The Herb Brooks Foundation's
Board and Staff

Executive Board
An 11-member executive board oversees the Foundation. Members (in alphabetical order) include:

Ross Bernstein
Ross is a full-time motivational speaker and best-selling author of more than 40 sports books, including "Remembering Herbie: Celebrating the Life and Times of Hockey Legend Herb Brooks" and "America's Coach: Life Lessons & Wisdom for Gold Medal Success; A Biographical Journey of the Late Hockey Icon Herb Brooks." Ross and his wife Sara have one daughter and reside in Eagan, MN. (www.bernsteinbooks.com)

Through his close personal relationship with Herb, Ross brings a depth of knowledge and understanding of how the coach viewed hockey, and his ideas for enhancing the game and enabling more people to play.
 
Winny Brodt 
Winny is a former star for the University of Minnesota’s women’s hockey team. After her junior season, she left school to play for the US National Team, and she scored 38 points in 58 games for the Americans. Earlier, Winny transferred to “the U” from the University of New Hampshire, where she led the Wildcats to a national title and was named tournament MVP. In three games against her future teammates, she tallied a goal and an assist.

Winny also played on the 1995 and 1996 US Junior National teams and in the 1998, 1999 and 2000 USA Hockey Women's Festival. In 1999, she played for the national under-22 team.

Winny graduated from Roseville Area High School in 1996 and that year, led an undefeated team to a state title, and was named Ms. Hockey in Minnesota. She’s from an athletic family; her sister Chelsey played hockey for the Gophers, and her brother Vic played at St. Cloud State. Her cousin, Craig Selander, played baseball for the Gophers.
Winny uses her extensive hockey knowledge, particularly the women’s game, to help the Herb Brooks Foundation enable greater numbers of young people become involved in the sport.
Dan Brooks:
Dan has been a board member since the creation of the Herb Brooks Foundation in 2003. He is the son of the late Herb Brooks. Dan is involved in almost all key Foundation decisions, and plays an important role in developing community and business partnerships.
Dan is a senior vice president of RBC Wealth Management, where has serves as a financial consultant. He also leverages his financial expertise for the Foundation, and has helped it flourish fiscally, especially over the past few years. Dan has been with Dain Rauscher since 1993. Earlier, he was a sales rep for IBM, a job he took after graduating in 1990 from the University of Denver, where he was a four-year letter winner in hockey. He graduated from St. Thomas Academy in St. Paul.
Dan and his wife Marne reside in Minneapolis with their two daughters, Grace and Lucia.
 
Doug Johnson:
Doug has been a Board Member since 2008. He was born and raised in Minneapolis and attended Roosevelt High School. There, he played football, hockey and baseball. Doug then attended St. Thomas College in St. Paul and was a four-year hockey letter winner. For three seasons, Doug skated in the Minnesota North Stars organization. For the past 23 years, he has been the publisher of Let's Play Hockey. Doug brings a wealth of knowledge of hockey at all levels and keen insights to how to improve the game. He also relies on his close and longtime friendship with Herb.

Doug and his wife Linda reside in Minneapolis with their son Devon and daughter Megan.
 
Butch Johnson:
William “Butch” Johnson is a businessman from northern Wisconsin. In 2006, he and several investors bought a closed pulp and paper mill in Park Falls. After only three months, he reopened the facility with a sharper focus on environmentally sound papermaking and energy consumption, saving hundreds of jobs in the process and creating hundreds of others. Among his businesses are Johnson Timber, Flambeau River Papers and Flambeau River Biofuels. Butch also owns the Waterloo Black Hawks in the USHL. All told, he oversees a $250 million empire.

Butch participates in numerous industry and civic organizations. He serves on numerous boards, including that of the American Pulp and Paper Association. In addition, Butch was once president of the Hayward Community Schools Board of Education. He lends a broad range of management and operations capabilities to the Foundation, and leverages numerous longstanding business and political relationships to benefit its programs.

Butch and his wife, Patricia, live in Hayward, Wisc. They have six children ranging from 22 to 34, and two grandchildren. Butch enjoys relaxing with his family and trying to find the time for a round of golf, boating, or hunting.
 

Aaron Paitich
Aaron has served as the Director of Information and Media for the Herb Brooks Foundation since graduating with a BA in Journalism from the University of Minnesota in 2009. He has covered high school hockey and other sports for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and Press Publications, and athletics administration for the Minnesota Daily. Aaron is also sports editor for the Bleacher Report, a San Francisco-based online publication. Last winter, Aaron was a public relations assistant for the Minnesota Swarm. In that role, he created and updated content for the team's website while accommodating local and national media on game nights at Xcel Energy Center.

Aaron launched and continues to maintain the Herb Brooks Foundation's social media campaign to increase visibility and update the community. Facebook and Twitter have engaged and energized the Foundation's following, while adding a new generation of supporters. (Find the Foundation at www.facebook.com/HerbBrooksFoundation and follow it on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Herb_Brooks.

Aaron wrote articles for the Minnesota Wild game program, Let's Play Hockey, Augsburg College and other media outlets to share the Foundation's mission to "give the game back to the kids." He also helps at hockey camps and other events.

Kelly Brooks :
Like her brother, Kelly has been a board member since the Foundation began. Kelly grew up in St. Paul and attended Convent of the Visitation. Also like her brother, she graduated from the University of Denver (her degree is in international business). An experienced advertising account manager, Kelly has worked on several international ad campaigns including print, TV and radio production.

She is now a full-time mother of three children, but finds the time to apply her substantial creativity and marketing skills to Foundation programs. For example, Kelly manages the HBF annual gala, as well as web and marketing collateral design.

Kelly and her husband Marc have three children, Olivia, Tommy and Joey. All three are hockey players.
Skip Peltier:
Skip Peltier served as HBF Executive Director from September 2005 until June 2011, when he was unanimously elected to the Board of Directors after announcing his resignation. Peltier was instrumental in getting the Foundation on its feet while helping secure stability and a bright future for many years to come.

Skip has extensive experience in athletic administration, and lends that expertise to the HBF and its partners continually. He recently retired after 20 years as Associate Director of the Minnesota State High School League. In addition to serving the HBF, Skip is an Adjunct Instructor in Athletic and Sport Administration at the University of St. Thomas Graduate School, and owns a consulting business. His network in Minnesota amateur sports and experience in directing a non-profit organization are invaluable assets for the foundation.

A native of St. Paul, Skip played hockey at Johnson High School and the University of Minnesota. He and his wife Kay have a married daughter and three grandchildren.

Michael Reilly:
Mike Reilly retired as Managing Director of UBS Securities in the spring of 2007 after 22 years in institutional fixed-income sales and management. During his career, he was responsible for a broad range of complex financial instruments. Mike began his career at Salomon Brothers in 1985, in the municipal bond sales group. Later, he moved to the taxable fixed income credit group. In 1995, UBS hired Mike to help start up a Midwest institutional office for fixed income.

During the past decade, he has been an owner of, board member of, and consultant to more than 20 companies, including TPG Sports Magazine, Midwest Microcoatings, and Wayzata Investment Partners, among others. He is also a minority owner of the Minnesota Wild and the Sioux City Musketeers of the United States Hockey League. He also played for the Minnesota Golden Gophers, was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens and played in the minors in 1981. Mike leverages his vast business and hockey knowledge for the Foundation. He and his wife Lisa have five children and reside in Chanhassen, Minn.
Neil Sheehy.
A rugged former defenseman for the Washington Capitals and Calgary Flames, Neil K. Sheehy is now a highly respected player agent. He was brought up in the game—he played as a youngster in International Falls High School and then later for Philips Academy in Andover, Mass. In 1983, he led Harvard to the ECAC championship and the NCAA final game in 1983, where the Crimson fell to a Chris Chelios-led Wisconsin team. Two months later, he earned an economics degree from Harvard. Neil also played for several US National teams. (He was co-captain and shared team MVP honors in 1992.)

Although not highly skilled by NHL standards, Sheehy excelled by sheer force of will and uncompromising commitment—attributes he applies for the Foundation and his clients. After his career, Neil returned to Minnesota and earned a law degree from William Mitchell College in St. Paul. His dogged approach to the game—and everything else he embraces—makes Neil an incredible asset for the Foundation and youth hockey.
 
William Weller:
Bill founded Flagship USA, Inc. a commercial/industrial and residential management/sales/leasing, and investment Company in 1984. An original HBF board member, he relies on his considerable business acumen and vision to help establish and shape exceptional Foundation programs.

A St. Paul native, Bill graduated from Johnson High School in 1965 and earned BS and MS degrees from Bemidji State University. He was Herb’s cousin, and spent countless hours discussing the state of amateur hockey with the coach. As a result, he has a unique perspective on the HBF’s mission, and its efforts to reform and enhance youth hockey.
Jon Maruk:
As an athlete growing up, Jon Maruk understands the values and life
lessons associated with sports, especially hockey. That is why he got
involved with the Herb Brook Foundation, and he’ll continue to help
grow the game of hockey by providing kids an opportunity to play.

Maruk became a Herb Brooks Foundation Board Member in April, 2011
after spearheading a $10,000 donation to the Rink Rat program on
behalf of the Butzow Family Foundation.

Maruk is an Eden Prairie native who starred for Breck High School and
went on to play for Notre Dame before heading to the minor leagues.
Jon’s father, Dennis Maruk, played for Herb Brooks with the Minnesota
North Stars.

Currently, Maruk works at C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. in Eden
Prairie and has been coaching Wayzata Youth Hockey since 2002,
bringing passion, hands-on experience that makes the Herb Brooks
Foundation a perfect fit.
John McClellan:
John McClellan took over as Executive Director in June 2011. In this role, he serves as the Foundation’s de facto chief executive officer. He oversees almost all of the Foundation’s day-to-day activities – fundraising, relationship building, public relations efforts, hockey programs, etc. – from the office at the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minn.

McClellan comes to HBF having retired from his previous positions as Superintendent of Centennial Public Schools and most recently working in the finance industry. The former teacher and principal was named Minnesota’s Superintendent of the Year in 1992. He has long been involved in hockey, having coached youngsters and college kids for many years. McClellan also spearheaded key community projects, including fundraising for Centennial’s first ice arena and heading the YMCA board for 10 years.

McClellan brings exceptional administrative skills, experience and will continue to move HBF forward in a very positive and productive manner.