Maverick Community Leaders

John Kind ’79, Accounting major CEO of Mankato Family YMCA

The College of Business accounting department has been a big part of the lives of both Clint Kind and his son, John Kind, in more ways than one. Clint served as department chair for 27 years and on the faculty for 30 years, and John earned his accounting degree from the program in 1979 during his father’s tenure.

“But I never took a class from him,” John said. “I always used my dad as an excuse and told my professors that my dad made me clean the garage, which is why I couldn’t get my homework done.” president, with 10 company presidents reporting to him.

“One of the things that Glen really stressed was we have to give back to the community,” said John, referring to owner and chairman Glen Taylor.

With Taylor’s support, John served on several community boards, including the Greater Mankato Area United Way and the YMCA.

“When the job came open at the Y, I just really felt that was the place I could make a difference,” said John, who was hired as the CEO of the YMCA 14 years ago and will retire this summer. “I had Glen Taylor as a reference, and he was then and is now the biggest financial supporter of the YMCA. I owe a lot of the success I’ve had to Glen.” and it’s a fitting tribute to a man who was a mentor to so many students, including Kirsten Rosacker, Ph.D., associate professor of accounting.

John is proud of many accomplishments during his tenure, including the Chesley Skate Park project; the $3 million renovation of the locker rooms; new programming, such as the Y School Based Mentoring program and STRIDE running program for boys; and coming through the COVID-19 pandemic financially sound.

Dr. Rosacker was a first-generation college student when she came to Minnesota State Mankato as a transfer student in 1987, and Clint gave her advice on doing some exploration of careers and different classes before deciding on a major.

“He listened, and he provided gentle, kind advice that was also very good advice, and it stuck with me,” said Dr. Rosacker, who has done her best to emulate Clint’s mentoring style with her own students.

The Clinton Kind Family Accounting Scholarship Endowment

After graduation, John worked at Coopers and Lybrand in Minneapolis before switching career paths to teach accounting at vocational-technical schools in Faribault and North Mankato. Most of his career (23 years) was spent at Taylor Corporation, where he worked his way up from assistant controller to corporate vice

“I’m just really proud of how we’ve served the community,” said John, who also has served various roles on the Minnesota State Mankato Foundation Board and the COB Advisory Board.

The Clinton Kind Family Accounting Scholarship Endowment is another way John and his four brothers have given back to the community and the department their father loved. The Kind brothers established the endowment to offer scholarships to accounting students,

In late 2004, the five sons of Clinton and Joan Kind – Arn, Chuck, Dan, John, and Steve – came together to fund an endowment in their father’s name over a five-year period. The goal was $50,000, enabling the College of Business (COB) to award accounting scholarships.

Clint Kind was a professor of accounting at Minnesota State University, Mankato from 1963 until his retirement in 1995. He served as the chair of the accounting department from 1971-1994.

John will retire from the Mankato YMCA this summer.

Jessica Beyer ’04, ’08 Business Management

and MBA

President & CEO of Greater Mankato Growth, Inc.

By the very nature of her job, Jessica Beyer is one of the most connected community leaders in the region – connected to businesses, community organizations and government bodies.

She can be found in board rooms, at ribbon cuttings, at public meetings and at community events furthering the great work of Greater Mankato Growth, Inc. (GMG), which aims to support and promote economic growth and vitality as a regional chamber of commerce and economic development organization.

Collectively, Beyer leads the integrated work of GMG, Visit Mankato, City Center Partnership, and GreenSeam. As president and CEO, she multi-tasks daily on initiatives ranging from business growth and development, to regional livability, to advocacy of the marketplace.

“I think partnerships are the key to the future of our organization,” Beyer said. “I’m really excited about the future of Greater Mankato Growth, but also about the future of our community and region.”

The variety of GMG’s work is a big part of what she enjoys most. For example, one of many GMG programs is Greater Manka- to Young Professionals, which connects 21- to 40-year-olds through community networking and professional development opportunities. Brenda Flannery, dean of the College of Business, was excited to work with the young people in the Young Professionals group this year. She was a mentor and hosted several groups in the University dining hall for 90-minute lunches in the fall.

“That’s what’s exciting about the role. I get to be out in our incredible community. I get to work with a number of organizations and support businesses. And I get to work with such talented and amazing people,” Beyer said.

Beyer was a 2004 graduate with a double major in mass communications and business management and earned her MBA with an emphasis in organizational leadership in 2008, both from Minnesota State Mankato.

Before coming to GMG in 2019, Beyer worked for various companies in the private sector, including Coughlan Companies (now Capstone), in addition to spending more than a decade in county government at Blue Earth County and most recently as Waseca County Administrator.

Attending Minnesota State Mankato was “the best decision ever,” she said, and she’s enjoyed staying connected to her alma mater through her work, whether that be mentoring COB students or representing the community in participating in the University’s Destination 2030 planning.

Dr. Flannery, who had Beyer as both an undergraduate and graduate student, said Beyer’s role may even be more challenging than heading up a major company because instead of having one business’ best interests to consider, she has numerous to juggle at once.

“She has an extraordinary number of stakeholders to consider,” Dr. Flannery said. “She embraces that role with so much grace. And, also, just think about how quickly the community has been growing. To have the relationships she has across the community and with her own board, it’s a more challenging role than, I think, being the CEO of your own company.”

In 2021 Greater Mankato Growth (GMG) hosted an MBA David C. Olson scholarship recipient, Qamr Khanam. The College of Business (COB) partners with Olson’s family, friends, business associates and the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce to offer an annual scholarship to an MBA student with an interest in business, community and public affairs leadership. The award includes an internship with the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, a local

Minnesota Chamber, or the national Office of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Marilyn Fox, Ph.D., said Khanam’s work focused on researching and surveying area businesses related to workforce challenges and opportunities, including a wages and benefits analysis in the manufacturing sector.

“Qamr made significant accomplishments considering the vast portion of the work was done remotely due to the pandemic,” Dr. Fox said, adding that the scholarship allows for a firsthand look at the critical role that chambers play in bringing business perspective to public policy. “The intern also has the opportunity to form connections that will help them wherever they go. This includes meeting the governor of the state of Minnesota and attending various chamber events.”