Our Team

The team at Minnesota Realtors® is committed to supporting association members with the tools, knowledge and support they need to thrive.

2024 Leadership Team

Minnesota Realtors® all-volunteer leadership team draws on the deep experience and far-reaching vision of dedicated leaders in our industry.

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Geri Theis

President

Scenic City Realty
Redwood Falls, MN

Serving as MNR president-elect in 2023, Geri Theis began her term as MNR president in January 2024. The owner and broker of Scenic City Realty in Redwood Falls, Theis has served in a range of roles in the association, including 2022 MNR treasurer, the Realtors® Political Action Committee (RPAC) and the Federal Political Coordinator (FPC) program, and MNR’s Professional Standards, and Governmental Affairs committees. In 2020, her work was recognized with the MNR Realtor® of the Year award. During her term, Theis said she will work to promote diversity in the real estate industry and continue providing a strong voice for small businesses in Greater Minnesota. 

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Patti Jo Fitzpatrick

President–Elect

Coldwell Banker Realty
St. Paul, MN

After pioneering the new role of first vice president in 2023, Patti Jo Fitzpatrick steps up to president-elect for 2024. Bringing more than 30 years of experience to the office, Fitzpatrick is an associate broker at Coldwell Banker Realty in St. Paul. Previously, she was president of the St. Paul Area Association of Realtors® (SPAAR) in 2019 and named SPAAR’s Realtor® of the Year. 

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Wendy Uzelac

First Vice President

RE/MAX Thousand Lakes
Grand Rapids, MN

With over 31 years as a Realtor® and 20 years as broker of the RE/MAX Thousand Lakes office in Grand Rapids, Wendy Uzelac is a deeply experienced real estate professional dedicated to maintaining high ethical and professional standards. As first vice president, Uzelac will serve as vice chair of the Finance Committee and manage the development and rollout of MNR’s annual strategic plan. During her year in office, she will participate in local and state events, attend legislative meetings and a conference and expo hosted by the National Association of Realtors® (NAR). Additionally, she will fill in during events that the president and president-elect cannot attend.   

Uzelac holds a Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) real estate designation and is a recipient of the RE/MAX Hall of Fame Award, which honors agents who earn more than $1 million in commissions during their careers. A past president of the Itasca County Board of Realtors®, she serves the Grand Rapids community as Centennial Rotary Club past president. She belongs to the local chapter of Business Network International (BNI). 

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Pat Paulson

Treasurer

EXIT Realty Metro
Minneapolis, MN

Acting as treasurer for a term that has been expanded to two years, Pat Paulson’s background as an accountant makes him well suited for the challenges of this important role. MNR extended the treasurer’s term to allow more in-depth analysis and oversight of the association’s financials. Currently with EXIT Realty Metro in Minneapolis, Paulson has worked as a Realtor® since 1985 and served in many areas, including terms as both treasurer and president of the Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors® (MAR). As a volunteer leader, he has worked in governmental affairs to expand access to fair and affordable housing and is dedicated to improving professionalism in Minnesota’s real estate industry. Deeply aware that first-time homebuyers are the foundation and future of the real estate market, he has taught classes on the fundamentals of homebuying for more than 20 years.

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Emily Green

Immediate Past President

Sandy Green Realty
Minneapolis, MN

A real estate broker and Realtor®, Emily Green has served the Twin Cities metro area for 30 years. Committed to safe, quality, and sustainable housing opportunities for all, she works locally and nationally with industry professionals and policymakers to advance those goals. Green received her MBA from Metropolitan State University and holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing. She served as president in 2014 for Minneapolis Area Realtors (MAR), the largest local Realtor® association in the state, and currently is a director for the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) representing Minnesota. Additionally, she is a member of NAR’s Real Property Valuation Committee, and Federal Housing Policy Committee. Green volunteers for local non-profit organizations as a speaker for the accredited Homestretch Workshops and has counseled and assisted many first-generation homebuyers to achieve the dream of homeownership. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband and enjoys music, her pets, and other creative pursuits.

Board of Directors

Managing the business and affairs of Minnesota Realtors®, the Board of Directors is a volunteer body comprised of diverse real estate professionals from across the state.

Staff

From expertise in law and government affairs to education, marketing and events, Minnesota Realtors®’ team is dedicated to helping our members thrive in their careers.

Senior Staff

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Josh McFall

Chief Executive Officer

Josh McFall has been named the new chief executive officer of Minnesota Realtors® (MNR). He comes to the state association by way of Alabama, where he served as CEO of the Huntsville Area Association of REALTORS® (HAAR) and ValleyMLS.com. 

McFall holds the National Association of REALTORS® REALTOR® Certified Association Executive (RCE) Designation, (NAR) ePRO Certification, At Home with Diversity (AHWD) Certification, and the Commitment to Excellence Endorsement (C2EX). He has earned the American Society of Association Executive’s (ASAE) top-level designation, Certified Association Executive (CAE).

Originally from Florence, Alabama, McFall holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Communication from the University of North Alabama and a master’s degree in Communication from Auburn University. Prior to his time at HAAR, he served as vice president of Strategic Development at the Alabama Association of REALTORS® (AAR) where he managed the state association’s strategic initiatives, professional development, and association communications. McFall has also served on faculty at Auburn University, Huntingdon College, Auburn University-Montgomery, and Jefferson State Community College teaching courses in communication. 

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Carrie Andersen

Senior Vice President, Member Services

Since joining Minnesota Realtors® in 1994, Carrie has held many different positions.  In her current role, she directs the activities of Member Services, including board administration, outreach, education and events such as Housing Day at the Capitol and UNITE, the association’s annual member convention. Born and raised in Racine, WI, she is an alumnus of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and a member of the Pi Beta Phi Sorority.

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Thom Fox

Chief Finance & Operations Officer

Directing financial management, business operations, and human resources, Thom provides monetary and business management advice, oversight and analysis, collaborates with the leadership team, serves as staff liaison with the finance board, and manages human resources, IT and the support function of office administration. He also consults for the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) on developing, implementing and training for the Realtor® Association Membership Cooperative (RAMCO), a customer-relationship management (CRM) and association management system (AMS) based on Microsoft technology.

Paul Eger

Senior Vice President, Governmental Affairs

Leading the activities of Minnesota Realtors®’ Government Affairs team, Paul advocates at the state capitol for legislation that supports Realtors® and protects the rights of homeowners.

Joining Minnesota Realtors® after nearly 14 years in the Executive and Legislative branches of state government, Paul served as Commissioner of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) from 2009 – 2010 during the tenure of Governor Tim Pawlenty. Before that, he held a variety of positions at MPCA, including Legislative Liaison, Clean Water Policy Manager, Assistant Commissioner for Water Policy, and Deputy Commissioner.

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Stephanie Teig

Senior Vice President, Marketing & Communications

Stephanie leads the Marketing and Communications for Minnesota Realtors®. Her focus is on clear messaging, compelling creative, and crafting ways to engage membership. She comes to the association with 20 years of leadership roles in Marketing Communications and has worked with some of the biggest Fortune 100 clients around. That work has made her highly respected in her field and she has a cabinet full of awards to back it up. She and her team are engaged by every department at MNR® and they approach each request in a collaborative manner.

Stephanie has lived in New York and California, but now calls Minnesota home. She and her husband have four children and a dog (who has a bigger wardrobe than the six of them put together).

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Jonathan Kopecky

Senior Vice President, Legal Affairs

Jonathan Kopecky graduated from the University of St. Thomas in 1995 with a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in political science and theology. He then received his Juris Doctorate from the Saint Louis University School of Law in 1998, and has been licensed to practice law in both Iowa (since 1999) and Minnesota (since 2003). Jon practiced real estate law for five years as an associate at Ackley, Kopecky & Kingery, LLP and then practiced canon law for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis for eight years.  

In May 2013, Jon started as MNR’s director of professional standards. He was responsible for processing and reviewing formal ethics complaints filed by both the public and other licensed real estate agents. His duties included interfacing with the public and agents regarding potential ethical concerns, administering grievance reviews to ascertain the merit of ethics complaints, and administering hearing panels to ensure that all parties to an allegation are heard. He has extensive knowledge of the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) Code of Ethics, in addition to real estate law. Jon holds a Certificate of Scholastic Achievement for Instruction in the Professional Standards Administration Program from the NAR Executives Institute.  

In May 2023, Jon became the Senior Vice President of Legal Affairs at Minnesota Realtors®. 

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Donnie Brown

Diversity and Sustainability Director

Donnie comes to MNR with considerable experience and connection in residential housing, new construction, and nonprofit housing sectors. Prior to joining MNR, she consulted with small- to mid-sized nonprofits on organizational compliance to increase their funding capacities and awareness goals. Donnie served as Foundation Director for Housing First Minnesota Foundation and as VP of Community Affairs and Foundation at Minneapolis Area Realtors® (MAR)Donnie is passionate about creating wealth and sustainable homeownership, inclusive relationship-building, and membership engagement.

Staff

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Celina Carpenter

Controller

Seth Conover headshot

Seth Conover

Marketing & Communications Manager

Laurie Ganz headshot

Laurie Ganz

Senior Director of Professional Development & Broker Outreach

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Ben Hansen

Communications Director

Jackie Juracek headshot

Jackie Juracek

Office Administrator

Katie Kuhn headshot

Katie Kuhn

HR & Operations Manager

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Brian Overton

IT Administrator

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Matthew Spellman

Senior Director of Advocacy

Ryan Torpey headshot

Ryan Torpey

Associate Legal Counsel

Amy Vannurden headshot

Amy Vannurden

Member Services Coordinator

Kristan Waltz headshot

Kristan Waltz

Executive Programs Manager

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Tracy Wehner

Professional Standards Coordinator