Meet the Team
There's a lot of heart that goes into making A Place For You everything that it is today. Here's a glimpse into the heartbeat of APFY!
Mathew Viney
Executive Director
Matt lives in Pine City with his wife and five children. You can find Matt at a youth sport or activity when he is not at work. Matt grew up in central Minnesota, an hour north of the Metro. Growing up, his family experienced some of the same barriers that many of the residents at A Place For You face today.
In 2006 Matt graduated high school. He has lived and worked in this same area his whole life. It wasn't until 2017 that Matt considered a different field of work from the labor industry—starting school at Pine Tech in Pine City, Minnesota. Matt then transferred to Cambridge Community College, where he finished his associate's degree. And in 2022, he completed his bachelor's degree at Concordia Saint Paul, majoring in psychology.
Matt started at A Place for You in July 2018 as a Program Support Specialist part-time; this is the front desk position. He has worked through every position at A Place For You. When the opportunity arose, the Board of Directors asked him to lead the shelter as the Executive Director.
Michelle Salter
Shelter Manager, Mental Health Practitioner
Board Members
A Place for You is governed by a Board of Directors. Executive Director Matt Viney along with a small staff and dedicated group of volunteers work together to provide shelter, hospitality and support services to assist residents into safe, affordable, sustainable housing.
Michelle Young
Board Chair
Michelle grew up in White Bear Lake, MN, and briefly lived in Michigan before making her home in North Branch with her husband and three children, where she's been for the last 25 years. She has degrees in Elementary and Secondary Education and nursing, as well as a Master's degree in Psychology. Michelle often calls herself a professional student! Early on, she taught middle school English but now spends her time doing volunteer work in both the community and in her church. Michelle's passion is working with vulnerable populations, whether they be local or in other parts of the world. She is excited to be a part of such a great organization as A Place For You.
Linda Setterlund
Vice Board Chair
Linda has been a volunteer at A Place for You for more than 3 years. Linda has assisted in the daily operations of the shelter- answering phones, helping residents enter the building, and organizing the in-kind donations in the storage room. Her education and background have been in healthcare. She worked for 30 years as a Medical Technology in Laboratory Medicine and finished her career in Healthcare Quality Improvement Organization. "I love the mission and vision of APFY and strive to help improve and maintain its environment and processes".
Linda also currently serves on the Board of the Pine City American Auxillary and she volunteers weekly at Family Pathway Community Foodshelf.
Kim Brubaken
Board Member
Kim Brubaken is a retired senior high guidance counselor. She retired from Pine City High School after 20 years. Prior to that, she was the director of the Employment & Training Center at Pine Technical College, which delivered welfare reform programs in a five-county area. Kim has been a lifelong resident of Mora where she has been actively involved in youth mission trips and providing foster care for adolescent teenage girls. Kim has been an advocate for youth and adults while serving on several boards including her church and advocacy organizations in the Twin Cities.
Gwyn Doenz
Board Member
Bio & Picture Coming Soon...
Steve Schmidt
Treasurer
Education: Graduate of Minnesota State University with Finance/Accounting degree, Colorado Graduate School of Banking, and Stonier Graduate School of Banking.
Employment: Forty-plus years of banking, accounting, and finance experience. I am currently retired although I continue to provide accounting and financial consulting.
Civic: Previously and currently served on various Boards of directors, marketing, and financial committees.
Steve Carlson
Board Member
Steve Carlson’s current professional life has him working as a Clinical Trainer with the Center for Practice Transformation, part of the School of Social Work at the University of Minnesota. His career spans forty years primarily working with individuals with serious mental illness. For the past twenty-five years, Steve’s interest and work have included assisting people who live on the edges of society, particularly those with serious mental illness who are also homeless, to obtain and maintain housing. As a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT), Steve provides workshops for agencies and groups to enhance motivation for change. Steve seeks to live a simple life and has found that in Pine City over the past nine years when he bought a 100-year-old log cabin which he has been restoring. His intention is to create a sustainable sanctuary for all forms of living creatures including bees, butterflies, bats, bugs, and birds; with occasional welcome visits from humans.
Roy Whaley
Board Member
Bio & Picture Coming Soon...
You?
We Have Openings for Board Members!
Regularly attends board meetings and important related meetings
Makes serious commitment to participate actively in committee work
Volunteers for and willingly accepts assignments and completes them thoroughly and on time
Stays informed about committee matters, prepares themselves well for meetings, and reviews and comments on minutes and reports
Gets to know other committee members and builds a collegial working relationship that contributes to consensus
Is an active participant in the committee's annual evaluation and planning efforts
Participates in fund raising for the organization