Executive Overview
MINNEAPOLIS — On September 25, 2026, VocalEssence, one of Minnesota’s premier choral music organizations, announced the election of six new members to its Board of Directors. The incoming cohort brings a high-caliber blend of corporate leadership, human resources expertise, cross-cultural entrepreneurship, philanthropic strategy, and seasoned arts administration to the 58-year-old non-profit institution.
The newly appointed board members—Sooki Jalali, Harry Miller, Bunny Robinson, Carolyn Sleeth, Sunita Vongharath-Evenson, and Karen Voracek—join the organization at a crucial juncture in its history. As VocalEssence navigates an evolving cultural landscape, expanding audience demographics, and shifting donor expectations, the board’s primary focus will be enhancing financial stability, expanding community engagement throughout the Twin Cities region, and guiding high-level strategic policy.
This governance expansion underscores VocalEssence’s commitment to bridging artistic excellence with modern corporate governance. By onboarding leaders with extensive backgrounds in scaling multi-million-dollar enterprises, directing state and national arts panels, and championing equity and inclusion, VocalEssence positions itself to amplify its mission: uniting communities through the transformative power of song.
Detailed Chronology & Strategic Governance Trajectory
Founded in 1969 by Artistic Director Philip Brunelle, VocalEssence has grown over nearly six decades from a local choral ensemble into an internationally recognized arts organization. Operating out of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area, the institution encompasses ensemble choirs, extensive music commissioning initiatives, and wide-reaching community outreach and music education programs.
Over its 58-year history, VocalEssence’s Board of Directors has functioned not merely as a fiduciary custodian, but as an essential ambassadorial body connecting the organization to broader civic, corporate, and philanthropic networks. The structural evolution of non-profit arts governance over the past decade has necessitated board compositions that combine creative passion with rigorous operational capability.
The appointment of these six board members on September 25, 2026, represents the culmination of a deliberate multi-year strategy led by executive leadership to diversify the board’s skill set. In recent years, non-profit arts organizations nationwide have faced structural headwinds, including shifting audience engagement models and evolving fundraising environments. VocalEssence’s proactive approach to board recruitment reflects an institutional strategy designed to ensure long-term sustainability and deep community relevance.
Profiles of the Appointed Board Members
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NEW VOCALESSENCE BOARD APPOINTEES (2026)
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Member Primary Domain Key Affiliations / Background
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Sooki Jalali Entrepreneurship & Business MEDA, Health & Wellness Ventures
Harry Miller Strategic Leadership SCORE Twin Cities, Business Dev.
Bunny Robinson HR & Arts Governance Navigate Forward, RRA, NEA Panel
Carolyn Sleeth Medical Tech Leadership Insulet, Medtronic, Stanford/Booth
Sunita Vongharath-Evenson HR Strategy & Culture Nonprofit Leadership, Culture Dev.
Karen Voracek Philanthropy & Strategy Thrivent Charitable, Sacred Ground
========================================================================================Sooki Jalali — Cross-Cultural Entrepreneurship and Community Advocacy
Born in Seoul, South Korea, and relocating to Minnesota as a teenager, Sooki Jalali brings a rich multicultural perspective and a strong entrepreneurial background to the VocalEssence board. A graduate of the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Business, Jalali has founded three distinct enterprises across health, wellness, and business development.
Currently serving as a Business Consultant at the Metropolitan Economic Development Association (MEDA), Jalali specializes in helping BIPOC and ethnic minority business owners scale operations and build sustainable commercial equity. Her personal trajectory—including raising three biracial children fluent in Farsi and Korean—informs her deep commitment to cultural preservation and community integration. A certified yoga instructor trained under Dr. Deepak Chopra, Jalali’s philanthropic history includes service with the Ebenezer Foundation, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Hunger Solutions, and the Alliance for a New Humanity. She was nominated for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Man and Woman of the Year campaign in 2017.
Harry Miller — Strategic Business Growth and Non-Profit Governance
With more than 40 years of experience assisting commercial and mission-driven organizations, Harry Miller contributes extensive expertise in organizational strategy, business development, and partnership architecture. Miller’s career has centered on guiding enterprises through structural transitions, scaling operations, and fostering inter-organizational alliances.
As an active mentor and volunteer leader with SCORE Twin Cities, Miller has played a pivotal role in advising small business owners and entrepreneurs across the metropolitan area. His contributions to SCORE extend beyond direct business advising into governance, donor development, fundraising leadership, and volunteer management. His background provides VocalEssence with valuable insight into strategic planning, donor acquisition, and sustainable non-profit scaling.
Bunny Robinson — Human Capital, Executive Search, and Arts Governance
Bunny Robinson brings a distinguished career in human resources, executive recruitment, and public arts administration to VocalEssence. She currently serves as an Executive Consultant with Navigate Forward, a career transition firm dedicated to executive leadership, and operates as Principal Consultant at Robinson-Robinson & Associates (RRA), a retained executive search firm specializing in building diverse and inclusive leadership teams.
Robinson’s service to arts governance includes board seats on the Minnesota State Arts Board, Arts Midwest, and participation on the State Programs Panel for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in Washington, D.C. Currently a board member of the Cultural Fluency Initiative, her civic contributions include past board roles with 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. Robinson holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership from St. Catherine University, and serves as a contract mediator for the Minnesota Department of Education.
Carolyn Sleeth — Enterprise Commercial Execution and Medical Technology Leadership
Carolyn Sleeth brings more than two decades of senior executive experience in the medical device industry. Most recently, Sleeth served as Senior Vice President and U.S. General Manager at Insulet, where she managed a 700-person commercial organization and oversaw consistent annual revenue expansion exceeding 20 percent. Prior to her tenure at Insulet, Sleeth held senior leadership roles at Medtronic, guiding marketing, market development, and corporate strategy within its aorta, venous, and cardiac disease divisions.
Originally from California, Sleeth earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from Stanford University, a Master’s degree in Russian, and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. A Twin Cities resident for 20 years, Sleeth brings large-scale operational expertise, corporate growth strategies, and enterprise-level financial oversight to the VocalEssence governing body.
Sunita Vongharath-Evenson — Organizational Culture and Human Resources Strategy
Sunita Vongharath-Evenson is an established human resources executive and non-profit advocate whose work centers on organizational design, leadership development, and cultural transformation. Vongharath-Evenson has spent her career advising mission-driven institutions on human capital optimization, team alignment, and change management.
Her addition to the board highlights VocalEssence’s focus on internal organizational health, employee engagement, and community building. Vongharath-Evenson’s work will support the board in refining internal structures, attracting top-tier talent, and developing inclusive institutional policies that mirror the community VocalEssence serves.
Karen Voracek — Philanthropic Strategy, Enterprise Marketing, and Musician Perspective
Karen Voracek serves as Vice President of Donor Experience, Marketing & Strategy at Thrivent Charitable, where she leads enterprise strategy, customer experience, marketing, product management, and service operations. Voracek boasts over 30 years of leadership experience spanning corporate business transformation and major philanthropic advisement.
Voracek’s career trajectory bridges corporate strategy and non-profit donor engagement, offering VocalEssence institutional depth in donor retention, planned giving strategies, and brand positioning. In addition to her business qualifications—including an MBA from the University of St. Thomas and a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations and German from Carroll University—Voracek is a lifelong musician and active choir singer. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Sacred Ground Center for Spirituality.
Supporting Context & Governance Metrics
The election of these six directors substantially expands VocalEssence’s collective governance capabilities. An analysis of the institutional strengths introduced by the new cohort reveals strategic alignment across five key operational metrics:
BOARD STRATEGIC CAPABILITY PROFILE
[Commercial Scale] --> Sleeth (700+ team management, >20% growth)
[Philanthropy & Dev] --> Voracek (Thrivent Charitable VP), Miller (SCORE)
[Arts Governance] --> Robinson (NEA, MN State Arts Board, Arts Midwest)
[DEI & HR Search] --> Robinson (RRA), Vongharath-Evenson (Culture Strategy)
[BIPOC Biz & Growth] --> Jalali (MEDA Business Consultant, Entrepreneur)- Enterprise Revenue & Commercial Scale: Sleeth’s experience managing commercial divisions with hundreds of employees and driving 20%+ annual growth offers crucial oversight as VocalEssence evaluates expanded revenue models and ticket-sales strategies.
- Public Arts Policy & Advocacy: Robinson’s past governance work with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Minnesota State Arts Board equips VocalEssence with direct expertise in public grant funding streams and state-level policy integration.
- Philanthropic & Capital Campaign Strategy: Voracek’s executive role at Thrivent Charitable and Miller’s fundraising background at SCORE bolster the board’s capacity to design legacy giving programs and donor cultivation models.
- Talent Acquisition & Inclusion: Through Robinson’s executive search background and Vongharath-Evenson’s corporate HR focus, the organization reinforces its focus on equitable recruitment, board succession planning, and staff development.
- Grassroots Economic & Cultural Integration: Jalali’s active advisory role with MEDA connects VocalEssence to small business ecosystems and multicultural networks across the Twin Cities metro area.
Official Statements
Leadership from VocalEssence highlighted the strategic value of the new appointees, pointing to their combined potential to expand the organization’s community engagement and organizational resilience.
Philip Brunelle, Founder and Artistic Director of VocalEssence, emphasized the importance of broad community connections:
"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, noted the practical alignment between the appointees’ professional disciplines and the organization’s strategic goals:
"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 & Strategic Horizon
The onboarding of these six board members reflects a forward-looking strategy for VocalEssence as it plans for the future. Looking beyond 2026, non-profit performing arts organizations face an evolving landscape marked by changing media consumption habits, shifting demographic trends, and standardizing post-pandemic fundraising models.
By assembling a board with deep experience in commercial growth, high-level non-profit governance, and diverse donor engagement, VocalEssence is positioning itself to proactively address these industry shifts. Key strategic priorities for the augmented board will likely include:
- Expanding Regional Outreach: Utilizing new networks to reach audiences across diverse neighborhoods in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and surrounding suburban communities.
- Modernizing Donor Pathways: Integrating contemporary philanthropic frameworks from wealth management and donor-advised funds to secure long-term endowment growth.
- Strengthening Educational Initiatives: Supporting VocalEssence’s school partnerships and community singing initiatives with robust metrics and scalable operational models.
- Fostering Strategic Alliances: Leveraging executive leadership links across healthcare, corporate, and public sectors to create multi-disciplinary cultural partnerships.
With a restored and expanded governing board, VocalEssence enters its next decade well-positioned to maintain its artistic standard while serving as a model for sustainable non-profit arts management.
