Theresa Nelson has over 15 years of experience in youth program development and community organizing. She developed and ran a thriving youth program at the Seward Neighborhood Group, and was then hired to help develop the Midtown Greenway corridor through organizing volunteers and stakeholders. For both roles, Theresa took on responsibilities like grant writing, budgeting, communications, and strategic planning, and performed all duties with competence and enthusiasm. Her efforts were instrumental in making the Midtown Greenway the effective transportation route it is today.

1. Observations regarding Theresa Nelson’s career:
I’ve known Theresa Nelson for about fifteen years, dating from when she was hired
to be the Youth Program Director at the Seward Neighborhood Group in South
Minneapolis. In that capacity, she worked with as many as seventy children in a
given week, as well as that number of parents.
Theresa developed the programs that were used; provided the services to the
children; wrote many grant applications for funding; motivated volunteers from the
community and local colleges to become involved; staffed a youth program sub-
committee; made regular reports to the neighborhood’s Board of Directors and
maintained the program’s books and financial accountability. Theresa performed all
these functions with real competency and enthusiasm, and the program thrived
under her care. Theresa was always at the core and the main reason that Seward’s
program was so widely respected by both neighborhood residents and City officials.
Those of us who supported the development of the Midtown Greenway by the
Midtown Greenway Coalition were delighted when Theresa was hired to help develop
that corridor. We knew that her strong skills in organizing volunteers and eliciting
commitment from partnering organizations such as Augsburg College, the U of M,
and local neighborhood organizations would be vital to the corridor’s success.
Theresa participated in numerous meetings soliciting input from the various
stakeholders along the project’s length. She staffed the meetings of the Midtown
Greenway Coalition and helped determine the group’s vision for the corridor.
Because the Greenway’s development was closely watched by the public, there was
no room for error or misadventure. At the Coalition, Theresa had very large
responsibilities that included grant writing; budgeting; media communication;
publicity and the writing of brochures, staff supervision and oversight and strategic
planning. Again, she performed all these functions with competency and
enthusiasm.
Outside of the Coalition boardroom, Theresa organized volunteer work groups and
on several days per year, organized groups of dozens (if not hundreds) of people for
large-scale tree plantings. I attended several of these activities and saw that they
were well-organized -that the volunteers had fun and would return. In short, the
Midtown Greenway is the beautiful and effective transportation route that it is today,
thanks in large part to Theresa’s efforts and zest.
As a business-person who seeks proficiency and enthusiasm, I believe that
Theresa’s skills would be a very valuable asset to an organization with a strong
mission that requires interaction with the public.
Sincerely,
Bernie Waibel
Former SNG Housing Program Coordinator