Dara Rudick is a Certified Association Executive (CAE) with more than 25 years’ proven success in serving associations that are determined to thrive. To date, she has engaged dozens of team members to serve 10,000+ members, implement the vision of more than 40 boards of directors, manage hundreds of volunteers, and deliver more than one thousand stellar events.
Dara Rudick, CAE (She/Her)
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As CEO of Management HQ (MHQ), Rudick leads the full-service association management company. Driven by the vision of a thriving, vibrant community, MHQ provides infrastructure to associations and community-based organizations, empowering boards of directors to serve their communities with vision.
Rudick currently serves as immediate past chair on the Meet Minneapolis board of directors, where she also chairs the Board Development Committee. She also serves as a board director for the Minnesota Chapter of the National Association of Corporate Directors. She has served boards of directors for AchieveMinneapolis, co-chairing the governance committee; she is past secretary / treasurer and chair of the Diversity Multicultural Action Committee (DMAC) for Meet Minneapolis.
She founded and co-chaired the Diversity & Inclusion Committee for Associations North (formerly MSAE, the Midwest Society of Association Executives) and was a founding member of the Commercial Real Estate Diversity Collaborative, a group of trade associations committed to diversity, inclusion and equity in Minnesota’s commercial real estate industry. She also served on the board of the Better Business Bureau, where she co-chaired the Governance Committee.
Rudick has won recognition for the associations she has led as Top 100 Places to Work by Minnesota Business magazine; has received numerous Awards of Excellence from MSAE for leadership in association management, including the “Volunteer of the Year Award”; and was honored with One Heartland’s “Heart of Hope” award for providing vision, dedication and leadership, and health, hope and happiness to children in need.
Before launching MHQ, for seven years Rudick served as the top executive to a group of commercial real estate trade associations, recognized by the Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal as a Top 25 Trade Association, and their for-profit technology provider.
Rudick has served as board chair for the Powderhorn Park Neighborhood Association, and sat on the boards of The Aliveness Project and the One Heartland advisory board. She is currently an active member of Associations North, the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), the Minnesota Black Chamber of Commerce, and the Association Management Company Institute (AMCI).
Rudick earned her bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College. She has done Master’s level course work in the University of St. Thomas’ MBA department. She enjoys hiking, paddle boarding, and connecting with family, friends and community. She and her husband reside in Minneapolis’ Powderhorn Park neighborhood.
Mackenzie Kelley (She/Her)
With more than 14 years’ experience working with membership associations, Mackenzie serves as one of MHQ’s Executive Directors. Her focus is working with MHQ client associations to grow and strengthen their organizations.
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Mackenzie joined MHQ as Account and Events Coordinator, quickly earning several promotions. Most recently, Mackenzie served as MHQ’s Events Manager for four years, supporting client associations through management of major conferences, distance education, and other educational and networking events.
Prior to joining MHQ, Mackenzie worked at the Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota (BBB) for nine years, where she received numerous promotions. While at the BBB, she executed over 50 annual events regionally, including the BBB’s annual awards ceremony, and the annual high school scholarship program. She cultivated relationships with media outlets and decision makers at local and national companies. Her work drove sponsorships to support the BBB’s educational foundation.
Mackenzie has been heavily involved with the Alzheimer’s Association, a cause that is near and dear to her heart, having lost her mom to the disease. She co-founded the Young Champions in 2010: the Alzheimer’s Association young professionals group in the Twin Cities (Minnesota). She served as the President of the Executive Board for many years, overseeing four committees including advocacy, fundraising, education and member recruitment. Alongside her brother, she started the Memory Mixer, an annual fundraiser to honor their mom, raising over $300K over 10 years. For five years, she and her husband participated in a women’s flag football team (men serve as coaches) to raise awareness and funds for the Alzheimers Association, raising well over $1million in the most recent season.
With a BA in Public Relations and a minor in Marketing from the University of Minnesota, Mackenzie spent a semester studying in Barcelona, Spain.
Outside of the office, Mackenzie organizes and participates in a variety of sports outings with friends. She and her husband live in South Minneapolis, and are sports fans and season ticket holders for University of Minnesota Gophers football. You can find her scooting to local breweries, restaurants and local events just about every weekend.
Mike Swan (He/Him)
Mike serves as Membership Manager for MHQ, overseeing Client Services along with supporting clients in growing membership and retaining members.
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Prior to coming to MHQ, Mike worked with the Minnesota Association of Charter Schools (MACS) in St. Paul, working his way up to Director of Communications & Member Relations. While at MACS, Mike helped guide the leaders and boards of Minnesota’s 179 chartered public schools and oversaw all communication efforts of the Association. Before his time at MACS, Mike was a Communications Manager for the National Theatre for Children and executed dozens of free children’s theatre tours for schools nationwide. He holds a B.A in Theatre Performance from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA.
Mike has a passion for charity cycling and has raised thousands for organizations like Be the Match and Bike the US for MS. In the summer of 2016, he rode his bike from Virginia to California and since then has always gravitated towards opportunities to ride a bike long enough for everything to hurt. While recovering, he spends most of his time with his partner Adri and their handsome old hound Duke trying new restaurants, going on walks, and watching movies.
Kael Henlock (They/Them)
Kael serves as Client Services and Office Coordinator, ensuring seamless day-to-day operations for our clients and maintaining internal team cohesion. Their robust background in volunteer engagement and program management and their passion for building strong relationships support them in providing excellent service to the MHQ community.
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Before joining our team, Kael made significant contributions as part of the Volunteer Engagement and Experience team at Second Harvest Heartland. They also held pivotal roles as a Program Manager and Media Manager at The National Theatre for Children, where their proactive involvement in the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee underscored their commitment to fostering inclusive environments.
Kael was drawn to MHQ’s people-first culture, both with clients and internally. Their expertise in creating and cultivating lasting relationships makes Kael an invaluable member of the MHQ team.
Outside of the office, Kael gives back to the community by volunteering at food shelves and supporting LGBTQIA+ organizations. In their spare time, Kael enjoys taking dance classes in Minneapolis, baking homemade bread, and spending time with their spouse, 2 dogs (Nova, 15 and Lily, 6), and cat (Hank, 2).
Rachel Gaul (She/Her)
Rachel serves as Client Services Coordinator, delivering stellar customer service to our client associations and their members to ensure their systems and projects run smoothly. She brings over seven years of experience in project management, technical and customer support to her role at MHQ.
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Before joining our team, Rachel received her BA in Mathematics and Management Studies from St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN. She spent five years supporting clients and customers in large tech companies, managing and implementing multiple on-time go-lives for her clients. She also spent two years as a community manager for a small non-profit, supporting an online community of over 8,000 and leading internal process improvement efforts.
Her passion for problem solving and helping others reach their goals drew Rachel to MHQ. With her positive outlook and knack for finding solutions, she’s an excellent asset for both our clients and internal team members.
Outside the office, Rachel volunteers her time (and her home) fostering rescue dogs and creating video content to support the organization’s marketing efforts. So far this year, she’s already helped five lovable dogs find their forever homes.
Rachel loves to bake, knit and read. She fills up her free time with friends, family and exploring state parks with her own dog, Walter.
Amy Sellheim (She/Her)
Amy serves as Event Manager, supporting our client associations by managing their annual conferences, awards programs, and educational and networking events. With almost 20 years’ experience in both association management and program and event management, Amy’s expertise brings immediate impact to our clients.
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Experienced in all aspects of strategic program management, Amy thrives in the event space that brings people together to share their passions.
Before joining MHQ, Amy was a Senior Account Executive with The Harrington Company. Amy holds her B.A in Communications from Concordia College, and has volunteered with a number of non-profit organizations including Associations North and Junior Achievement.
Elise Gumm (They/Them)
Elise serves as MHQ’s Marketing Communications and Events Coordinator, handling all things communications and marketing for MHQ and our clients as well as providing support for client events.
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Elise joins us with 7+ years’ experience in marketing communications and event management. Before joining MHQ, Elise was Marketing and Communications Manager for Pillsbury House + Theater, a leading arts organization in Minnesota, as well as contributing to the MSP Film Society. Elise holds their B.A in Studies in Cinema and Media Culture and has volunteered as a Community Advisory Council Member with Minnesota Public Radio.
Outside of work, Elise is involved in the Twin Cities art scene and loves to attend small, local theatre productions, art shows, concerts, and more. In their free time, they enjoy spending time with friends and family watching movies, doing karaoke, hiking, and rock climbing.
Antimony Bishop (She/Her)
Antimony brings to her role as MHQ Sponsorship Manager 20 years of leadership, project management, and team management experience for organizations ranging from Fortune 500 companies, including U.S. Bank, McDonald’s, and Verizon, to non-profit and mission-driven organizations. She has been recognized for her excellent logistical, leadership, and relationship-building skills while working at Fortune 500 companies like Target, Carlson Companies, and Thrivent Financial.
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Antimony’s track record includes:
- She increased the visibility of Thrivent Financial as a good corporate citizen by identifying and developing opportunities that aligned with its mission, which elevated the brand, built business, and fostered goodwill, resulting in a remarkable 18% uptick in employee and member engagement.
- She drove revenue growth and heightened awareness for mission-driven causes like St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, orchestrating the annual signature event, St. Jude Red Carpet for Hope, and effectively engaging community partnerships.
- She has collaborated directly with C-suite stakeholders, including the CEO and top-level management from Target, guiding strategic discussions and ensuring alignment between organizational objectives and executed initiatives.
- She has spearheaded high-stakes projects for Fortune 500 companies, including U.S. Bank, McDonald’s, Verizon, and UnitedHealth Group in B2B, B2C, and B2E sectors.
- She strategically identified opportunities during project deliveries to augment value propositions, consistently exceeding client expectations, as evidenced by a record of perfect 10/10 scores on the Transactional Customer Satisfaction Index (TCSI Survey).
Having earned her B.A in Journalism, with a concentration in Political Science, from the University of Kentucky, Antimony is widely honored for excellence and has earned the “Events Marketing and Publicity Innovation Award” from Target Corporation and was the first recipient of “The Big Idea Award” from the University of Minnesota Alumni Association.
Kent Fordyce (He/Him)
Kent Fordyce brings over 40 years of experience working with small business and the non-profit community, providing accounting services to fit their specific needs. He has been a QuickBooks Certified ProAdvisor since 2005.
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Kent’s ability to attend to details compliments his skill for explaining complex financial issues in an easily understandable way.
Kent has served as a board member of El Colegio Charter Schools in Minneapolis since 2017 and he is currently the Board Treasurer. He serves on the school’s Finance Committee, Executive Committee, and the Strategic Planning/Fundraising Committee.
He has also been a Board Member and Treasurer for the Tonka Alano Society since 2019, an AA chapter and independent 501 c-3 nonprofit corporation.
Aspen Axelman (She/Her)
Aspen Axelman serves as MHQ Controller, working from Raleigh, North Carolina with CliftonLarsonAllen. She is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and provides MHQ with a variety of financial services.
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Outside of work, Aspen spends much of her time volunteering. She currently teaches finance and economics to elementary students through Junior Achievement and has earned a Presidential Volunteer Service Award for building hiking trails in Montana.
She loves hiking, spending time with her two dogs and traveling with her husband. They’ve set a goal of visiting a new country each year.
Girjesh Raje (He/Him)
Girjesh Raje serves as MHQ Database and Technology Manager.