Our Staff Prior To Our Acquisition On August 12, 2011
JON PEKEL - Founder & Full-time President. For 40 years Jon has used a variety of platforms 
to live out his life-purpose of serving others and championing justice for all. Beginning in 1965 while in theological school, he developed a neighborhood teen center on Chicago's northside. Then while serving 10 years as a clergyman, Jon helped develop another teen center on Chicago's southside and counseled court-assigned youth on probation in Terre Haute, Indiana. Next for 14 years, he held corporate responsibility and public affairs positions at four Fortune 500 companies -- Green Giant, Pillsbury, Honeywell, and Alliant Techsystems. For 12 years from 1991 through 2003, Jon formed and ran The Fulcrum Group, a for-profit strategy consulting company. And, for the last 25 years on a part-time basis, he taught a required business ethics and an intro to management course in the Graduate School of Business at the University of St. Thomas in the Twin Cities. For the management course, Jon developed 10 basic and 2 optional growth planning worksheets as a way of helping his first-year graduate students envision and plan for their desired futures. Based on these worksheets, in 2004 Jon began working with others to form this nonprofit organization to provide growth planning services for high school and college age youth.
Phillip W. Miner - Vice President & Chief Partnership 
Officer. For 30 years Phillip has been helping high school youth and young adults realize their dreams through a variety of higher education positions at Pacific Lutheran University and Hamline University. Phillip's most recent position has been as the Director for Community Initiative at the Minnesota Private College Council. Phillip is a Board Member of the Girl Scout Council of Greater Minneapolis, Chair of the Advis ory Committee of the YMCA National Black Achievers Program, and serves on the boards of Pillsbury House Theater and the MN Minority Suppliers Development Council. Former service includes, Immediate Past Chair and member of the Multicultural Development Center Board of Directors. Among his many honors, he has been awarded the 2001 Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award from Minneapolis Community & Technical College and the Educator of the Year 2000 Award from INROADS/Twin Cities. Phillip is currently retired and volunteers his time with the La Villa African American Museum in Jacksonville and with the Duval County Democratic Executive Committee.
ALEX LEONARD - Part-time Growth Plan Coach. Alex is a recent graduate from Hamline University in
St. Paul, MN. In addition to helping facilitate growth planning groups with us, Alex's works full-time with the Neighborhood Involvement Program in Minneapolis where he leads our Minneapolis Henry High School Growth Planning Project. Alex has developed a unique interest and expertise in using the arts such as rap music to touch the lives and meet the needs of today's youth.