Stephen Klimek

As Towerside's Executive Director, Stephen leads the vision and framework for the organization's place-based community and economic development. He thrives building partnerships and programs to advance urban infrastructure and nurture our civic commons. Stephen has a keen mind for organizational development and systems thinking built on his strengths in seeing and forging connections between people, organizations, and ideas.

• sklimek at towersidemsp.org
• 612-208-8773

Sabina Saksena

Sabina is a full time entrepreneur and investor in smart city technology, healthcare and social impact based ventures. She is currently invested in and leads three growing ventures, Cytilife, a Smart Campus company, B.Vell a Healthcare start up, and Smart North, a not for profit focused on driving digital equity in underserved and under addressed communities in MN. In addition to Towerside, she serves on the Board of Project Success, MN, and Women Driving Innovation, GA. Prior to this, Sabina worked for 20 plus years across continents and industries in leadership positions at global companies such as Pricewaterhouse Coopers, The Coca Cola Company, the Tata Group amongst others.

Richard Gilyard, FAIA

Dick is an architect who has served as design principal for a broad range of building types and urban planning challenges. They include U.S. courthouses, airports, schools, multifamily residences, corporate facilities, a Jesuit retreat center and rock ‘n’ roll radio station. As co-chair of the Duluth Mayor’s Advisory Committee, he spearheaded the plan to reconfigure the freeway extension, creating the opportunity for development of the Lake Superior Waterfront Park. Dick has served on the boards and planning committees of Prospect Park Association and University District Alliance. As a representative of the Prospect Park 20/20, Inc., community development corporation, he has served on the board of the Towerside Innovation District since its founding.

Olivia Leyrer

Olivia Leyrer is an associate in the Real Estate and Municipal Law practice groups at Best & Flanagan. Her practice is varied and has touched many areas of property and real estate law. Before joining Best & Flanagan, her role included acting as City Attorney for numerous small and mid-sized cities in central Minnesota. At Best & Flanagan, Olivia’s practice is centered on advising businesses and developers in the areas of commercial real estate acquisitions, dispositions, project development, commercial leasing. Some of her current projects include an apartment complex in Northeast Minneapolis, and a ground-up development for a nonprofit’s new headquarters in North Minneapolis.

Karl Reichert

Karl is Executive Director for Textile Center, a national center for fiber art based in the heart of the Towerside Innovation District in Minneapolis. Since November 2014, Karl has led Textile Center into an era of revitalization and artistic advancement. Previously he served as the Director of the Capri Theater for Plymouth Christian Youth Center in North Minneapolis (2007-2014), and he began his arts career with the Minnesota Orchestra, where he served as its Director of Public Affairs from (1992 to 2001), and then worked as an arts marketing and public relations consultant from 2001 to 2007.

Metric Giles

Metric is a policy coordinator with the Community Stabilization Project in Saint Paul, which advocates for tenants’ rights. He serves or has served in active roles with the Frogtown Neighborhood Association, the Summit-University Planning Council and the Aurora-St. Anthony Neighborhood Development Corporation, the Jordan Park School, the Dispute Resolution Center, the Circle of Peace anti-violence initiative and St. Paul Almanac. He also served on the Metropolitan Council’s Central Corridor Community Advisory Committee, working with community members and civic groups to include additional stations along the Green Line light rail corridor.

Karen Nelson

Karen resides in the Saint Paul portion of Towerside and serves on St Anthony Park Community Council’s Board of Directors, the Land Use Committee and is active in the Transportation Committee. She is concerned about improving land use efficiency, increasing mixed-use zoning for industrial areas, housing supply, affordable housing, and improving pedestrian and bicycling infrastructure for all ages. Karen is a civil engineer working for Versa-Lok Retaining walls where she enjoys seeing civil plans for projects going out to bid across the nation.

Patrick Mascia

Pat brings extensive experience in both real estate law and development to the role, leading real estate development for five years at Opus and ten years at Duke Realty Corporation, and most recently as the real estate practice leader at Taft, Stettinius & Hollister law firm. While at Taft, Pat was also the executive director of Visus, UMFREA’s joint venture with the Pohlad family, and led the master planning work for the East Gateway Project, a real estate development project in the district adjacent to the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus. Pat serves on the boards of University Enterprise Laboratories and as a member of ULI Minnesota’s Governance Committee, Market Council and DEI Task Force.

Gloria J Jeff, AICP

Gloria is an experienced transportation executive, civil engineer and professional urban planner. Gloria has previously served as deputy administrator for the Federal Highway Administration, director of the Michigan Department of Transportation, Transportation Programs Manager for the Atlantic District of Parsons Brinkerhoff, and Principal Planner for the Wichita Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, General Manager of the Los Angeles Department of Transportation.

Kevin Reich

Kevin is a lifelong resident of Minneapolis with more than 20 years of leadership experience in land use policy, innovative infrastructure investment, and community empowerment. He is currently the Executive Director of the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization (MWMO) and oversees all aspects of this Joint Powers special unit of government. The MWMO is charged with advancing the infrastructure of a fully developed urban environment to protect and restore the Mississippi River. Kevin served Ied on the MWMO Board of Commissions for 12 years, chairing the board for 10. He previously worked as a City of Minneapolis Councilmember.

Rachel Placzek

Rachel is an economic and community development professional who currently works at GREATER MSP, the regional economic development partnership for the 15-country Minneapolis-Saint Paul metro. GREATER MSP's mission is to advance the inclusive economic growth and global competitiveness of the MSP region by executing strategies in the areas of job creation, talent, innovation, and capital. Her role at GREATER MSP is positioned to work across the enterprise and at the nexus of cross-sector coalitions, partnerships, and major projects.

Edward Weinberg

Edward is a Senior Consultant Strategic Asset Planning for Xcel Energy. As part of the Corporate Strategy and Planning team, Weinberg has spent six years involved with strategic initiatives, such as Xcel’s vision for providing net-zero natural gas service to customers by 2050 and the strategy for achieving that commitment, known as the Net Zero Vision. Weinberg also has ten years of experience in the environmental commodities and emissions trading industry. He has worked with all leading US carbon offset programs, as well as the international Clean Development Mechanism. Edward has a Master of Science in Economics and Business Administration from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and also serves on the board of directors for OutFront Minnesota.