Help Make the Holidays Special for Youth at Face to Face

Lexi Borgesen is the current Foster Youth Outreach and Engagement Specialist at the Minnesota Office of the Foster Youth Ombudsperson. In this role, she connects with Fosters across the state, and in out-of-state placements, to conduct know your rights and OOFY information trainings. Additionally, she works on legislative research and advocacy, in which she is currently working to pass the Minnesota Foster Youth Bill of Rights in their 2026 legislative session, a bill she wrote alongside dozens of Minnesota Fosters. 

In 2025, Lexi received a Master’s Degree in Public Policy, with a concentration in Social Policy, and a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs. In 2022, Lexi received a B.A. in Social Justice with a Concentration in Law and Advocacy and a Minor in Political Science from Hamline University. Lexi has worked for political offices on the state and national level, ran and transformed basic needs programming at Hamline University, engaged with VISTA programming to embolden anti-poverty initiatives across Minnesota and Iowa, advocated for sexual assault prevention, and engaged in years of foster care advocacy and engagement. 

Lexi’s work is deeply rooted in her lived experience in foster care, poverty, and a plethora of subsequent experiences that stem from the former. She believes that everyone, and in particular Fosters, deserves to live autonomous, fulfilling lives. To reach this goal, she believes that is imperative to have those with lived experience not only at the table, but the ones making decisions. 

Michael Stiffman is excited to join the Face to Face board. He is a family physician with 30 years experience practicing in the east metro, has been serving since 2022 as the chair of family medicine for HealthPartners, and prior to that, as a medical director.  He thus has extensive experience with health care delivery and systems of care. He has special interests in HIV and sexually transmitted infections, He teaches medical students and residents and has worked as a medical consult for Dakota Country public health.

Bethany Otuteye joined the Face to Face Board of Directors in 2026. She is the founder of Otuteye Strategy Group, an advisory practice that helps healthcare leaders prioritize AI initiatives and govern AI use safely. Her clients include community behavioral health and value-based care organizations.

Bethany spent seven years at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota as Senior Director of Marketing, Director of New Markets Innovation, and Strategy Consultant in the Enterprise Strategy Office. She designed the go-to-market strategy for a greenfield Medicare Advantage business, and developed the vision for an innovation lab that incubated digital health startups. She was later Lead Product Manager for devices pricing automation at Amazon, and Planning Lead for product strategy and operations at Google Workspace.  She also supported the Google Health Optimization team in evaluating generative AI models. Earlier she was Group Manager of Corporate Strategy at Target and worked in management consulting.

Willie Harbert is an executive leader with 25+ years of experience guiding complex global organizations, including senior roles at Danfoss and Eaton.  A veteran US Navy submarine officer, Willie brings a foundational discipline to his corporate and community leadership. He is deeply committed to civic service, having served on multiple nonprofit and national trade association boards, including twice as board chair. His governance expertise spans strategic planning, organizational growth, and financial oversight. A resident of Minneapolis, Willie holds an MBA and MEM from Northwestern University and a BS in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University. Outside of work, he enjoys basketball, sailing, volunteering, and playing keyboard at his church.

Deena M. Zubulake is the Chief Impact Officer at Face to Face and a Community Faculty Instructor in the Youth Studies Program at the University of Minnesota. With more than 25 years of experience, she is a seasoned leader dedicated to advancing equity and improving outcomes for youth and families.

Throughout her career, Deena has championed innovative programs that support young people and families navigating crisis. She is known for building strategies that amplify youth voice, strengthen communities, and address systemic inequities. She brings deep expertise in strategic planning, program development, and community engagement, with a strong commitment to advancing social justice.

Prior to her current role, Deena served as a Senior Program Officer at the Pohlad Family Foundation and Director of Programs at YWCA St. Paul. She holds a master’s degree in Education with a focus on Youth Development Leadership from the University of Minnesota.

Lauren is the Associate Director of External Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Partnerships at UnitedHealth Group (UHG). As a leader on the Global DEI team at UHG, Lauren leads the DEI partnership strategy for the company. This includes fostering strategic relationships, both internal and external, and leveraging these partnerships to convert diverse candidates to new UHG employees. Prior to joining UnitedHealth Group, Lauren was Director of Diversity Recruitment and Retention  at the Minnesota Department of Human Services from 2015 – 2022.  At DHS, Lauren led a comprehensive diversity recruitment and retention strategy that focused on embedding diversity, equity and inclusion.

An Indiana native, Lauren earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Indiana University-Bloomington and an MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University, specializing in Human Resources Management. Lauren is an active community leader, serving also as a member of the Ramsey County Workforce Innovation Board. Lauren was  selected as a 2020 Honoree by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal for Women in Business.

Marcelus Ifonlaja is a finance graduate of Metro State University whose leadership is shaped by lived experience. Having navigated the foster care system and housing insecurity, he brings genuine empathy to Face to Face’s mission and a firsthand understanding of what young people served by the organization are up against.

Marcelus has held leadership roles with Saint Paul College’s Student Senate, Metro State’s Student Association, LeadMN’s Cabinet, Students United’s board of directors, and Foster Advocates’ Community Board. At the Science Museum of Minnesota, he worked in social justice advocacy with the Kitty Anderson Youth Science Center and the IDEAL Center, training museum staff and educators nationwide. At the Neighborhood Development Center, he helped administer and distribute millions of dollars in funding to local businesses through the Minnesota Promise Act program.

Marcelus currently serves as the HMIS Data Specialist at Union Gospel Mission Twin Cities, where he supports data-driven approaches to ending homelessness. He is honored to bring his perspective and experience to the Face to Face board as vice chair.

Laura Whipple became a member of the Board of Directors in 2023 and provides leadership to the Friends of Face to Face. She has more than 20 years of experience as a marketing and communications executive, primarily in the healthcare sector, and currently works as Chief Communications & Brand Officer at Teladoc Health. Her areas of expertise include strategic planning, corporate social responsibility, brand management, and strategic communications. Laura holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from DePauw University and completed the Executive Scholar program at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. She is a resident of St. Paul and an active mentor and volunteer in the community.