Staff

Staff

Reginaldo (Regi) Haslett-Marroquin – Program Director, Rural Enterprise Center
Steven Renderos – Program Director, Media Justice
Danielle Mkali – Media Justice Organizer
Katie Blanchard –  Outreach Coordinator, Rural Enterprise Center
Kat Vann – Director, Communications & Development

Reginaldo (Regi) Haslett-Marroquin
Program Director, Rural Enterprise Center

Reginaldo (Regi) Haslett-Marroquin launched the Rural Enterprise Center program of Main Street Project in 2006, but has a long history of successful transnational entrepreneurial leadership. He began working on economic development projects with indigenous Guatemalan communities in 1988, and has served as a consultant for the United Nations Development Program's Bureau for Latin America and advisor to the World Council of Indigenous Peoples. He founded the Fair Trade Federation and co-created Peace Coffee, a successful fair-trade coffee company, and then went on to work with woodland owners in the Midwest and Guatemala where he organized several stewardship-certified cooperative forestry businesses.

Regi was recognized for his work in 1996 when he was named one of the Twin Cities International Citizens of the Year. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Northfield Area Foundation and is an active member of the Rotary Club of Northfield. A Guatemalan native, Regi received his agronomy degree from the Central National School of Agriculture and studied at the Universidad de San Carlos in Guatemala. He also received a bachelor's degree in International Business Administration from Augsburg College, Minneapolis.

Steven Renderos
Program Director, Media Justice

Steven Renderos leads Main Street Project's media justice and community building efforts, including the Minnesota Digital Justice Coalition and our collaborative work with the nationwide Media Action Grassroots Network (MAG-Net). He brings more than seven years of community organizing and training experience, and more than ten years of filmmaking and media production experience to our organization.

Prior to joining Main Street Project, Steven served as Project Coordinator of the Minnesotano Media Empowerment Project, an initiative of the Department of Chicano Studies at the University of Minnesota focused on improving the quality and quantity of media coverage and representation of Latinos in Minnesota. He currently serves on the boards of Organizing Apprenticeship Project, La Asamblea de Derechos Civiles, and Center for Media Justice. Steven (aka DJ Ren) also hosts a show called Radio Pocho at a community radio station in Minneapolis and spins at various venues in town.
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Danielle Mkali
Media Justice Organizer

Danielle Mkali is the organization’s lead media justice trainer as well as a program organizer. She has more than nine years of experience training and developing young organizers, most recently as an organizer, trainer and curriculum developer for the Center for Democracy and Citizenship at Augsburg College (previously connected to the University of Minnesota). Prior to that she served as co-lead facilitator and organizer with HOPE Community in its SPEAC program. She continues to serve on the advisory council of the organization. Danielle received organizer leadership training through the Gamaliel Foundation in Oakland, CA.

Katie Blanchard
Outreach Coordinator, Rural Enterprise Center

Katie Blanchard has responsibility for reaching out to rural Latin@ community members who may be interested in participating in our agripreneur training program. Prior to joining the Northfield, Minnesota Rural Enterprise Center team, she coordinated the Northfield Community Garden and organized the Real Food Road Trip for student leaders at eight midwestern colleges and universities, in addition to serving on The Real Food Challenge planning team. Katie was also Farm Manager of the Carleton College student organic farm where she graduated with a Bachelors of Arts in Human Ecology.

Kat Vann
Director, Communications & Development

Kat Vann joined Main Street Project in 2008 as director of communications and development. She has more than 25 years of strategic communications experience with both corporate and nonprofit organizations. Kat is pleased to focus her efforts on helping underserved residents make their voices heard.