor air in parks and on college campuses. Since her first year at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Emily knew she wanted to work at a nonprofit and contribute to a greater good. After graduate school and stops at a few other nonprofits, she found her niche in public health policy and tobacco prevention at ANSR. Emily has supported dozens of Minnesota communities in passing tobacco-free parks policies and has worked closely with colleges and universities, including the University of Minnesota, in adopting tobacco-free campus policies. She advocated for a first-of-its-kind cigar pricing ordinance in Brooklyn Center. She has presented at several public health conferences, including the National Summit on Smokeless and Spit Tobacco and the National Conference on Tobacco or Health. Outside of work Emily enjoys spending time with her family in Minneapolis and heading into the great outdoors to bike, camp and skijor. While Minnesota is now home, she takes pride in teaching her two young daughters to say “Go, Pack, Go!” Email Emily Esha Seth Director of Technical Assistance Esha Seth serves as the Technical Assistance Program Coordinator. In her role, Esha works with county health departments across the state and community organizations that represent various diverse communities to provide resources and guidance on their tobacco prevention initiatives in schools, worksites, grounds, parks, and point of sale policy initiatives. During her time at ANSR, Esha has worked on developing relationships with individuals and provides guidance and resources to assist with the implementation and enforcement of tobacco prevention policies and initiatives. Esha has also worked to help create the free online retailer training that helps educate tobacco retailers on state laws on selling tobacco. Most recently, Esha worked with the Isanti County public health department and their local substance abuse prevention coalition to increase the tobacco sales age from 18 to 21 for all licensed tobacco retailers in the county. Esha is currently working on wrapping up her Master’s in Public Health from the University of Minnesota. Outside of school and work, Esha enjoys travelling and is making travel plans for her next big adventure around the world. Email Esha Katie Engman Program Director Policy & Compliance Katie Engman is a Program Director. Since 2002, Katie has coordinated and supported diverse school- and community-based tobacco prevention programming and advocacy work. Katie is currently working to reduce the amount of tobacco advertising and marketing aimed at youth. Much of Katie’s career has been focused on youth prevention, education, advocacy and engagement resulting in national awards for students. Some of her policy accomplishments include: numerous tobacco-free park policies, a smoke-free workplace ordinance in Ramsey County, an imitation tobacco ordinance and sign ordinance updates in St. Paul, flavored tobacco restrictions in multiple metro communities, numerous city ordinance updates to reflect the changing landscape of tobacco. She also directs the North Suburban Tobacco Compliance Project working to reduce youth access to commercial sources of tobacco. This is a one of a kind model with coordination with cities, law enforcement and youth. Outside the office one might find Katie in the middle of a lake, having arrived there via swimming, boating, or paddling. She also enjoys planning family adventures, such as trips to the beach and cheering on her kids at their activities. Email Katie Jackie Siewert Program Director Live Smoke Free Jackie Siewert is the Program Director for the Live Smoke Free Program. Jackie joined the ANSR team in 2014 with a background in property management and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Minnesota. As Program Director for the Live Smoke Free program she works with local and national stakeholders, such as renters, homeowners, property managers, property owners, and public health advocates, to educate decision makers and promote smoke-free housing. Jackie has supported hundreds of multi-housing properties in adopting smoke-free policies, developed numerous educational tools and resources, and spoken at many health and housing events. Jackie also manages Live Smoke Free communications, including quarterly newsletters, social media, and website content. Inside Jackie’s office one will find a variety of cacti and vining plants. In her spare time, Jackie enjoys running, biking, art festivals, and cats. Email Jackie Kara Skahen Program Director Minnesota Prevention Resource Center Kara serves as the Project Director for the Minnesota Prevention Resource Center (MPRC). In her role she provides programmatic oversight and manages administrative duties. Kara has worked in public health prevention for over ten years, primarily in commercial tobacco prevention. Kara is also a Program Director for the Association for Nonsmokers-MN where she leads smoke-free housing policy initiatives and provides tobacco technical assistance to Statewide Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP) grantees. Outside of work Kara enjoys running with her dog, cooking, reading, and gardening. Kara has a Master of Social Work and Master of Public Policy degree from the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities. Email Kara Chris Smith Community Policy Advocate Chris started at ANSR as a contracted Campaign Organizer in 2020 and officially joined the team as a Community Policy Advocate in 2022. Chris enjoys connecting communities with lawmakers and city leadership. He believes that community engagement is key to developing sound equitable policies. Chris holds a bachelor’s degree in business and a master’s in advocacy and political leadership -both from Metropolitan State University. He comes to ANSR with a breadth of community organizing experience, from working closely with faith communities as a congregational organizer, to field organizing during numerous election cycles for political and issue campaigns. At ANSR Chris is focused on local tobacco prevention policy at point of sale and smoke-free housing. While not working in the office, Chris spends much of his time biking, developing bikepacking routes for his next adventure, and cheering on the St. Paul Saints with friends and family. Chris is a downtown St. Paul resident and considers himself to be an “armchair Urbanist” since he often criticizes street design, even though he does not hold a degree in engineering or urban planning. Email Chris Jason Lind Director of Finance Jason Lind is ANSR’s Director of Finance. He joined ANSR in 2020 and has more than 16 years of accounting experience, including six in the nonprofit world. Jason helps manage the overall ANSR budget and helps each program budget spend appropriately. He is passionate about technology and enjoys teaching and discussing tech of almost any kind. Personally, he enjoys going for long walk-and-talks with his wife and throwing not-so-perfect spirals to his twin boys. Email Jason Molly Schmidtke Community Outreach Coordinator Molly Schmidtke is a Community Outreach Coordinator. In this role, Molly is responsible for conducting outreach and education events, supporting youth policy and advocacy efforts, and supporting all other ANSR tobacco prevention efforts. Some of her accomplishments include: multiple flavored commercial tobacco restrictions in MN communities, working with youth to create, disseminate and evaluate vaping prevalence surveys with youth partners, as well as creating and disseminating a toolkit focused on the environmental impacts of commercial tobacco products. She has a BS from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in Public Health – Community Health Education and is a Certified Health Education Specialist. She is currently pursuing a Master’s in Public Health degree at the University of Minnesota. She is passionate about many public health topics, such as health equity, policy and advocacy. Outside of work, Molly loves to be out on the Mississippi River, cooking, and watching the Minnesota Wild. Email Molly David Olson TITLE Description Email Jack Madeline Bremel Events Manager Madeline is the Events Manager for the Minnesota Prevention Resource Center, and is responsible for planning and coordinating MPRC events, including the annual MN Prevention Program Sharing Conference, and supporting MPRC’s technical assistance and communications needs. Madeline has worked in Public Health in Minnesota, Oregon, and New Mexico, and has found a niche doing planning, organization, and communication-related work at the systems level. Madeline has an MPH from Oregon State University in Health Promotion and Health Behavior. Outside of work you might find Madeline cross-country skiing, crafting, or studying her dog, Pearl’s, personality. Email Madeline Kayla Baker Regional Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drugs Prevention Coordinator MN Metro - Region 7 Kayla is the Metro Regional Prevention Coordinator, which she works with coalitions and communities to promote substance misuse prevention. Kayla has her Bachelor’s degree in Community Health Education from North Dakota State University, and her Master’s degree in Wellness and Health Promotion Management from Nebraska Methodist College. She is also a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES). Prior to becoming a Regional Prevention Coordinator, Kayla spent time working in various health related roles including chemical and mental health, Responsible Beverage Server Training (RBST), alcohol compliance checks, diabetes prevention, and most recently, COVID-19. During her free time Kayla enjoys hiking, baking, and crocheting. Email Kayla Curtis Neff Campaign Organizer Curtis is the Campaign Organizer working to end the sale of flavor tobacco products in Minnesota. Much of his work is focused on recruiting community partners to educate and advocate for this change. Curtis comes to ANSR from a long career in organized labor and activism. He is a graduate of Iowa State University with a BS in Political Science. Outside of work he collects vinyl from many genres and enjoys a quiet life in St. Paul. Email Curtis Morgan Hamernik Administrative & Communications Specialist Morgan Hamernik is an Administrative and Communications Specialist. She joined the ANSR team in 2023 and is responsible for managing the organization’s social media accounts, writing newsletters, and supporting the staff’s education and advocacy efforts. She recently graduated from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities with a BA in English and a minor in public health. Morgan is passionate about digital accessibility, inclusive health communication, and public libraries. Outside of work, you will likely find Morgan cheering on the Packers or playing with her dog, Happy. Email Morgan

By: Mỹ Linh Nguyễn, Clara Seeley, Lily DeWitt, Ethan Kinsella, Princeton Vang, and Summer Balfanz The tobacco industry will do anything to entice youth. Their influence is deeply embedded in our communities. They use bright colors and appealing flavors, sales and discounted prices, and social media and popular influencers to make their products seem trendy and mainstream. We’ve seen the results of the tobacco industry’s tactics loud and clear. Commercial tobacco use has taken over our school bathrooms, our social media feeds, and sadly, many of our friends’ lives. So how do we push back? We think we know the answer: adults working alongside young people, encouraging youth to use their power and their voices to stand up and speak out. That’s exactly what we’ve been doing for more than two years at the Ramsey Student Action Team (SAT) with the support of the Association for Nonsmokers-MN (ANSR-MN). SAT is a group of more than 20 high school students from 11 communities across Ramsey County. We are a dedicated group of youth advocates who have learned how to stop the tobacco industry and promote prevention and treatment resources. Our group was honored with the 2025 Group Youth Advocates of the Year Award from Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids for our extensive state and local advocacy efforts. As high school students, we saw the impact commercial tobacco use and nicotine addiction had on our peers, family members, and community, and wanted to do something about it. Our work taught us that our voices matter and are powerful. We are advocating to our city councils, at our social gatherings, in schools and at the state level. Working alongside ANSR, our group was educated about public health and empowered. We were never prouder than when we influenced lawmakers with our written testimony and voices. And working with ANSR, we have reached people our age in schools who are uniquely vulnerable to being hooked on commercial tobacco products. We’ve brought attention to Minnesota’s achievements in fighting big tobacco at a national level. Our relationship with ANSR has been mutually beneficial, something that kickstarted our team members’ personal growth and encouraged the growth and wellbeing of the communities we live in. With ANSR’s support, we have worked to strengthen policies in the cities of Vadnais Heights, Arden Hills, New Brighton, and St. Anthony Village, including ending the sale of flavored vapes and other flavored commercial tobacco products, setting a limit of retailers allowed to sell tobacco products, and increasing fines for retailers who break the law. We are especially proud of our work in Vadnais Heights. In November 2024, their city council voted unanimously to end flavored commercial tobacco sales after members of our group testified, organized letters of support and submitted letters to the editor in the local newspaper. We are motivated and encouraged by our ability to make change. We hope passionately that other young people will continue to be heard and empowered in the same ways we have. Our work is more than the sum of its parts, more than self-knowledge, accomplishments, or the personal growth we have experienced. With the right kind of adult support from ANSR, we have learned how to effectively enact flavor policies that will protect youth, while making sure that our voice is involved. We have worked hard and had a lot of success, but this work comes with challenges, too. Oftentimes, people find themselves thinking commercial tobacco is not an issue that applies to them. If they don’t smoke or vape, that’s all that matters. However, advocating for others is just as important as advocating for yourself. By showing people that someone they know is likely to be impacted, whether it’s their family member, friend, teacher or acquaintance, we are able to have meaningful conversations and make lasting change. We focus on the facts and help people understand the science behind what we’re advocating for. These things have made all the difference. We have certainly faced challenges in our work, including when decision makers are dismissive of youth voices. One experience stands out: we were testifying in support of a policy addressing flavored commercial tobacco products. One council member would not look us in the eye or even try to pay attention to what we were saying. Although this was discouraging, as advocates, we need to have faith in the power of our work and trust that the effort we put in will outweigh any decision maker’s disregard for our voice. As we continue to get the right support from adults to overcome these challenges, we are hopeful for the future. We know that hardworking people who truly care about an issue plaguing our world will always make things happen. Whether they are high school students or adults, everyone is impacted by commercial tobacco. We may be a small group, but we want to do as much as we can to make health a priority and strive for our generation to be a tobacco-free generation. View the published article here: https://sahanjournal.com/sponsored/youth-and-adults-fighting-the-tobacco-industry-together/

Local Advocates Applaud Council Members for Continuing to Make Minneapolis a National Leader in Tobacco Prevention Policies MINNEAPOLIS – Today, the Minneapolis City Council voted to strengthen its tobacco ordinance to prevent youth addiction. The ordinance  sets a minimum price for all e-cigarettes at $25 and creates new restrictions on new tobacco licenses, including restricting new tobacco retailer locations within 300 feet of all K-12 schools, and updating zoning rules to exclude new tobacco product shops from areas that are mainly residential. The Association for Nonsmokers-Minnesota and local advocates applaud the Council for continuing to make Minneapolis a national leader in tobacco prevention policies.  The ordinance, which was introduced by City Council Members Cashman, Chowdhury and Vetaw, passed unanimously. Raising the price of e-cigarettes and limiting where commercial tobacco is sold will keep tobacco products out of the reach of young Minneapolis residents and make it easier for adults to quit. Today’s popular e-cigarettes are flavored and contain high levels of nicotine, which harms the adolescent brain development and primes the next generation for addiction.  “It came up last year when we passed a minimum price for cigarettes, many parents in my ward were concerned that we weren’t really addressing the issue of today, which is that youth are getting addicted to vapes, and if we want to prevent more tobacco abuse and addiction in our city, that we need to address vapes,” said Council Member Katie Cashman, who co-authored the ordinance. “We don’t have distance requirements from tobacco stores, so we decided to add a distance from schools to be in line with cannabis and liquor stores.” “We know that the best way to stop tobacco use and nicotine addiction among young people is to stop the start,” said Council Member Aurin Chowdhury, a co-author on the ordinance. “We know that the health effects, especially for young people, are tremendous – not only on our respiratory systems, but there is so much public health research that shows that vaping can lead to and exacerbate mental health issues, from anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation. We’re taking a step here on Minneapolis City Council to make it less accessible for young people, and we know that one of the best tools we have is pricing.” “I did this work for 20 years before being on the Council, so it’s always a pleasure to see it continue,”  said Council Member LaTrisha Vetaw, a co-author of the policy. “The work was always around cigarettes and the tobacco industry, as they do, swooped in and made e-cigarettes and vape devices huge in this community for young people. This ordinance is part of the work that helps to keep young people from smoking.”  The policy builds on Minneapolis’s groundbreaking leadership on tobacco prevention. In 2024, Minneapolis passed a price minimum of $15 per pack of cigarettes, prohibited price discounting and redemption of coupons for all commercial tobacco products, increased retailer penalties, and closed the tobacco sampling loophole. In 2015, Minneapolis became the first city in Minnesota to restrict fruit- and candy-flavored commercial tobacco products to adult-only stores and set a minimum price for cheap, flavored cigars. Minneapolis amended that policy to limit the sale of menthol tobacco products to adult-only tobacco shops. “The federal government has moved incredibly slow to enact or enforce any regulations on the vape market. The least we can do at the city level is set regulations on the price, knowing that price is the most effective tool for reducing smoking in adults and preventing youth from starting,” said Minneapolis resident Jaclyn Frank, a Community Outreach Coordinator for the Association for Nonsmokers-Minnesota . Minneapolis is the second Minnesota city to set a price minimum for e-cigarettes, following Saint Anthony Village’s adoption of a similar policy earlier this year. The Association for Nonsmokers-Minnesota worked with local leaders and continues to support local and statewide action to prevent commercial tobacco addiction.  Research finds that while only 2 percent of youth in Minnesota use combustible tobacco products, 8.5 to 10.8 percent of youth use e-cigarettes or vapes. Young people are particularly vulnerable to price discounts and promotions, and ordinances that prevent price discounts for vape products are an important tool for protecting youth from the harms of commercial tobacco.  Several community members and addiction prevention leaders spoke at the June 24 committee hearing in support of the ordinance. Here are highlights from their testimony:   Ora Hokes, a grandparent, tobacco prevention educator and faith leader at the Greater Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, said: “Minneapolis has shown incredible leadership over the past decade, passing groundbreaking ordinances around flavored commercial tobacco products and price, including the $15 per pack price you set last year. Unfortunately, the tobacco industry never rests, so we can’t either. Thank you for recognizing that this problem is not solved all at once, but rather through consistent and persistent efforts.” Janet Sanchez, a young adult who works on commercial tobacco and other substance prevention at Indigenous Peoples Task Force, said: “Healthy people raise healthy people. A lot of our people grow up in addiction. Raising the price will help our youth stop and having less access to these products will help our communities in the long run.  Larry Fox, a Minneapolis parent whose young son became addicted to e-cigarettes in high school and struggled with addiction, anxiety and depression, said: “Tobacco companies have targeted minority communities for many years. These companies and the local businesses that sell their products put profits ahead of people, and the result is a deepening mental health crisis, especially among teens. If you care about social equity, I urge you to do everything you can to make vapes less accessible and support this ordinance.”    Damone Presley, who leads Commercial Tobacco Nicotine and Youth Cessation Programs for the Twin Cities Recovery Project, said:  “We’ve allowed the tobacco industry to undervalue our lives for too long. We need to put people over profits. Setting the minimum price of vapes at $25 will help people struggling with addiction to nicotine and help prevent the next generation from being addicted.” Hassan Mohamed, the Tobacco Prevention Coordinator at African Immigrant Community Services in Minneapolis, said: “We have seen the impact that tobacco and especially vaping has had on our young people. This policy change will be beneficial for everyone in all communities. We strongly support the City Council’s ongoing efforts to address tobacco in our city. The tobacco industry targets communities like mine and we must work together to make real, lasting change.”  Gemeda Bulton, Outreach Coordinator for the SubSaharan African Youth and Family Services, said: “Youth are very price sensitive so that is a very good policy. Youth from the communities I serve, like other Minnesota youth, seldom use combustible tobacco now. They use vapes, so it is important that we also make sure that the tobacco industry is not tempting our youth with cheap prices. A $25 minimum price will prevent many young people from starting to vape and will prevent many from getting addicted.”    For more information on tobacco price discounting and e-cigarettes, please view these fact sheets: Don’t Discount My Life  and E-cigs: the Vape Saga Continues .

On April 8th, 2025, Saint Anthony Village City Council voted 4-0 to update their Commercial Tobacco Ordinance . The amendment: Cap the number of commercial tobacco licenses at zero , which will be reached through attrition. Saint Anthony Village currently has five commercial tobacco license holders; End Price Discounting for Commercial Tobacco Products End the redemption of coupons and price discounts for all commercial tobacco products; Set a minimum price and package size for commercial tobacco products. A few examples include: $15 per pack of cigarettes $20 per electronic delivery device $15 per 0.32 ounce package of snus $15 per package of cigars (minimum five cigars) Going beyond Minnesota state law minimums for fines and license suspensions for repeated violations. Saint Anthony Village is the first city in the nation to set a minimum price on vapes at $20 and the third city in Minnesota to cap their commercial tobacco licenses at zero. One-third of adult smokers use tobacco coupons or discounts. Higher commercial tobacco prices lead to reduced adult smoking rates, less youth initiation, and more quit attempts and calls to quit lines. These changes will protect Saint Anthony Village youth and residents from tobacco industry targeting, reduce the appeal of commercial tobacco products, and support those who are trying to quit using commercial tobacco. ANSR applauds the Council for voting in support of this ordinance and putting their residents’ health first. Thank you to everyone who emailed, called, testified, sent a letter of support, attended a council meeting, and/or spread the word about this ordinance. Your voice matters in creating important public health policy change!