Board of Directors

Board Secretary

Elizabeth Kautz

Elizabeth B. Kautz was elected Mayor of Burnsville, Minnesota in 1994. Mayor Kautz was selected to serve as the 68th President of the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM). She now serves as a Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee and Trustee of the US Conference of Mayors. She also served as Chairperson for the Council of Regents at St Mary’s University, on the Board of Directors for Greater MSP, the Governor’s Workforce Development Board, the Women in Public Service Project Advisory Council, and for the Local Government Advisory Committee to the EPA Administrator. She is co-founder of the Regional Council of Mayors and represents Burnsville on numerous local, regional, state, and national

boards. In addition to her work as Mayor, Mayor Kautz was a business owner and founder of Growth Dynamics, providing education and consulting on mental health issues, employee assistance, and organizational development. She also served for six years as an Executive Vice President of the Hartford Group. Mayor Kautz received her Master’s Degree in Counseling, Psychology from the Alfred Adler Institute of Chicago, Illinois and was awarded an undergraduate degree in Theology with a psychology focus from the University of St. Catherine in St. Paul, Minnesota. Mayor Kautz was one of the first women to serve as a Professional Minister within the Catholic Church as a Pastoral Minister.

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William Perron

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Treasurer

Curt Enestvedt

Curt Enestvedt CPA graduated from Southwest Minnesota State University with an accounting Degree. Curt is a founding Partner in Enestvedt & Christensen, Certified Public Accountants. Being a Burnsville resident for 50 plus years he continues to be active in community affairs. Curt has served in many roles including Chamber, Rotary, Environmental committees, and foundations. Curt and his wife, Debbie continue to enjoy the good life in Burnsville.

Fundraising Director

Kristi Detlefsen Peterson

Kristi Detlefsen Peterson was born and raised in Burnsville and graduated from Burnsville Senior High School. She attended Pepperdine University and graduated with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism with a marketing emphasis. She spent 21 years in Oregon before returning to her home state of MN. She currently works for State Farm - Detlefsen Insurance as well as serving on the board of several local non-profits. Her career started in sports marketing at Nike Golf and then transitioned to her passion of event management in the non-profit world. Kristi lives in Lakeville with her 3 kids (Kaitlynn, Cole & Taylor).

Board Member

Dan Gilbertson

Dan grew up in Burnsville and has remained a lifelong resident along with his wife Sherry and daughters Alyssa and Taylor. Dan spent thirty-three years as a Burnsville Police Officer and Firefighter/EMT. He retired as a Detective having investigated and prosecuted complex crimes including murder, robbery and sex crimes. He also served as a uniformed patrol officer, crime prevention officer, firefighter III, drug task force commander and tactical team member. Since 2007, he has owned Gilbertson Investigations, LLC, a small business providing corporate security. Dan is a lifelong sportsman both as a participant and as a fan.

Board Member

Eric Gieske

Eric served the Burnsville Police Department and community from 1989 to 2019. Included a variety of increasingly responsible assignments over the timeframe culminating with the appointment as Chief of Police in 2012.

Board Member

Mike Klarich

Mike began his first responder career in 1991, retiring in 2020. During his service he worked with the City of Cottage Grove, The City of Woodbury, Lakeview EMS, and served the city of Burnsville as a Firefighter/Paramedic for eighteen years. Since then, he currently assists with another metro area non-profit organization, serving as a board member since 2018. Mike also works part-time as a protective agent, providing security services.

Board Member

Ron Payne

I joined the Burnsville Public Safety Department in April 1978. I served in the dual role of a police officer and firefighter. After a City Council decision to separate the two departments in 1981 I chose to continue my full time status within the fire department as a firefighter and I became the department's Fire Chief i 1993. I served as Fire Chief for 12 years and retired in 2005.

In retirement I enjoy my family, sports and serving as the Commander of the Mendota Veterans Of Foreign Wars post and the Vice Commander of the Savage American Legion.

Board Member

Tom Fisher

Tom has been a resident of Burnsville since moving his family here from San Diego two weeks
before the 1991 Halloween Blizzard. An entrepreneur and business owner, Tom has worked
with small and large companies as a consultant in global product procurement, public relations,
marketing, and branding. He is the publisher of Burnsville’s monthly community magazine,
Burnsville Living. Tom is also an Ambassador for the Burnsville Chamber of Commerce and is
the freshman baseball coach at Lakeville South High School.