Board + Staff

Pat Wagner is the Construction Careers Foundation (CCF) executive director. She serves as a visionary for CCF and, as a result, is responsible for achieving the mission and goals of the organization through collaboration with the CCF Board of Directors, staff, consultants and strategic partners. In addition, Pat is responsible for fund-raising to ensure that all programs and activities are adequately supported.

Pat grew up in Racine, Wisconsin. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and her master’s degree from Minnesota State University, Mankato. She is an avid hiker and tree hugger.

Her passion is to promote equal access to jobs that can sustain individuals, their family members, and their communities.

As the associate director of Construction Careers Foundation, Mary Stuart serves as a member of CCF's leadership team, responsible for planning, development, and implementation of agency goals, policies, and procedures. She works closely with the Executive Director to chart CCF’s strategic response to organizational and sector opportunities and plays a critical role in shaping and implementing the organization’s strategy, including oversight of operations and financial management.

Mary was born and raised in Minnesota and earned her master's degrees in nonprofit management and business administration from Hamline University. Prior to joining CCF, she held positions in the nonprofit sector for 12 years in areas of operations, fundraising, and financial services.

In her role as program director, Lindsay Tallman oversees the development of learning opportunities offered by the Construction Careers Foundation for Minnesota educators in teaching high school students fundamental principles and skills needed for a successful career in construction. The intent of these efforts is to prepare students to enter registered apprenticeship programs offered by Minnesota’s building and construction trade unions.

Lindsay has more than nine years of experience developing and managing innovative programs in a variety of professional settings. These include K-12 education, higher education, sports/recreation, and non-profit organizations. Prior to CCF, Lindsay worked at Junior Achievement North where she managed the Financial Literacy and Work & Career Readiness pathway high school programs and collaborated with educators, students, volunteers, business partners, and community organizations.

Lindsay Tallman was born and raised in Winona, Minnesota and earned her undergraduate degree from Minnesota State University, Mankato. She is currently pursuing a graduate degree in public and nonprofit administration at Metropolitan State University.

Charie is a seasoned professional with expertise in project management, leadership development, and program design, working with various teams and in high-pressure environments with resilient ease. She’s had substantial exposure to developing and managing innovative programming and training opportunities to advance knowledge and skills in individuals. Charie is a caring individual dedicated to advocating for underrepresented populations. Committed to inclusion, diversity, equity, and seeing communities flourish. Her leadership, alongside clear core values of diligence, integrity, and effective communication, are her drivers to success.

Justin Rost is the program director of the Minnesota Helmets to Hardhats program. As a United States Marine Corps veteran and a second generation Local 10 sheet metal worker in the Twin Cities, he has seen firsthand the opportunities that the construction trades have to offer. Justin is excited to help fellow veterans who may be unemployed or underemployed find a career with the union construction trades. Justin is an avid outdoorsman and car enthusiast. He lives in Zimmerman, Minnesota, with his wife and their two daughters.

Mary DesJarlais started her career in workforce development in 2002 when she ran a program called JITT (Jobs in the Trades) specifically designed to attract women to non-traditional construction careers and then connect them to union apprenticeship training programs. Since then, DesJarlais has gone on to work for the Minnesota AFL-CIO and the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry to promote registered apprenticeship training to youth and adults. DesJarlais is also a published fiction novelist. Her passion is connecting people to exactly what they need.