WOMEN March 2022
The Free Press MEDIA
Women • MARCH 2022 • 1
WOMEN Table of Contents
Stacey R. E. J Stac Owner/Atto
Own
4
Sabrina Mercedes
6
Wardah Sabrie
Dr Jennifer Hayden
10
12
14
Erin Roberts
Erica Gersch Fischer
8
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Women • MARCH 2022 • 1
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WOMEN March 2022
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Women • MARCH 2022 • 3
Sabrina Mercedes thrives on ‘honest and frank conversations’
S
By Renee Berg | Photos by Jesse Yeakle
abrina Mercedes was walking around downtown Mankato with a friend, day dreaming out loud about finding a large space near a school, on a bus route that was also ADA accessible. Within a week, her dream came true. 4 • MARCH 2022 • Women
Mercedes moved Safe Relations into 1101 North Riverfront Drive and describes it as a multi-use facility. She offers wellness, art and education, and events rooted in anti-racism and accessibility. She also teaches yoga, runs an after-school
Sabrina and her daughter Aliyah.
program and mentors Mankato West High School students who call her “mom auntie.” “Safe Relations was born out of really trying to talk about the trauma and the life experience I had been living,” she said. “Originally it was going to just be a podcast, but I found I’m really passionate about creating spaces that are nonjudgmental. As a single, queer mother, I’ve struggled with finding places that don’t dehumanize me.” “I want to create safe spaces where people don’t have to be perfect at everything. I want to create spaces where people don’t have to hide who they are to feel worthy of wellness or art or education. So the podcast flourished into an idea. I think of the podcast as the seed that got it all going.” In June of 2021 she moved into the space, just a few months after graduating with her 200-hour yoga teacher certification. She said the training was an intense, spiritual awakening led by people who were all indigenous. Mercedes’s family is from Mexico, though she was born in the U.S. Her family emigrated to the U.S. in the 1970s, with her mother meeting her stepdad who is from St. James when she was 4 years old. That’s how she ended up in the Midwest. She joined the military at age 17, and later settled in Mankato to go to college. She moved to Portland, Ore., and then returned to Mankato in 2020. The pandemic hit and she was in limbo for a while, she said. She had never planned on returning to Mankato, but “the pandemic kind of brought me back here. I was embraced. I did a lot of
community work here between 2014 and 2016.” Her daughter Aliyah is 10 and in fifth grade. The mother/daughter duo live above Safe Relations in downtown Mankato. It was the ideal arrangement for them. “This space became available,” Mercedes said. “I had kind of spoken it into existence. It happened so quickly. It was hard to pass up.” Mercedes is also an artist, and people who are interested in sponsoring her art can support her as a patron at four different tiers; $3 a month, $7, $13, and $20. Patrons receive exclusive updates, earn stickers and can collect pieces of her art. Her artwork includes the mediums of acrylic, collages, resin and amateur photography. Any income she earns from her art goes back into Safe Relations. She said she’s passionate about “making people comfortably uncomfortable. In the culture of southern Minnesota, it’s hard to have boundaries with people and be honest about where we’re at on our journeys. I’m really passionate about having people fully embrace who they are, even areas people need to work on. Once we break down that shame and judgment we have against ourselves, we can grow and become better neighbors and community members. That’s my passion. I really enjoy having honest and frank conversations with fellow community members.” She appreciates the community of women in Mankato, which is a band of strong souls who aren’t catty or competitive. They support each other.
“We really make an effort to weave each other’s strengths and uplift each other,” Mercedes said. “It’s really, really special and probably the first time in my adulthood I have felt like, wow, there has been a lot of growth. Women are focusing on uplifting each other and creating opportunities for each other. It’s great to be a part of.” Bethany Truman, Southern Regional Representative for the Minnesota Hip Hop Coalition as well as Community Prevention Specialist with CADA Inc., has enjoyed collaborating with Mercedes and said they initially crossed paths when they were both asked to be a part of the Public Safety Steering Community in Mankato. “Sabrina is deeply rooted in our community,” Truman said. “She is someone that is dependable as well as reliable. She’s an asset not only because of her lived experience but also because she cares genuinely about making her community a better and more equitable place for everyone.”
Women • MARCH 2022 • 5
Young Muslim artist takes Mankato by storm W
By Renee Berg | Submitted Photos
ardah Sabrie says she’s still figuring out who she is. But this much is for sure: she’s a stand-out artist and immigrant who is finding her way in Mankato. “Every time I face a new situation or a new challenge, I feel like it changes me,” she said. “I’m a new me every day based on my experience.” Sabrie was born in Kenya, Nairobi, and moved to the U.S. at age 9. Her family’s first home was in Atlanta, Ga., where Sabrie 6 • MARCH 2022 • Women
found life to be very difficult. She didn’t know English and felt alone as a Muslim with a hijab. Her sister was the only person who “looked like me,” Sabrie said. She was bullied during class and even once pushed down a flight of stairs because she was different. “It was very different there,” she said. “Kids can be very cold when it comes to things they don’t understand. Even adults can be sometimes. I had a hard time adjusting. But I came to peace
Artwork by Wardah Sabrie. The artist at the 410 Project Gallery working on her show with Gallery Director Dana Sikkila.
with whatever I went through in terms of how I processed it.” At age 14, and in the 8th grade, Sabrie’s family relocated to Mankato, and that’s when life shifted. Life was more laid back, and she found the people to be kinder and more welcoming. “Minnesota nice, I guess,” she said. She attended Mankato East High School, and then went onto South Central Community College in Mankato, where she got her 2-year degree. She graduated from community college in 2017 and then went onto Minnesota State UniversityMankato, graduating in 2020 with an undergraduate degree in printmaking. Now she’s a graduate student at the college with a focus on printmaking. Sabrie will graduate in May, but doesn’t know yet what the future holds for her. She’s had her work shown at The Blue Boat and the 410 Project in Mankato, and has a show coming up at the college’s student union in March. “I’m not sure what I want to do with my life,” she said. “It depends. Once I figure out what direction I want to go in my life … life is unpredictable. I’m not sure where I’m going to go. But I definitely know I would love to travel.” Sabrie is a U.S. citizen and regards Mankato as her home. “It’s such a supportive community, she said. “People are very nice and open to have a discussion and they inspire me. I get inspired a lot by my emotions and how I feel day-to-day. And that’s what I make in my art work.” During years that were hard, Sabrie always found comfort in her art classes. She found her art teachers to be the “warmest and nicest people I know. They just made me feel comfortable in class and I started getting more and more confident.” Ever since she was little, she remembers drawing. Even as a young girl in Africa. “I still have doubts about what an artist means to me but ever
since I was little, even when I lived in Africa, I used to draw,” she said. “That was something I did naturally. I didn’t think it was a talent. I just did it because that’s the way I relieve stress.” What drives her? Sabrie said young people are her main inspiration. “I feel like young kids who are so innocent in the world, I feel like I want to be able to protect their innocence,” she said. “I’m hoping by the time they grow up they have a better environment and get to be comfortable. Little kids inspire me.” Women • MARCH 2021 • 7
Going Boldly T
By Katie Roiger | Submitted Photos
o paraphrase one of her favorite TV shows, boldly going where no one has gone before is Dr. Jennifer Hayden’s specialty. “We are all faced with boldly going at some time in our life,” Hayden said. “We need to say yes when the time is right.” Hayden has been saying yes to adventures for years, both in her professional and personal life. For a recent birthday, 8 • MARCH 2022 • Women
she flew to Connecticut to meet William Shatner at a radiosponsored program called “Shatner’s World…We Just Live in It.” “We weren’t supposed to talk to him, but I did!” Hayden said. “William Shatner’s native language is French because he’s from Montreal. I said to him in French, ‘You’ve given me courage,” and he squeezed my hand.” As a young girl, Hayden loved stories about real and
Dr Hayden with William Shatner
fictional pathfinders. She especially enjoyed watching the Enterprise fearlessly explore the endless reaches of the universe. Lieutenant Uhura, the no-nonsense communications specialist, was a personal favorite for Hayden, whose involvement in her local Rhode Island 4-H chapter led to her becoming the state’s public speaking champion in 1983.
It’s not too much of a stretch to say that Lieutenant Uhura helped spark Hayden’s long-term love for communications and exploration. When she was just 20 years old, a tour of her local radio station turned into an on-the-spot job interview and launched her into a career in broadcasting. As of 2022, Hayden’s voice has been heard up and down the East Coast as well as in the greater Midwest area and the Mankato district she now calls home. Hayden’s trailblazing spirit has served her well throughout her career. In 2005, she was hired as the station manager for Chicago’s Moody Radio: the first female to hold that position since the station was founded in 1926. Hayden said that remembers her time there as being full of positive recognition. “People came up to me and said, ‘We’re so glad you’re here,” she said. “Some of the women especially said, ‘This really makes a big difference in our network.’” Sixteen years later, Hayden once again found herself in a groundbreaking role when she was hired as local Mankato station
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Kinship Christian Radio’s first female executive director. A Biblically based station that offers a wide range of music as well as talk shows and news, Kinship allows Hayden to reach a diverse community across Minnesota and Iowa in an authentic way. Hayden said that the immediacy of radio really helps her to feel grounded in her local Mankato community. “You can really connect with a live person,” she said. Callers and listeners have come to know Hayden’s unedited voice and story, from losing her mother through breast cancer to battling her way through past bouts of depression. “That’s what’s special about radio is the transparency of the medium.” Radio also allows Hayden to shine a light on other local pathfinders like Door of Hope, a Mankato organization that helps individuals learn about abuse and escape its cycle in their personal lives. Her ability to provide a platform for others lets her and her coworkers build a community of fellow pioneers wherever Kinship Christian Radio is heard. Despite throwing herself wholeheartedly into her radio work, Hayden still has plenty of energy to spare for other projects, which include gaining a PhD in Leadership and publishing a book titled The Pioneer Way: Leading a Trailblazing Life That Builds Meaning for Your Family, Your Community, and You. Hayden credits the beloved adventure series of her childhood as well as her ongoing fascination with the American pioneers in helping her to identify a set of values that intrepid change-makers have in common. “The difference between leaders and pioneers is that pioneers are doing something that no one has done before,” Hayden said. “It doesn’t have to be a big mission, but it does have to be felt as an authentic, passionate vision.” Her book lays out the qualities of the pioneer spirit and helps guide readers to practice them in their daily lives. Hayden’s hope is that everyone who reads her work and listens to Kinship Christian Radio’s broadcasts will be inspired to go forth boldly in their own lives. “I would like to make a difference by encouraging others to make a difference,” she said.
Women • MARCH 2022 • 9
Making Connections By Katie Roiger | Submitted Photos
I
f making connections was a superpower, Erin Roberts would star in the next blockbuster action movie. “I can have a conversation with anyone because people feel comfortable talking to me,” Roberts said. “My kids tell me, ‘Everywhere we go, everyone knows you!’” Born and raised in Mankato, Roberts has had plenty of opportunities to get to know the city that she affectionately calls a “little big town.” From her tap-dancing classes at Dance Express as a young girl to exploring the small businesses and restaurants in the area, Roberts said she loves the combination of big-city resources and small-town neighborliness that Mankato offers. Seeing her genuine passion for learning about other people and their stories, Roberts’ friends in the community encouraged her to put her talents to use for the ISD 77 school district. Before the 2020 elections, Roberts was told several times that she would be a great candidate for one of the four open positions on the Mankato Area Public School Board. Despite her love for relationship-building and communication, Roberts said she initially thought her friends were crazy. Already a full-time customer service leader for North Mankato’s Corporate Graphics and a busy mother of three, the idea of running a campaign seemed daunting until she looked deeper into the district’s mission and goals. ISD 77’s programs appealed to the former Mankato East graduate, and she felt compelled to help current students receive an 10 • MARCH 2022 • Women
even better school experience than the one she’d been given. Roberts’ desire to advocate for students like herself and her children was also a huge motivator in her decision to run for election. “I wanted to show young girls that they can do whatever they put their minds and hearts to,” she said. “I also wanted to show black and brown students that they can see themselves in their school board. I do think that it’s important that we have representation.” Roberts was elected to the school board in 2021 and has been working tirelessly since day one. She meets every other week with fellow board members to discuss budgets, vote on policies, and help make sure that the public-school education in their district is the best that it can possibly be. School board member is the perfect role for someone like Roberts who combines enthusiasm for making connections with a wholehearted dedication to education. The board members act a liaison between administration, students, and the community as a whole. A group called Coffee and Conversation was instituted in recent months and gives any interested district resident the opportunity to chat with board members, get informed, and bring up concerns and hopes for their schools. Hands down, Roberts’ favorite duty is her student committee meetings where she gets to meet with middle school and high school students to hear about topics that interest them. “It gives them the opportunity to come to us and tell us what
Erin Roberts with Governor Tim Walz
they’re hearing in their buildings,” said Roberts. This was hugely helpful for both administrators and students alike during the aftermath of the pandemic when students were observing behavioral changes among their peers and wanted to gain tools for supporting each other during an uncertain and stressful time. During a recent committee, the students wanted to know more about how to safely be an advocate if they saw a fellow student being bullied. “I think sometimes we don’t give kids enough credit to know what’s going on in their world,” Roberts added. “At the end of the day, they spend more time in those buildings than they do anywhere.” Her official duties are also peppered with plenty of lighthearted moments. Roberts recalled a meeting where in addition to weightier matters, some students wanted to talk about another topic near and dear to their hearts. “My high school boys were talking about the lunch: ‘Can we get more lunch? Who decides the lunch?’” Roberts said. The subject turned into a productive conversation about budgeting and how the district receives and divvies up funds. If it’s important to the students and their families, it’s important to Roberts. She can be found at all kinds of school events from banquets to graduations, cheering on both her children and the other kids in her district. To her, any effort is worth it if it helps her community’s youth get a quality education. For Roberts, commencements are the best reminder of why she chooses to work so hard to create connections. “The point of public education is to get [students] across that stage,” she said. “When you see them and the pride in their faces, it’s the best. It’s really a reminder that this is why we do what we do.”
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Erica Fischer,
executive director of One Bright Star, says ‘we can make it through anything. That’s why I love Mankato’
E
By Renee Berg | Submitted Photos
rica Fischer is such a devoted friend that when a friend lost her daughter, Fischer joined the same support network as her: One Bright Star in
12 • MARCH 2022 • Women
Mankato. One Bright Star is a non-profit that serves parents who have lost a child. Fischer’s friend joined the board after
losing her daughter, so Fischer joined as well. She then went on to become vice president, president and is now executive director. “I’ve worn all the hats pretty much,” Fischer said. “For the parents who have experienced the loss of a child, it’s so sad. It’s an awful experience but they provide so much hope. I really enjoy it all. I enjoy spreading our mission. I feel like grief is not something you should ever have to do alone. It doesn’t have to be a taboo thing.” “Losing anyone is awful. Losing a child has to be one of the worst things ever. Our mission is to be there for families and that’s the best and most rewarding thing.” Fischer first joined the One Bright Star board in 2011. In addition to now holding down her job as executive director, she also works as an executive assistant at Mayo Health Systems in Mankato, and is married to husband Terry with a blended family of six kids, ages 12, 15, 18, 20, 21, and 27. She moved away from Mankato at age 19 and “I swore I was never coming back,” she said. “Then I started a family of my own and realized the importance of family and how you need your village to help you through everything. And Mankato is a wonderful community to raise a family in. It’s the perfect size. I like the small town feel. It’s not so small but feels like a real community where we all come together.” Alicia More, president of One Bright Star, has known Fischer since joining the board of directors in 2013. She said Fischer is “deserving of the spotlight.” “Erica is a true asset to Mankato by her dedication to community involvement and passion for helping people better their lives,” More said. “Her connections and networking ability have benefited our organization immensely. Erica has brought community awareness to One Bright Star and when I see her intact with families who have lost a child, her ability to remember each child’s name and embrace parents with genuine affection, I know the people who meet Erica feel like they matter, and that they are not alone. To witness this amazing ability is heart warming and I’m grateful to Erica for sharing this gift.” Fischer said among her passions
Top: Erica and her family. Bottom left: Doing the One Bright Star’s Life After Loss Podcast. Right: modeling (and winning!) Raw Fusion.
is definitely One Bright Star. “What I love about our community is that we’re striving, thriving, to become a more compassionate community,” she said. “Coming together the past couple of years has really shown us that we can make it through anything. That’s why I love Mankato.” “It’s an honor and a blessing to be a part of this community,” Fischer said. “Being in this position has really opened my eyes to the strength of this community and how we can collaborate together. I think it’s one of the biggest things. There are so many great organizations in this community I can bounce ideas off and vice versa. It’s great. We’re all here to help each other in the town of Mankato.”
As for what inspires her, Fischer said her kids. “They are our future,” she said. “I can’t wait to see all of the wonderful things they will do. And of course the One Bright Star board of directors … each and everyone brings something amazing to the board and inspires me to be a better person. They bring so much hope and compassion to the group. The board is like family to me.” She appreciates the women of Mankato especially, describing them as strong and compassionate. “I love seeing businesses in Mankato succeed, and new businesses opening,” she said. “I especially love seeing that there are so many strong women leaders in our community. They are so uplifting and I think that’s so important.” Women • MARCH 2022 • 13
507 Creative Group founder ‘always one step ahead of the game’ By Renee Berg | Submitted Photos
A
s founder and CEO of 507 Creative Group in Mankato, Brittany Woitas’s role revolves around creating connections and igniting forward progress for clients. “I founded 507 Creative Group to help purpose-driven entrepreneurs build strong brands that allow them to 14 • MARCH 2022 • Women
connect with their audience in an authentic, impactful way,” Woitas said. “507 Creative Group is a full service brand and marketing firm, and our team helps small businesses by building brands that allow them to connect with their audience. We’ve served hundreds of clients across the
country.” Currently the boutique firm has 35 active clients they are supporting in various capacities. 507 Creative Group offers brand and marketing strategy, web design and marketing management. Woitas launched the firm in 2015. Maddie Rudesill, marketing manager of American Waterworks, described Woitas and her colleagues as “forward thinkers, creative, analytical-minded, responsive, organized and are always one step ahead of the game. They are always eager to help us and answer any questions we have. Mankato is lucky to have such a talented marketing agency at its disposal, and I would highly recommend them to any business that is ready to take the next step with their marketing.” The team at 507 Creative Group helped American Waterworks create a brand standards guide, email marketing, social media advertising, geofenced advertising, direct mail campaigns, content creation and more. “She has been a huge asset to our company and marketing department,” Rudesill said of Woitas. “With her knowledge and team of experts, she has been invaluable to us with the improvement in our ad performance, lead generation and the time it gives back to our marketing team to work on other campaigns.” Ron Vetter, CEO of Vetter Stone Company/Alabama Stone Company, hired Woitas to refine their marketing strategy with their new business goals and new showroom opening. “Her listening skills are very astute,” Vetter said. “She does a very good job listening to our objectives and helps develop a strategy and plan to make them happen.” Woitas is a strong member of the community and has a physical presence in Mankato’s Old Town neighborhood, Vetter said. “She helps many businesses, large and small, tell their stories in the right venues,” he said. “We are so incredibly grateful to be able to live and build a business in this community,” Woitas said. “Mankato is truly an entrepreneurial hub, and there are so many passionate, driven business owners who are committed to supporting and building this community. While we love to travel and explore new areas, we couldn’t imagine living anywhere else, honestly.” She is fueled by a passion for creating elevated brands that transform
The 507 Creative Group at their office in Old Town Mankato.
businesses. Her expertise and education are instrumental in leading this boutique firm. With over 10 years experience in the marketing industry working with organizations ranging from large, Fortune 100 companies to small, family-owned businesses, Woitas founded 507 Creative Group to provide entrepreneurs and business owners with the access to brand and marketing assets that are necessary to effectively connect with and create a strong loyalty with customers. Woitas started her education by getting a bachelor’s of science degree in marketing at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. From there she went on to get her master’s of business administration in integrated marketing communications from St. Catherine University in St. Paul. And finally, she has her certificate in disruptive strategy from the acclaimed Harvard Business School. Over the years at 507 Creative Group, clients have asked how to bring branding work into their space; how to bring it all to life with the interior design of their business location, Woitas said. “As we develop brand strategies for clients, one of the core elements we focus on is the brand essence, or how an audience should feel when they’re interacting with a business,” she said. “From that first touch point on social media or a web site to the experience they have when they walk into the space, the brand essence should be intentional,
consistent and seamless.” So for the past year, Woitas and her team have been working on building a new division of the firm committed to branded commercial interior design. “Leveraging our existing strategyfirst approach, clients will be able to transition from creating a brand strategy to partnering with our team on interior design to bring that vision to life,” Woitas said. “With our fulltime lead interior designer on board, we’re finalizing details and will be officially launching this division in early spring 2022.”
Women • MARCH 2022 • 15
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