Board Officers
Colleen Feige, Board Chair
President, League of Women Voters – Edina
Colleen Feige is the president of the League of Women Voters Edina. She has served on the Edina School Board and the Edina Human Rights and Relations Commission. She joined the League of Women Voters after retiring from her career working in Washington, D.C. for the Department of Veterans Affairs. She has been involved with World Without Genocide’s voting rights initiatives and has been a key presenter at the Summer Institute for High School and College Students.
Leslie Lagerstrom, Vice-chair
Founder, Transparenthood
Leslie Lagerstrom founded Transparenthood after struggling to find quality resources during her own experience raising a transgender child. Leslie helps families navigate the challenges that families with transgender children face. She speaks to educators, families, and medical professionals throughout the country about transgender issues and is an advocate for transgender rights. She has been a speaker at many World Without Genocide programs.
The Rev. James Erlandson, Treasurer
Senior Pastor, Lutheran Church of the Redeemer; Isaiah
Pastor James Erlandson has served as the pastor at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer since 1994. He was ordained in 1987 after graduating from Luther Seminary in Saint Paul. He is one of the founders and clergy leaders of ISAIAH, a faith- based coalition advocating for economic and racial justice in Minnesota. His wife, Kim Tann, was born in Cambodia, is a survivor of the killing fields, and came to Minnesota as a refugee in 1980. He has hosted World Without Genocide programs at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer and supports immigrant and refugee rights.
Rachel Carlson, J.D., Secretary
Committee Coordinator, Minnesota Senate
Rachel Carlson currently works as Committee Coordinator for the Minnesota Senate. She earned her J.D. degree at Mitchell Hamline School of Law. During her time in law school, she was the president of the student chapter of World Without Genocide and she has participated in many of the organization’s programs, including a human rights fact-finding trip to Namibia; advocacy for many social justice issues at the Minnesota legislature; and participation as a Benjamin B. Ferencz Fellow in Human Rights and Law. She has worked as a Program Director for Forward Global Women, an organization focused on women leaders in the Middle East and North Africa.
Guled Ibrahim, J.D.
Bush Foundation Fellow; Senior Regulatory Compliance Attorney, City of Minneapolis
Guled Ibrahim, originally from Somalia, is currently a 2021 BushFellow working to create more diversity and equity in the legal field in Minnesota. He received his J.D. from Mitchell Hamline School of Law and an MBA from the International School of Business in London. He attended the University of Queensland, Australia as a Rotary Peace Fellow, where earned his Masters of International Studies in Peace and Conflict Studies. As a law student, he served as a Benjamin B. Ferencz Fellow in Human Rights and Law, increasing awareness of the International Criminal Court through public programs. He has worked as an attorney with the Minneapolis Civil Rights Department.
Brad Lehrman, J.D.
Former pro bono counsel, World Without Genocide
Elena Lindemann
Ukrainian advocate; Manager, Sustainability and ESG Reporting
Elena Lindemann, a native of Ukraine, holds a Master’s in English from the University of Lviv and an MBA in International Management from the University of St. Thomas. She is interested in the connection between environmental sustainability, food insecurity, and war conflicts. Elena spent many years in marketing, business management, and sustainability roles at Land O’Lakes, one of the largest food and agricultural cooperatives in the U.S. She currently consults with government organizations and multinational businesses working on greenhouse gas reduction programs, reporting, and compliance.
Amanda McAllister Novak, J.D.
Special Counsel, Kennedys Law; instructor, American Red Cross, laws of armed conflict
Amanda Novak is Special Counsel at Kennedys Law. She received her J.D. from the University of Minnesota and was as an editor for the Minnesota Law Review. She has worked with a variety of human rights organizations and as a volunteer instructor for the American Red Cross, where she taught legal workshops on the laws of armed conflict and international humanitarian law. She attended the International Criminal Court Assembly of State Parties as part of World Without Genocide’s delegation in 2017. She served as a Benjamin B. Ferencz Fellow in Human Rights and Law, has given presentations for World Without Genocide on a number of human rights topics, including modern genocides and international criminal law.
For security reasons, some board members’ names and affiliations are not listed.
Board Members Emeriti and Ex Officio
Douglas Heidenreich, J.D., Emeritus (deceased)
Professor Emeritus and former Dean, Mitchell Hamline School of Law
Sheila Livingston, Emerita (deceased)
Guthrie Theatre
Executive Director
Ellen J. Kennedy, Ph.D.
Founder and Executive Director, World Without Genocide