ACES Associate Board: A community built around connection, service, and students.

The ACES Associate Board is a passionate team of young professionals championing ACES’s mission to close the academic opportunity gap and empower middle school students to succeed in school, in their community, and beyond.

As ambassadors for the organization, members play a key role in expanding our community of supporters, leading high-impact initiatives, and developing as future changemakers. It’s a dynamic way to give back to our community, grow professionally, and help ACES go the distance.

The Associate Board meets on a quarterly basis and organizes several community-building and fundraising events per year to expand ACES’s reach and cultivate new supporters.

Associate Board members also engage more intentionally through one of three subcommittees, each designed to match a range of skills and interests:

• Events Subcommittee: The Event Subcommittee plans and hosts creative, mission-driven events that raise awareness and rally support for ACES programming. Two of the Event Subcommittee’s events are their annual Pints for a Purpose and Tacos and Trivia for Minnesota students.

• Development Subcommittee: The Development Subcommittee focuses on fundraising strategy and donor engagement, helping ACES build sustainable support and reaching new champions for our cause. The Development Subcommittee supports ACES’s Give to the Max Day campaign each year and has been an integral part of the All-Star Evening Gala.

• Community, Culture, and Visibility Subcommittee (CCV): The CCV Subcommittee helps shape the culture of the Associate Board and creates fun and engaging ways for the Associate Board to connect with each other, the community, and ACES students. In addition to planning team-building events, they have organized professional development opportunities and volunteer activities with ACES youth.

Interested in joining the Associate Board?

If you have questions, please reach out to Kristin Van Dorn, Director of Development and Communications (kristinvandorn@aces4kids.org).

• Associate Board Member Description

2026-27 Associate Board

Megan Pulvermacher, Chair
Keller Williams Realty Integrity Lakes

Jenae Alderson, Vice Chair
Kipsu

Tyler David
Equitable Advisors

Tessa Furgeson
US Bank

Maria Jollie
Esko

Kelli Martin
Golden Touch Media

Erin McQuillan
Kipsu

Arthur Parens
Techstars

Tyler Parsons
Youth Frontiers

Associate Board Events

The Associate Board plans several events each year to build visibility for ACES’ mission and to support community connections. The following are the Associate Board’s signature events. 

Pints for a Purpose

Pints for a Purpose brings together ACES supporters, community members, and young professionals for an evening of building connections and supporting Minnesota youth. Hosted by the ACES Associate Board each fall, the event kicks off the Associate Board year and launches ACES’ Give to the Max Day campaign while creating an accessible entry point for young professionals interested in volunteering or getting involved in the nonprofit sector. 

Give to the Max Day

Each year, the ACES Associate Board leads a Give to the Max Day campaign to raise awareness of ACES and inspire the broader community to invest in Minnesota students. The campaign gives Associate Board members, ACES partners, students, and supporters a platform to share why ACES matters and how its programming has made an impact.

Through the Associate Board’s Give to the Max Day Challenge, supporters come together to help ensure more students have access to the academic skills, social-emotional development, mentorship, and opportunities they need to thrive.

Past campaigns have brought a sports twist to fundraising, including friendly challenges between Michael Boxall and Matt Dumba and matchups featuring Nordy, TC Bear, and Viktor the Viking. Beyond the competition, the campaign creates a moment for the ACES community to tell its story and invite others to become part of it.

Tacos and Trivia for Minnesota Students!

Tacos and Trivia is an annual spring event organized and hosted by the ACES Associate Board to introduce more Twin Cities community members, particularly young professionals, to ACES and our mission. Held in advance of ACES’ All-Star Evening Gala, the event provides a fun, accessible way for new audiences to connect with ACES, learn about our work with students, and discover opportunities to get involved.

Guests can test their knowledge in a competitive game of pub-style trivia, enjoy tacos and local beer, and enter a free raffle for sports-inspired prizes.