Executive Overview: Establishing Governance for a Modern Arts Powerhouse
MINNEAPOLIS, MN — September 25, 2026 — VocalEssence, one of the nation’s premier choral arts organizations, officially announced today the appointment of six distinguished leaders to its Board of Directors. The incoming cohort brings a diverse array of cross-sector expertise, spanning corporate enterprise management, human resources, health and wellness entrepreneurship, executive search, strategic philanthropy, and nonprofit governance.
As VocalEssence enters its 58th year of continuous operation, this governance expansion comes at a pivotal moment for regional and national arts institutions. In an era where performing arts nonprofits face evolving audience demographics, changing philanthropic landscapes, and complex economic pressures, the addition of these board members reinforces the organization’s commitment to robust fiscal stewardship, strategic community engagement, and expanded regional outreach.
The new board members—Sooki Jalali, Harry Miller, Bunny Robinson, Carolyn Sleeth, Sunita Vongharath-Evenson, and Karen Voracek—will serve as civic ambassadors and fiduciary stewards for the Minneapolis-based nonprofit. Their collective mandate encompasses guiding high-level policy decisions, expanding donor networks, ensuring financial sustainability, and deepening the organization’s artistic and educational impact across the Twin Cities metropolitan area and beyond.
Detailed Chronology: Fifty-Eight Years of Choral Innovation and Leadership Expansion
To understand the strategic necessity of this governance expansion, one must examine the institutional trajectory of VocalEssence from its founding to its current status as a pillar of American choral music.
1969: Founded as Plymouth Music Series by Philip Brunelle in Minneapolis.
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1970s–1990s: Pioneered commissioned works, international tours, and premier recordings.
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2002: Rebranded as VocalEssence; expanded community outreach and youth educational initiatives.
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2018–2020: Celebrated 50th Anniversary; restructured fiscal reserves and organizational framework.
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2020–2025: Navigated post-pandemic performing arts recovery; expanded digital & regional programs.
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SEPTEMBER 2026: Appointed 6 cross-sector leaders to Board of Directors to secure future trajectory.
1969 – The Founding Era: Organist and conductor Philip Brunelle founded the organization under the name Plymouth Music Series at the Plymouth Congregational Church in Minneapolis. The ensemble set out to explore underperformed choral repertoire, commission new works, and showcase world-class vocal music.
1970s–1990s – Artistic Distinction and Growth: Over three decades, the ensemble transformed into an independent, internationally recognized musical institution. It commissioned hundreds of new compositions, launched prestigious educational programs, and built an extensive discography that garnered international acclaim.
2002 – Brand Evolution and Broader Mission: The organization officially changed its name to VocalEssence to reflect its broadening identity and mission: bringing singers of all ages and backgrounds together. Programs such as WITNESS (celebrating African American contributions to American culture) and ¡Cantaré! (bringing Mexican composers into local classrooms) established VocalEssence as a national model for community-centered arts programming.
2020–2025 – Resilience and Operational Restructuring: Like many performing arts groups nationwide, VocalEssence confronted severe disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the operational leadership of Executive Director Amy Jaine Wielunski alongside Artistic Director Philip Brunelle, the organization successfully transitioned through hybrid models, stabilized its financial foundations, and reassessed its long-term strategic plan.
September 25, 2026 – A New Era of Board Stewardship: Building on decades of artistic stability, VocalEssence expands its governance board to tackle the post-2025 arts administration landscape, prioritizing financial durability, broader audience acquisition, and inclusive civic representation.
Supporting Context & Metrics: Profiles of the New Board Appointments
The six newly appointed directors bring a metric-driven, multi-industry set of capabilities to the VocalEssence board. Below are detailed profiles of each appointee and their strategic alignment with the organization’s mission.
1. Sooki Jalali: Entrepreneurship, Economic Equity, and Community Advocacy
Born in Seoul, South Korea, Sooki Jalali immigrated to Minnesota as a teenager, later earning a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Business from the University of Minnesota. An accomplished entrepreneur, Jalali has founded three successful enterprises in health, wellness, and business development.
Currently serving as a Business Consultant at the Metropolitan Economic Development Association (MEDA), Jalali specializes in helping minority and ethnic business owners scale their operations and secure capital. Her extensive background in community service includes volunteer leadership with:
The Ebenezer Foundation
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (where she was nominated for the Man & Woman of the Year fundraising campaign in 2017)
Hunger Solutions
The Alliance for a New Humanity
Jalali is also a certified yoga instructor trained under Dr. Deepak Chopra. Raised in a multicultural household after marrying her Persian husband, Jalali raised her three children—Mitra, Bijan, and Syrus—bilingually in Farsi and Korean. Her background in minority business scaling and community engagement will enhance VocalEssence’s diversity and inclusion strategies.
2. Harry Miller: Organizational Strategy and Mentorship Leadership
With more than 40 years of commercial and nonprofit strategy experience, Harry Miller brings deep governance expertise to VocalEssence. His career focus has centered on driving growth, facilitating organizational transformation, and forging cross-sector partnerships.
Miller is an active volunteer mentor and leader with SCORE Twin Cities, an organization dedicated to helping small business owners and startups navigate financial scaling and strategic planning. Within SCORE, Miller has spearheaded key initiatives across:
Strategic development and donor relations
Fundraising execution
Volunteer leadership pipelines
Governance and board advisory frameworks
His decades-long tenure in operational strategy will provide VocalEssence with valuable oversight regarding long-range capital planning, fiscal sustainability, and corporate partnership development.
3. Bunny Robinson: Human Resources, Arts Governance, and Civic Mediation
Bunny Robinson brings a rich background in executive talent recruitment, civic engagement, and state-level arts administration. Currently serving as an Executive Consultant with Navigate Forward—a specialized career transition firm for C-suite executives—she is also the Principal Consultant of Robinson-Robinson & Associates (RRA), a retained executive search firm focused on building diverse candidate pools for senior management roles.
Robinson’s public sector and arts governance track record includes:
Former Board Member, Minnesota State Arts Board
Former Board Member, Arts Midwest
Former Panelist, State Programs Panel for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in Washington, D.C.
Current Board Member, Cultural Fluency Initiative
Her volunteerism extends to the United Way Minneapolis, the Conflict Resolution Center, Missions Inc. Programs, and the Women’s Association of the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities. Having served 20 years as a civic election judge ending in 2025, and currently acting as a contract mediator for the Minnesota Department of Education, Robinson holds a BFA in Theatre from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, and a Master of Organizational Leadership (MAOL) from St. Catherine University.
4. Carolyn Sleeth: Corporate Scaling and Enterprise Healthcare Management
Carolyn Sleeth brings extensive corporate execution experience to the board, having spent over two decades as an executive in the medical device sector. Most recently, Sleeth served as Senior Vice President and U.S. General Manager at Insulet, where she managed a commercial division of 700 employees and drove annual revenue growth exceeding 20%.
Prior to Insulet, Sleeth spent years in leadership roles at Medtronic, where she oversaw the aorta and venous vascular business units and spearheaded strategic marketing within the cardiac disease division.
Her academic credentials include:
Bachelor of Arts in History from Stanford University
Master’s degree in Russian Language
Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business
A resident of the Minneapolis area for two decades, Sleeth’s experience managing commercial operations and multi-million-dollar growth strategies adds technical depth to VocalEssence’s financial oversight committees.
5. Sunita Vongharath-Evenson: Human Capital and Organizational Culture
Sunita Vongharath-Evenson is an established Human Resources executive and nonprofit strategist focused on organizational design, leadership development, and workplace culture.
Throughout her career in both private enterprise and mission-driven institutions, Vongharath-Evenson has specialized in aligning human capital strategies with organizational goals. Her appointment reflects VocalEssence’s commitment to prioritizing employee engagement, equity-driven HR practices, and healthy institutional culture amidst workforce evolution in the arts sector.
6. Karen Voracek: Strategic Philanthropy, Marketing, and Enterprise Operations
Karen Voracek currently serves as Vice President of Donor Experience, Marketing & Strategy at Thrivent Charitable. With over 30 years of executive experience, Voracek leads enterprise-wide strategy, donor relations, brand marketing, product management, and operational execution.
Her career bridges corporate business transformation and charitable giving strategies:
Corporate Background: Nearly three decades leading strategy, consumer marketing, and customer experience initiatives in corporate sectors.
Philanthropic Focus: Expertise in donor engagement models, planned giving, and donor-advised capital allocation.
Board Service: Currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Sacred Ground Center for Spirituality.
Academic Background: Holds an MBA from the University of St. Thomas and a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations and German from Carroll University.
An active musician who began playing clarinet in fifth grade and continues to sing in her local parish choir, Voracek offers a combination of strategic marketing skills, donor cultivation expertise, and a lifelong personal engagement with choral music.
Official Statements and Leadership Perspectives
The leadership at VocalEssence expressed confidence in the incoming board members, highlighting the strategic alignment between the new directors’ diverse expertise and the organization’s overarching mission.
Philip Brunelle, Founder and Artistic Director of VocalEssence: "I’m delighted to welcome our new board members to the organization. Our mission is to unite our community in song, and each one of our new board members creates an opportunity we deeply value—to connect with the new voices and new networks that are always growing in the place we’ve called home for more than half a century. Serving on our board is a generous contribution of time, skill, and spirit, and we know these incredible professionals have insights and perspectives that will enhance VocalEssence beyond measure."
Amy Jaine Wielunski, Executive Director of VocalEssence: "These new board members bring a powerful mix of executive leadership, HR, marketing, philanthropy, and arts governance experience to VocalEssence. I am thrilled to welcome them on board! Just as inspiring are their personal connections to our mission, from lifelong choral singers to newer enthusiasts, all united by the belief that singing has the power to bring people together. I am excited at the opportunity to work with each of them as we grow our impact across the Twin Cities and beyond."
Future Outlook: Expanding Community Footprint and Long-Term Institutional Vision
As VocalEssence integrates these six leaders into its governance structure, the organization is positioning itself to expand both its artistic reach and financial foundation through late 2026 and beyond.
STRATEGIC ROADMAP: 2026 AND BEYOND
Phase 1: Board Integration & Strategic Alignment (Q4 2026)
└── Onboarding new directors across Finance, Marketing, & Governance Committees.
Phase 2: Philanthropic & Enterprise Expansion (2027)
└── Leveraging MedTech & Charitable expertise to launch new endowment initiatives.
Phase 3: Regional & Cultural Outreach Amplification (2027–2028)
└── Expanding educational programs (WITNESS, ¡Cantaré!) and digital presence.
Key Strategic Priorities for the Incoming Governance Board:
Expanding Financial Capacity and Endowment Growth: With corporate veterans like Carolyn Sleeth and philanthropy leaders like Karen Voracek, VocalEssence aims to build legacy giving campaigns and strengthen its endowment against macroeconomic fluctuations.
Inclusive Talent Acquisition and Workforce Retention: Leveraging Bunny Robinson’s and Sunita Vongharath-Evenson’s background in executive HR, the organization plans to enhance its internal talent pipelines, staff retention strategies, and equity-focused hiring practices.
Broadening Community Access and Multilingual Engagement: Guided by Sooki Jalali’s work with diverse business communities and Harry Miller’s experience in small business strategy, VocalEssence intends to broaden its grassroots partnerships, ensuring that music education programs reach underrepresented communities throughout Minnesota.
Audience Diversification in a Post-Digital Environment: Combining corporate marketing insights with arts administration experience, the board will support new ticket delivery channels, digital streaming access, and multi-generational performance concepts.
By connecting commercial strategy, charitable giving expertise, and community engagement, VocalEssence continues to demonstrate how mid-sized performing arts institutions can build sustainable operations. The addition of these six directors ensures that as VocalEssence moves toward six decades of artistic service, its operational framework remains as dynamic and resonant as the music it brings to the Twin Cities community.
