Staff & Board
The Staff Team
Founder & CEO
Bob Willbanks
Communications Manager
Kathryn Strasser
Events Coordinator
Brenton Carroll
Social Media Coordinator
Hayley Hartwig
Board of Directors
Bob Willbanks, President & Founder
Bob served the payroll, tech and real estate sectors throughout his career with experience in sales, operations, management and service bureau ownership. He owned multiple successful business ventures and has experience with Fortune 500 companies at senior management levels.
From this career background Bob has a deep foundation from which to draw wisdom and discernment while leading Ambassadors for Business.
Christopher Fleck, Vice President
Chris is a Partner with Auxanein, a fractional sales organization located in the Twin Cities. He also volunteers his expertise in the day to day operations of AFB.
His dynamic, entrepreneurial experience includes 20+ years demonstrating aggressive sales and fundraising growth in multiple markets, selling more than 15,000 technical and commodity products manufactured by 162 producers.
Chris is an exceptional relationship builder with both internal and external customers. Tenacious in building new business, securing customer loyalty and forging strong relationships with customers.
Jay Allsup, Treasurer & Secretary
Jay serves business leaders throughout the Midwest via his CFO advisory firm, Strategic Ventures.
His financial acumen and deep Biblical insights provide a unique perspective to companies and nonprofit organizations which leads them to fiscally responsible decisions and managed growth.
Jay also serves on numerous boards both private and non-profit and is a leader within his church and community.
Mina Carlson - Board Member
Mina is a dynamic leader with over 20 years consulting organizations focusing on operational and cultural change. Consulting a diverse group of organizations from startups to Fortune 100 Companies working directly with C-Suite leaders and CEO’s alike. Mina has not only built her own companies from the ground up and successfully sold them, she has led global organizations across all areas of Business and Technology. She has helped guide companies and organizations to reach their goals in succession planning or the sale of the company.
Mina is the Co-Owner of E5 Institute a Learning Management System Service and Business expansion platform. She is a certified business coach, advisor, speaker and trainer as well as a Certified Gallup Strengths coach. Mina focuses on helping organizations expand their training, speaking and education then integrated the new knowledge into a profitable business model using the E5I platform tools and resources and the E5 methodology.
Mina is rooted in her faith, guided by her belief in her God centered Core values and steps into everything with grace and fortitude.
Dr. Stephen Crawford - Board Member
Dr. Stephen Crawford excels at business through leadership excellence; understanding that leadership is a process of making sound decisions, cultivating people, and nurturing their environment. He understands the need for business owners to create a vision and build a culture that inspires and engages others to get results.
Stephen knows the power of engagement, which is why he keeps his presentations engaging and thought-provoking. He crafts them with your goal in mind, while being educational, motivational, and entertaining.
Stephen graduated from North Central University with a degree in Urban Studies, he received a Master’s of Divinity and Transformational Leadership as well as a Doctorate in Emerging Leadership from Bethel University. He is a certified business coach and corporate trainer with Experience Leadership affiliates of the John Maxwell Team.
He resides in the Twin Cities with his wife Tiffany, daughter Chloe & son Caleb.
Jon Barsness - Board Member
A passionate, focused and results-oriented leader with a unique blend of executive leadership experience in publicly-held, privately owned and entrepreneurial industries.
Currently, President of the Multi-Family segment of a national general contractor and Sr. Vice President of People and Talent Development. Experience also includes founding, growing and selling two businesses within the human resources and leadership development consultancy space. Extensive experience in all aspects of people-centric development and known for being an authentic leader that builds trust, empowers others and achieves results.
Holds a PhD in Organizational Leadership from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.
T.J. Tison - Board Member
TJ Tison is the Co-owner and Educational Engineer for the E5 Institute: an innovative model for e-learning. She brings with her 20 years of experience in strategic advising and fractional CFO services. She is also the founder of Working Women of Faith, a place for real women to get real about their work, life and faith. TJ is the published author of ”Killing Wonder Woman: Setting Weary Women Free to Win at Work and Soar in Faith.” (2017)
TJ is a graduate of the University of Northwestern St. Paul where she double majored in Business Management and Bible.
Most importantly, TJ loves Jesus and was redeemed by Him when she was 15 years old. Since then she has grown in the grace and knowledge of Him and loves to share that knowledge and grace with others through teaching God’s Word in various settings.
TJ and her husband Matthew of 29 years live in rural Wisconsin and have two grown children.