Meet the Foundation’s Volunteer Leaders
A volunteer board of directors with wide-ranging backgrounds — including representatives from the city, schools, chamber of commerce, clergy, and civic organizations — oversees the Eden Prairie Community Foundation.
Board members typically serve two, three-year terms and have a number of specific governing responsibilities, including duties to exercise reasonable care when making decisions, comply with governing documents, and assure the financial accountability of the organization.
Meet our current board of directors below.
Tom Wargolet, Chair
Tom Wargolet recently retired from his role as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Christensen Farms, in Sleepy Eye, Minn.
Previous to that he was the Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Eden Prairie’s Lifetouch, Inc., and CFO at several Twin Cities-area companies, including Ciprico Inc., TeeMaster.com, and EnStar Inc. He became a certified public accountant in 1985.
He and his wife, Cindy, have lived in Eden Prairie for 27 years and they have three grown children who all attended EP schools. His involvement includes service as a board member and treasurer at PROP.
Joel Levi, Treasurer
Joel Levi serves as Managing Director overseeing the Central Sales organization for HSA Bank, an Employee Benefits company. Prior to joining HSA Bank nine years ago, Joel held key roles at JPMorgan Chase, US Bank, and Wells Fargo.
Joel and his family have lived in Eden Prairie for six years, moving back to the area from Washington where they lived for 17 years. He is committed to giving back to his local community, and enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, and coaching little league baseball.
Deepak Ganapathy, Secretary
Deepak Ganapathy is Vice-President of the High Power Business Unit at Danfoss Power Solutions in Eden Prairie and has been with the company in various roles for more than 15 years.
He has been a resident of Eden Prairie for more than 15 years; it’s the most years he’s spent in one city, other than his hometown in India. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his family and friends, and traveling.
Since 2020, Deepak has been a part of the Foundation’s strategic-planning process and has been co-leader of its Hardship KSI Team. He said he’s excited about his board role as the Foundation works toward sharpening its focus on long-term key initiatives.
Vimala Anandaraj
Vimala Anandaraj has over 15 years of experience in software development and technology consulting. Her current role as a senior technology engineer at BestBuy enables her to engage with BestBuy customers/product to solve complex business and industry challenges. She has worked with Fortune 100 companies in the Twin Cities & India, gaining a wide variety of industry experience having engaged with retailers, technology, and banks.
Vimala lives in Eden Prairie with her husband and her son. She has been a EPCF Ambassador since 2020. Vimala has been volunteering for Pudiyador – an education-driven child and family organization. She has also volunteered at FMSC and Bluebirds & Blooms. In her free time, she enjoys playing volleyball, cricket, gardening, and cooking.
Kiley Demery
Kiley Demery is a veteran Wealth Advisor with over 20 years experience in the financial services industry. As a financial advisor with Demery Wealth Advisors, Kiley is focused on offering comprehensive wealth management services to individuals and plan design services to small business owners.
Kiley is passionate about giving back to the community. He has served on the boards of non-profit organizations such as North Community Teen Enrichment Center and Osiris Organization. He is active in providing financial literacy workshops for other community organizations in greater Minneapolis. Kiley and his family have lived in Eden Prairie for that past 10 years.
Janet Eian
Jan and her husband Nick owned Endurant Business Solutions, and she previously was an owner and director of five Sylvan Learning and Technology Centers in the Twin Cities area. She started her career as a special-education resource teacher.
In addition to serving as an Eden Prairie School Board member for four years, Jan has been a board member for Onward Eden Prairie, Eden Prairie A.M. Rotary, including as president, and Southdale YMCA.
Her Foundation duties have included leadership of its Hardship KSI Team.
Mark Freiberg
Mark Freiberg and his wife Patty have lived in Eden Prairie since 1981 and raised three children here. He spent 30 years in the real estate and housing finance industries and has been involved in a number of groups in Eden Prairie, including the City of Eden Prairie’s Heritage Preservation Commission, the city’s Planning Commission, the Eden Prairie Historical Society, the Eden Prairie A.M. Rotary Club, and the Eden Prairie Community Foundation’s Development Committee.
Mark is serving his first term on the Eden Prairie City Council and is the city council’s representative to the Eden Prairie Community Foundation Board of Directors.
Erik Hansen
Public servant. Baseball Geek. Dad of two college kids. Erik has been blessed with an interesting life with three careers and a few other roles along the way. He moved to Denver from the Midwest for graduate school, and after finishing an MBA, he embarked on a career in the private sector in marketing roles, nurturing small and mid-cap companies including one startup that went to a successful IPO.
He has felt a particular calling for public service, holding elected office for 17 years in the Denver metro suburbs as a City Councilmember, Mayor, and County Commissioner. Following his tenure in Denver, he returned to his rural Midwest roots and became a City Administrator in Tracy, MN, where he helped create the Tracy Area Community Foundation and for the last year has served as CEO of Southwest Transit.
Along the way he raised two kids who are in their last year of college, coached their baseball and softball teams, and stayed connected to the game as a part-time umpire for HS varsity, legion games, and youth for the Eden Prairie Baseball Association.
Tori Hill
Tori and her husband, Leon, are longtime Eden Prairie residents, and parents to Brandon, Toria, and Naya.
In addition to serving as a trustee/chairperson at Pilgrim Baptist Church, Tori has been a board member for organizations such as the Foundation for Eden Prairie Schools, Eden Prairie Magazine, C.O.P.E. Project, and Ripley Foundation. She has been active in the Eden Prairie Schools and served on the Eden Prairie Community Educational Services Advisory Council.
Reta Johnson
Reta Johnson serves as the Family Resources Coordinator and the Homeless and Foster Care Liaison for the Eden Prairie School District, a role she has held since 2018. A licensed social worker, she holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Social Work with a focus on child welfare and brings extensive experience from previous roles as an adoption specialist, WIC case manager, Supervisor of Healthy Families Illinois at a county health department, and as a Child Protection worker with Hennepin County.
In her current position, Reta partners closely with area social service providers, businesses, and faith communities to ensure students in need have access to critical resources. She leads the district’s Eden Prairie Schools to Housing Program in partnership with Hennepin County, supporting efforts to prevent homelessness.
Reta also serves on the Minnesota Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (MAECHY) Committee, which supports homeless liaisons statewide, and works with the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY).
Originally from central Illinois, Reta moved to Minnesota in 2017 and settled in Eden Prairie in 2024 to be closer to her sister, brother-in-law, and niece. She is the proud mother of two sons, ages 6 and 13, who attend Eden Prairie Schools.
Since her first day working in the district, Reta has been deeply inspired by the spirit of Eden Prairie—its people, its values, and its unwavering commitment to education and community. Outside of work, Reta enjoys reading, traveling, and spending much of her free time cheering on her children at their various sporting events and activities.
Mallorie Rife
Professionally, Mallorie has been in real estate since 2017. Prior to that, she spent 10 years in the corporate marketing world at some of Minnesota’s largest companies – Lifetime Fitness, C.H. Robinson, Supervalu and the former Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group.
She loves marketing, which is why she loves selling homes, but she also loves to help people. Real estate gives her the best of both worlds. She ranks in the top 1% of Realtors in the Twin Cities market and has been voted MN’s Best Realtor the last three years and Best Realtor in the SW Metro since 2019. She loves these accolades because she has always lived, worked, and played in those areas.
Outside of work, Mallorie is a wife and mother of two boys. As a family, they enjoy golfing, hockey, mountain biking, camping, and visiting family in Florida. Born in Indiana, Mallorie is a huge Notre Dame football fan. Since moving to Minnesota, she has become a longtime supporter of the Eden Prairie Chamber and has served as the Chair of the Women’s Committee. Mallorie has also supported the Ronald McDonald House Charities since the premature birth of her first son. As a family, they feel it’s important to give back.
Joe Thomas
Joe Thomas has been in the employee benefits and HCM technology industry since 1994. He joined WEX Health and Benefits (a division of WEX) in 2018, where he is responsible for sales and channel distribution of WEX’s employee benefits administration solutions, including COBRA, HSA, FSA, HRA, ICHRA, ACA, and DVS.
He and his wife, Carolynn, have resided in Eden Prairie since 1994, and their three adult children are all graduates of Eden Prairie High School. Joe was an active adult leader and volunteer with the local Boy Scouts for 17 years. He could often be found at the annual Boy Scout Pancake Breakfast held every March at the Eden Prairie High School cafeteria.
Joe has also served as a member of the EP Gives Committee since 2023, and has enjoyed serving in this capacity with the Foundation.
Rev. Trish Vanni
Rev. Trish Sullivan Vanni, PhD is a presbyter of the ECC and the Pastoral Director of Charis, the first Ecumenical Catholic Community in Minnesota. She is a consultant and theologian who works with congregations and ministerial organizations in the areas of formation, vision casting and mission development.
Her academic expertise is in Catholic ecclesiology and liturgical theology, with a particular focus on operationalizing dialogical leadership approaches among laity and ordained leaders in the churches. She has written books on the Mass, 12 Step Spirituality, and Baptism, and a number of spiritual reflection books.
Trish lives in Eden Prairie with her sculptor husband Peter with whom she has three remarkable young adult children, an old but adorable calico cat, and a needy (if irresistible), mostly-husky rescue dog. She has ministered in various settings in Eden Prairie since 1997 and is a founding board member of Interfaith Circle. She holds a BA from Georgetown University, MDiv from St. John’s University School of Theology and Seminary, and a PhD from Graduate Theological Union.