Experts
Audrey Suker provides leadership to ServeMinnesota, the state’s hub for AmeriCorps service. Under her direction, the organization supports thousands of individuals who work to improve the lives of Minnesotans through service opportunities focused on education, affordable housing, employment, and the environment. Her vision, to apply the power of AmeriCorps resources to critical issues facing the state, led to the development of the Minnesota Reading Corps, a statewide initiative to help every Minnesota child become a successful reader. AmeriCorps members serve as early literacy tutors and deliver research-based interventions to struggling learners. This widely-recognized program has been cited as a national best practice by United Way Worldwide, Target Corporation, and the Aspen Institute. It’s grown from a small pilot serving 500 children seven years ago with 24 AmeriCorps members to reaching more than 18,000 students with nearly 700 members all across Minnesota today.
Since joining the team in 1999, her experience in establishing community and corporate partnerships, strategic planning, and innovative program design has resulted in significant growth for the organization. To maximize the potential of AmeriCorps resources, she orchestrated the organization’s transition to an independent nonprofit in 2002. With this new nimble structure the organization has achieved a leadership position nationally, ranking 4th in federal funding among all 50 states.
Under her entrepreneurial leadership, ServeMinnesota has more than tripled the number of AmeriCorps member positions available to Minnesotans and increased state support for AmeriCorps from $.9 million annually to $2.3 million.
Previously, Suker was the Director of the Vocational Services Department at the Courage Center and before that, her career focused on vocational rehabilitation counseling – first as a counselor and then as a manager of a rehabilitation field office for the State of Minnesota. She received a Master of Science degree in Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling from St. Cloud University and her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Minnesota-Morris.
Since joining the team in 1999, her experience in establishing community and corporate partnerships, strategic planning, and innovative program design has resulted in significant growth for the organization. To maximize the potential of AmeriCorps resources, she orchestrated the organization’s transition to an independent nonprofit in 2002. With this new nimble structure the organization has achieved a leadership position nationally, ranking 4th in federal funding among all 50 states.
Under her entrepreneurial leadership, ServeMinnesota has more than tripled the number of AmeriCorps member positions available to Minnesotans and increased state support for AmeriCorps from $.9 million annually to $2.3 million.
Previously, Suker was the Director of the Vocational Services Department at the Courage Center and before that, her career focused on vocational rehabilitation counseling – first as a counselor and then as a manager of a rehabilitation field office for the State of Minnesota. She received a Master of Science degree in Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling from St. Cloud University and her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Minnesota-Morris.