Region 9

Region 9 Curated Connections Session at 2023 MSSA Conference

Regional Trainings

Fall Conference. The fall conference was held in-person at South Central College on September 29.

Summer Conference. This annual event is co-sponsored by MSSA Region 9 and the MSU, Mankato Social Work Department.

Region 9 Award Recipients

Congratulations to the 2023 Region 9 award recipients! Thank you for your contributions to health and human services in the region.

Outstanding Retiree: Rhonda Hiller Fjeldberg, Minnesota River Area Agency on Aging
Outstanding Staff Achievement: Tina Olson, Horizon Homes
Outstanding Volunteer Service: William Fitzsimmons, South Central Workforce Center

Legislative Listening Sessions

Are you a leader of a health and human services organization in the Region 9 area? Join us at our Region 9 Legislative Listening Sessions, where local leaders get the opportunity to connect directly with elected officials. Email Bonnie Stanton, Region 9 Legislative Chair, at [email protected] for more information.

Region 9 Board Orientation

Download the Region 9 Board Orientation PowerPoint (PPT) or view a narrated version here.

Minnesota State University, Mankato Partnership & Scholarships

The Department of Social Work at Minnesota State University, Mankato is an MSSA agency member and is represented on the Region 9 board. Department faculty regularly present at the Region 9 and Annual Conference.

Each year, MSSA Region 9 provides scholarships for students in the BSSW and MSW programs at MSU Mankato. For more information, click here.

2023-2024 Scholarship Recipients:
Mary Speer
Melinda Keim
Kaylee Cincoski

Contact Information

For more information about getting involved with Region 9, contact Gretchen Rialson.

Region 9 Board of Directors

Full Name	Position	Organization
Jade Blekestad-Kral	Secretary	Sibley County Public Health & Human Services
Tyler Berg	Legislative Chair	EON, Inc.
Bonnie Stanton	Legislative Chair	Nexus- A Family of Treatment Programs
Laura Benesch	Awards Chair	MSU Mankato
Gretchen Rialson	Membership Chair	City of Mankato - Mankato/Blue Earth County EDA
Kelly Nelson	Conference Chair	Allina Health
Bill Anderson	Committee Member	MSU Mankato
Angela Bruns	Committee Member
Debra Gohagan	Committee Member	MSU Mankato
Rosalie Grams	Committee Member
Amanda Hoff	Committee Member	Partners for Housing
Molly Jacobson	Committee Member	Horizon Homes
Tara Johnson	Committee Member
Andrea R. Loken-Schmidt	Committee Member	MN Department of Human Services
Sara Mennen	Committee Member	Ellie Mental Health
Kristen Mullen	Committee Member	Minnesota River Area Agency on Aging Inc
Victoria Robinson	Committee Member	South Central College
David Sellnow	Committee Member	Nicollet County Health and Human Services
Sue Serbus	Committee Member	Horizon Homes
Mary Speer	Committee Member	MSU Mankato
Kaylie Svir	Committee Member	South Central MN Multi-County HRA
Scott Vaske	Committee Member	Wellcome Manor Family Services
Dawn Zollars	Committee Member	Building Resilience Counseling, LLC

Region 9 Agency Members

Company	State Province	City
Aging Services for Communities	MN	Montgomery
Blue Earth County Human Services	MN	Mankato
Brown County Family Services	MN	New Ulm
Counseling Services of Southern Minnesota	MN	Saint Peter
EON, Inc.	MN	New Ulm
Harry Meyering Center	MN	Mankato
Horizon Homes	MN	Mankato
Le Sueur County Human Services	MN	Le Center
Leo A. Hoffmann Center, Inc.	MN	Saint Peter
Minnesota River Area Agency on Aging Inc	MN	Mankato
MN Valley Action Council Inc	MN	Mankato
MRCI	MN	Mankato
MSU Mankato	MN	Mankato
Nicollet County Health and Human Services	MN	Saint Peter
Sibley County Public Health & Human Services	MN	Gaylord
South Central College	MN	North Mankato
Watonwan County Human Services	MN	Saint James
Wellcome Manor Family Services	MN	Garden City