MINNEAPOLIS–ST. PAUL — Marking 58 years as one of the premier choral organizations in the United States, VocalEssence has officially announced the expansion of its Board of Directors with the appointment of six new members. Announced on September 25, 2026, the newly appointed directors bring a diverse blend of corporate governance, health technology, human resources, multi-sector philanthropy, and grassroots community advocacy to the historic non-profit.
The strategic appointments arrive at a pivotal juncture for non-profit performing arts organizations nationwide, as institutions navigate post-pandemic audience engagement, evolving funding landscapes, and expanding community outreach demands. The newly appointed directors will act as community ambassadors, oversee organizational policy, and ensure long-term financial stewardship as VocalEssence deepens its footprint across the Twin Cities metropolitan area and beyond.
Executive Overview: Strengthening Governance and Community Footprint
Founded in 1968 by Artistic Director Philip Brunelle, VocalEssence has grown from a local choir into an internationally recognized choral music organization that champions new compositions, educational access, and cross-cultural musicology. As the non-profit enters its 58th year of operation, its governing board plays a critical role in bridging artistic vision with fiscal sustainability.
The addition of the six new board members—Sooki Jalali, Harry Miller, Bunny Robinson, Carolyn Sleeth, Sunita Vongharath-Evenson, and Karen Voracek—represents a deliberate alignment of executive talent with the organization’s long-term strategic goals. Their collective expertise spans key domain areas vital to modern arts administration:
Commercial and Growth Strategy: High-level corporate leadership from the medical technology and financial services sectors.
Human Capital and Diversity Recruitment: Specialized executive search and organizational design experience.
Entrepreneurship and Minority Business Acceleration: Direct consultation and advisory work for underrepresented business owners.
Philanthropic Infrastructure and Donor Operations: Expertise in enterprise strategy, donor relations, and charitable asset management.
By integrating leaders who possess both corporate acumen and personal investments in community service, VocalEssence aims to solidify its financial foundations while reaching new, diverse audiences throughout Minnesota.
Detailed Profiles of the New Board Appointees
1. Sooki Jalali: Cross-Cultural Entrepreneurship and Economic Development
Sooki Jalali brings a background in entrepreneurship, business consulting, and community wellness to the board. Born in Seoul, South Korea, Jalali immigrated to Minnesota as a teenager and earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Business from the University of Minnesota.
Throughout her career, Jalali has founded three ventures within the health, wellness, and business development sectors. She currently serves as a Business Consultant at the Metropolitan Economic Development Association (MEDA), where she works directly with ethnic minority business owners to help them scale operations, secure capital, and navigate long-term growth.
Jalali’s involvement in civic and charitable causes includes volunteer roles with the Ebenezer Foundation, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (where she was nominated for the Man & Woman of the Year campaign in 2017), Hunger Solutions, and the Alliance for a New Humanity. A certified yoga instructor trained under Dr. Deepak Chopra, M.D., Jalali’s personal life emphasizes cross-cultural identity; raising three biracial children with her Persian husband, she prioritized bilingual literacy in Farsi and Korean within her household. Her perspective will support VocalEssence’s ongoing initiatives to engage diverse cultural communities across the Twin Cities.
2. Harry Miller: Strategic Growth and Non-Profit Mentorship
With more than four decades of professional experience in organizational strategy, business development, and cross-sector partnerships, Harry Miller brings institutional knowledge in corporate and non-profit scaling.
Miller serves as an active mentor and volunteer leader with SCORE Twin Cities, a non-profit association dedicated to helping small businesses and entrepreneurs launch and expand. Within SCORE, Miller has led initiatives across development, fundraising, volunteer management, and board governance. His professional methodology centers on helping organizations clarify strategy, cultivate leadership pipelines, and maintain operational stability during periods of structural transition.
Miller’s appointment reflects VocalEssence’s commitment to reinforcing its internal governance structures and expanding strategic partnerships with local educational and civic bodies.
3. Bunny Robinson: Executive Leadership, HR, and Public Arts Governance
Bunny Robinson brings a distinguished record in human resources executive leadership, mediation, and public arts administration. Currently an executive consultant with Navigate Forward—a career transition firm serving C-suite executives—she also serves as the principal consultant of Robinson-Robinson & Associates (RRA), a retained executive search firm focused on placing diverse candidate slates in management and executive roles.
Robinson’s service to the arts is long-standing. She previously served on the Minnesota State Arts Board, the regional board of Arts Midwest, and the State Programs Panel for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in Washington, D.C. In addition to her arts governance background, her non-profit involvement includes board tenure 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. She recently concluded 20 years of civic service as a local election judge in 2025 and continues to serve as a contract mediator for the Minnesota Department of Education.
A native of Chicago, Robinson holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Theatre from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership (MAOL) from St. Catherine University in St. Paul. Her combination of HR acumen, executive recruitment expertise, and state/national arts policy experience equips VocalEssence with strategic talent management capabilities.
4. Carolyn Sleeth: Medical Technology Commercialization and Enterprise Scale
Carolyn Sleeth joins the board bringing over two decades of commercial leadership within the medical device and healthcare technology industries. Most recently, Sleeth served as Senior Vice President and U.S. General Manager at Insulet, where she oversaw a 700-person commercial organization and drove consistent double-digit revenue growth exceeding 20% annually.
Prior to her executive tenure at Insulet, Sleeth spent many years at Medtronic, where she led the aorta and venous vascular business units and held strategic roles across marketing and market development within the cardiac disease division.
Sleeth holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Stanford University, a Master’s degree in Russian, and a 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 background in commercial scaling, operational management, and budget oversight brings enterprise-level financial and operational rigor to the VocalEssence board.
5. Sunita Vongharath-Evenson: HR Executive Leadership and Organizational Culture
Sunita Vongharath-Evenson is an executive human resources leader and non-profit advocate focused on organizational design, leadership development, and workplace culture.
Throughout her career in both the corporate and mission-driven non-profit sectors, Vongharath-Evenson has specialized in helping executive teams navigate structural change, build equitable workplace environments, and align internal talent strategies with broad organizational missions. Her background will support VocalEssence in fostering an internal culture of engagement, inclusion, and sustained leadership development among staff, artists, and volunteers.
6. Karen Voracek: Philanthropic Strategy, Enterprise Operations, and Arts Advocacy
Karen Voracek brings over 30 years of enterprise leadership experience spanning the corporate, financial, and philanthropic sectors. She currently serves as Vice President of Donor Experience, Marketing & Strategy at Thrivent Charitable, where she leads organizational strategy, marketing, donor relations, product management, and service operations.
Before transitioning her focus to non-profit philanthropy and charitable giving strategies, Voracek spent nearly three decades in corporate sector leadership, directing complex customer experience, marketing, and digital transformation initiatives. In addition to her executive role at Thrivent Charitable, Voracek serves on the Board of Directors for the Sacred Ground Center for Spirituality.
An active musician since childhood—having played clarinet since fifth grade and sang in various choral ensembles, including her parish choir—Voracek holds an MBA from the University of St. Thomas and a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations and German from Carroll University. Her expertise in philanthropic strategy, planned giving systems, and donor engagement will be central to securing long-term capital resources for VocalEssence.
Supporting Context & Governance Metrics
The inclusion of these six leaders reflects broader management shifts across major U.S. performing arts institutions. In an evolving non-profit economy, arts organizations are increasingly recruiting board members from outside traditional philanthropic circles to include specialists in commercial growth, regulatory compliance, workforce development, and operational design.
Data from national arts governance studies indicates that non-profits with multi-disciplinary boards—combining executive corporate talent with local community advocates—demonstrate higher resilience to economic downturns and shift more efficiently toward modern digital and educational delivery models.
VocalEssence’s administrative structure relies on its board to oversee a budget that funds multiple performing ensembles, extensive community education programs (such as WITNESS and Cantaré), and local composer commission initiatives. The incoming board members will directly assist the executive team in managing these operational arms while maintaining fiscal balance.
Official Statements and Leadership Perspectives
Leadership at VocalEssence expressed strong confidence in the new appointments, emphasizing the alignment between the board’s new skill sets and the organization’s foundational artistic mission.
Philip Brunelle, Founder and Artistic Director of VocalEssence, highlighted the role of new perspectives in sustaining the institution’s decades-long presence in Minnesota:
“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, emphasized the multi-industry capabilities of the expanded board and their shared passion for choral music:
“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: Charting the Path Toward Six Decades
As VocalEssence prepares for its upcoming performance seasons and approaches its landmark 60th anniversary, the expanded Board of Directors will focus on several core strategic imperatives:
Audience Diversification and Regional Expansion: Leveraging community networks established by leaders like Sooki Jalali and Bunny Robinson to deepen engagement among multicultural and younger demographics across the Twin Cities metro area.
Long-Term Financial Stewardship: Applying the philanthropic operations expertise of Karen Voracek and the growth strategies of Carolyn Sleeth to strengthen endowment reserves, donor retention, and corporate sponsorship pipelines.
Organizational Resilience and Talent Retention: Utilizing human resources frameworks from Sunita Vongharath-Evenson and Navigate Forward’s Bunny Robinson to maintain a robust administrative and artistic staff pipeline.
Community-Centric Music Education: Expanding school-based residency programs and educational initiatives that bring choral music instruction into underserved public school districts.
With a governing board that reflects both high-level executive capability and deep civic roots, VocalEssence is well-positioned to maintain its status as an innovative force in American choral music, ensuring that its artistic and educational programming continues to resonate for decades to come.
