Meet Our Board of Directors

Suzanne Constantini     

My father was an avid angler and he introduced me to the joys of fishing at a very early age. In 1987, after moving to Stillwater with my husband Ed, I took an interest in learning how to fly fish and consequently enrolled in fly-casting and fly-tying classes at Bob Mitchell’s Fly Shop in Lake Elmo MN. What followed were countless outings with Ed to our local streams that allowedme to learn the many fly-fishing skills necessary to make me a competent angler.

I graduated in 1969 from Alverno College in Milwaukee, WI with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and later earned an MBA (healthcare concentration and leadership focus) from the University of St. Thomas in 1993. I have spent 46 years in varied nursing careers serving three years in the Army Nurse Corps, with one year in Vietnam, and have held leadership positions throughout my career: Head Nurse of Pediatrics, Director of the NICU at Minneapolis Children’s Hospital, VP of Patient Care Services at St Croix Regional Medical Center, and Manager of Outpatient Services at Gillette Children’s. I retired from nursing in 2015.

In April 2018, I was recruited by Kiap-TU-Wish’s Board of Directors to serve as its treasurer. During my six-year tenure I have used my financial skills to manage Kiap-TU-Wish’s budget and I’ve gained a wealth of knowledge about, fund-raising, conservation, stream restoration, and improvement of riparian habitat. In addition to my commitment to Kiap-TU-Wish, I am a member of the Kinni Corridor Collaborative (KCC) and am currently involved in fund-raising efforts targeted at removal of the two dams on the lower Kinnickkinnic river. 

Badger Flowers     

Given the nickname "Badger" at a young age growing up in Southern Minnesota, perhaps it was fate that he ended up moving to Wisconsin. Badger learned to hunt and fish from his grandpa Ralph and considers himself to be a passionate outdoorsman, hunter, and angler that cares deeply about cold water conservation. He took up fly fishing while attending the University of Minnesota Duluth and grew his passion after a move to Southern Wisconsin and a close proximity to the driftless area. 

Badger has been an active TU member since 2016 and brings previous board member experience from the Aldo Leopold Chapter of Trout Unlimited. He has found his experience with TU to be extremely rewarding and finds satisfaction in helping fellow anglers and like-minded individuals work toward habitat improvement in the Midwest and across the country.

 

Gary Horvath

Gary spent his most memorable times as a kid in the outdoors with his father wading wet as they fished the Jump, Yellow and Fischer Rivers near his grandmothers’ farm in Taylor County. He attended the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point where he received a B.S. in Water Resources/Chemistry. He was introduced to trout fishing in the streams of the central sands west of Point.

He worked on his first stream improvement on the Little Plover River, which is currently ravaged by groundwater withdrawals. In 1985, he took a job as a chemist at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture analyzing groundwater for pesticide residues. Gary moved to River Falls and has been active with the chapter since 1989 serving in all officer positions including 5 years as President.

Missie Hanson     

Missie and her husband Ken are long time Kiap-TU-Wish volunteers and chapter members. After graduating with an environmental BS and a Master’s degree from the University of Minnesota, Missie’s conservation career has included serving as Director of Conservation Programs for Friends of the Minnesota Valley; serving as a Community Assistance Coordinator, a Park Planner, the Wild and Scenic River Planner, and a Regional Planner for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources; and spending the past five summers with her husband Ken in Yellowstone National Park, serving in various capacities as a Campground Host and Park Volunteer. 

Missie brings a wealth of experience and skills in conservation planning, GIS data management and mapping, community relations, and grant writing and river management (not to mention her enthusiasm) to the board. 

Greg Olson

Greg grew up in Hudson, fishing the St. Croix and Willow Rivers. He has been instrumental in starting our Trout in the Classroom programs.

He graduated from UW-River Falls and Northwestern University, majoring in organic chemistry and has worked at DiaSorin, an immunodiagnostic company in Stillwater, for 20 years.

Greg will pursue any species of fish, anywhere, with a fly rod, but still prefers to solve the complex riddle of matching hatches and conflicting currents, to catch one of our beautiful Driftless Area stream trout.

Randy Arnold

Randy was raised in Monticello, Minnesota, three blocks away from the Mississippi River. He usurped his father’s fly rod at 10 years old to pursue panfish in any of the lakes he could reach via bicycle.

While working in technical theater in the Twin Cities, a coworker related stories of fly fishing in Montana; soon the two of them were exploring trout fishing options in the metro area. A visit to a local south Minneapolis fly shop steered them to western Wisconsin where Randy saw the chapter’s positive impact on the streams in and around River Falls. He joined the chapter and his now the passionate leader of the Kiap-TU-Wish volunteer workday crew. He enjoys fishing, but also enjoys the time spent working on stream restoration efforts.

Rainbow Barry     

I initially learned to love water in the lake country of Oneida and Vilas County, Wisconsin.  But after moving to River Falls in 2006, I became enamored with the Kinnickinnic and its tributaries.  My husband persuaded me to stop looking under rocks and try fly fishing a few years back.  Finding new pockets of trout in headwater streams is a wonderful addition to my natural wanderlust. 

Environmental education has driven my vocational pursuits. I have led ecological restoration parties at the UW-Madison Arboretum and studied aquatic ecology on the front range of the Colorado Rockies.  More recently, I ran a small, organic CSA farm and I am now a Children’s House (Kindergarten) teacher at the River Falls Public Montessori Elementary.  As an employee with the River Falls School District, I hope to expand on opportunities to educate and engage youth in our outstanding coldwater resource, especially children who would not otherwise have access to these experiences.  I am also an enthusiastic participant in Kiap TU Wish’s on-stream work including restoration work days and water monitoring with the Wise H2O app.  Looking forward to meeting and working alongside more of our dedicated and knowledgeable chapter members!

 

Ben Belt     

Active TU member since 2016. Live on a small farmette in Arkansaw, WI with my wife Valerie and our three sons, Huxley (8), Sawyer (6), and Moby (5). I try not to give them all fly rods at the same time in the same boat. My passions include letting the boys be boys, guiding them in the right direction (fishing of course), and on occasion, finding time to soak a fly with a friend or two. Typically I focus on trout, musky, and bass. But very much opportunistic when a bite is on no matter the species. Time on the bench is limited but sometimes a necessity. I’m looking forward to meeting you all and encouraging our youth to participate and finding good mentors to keep the chapter and sport going strong. Thank you for your continued support within the chapter.

Michele Bevis     

Michele grew up  in Minnesota and left the midwest after high school in the pursuit of travel and out door adventures of all kinds. Family and business brought her back to MN, where she has lived since 1991. 

Michele learned and loved every kind of water sport she could find, except for fishing. Eight years ago, a friend from a yoga class told her about the Dakota County introductory fly fishing class for women. Since that weekend, she has been exploring trout waters and been a club member and past board member of Fly Fishing  Women of MN.

Her careers have been varied and diverse,  including carpentry, construction vocational instructor, and office manager at Friends of the Mississippi River. All her professional years were channelled through non-profits that improve the environment through their passions for solar energy, education, and water and land preservation and restoration.

She now lives in a 100-year old house in Minneapolis with her husband and enjoys getting her grandkids outside whenever possible.

Michele is thrilled to join the KiapTuWish board and focus on restoration and providing more opportunities for youth to experience the wonder and joys of fly fishing.

 

Matt Janquart     

Matt grew up learning to fish on Green Bay and the rivers and flowages of northeast Wisconsin with his dad. After obtaining a Natural Resources Degree from the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point he followed his wife out west, eventually returning to make the Twin Cities their home.

A random visit to the Kinni Canyon along Hwy F inspired Matt to pick up fly fishing and explore the beautiful landscapes of western Wisconsin. Hooked on fly fishing he soon began venturing through the upper Great Lakes pursuing trout. Exploring the many driftless streams and north country rivers he found himself dragging his family along with him to explore these unique places.

Matt truly appreciates the Midwest rivers in our backyard and wants to do what he can to protect these fragile cold water resources as we move into trying future climatic times. Matt currently teaches science to at-risk kids in the Twin Cities and it is this passion for education that drives his desire for Trout Unlimited to seek ways to incorporate and educate more youth on the importance of the protection of these resources and leading them into both an interest in angling but also in conversation. Matt now resides in River Falls with his wife and three children.

Scott Larson

Scott Larson is a knowledge management professional whose career is focused on connecting people with the information they need, when they need it, wherever they are. In his current role as the Director of Enterprise Content Management at the Metropolitan Council, he leads a team of records and knowledge management analysts to transform decades of disparate institutional data into relevant, actionable knowledge for the Council and its partners.

Born and raised in Wisconsin’s Driftless Region, he spent his free time exploring the vast network of rivers and streams with a fly rod in hand. After graduating High School, Scott made the decision to dedicate his life to public service. From 1998-2016, he served in active and reserve roles in the US military, spanning the Navy, Army, and the Air Force before retiring. During that time, he worked as a Gunners Mate, an Inspector General, a Civil Engineer, and a Knowledge Operations Manager.

These roles prepared him with a unique understanding of servant leadership, transparency, and teamwork. He joined TU in 2018 with the goal of using his background and experience to contribute to TU’s mission of preserving the area’s fisheries with other like-minded individuals.

Linda Radimecky

Linda graduated from St Mary's University in Winona where practically every science class was tied to water. Limnology, macro invertebrates, ornithology, electro shocking and fish population studies. Unfortunately, she didn’t know about fly fishing and tying flies to imitate the insects she was studying. Linda has now seen the light.

She is a member and has served Fly Fishing Women of Minnesota teaching women to fly fish. She looks forward to contributing to Kiap-TU-Wish. Linda has worked for the MNDNR since 1991 as a state park naturalist where she introduces people to fly fishing and other outdoor experiences.