Meet the board

Al is Director of Finance & Operations for Greater Minneapolis Crisis Nursery; a shelter for children at risk of abuse and neglect, where for the past 18 years he has been responsible for the internal administration, finance, facilities and information technology.

Alecia joined Wells Fargo in 2015. Before accepting her position at Wells Fargo, Alecia had been at Wilmington Trust since 2009 and was responsible for business development and administration in the Global Restructuring Services product.

Marcie is a lead on the Corporate Technology team at Data Recognition Corporation (DRC). DRC is comprised of three business units that serve the K-12 education sector, Federal and state governments, and commercial clients worldwide.

Steve Kenney joined the Ampersand board because he believes that every young person has the right to a permanent family and lifelong family relationships. He is the father of three grown children and spent their formative years volunteering in youth group activities at their church. He has worked extensively with both senior and junior high students in this capacity.

Ruth Richardson is the Director of Programs and National Strategic Initiatives for the Minnesota Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (MOFAS). Ruth has a JD from William Mitchell College of Law and is a community faculty member at Metropolitan State University.

Zach joined Ampersand Families in 2014 and currently serves as Secretary of the Board as part of the Executive Committee. His professional background is in the financial services industry, currently employed at US Bank in the International Trade group. In addition to his work with Ampersand Families he serves as a Commissioner on the Maple Grove Lake Quality Commission.

Dave is currently the Vice President, Global Analytics and Customer Insight for Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. He is responsible for using customer and business data to optimize marketing and operations.

Olivia Spencer has worked in the healthcare field since 2011. She currently works in Network Management for Medica and has previously been involved in various healthcare transformation initiatives at UnitedHealthcare.

Lateesa Ward joined the Ampersand Board in 2016. Lateesa is a founding partner of Ward & Ward, P.C. Lateesa has extensive litigation and trial experience, and has practiced law for about 25 years.

Bill Wassweiler joined Ampersand Families' board because he believes that every child needs a “sense of place” – a permanent home that fosters a sense of belonging.