I’m pleased to announce several appointments to MinnPost’s board of directors. Ellen Archibald and Marsha Pitts-Philips have joined MinnPost’s board of directors, and Jill Field has returned to the board after a year away between terms.
Additionally, officers have been elected for the next year with Katie Cole stepping into the role of treasurer and Kari Ruth becoming the board’s secretary. Peter Hutchinson and Adair Mosley have been re-elected as board chair and vice chair, respectively.
New and returning board members
Ellen Archibald is retired after a career in finance and law. She grew up in Minneapolis and pursued her undergraduate education at Mount Holyoke College and the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. After working in finance and banking, Archibald earned her J.D. at West Virginia University College of Law.
She practiced law for 25 years in Charleston, West Virginia, focusing on insurance coverage law and appellate work. During that time, she volunteered on the boards of several organizations, including the Friends of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
After her husband’s death, Ellen retired and returned to Minneapolis, where she is involved with arts and education organizations, including Friends of the Minneapolis Institute of Art and AAUW, and is a volunteer AARP speaker and legislative advocate.
Marsha R. Pitts-Phillips is the president and founder of MRPP & Associates. She’s an award-winning communications leader with experience in public relations including executive communications and media training; strategic planning; crisis communications management; project management and budget oversight; journalism; academia; and public speaking.
Prior to launching MRPP & Associates Communications in 2017, Pitts-Phillips led public and media relations for more than a decade for Greater Twin Cities United Way. Her experience includes several large-scale public relations efforts – most notably as the communications team lead for the historical opening of First Independence Bank, Minnesota’s first Black-owned bank; and the NFL-Sanctioned Super Bowl LVII Gospel Celebration which broadcast on BET. In addition, she provided crisis communication expertise in the aftermath of the 35W Bridge collapse and the north Minneapolis tornado.
Pitts-Phillips is a 2023 Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal “200 Black Leaders to Know”; a 2022 “Women in Business” honoree and a 2022 recipient of the Minnesota PRSA Donald G. Padilla Community Excellence Award for outstanding leadership and contributions to the public relations profession. She has a Bachelor of Science degree from Northeastern University in Boston and attended Hartford Seminary and United Theological Seminary. She is also an ordained minister, serving in leadership capacities at her church.
Jill Field is a retired communications director for Breck School whose previous work experience includes careers as an editor, freelance copywriter and television show associate producer. She previously served on MinnPost’s board of directors from 2010 to 2022, including as board chair. She also currently serves on the board of The Advocates for Human Rights and volunteers as a copy editor for the Hill & Lake Press. Previously, Jill served on what was then called Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota, and she is likely to be any organization’s only board member who grew up in Mishawaka, Indiana.
“I am honored and grateful to have Ellen, Marsha and Jill on MinnPost’s board,” said Peter Hutchinson, board chair. “Their leadership and expertise will be key to advancing MinnPost’s mission to be a trusted guide to all Minnesotans on the critical issues, challenges, and opportunities facing our state, especially as we head into a consequential election year.”
MinnPost’s board has 25 directors — all volunteers — who oversee the governance and advancement of our mission. The board plays no role in editorial direction or decision-making.
