Board of Directors

Joelle is the Founder of Humor to Fight the Tumor Foundation. After being diagnosed with a non-curable, recurring brain tumor at the age of 34, after giving birth to her 3rd child, Joelle felt inspired to make a difference in the lives of brain tumor patients. That inspiration led to the creation of Humor to Fight the Tumor Foundation, an organization dedicated to raising awareness and funds for brain tumor research and patient services. Joelle saw this as an opportunity to create an uplifting event to remind attendees that each day is a gift and should be cherished whether you have a cancer diagnosis or not. Since its inception, in 2004, Humor to Fight Foundation has raised $7 million dollars. Joelle graduated with an Economics degree in 1988 from St. Olaf College where she met her husband of 31 years. Joelle feels incredibly blessed to have seen her children grow into adulthood. After leading Humor to Fight the Tumor for 20 years, Joelle has passed the leadership torch and looks forward to spending time with her two grandchildren.

Christina’s father, Art, was an honoree in 2011 before passing away from Glioblastoma in 2021. Since that time, Christina has been connected to and supporting Humor to Fight the Tumor. She comes to Humor to Fight the Tumor from ACES (Athletes Committed to Educating Students), an after-school program, where she served as Executive Director for 9 years. In her time with ACES, she accelerated the organization’s capacity and student impact by redesigning its staffing model and leading fundraising strategies that resulted in significant donor growth. Prior to ACES, she held leadership roles within the education sector and served as a teach in New York City public schools. Christina holds two master’s degrees in education. She lives in South Minneapolis with her husband and their high-needs but lovable rescue puppy Lula.

Kristen has over 30 years of extensive experience in technology, program management, portfolio governance, and business transformation. She currently serves as the Senior Information Technology Director at Donaldson Company. Kristen leads a global team that designs innovative solutions utilizing technologies such as automation and artificial intelligence. Committed to fostering diversity in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), she actively volunteers to encourage young girls and provides mentorship to women in leadership. Kristen holds a BA degree in Mathematics from St. Olaf College. Additionally, she navigated challenging times when her husband, Matt, was diagnosed with a brain tumor just three weeks before their wedding. Remarkably, they recently celebrated their 26th anniversary. Kristen is deeply involved in the brain cancer journey, having served as Vice Chair of the Board for Humor to Fight the Tumor for 10 years. Family time by the lake in Northern Minnesota and a passion for exploring new cultures through travel are among her hobbies.

John practiced law for 15 years at the Rider, Bennett law firm in the corporate, bankruptcy, and commercial real estate areas. In the late 90s, John changed careers to work on the business side of commercial real estate; ending that transition with 15 years at the Pohland-owned United Properties commercial real estate firm as a Senior VP responsible for acquisitions, dispositions and asset management of many large office and industrial projects. Now retired, John has more time to devote to the HTFT cause near to his heart since the loss of his brother, Art, in 2012 due to a Glioblastoma. John and his wife, Mary, live in Shorewood, and their 23 year old son, Jackson, lives and works in Boston.

Dr. Courtney Burnett is a hospital medicine physician, assistant professor of medicine, author, and motivational speaker. She is passionate about raising awareness for brain cancer, patient advocacy, and invisible illness/disability. But, more broadly, she works to raise awareness on our ability to embrace all of life’s difficult gifts, regardless of the cause. At age 29, while studying medicine in Thailand, Courtney self-diagnosed her brain tumor which turned out to be an incurable and rare form of brain cancer. Courtney sees her diagnosis as a difficult gift: a gift that teaches us, motivates us, changes us, and inspires us. Courtney works full time as a hospitalist, treating adults with a wide variety of medical conditions. She is the creator of the well-known blog, “Elephant, Lotus, Brain Tumor” and author of the award-winning memoir Difficult Gifts. Regardless of the unexpected situations life brings, she believes in the power of hope, mindfulness, and vulnerable storytelling can help us all find gifts amidst difficulty.

Ian works as an advisor to scaling companies by building and executing people strategies that support rapid growth and create great places to work. Prior to starting his own business, Ian worked for a number of organizations primarily in Technology and Professional Services industries (Accenture and Duck Creek Technologies). Charpentier received his Bachelors degree in Economics from St. Olaf College and Masters Degree in Human Resources from the University of Minnesota / Carlson School of Management. Ian, along with his wife Kathy live in St. Paul with their 2 British Labs (Goldie and Bailey) and 2 Cats (Pablo and Percy). They are recent empty nesters and enjoy return visits home from their kids, Steven and Margo.

Kristin has been a dedicated committee member since 2007, a year that held special significance as it marked the honor bestowed upon her late husband, Bryan Gray. Kristin’s commitment tnd fundraising endeavors of the HTFT stems from her deeply personal experience of navigating the joys and sorrows alongside a loved one battling a brain tumor. Bryan’s diagnosis, when their son Jacob was just 8 months old, initiated an 18-year journey filled with challenges and setbacks, which they faced together armed with information and surrounded by the love and support of family and friends. Bryan’s passing in February 2016 left an indelible mark on Kristin’s life.Currently, Kristin serves as the Managing Vice President of EpiphanyRx at Navitus Health Solutions, a Pharmacy Benefit Management (PBM) company specializing in pharmacy solutions for self-funded employer groups of fewer than 3000 members. In her capacity, Kristin oversees the organization’s daily operations, spearheading significant growth in this segment and facilitating integration and operations with their parent company, Navitus. With over 25 years of experience in business development, account management, and leadership within the healthcare sector, Kristin brings a wealth of expertise to her role.Beyond her professional endeavors, Kristin finds fulfillment in her family life. She is the proud mother of two grown children, Jacob and Jordan, from her marriage to Bryan. Recently remarried to Marvin, the couple resides in Maple Grove, where they are raising Marvin’s 17-year-old daughter, Annie, along with Kristin’s beloved British Lab, Rosie.

Brian was elected president of the Performance Excellence Network, a nonprofit that advances continuous improvement in Minnesota, North & South Dakota, in 2001. Before PEN, Brian held positions at Ian Alliott Consulting (Managing Director), Norstan Consulting (Principal Consultant), The St. Paul Companies (Corporate Quality Consultant), Price Waterhouse (Consultant), and Boatmen’s National Bank (Quality Manager). He has also served over 25 years with the Baldrige Program, which is federal agency that helps organizations improve their leadership, operations, and results. Brian serves as Chair of the Alliance for Performance Excellence, the national consortium of all state/regional quality/excellence awards and is on the board and faculty of Communities of Excellence 2026, a nonprofit that is working to apply the principles of Baldrige to solve community challenges and improve community outcomes.

Nancy O’Brien, who is in her 23rd season with the Minnesota Twins, was named Vice President, Community Engagement in February of 2019. In her current role, O’Brien leads the team’s extensive community outreach efforts, highlighted by the work of the Twins Community Fund and the club’s Community Engagement department. The engagement team is responsible for delivering on the Twins’ priority to create a foundation for a brighter more sustainable and inclusive future for all in Twins Territory. Prior to her current role, O’Brien served as the club’s Vice President, Brand Marketing and Senior Director, Brand Marketing. In addition to serving on the ACES board, O’Brien recently joined the Humor to Fight the Tumor board to honor her father who passed from GBM in 2012 and her nephew who is a brain tumor survivor. Nancy, along with husband, John, and children, Danny, Shea and Joey, reside in Plymouth, MN.

In 1997, just three weeks before Mat’s wedding to Kristen, he was diagnosed with an astrocytoma brain tumor. Amazingly, he’s been blessed to be a survivor for 26 years. At the time of his surgery, median life expectancy was only two to five years. Hence his passion for brain tumor research. He credits Kristen, family, friends, and my doctors for providing longevity in this battle. He feels unbelievably blessed. Facing health challenges, he lives by the mantra, “The only disability is a bad attitude.” This philosophy guides him with resilience, humor, and a positive outlook each day.