Meet Ziggy’s Board
Gina Zaffarano | Founder & Board President
Meet Gina, the Founder of Ziggy’s Art Bus. Gina has been a business owner for nearly 30 years, and is currently is the co-owner of the The Hair District Collective-Uptown and District on 50th Salon/Spa in Edina. She finds the experience of “community making” an extremely rewarding part of owning her businesses. After years of feeling the urge to add something else to her life, she became involved as a volunteer in the hospice program at North Memorial Hospital. As Gina completed her training, she found her way to Crescent Cove, the third pediatric respite and hospice center in the country. While volunteering there, she became inspired to create Ziggy’s Art Bus as a way to give back to children with life-altering illness and their families. To date, the creation of Ziggy’s Art Bus has been the most rewarding experience of Gina’s professional career.
Dereck Furlong | Board Treasurer
Meet Dereck. Dereck brings fundraising and financial planning skills to Ziggy’s Art Bus. He currently works as a Director of Supply Chain for Target’s Direct Vendor Ship Business and has spent his career in sourcing and supply chain roles at Berkshire Hathaway, Supervalu, and Valspar. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Minnesota and his MBA from the Carlson School of Management.
Mingy Chung | Board Secretary
Meet Mingy. Mingy brings her love of art and compassion for children to Ziggy’s Art Bus. Each volunteer opportunity with Ziggy’s is so fulfilling for Mingy, knowing that a difference was made with each and every child. Mingy works at Mytech Partners as a Process Improvement & Reporting Analyst and is thrilled to have found a group of wonderful people with whom to volunteer.
Erica Marsden
Meet Erica. Erica brings end-of-life expertise to Ziggy’s Art Bus. She considers art and leaning into life’s tender moments her two great loves. Erica graduated from San Diego State with a degree in sociology, art and American Sign Language. She previously owned a stationery business which celebrated and honored births, marriages and deaths. Now, Erica is certified as an end-of-life midwife, is a regular hospice volunteer and is in the process of completing her Healing Touch certification.
Kassra Taghizadeh
Meet Kassra. Kassra brings his passion for combining art and medicine to Ziggy's Art Bus. While studying at the University of Minnesota, he studied both theatre arts and neuroscience further investigating how science and art can complement each other. Currently, Kassra is a medical student at the University of Minnesota with an interest in pediatrics and surgery.
Susan Hartzell Vannelli
Meet Sue. Sue brings her experience as a professional artist, and as an artistic mentor for developmentally challenged communities, to Ziggy's Art Bus. Her colorful mixed media art combines spirituality, compassion, and spontaneity and reflects her energy, joy, and enthusiasm for life! Sue is also a Certified Empowerment Coach and a teacher at the White Bear Center for the Arts. She graduated from the University of Minnesota with a B.S. in Art & Design.
Kristen Weber
Meet Kristen. Kristen brings technical expertise to Ziggy’s Art Bus. She is a designer and visual artist who finds Ziggy’s Art Bus to be a perfect combination of art and heart. In addition to supporting Ziggy’s mission, Kristen designs books and websites for the publishing industry through her company, I Libri Book Design. Prior to forming I Libri, she provided UX application design services for Fortune 500 companies. In the past, her volunteer and nonprofit work has been primarily community-based with an environmental focus — ranging from community garden manager to communications manager.
Advisors to the Board
Michael Keller
Meet Michael. Michael brings leadership and marketing prowess to Ziggy’s Art Bus. He is the former CEO/President of Pearson’s Candy Company and currently acts as the Chief Growth Officer for Pinnacle Performance Group. Michael is the author of a children’s book entitled The Legend of Jet the Gerbil. He has held senior marketing roles for national and international brands, including Dairy Queen, Jamba Juice, Baskin Robbins and Nestle. Michael is a graduate of Dartmouth College and the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.
Wynne Reece
Meet Wynne. Wynne provides legal expertise to Ziggy’s Art Bus. She started two successful businesses and at just 30 years old, she successfully sold one of them to devote her energy to a legal niche, The Creative’s Counsel®. The Creative's Counsel® focuses on supporting business owners by offering them affordable and approachable legal work, with counsel they can relate to. To date, Wynne has worked with over 500 businesses, in an outside counsel capacity, as well as quite a few more individuals. She continues to organize and partake in philanthropic ventures in our community, complete over 150 pro bono hours per year including founding a pro bono legal clinic in North Minneapolis, and serve on a number of committees and boards. She has been recognized as: 2017 35 & Under Entrepreneurs; 2017 BWC Finalist: Excelling in a Male Dominated Industry; 2018 Hands on Twin Cities Volunteer of the Year; 2018 MSBA High School Mock Trial Volunteer of the Year; and is consistently a North Star Lawyer.
Photography by Carly Jo Hougen.