Board of Directors
The foundation is composed of volunteer parents, alumni, and faculty interested in the success of the School of Environmental Studies and its students.
Interested in joining the board or more info?
Jake Rylander
Chair
Jacob Rylander currently serves as Chair of the board, is a SES Class of 2000 graduate, previous SES staff member, and advisor to the SES Outdoor Adventure Club. Jacob is a retired service-connected disabled Veteran of the United States Air Force, a non-commissioned officer. He is the principal investigator & consultant at Rylander Forensic Consulting.
Jacob currently resides in Rosemount, Minnesota with his wife of 17 years and 2 daughters, one of which is currently attending SES. During his down time, he enjoys hiking, trips to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, and creating metal sculptures. He holds an AAS degree in Technical Management, numerous certificates, and has studied criminal justice, health sciences, and engineering – drafting and design at the postsecondary level and is currently finishing his BA in Forensics.
We’re excited to have Jacob as an addition to our team and know he will bring his collective experience and professionalism to help us better serve our SES community.
Jennifer Schmidt
Vice Chair
Jennifer graduated from SES in 2000, and went on to earn a BS in Environmental Engineering from the University of Southern California and an MBA from the University of Illinois. She currently works as a sustainability manager for Avient Corporation, a specialty materials company. Prior to that she worked for several years in strategic marketing, and as an environmental engineer. Jennifer is a Professional Engineer, registered in the st
The unique experience at SES has left a lasting impression - from selecting a college major to sparking an interest in the outdoors and international travel. Jennifer is excited to have the opportunity to give back to the SES community for many years to come.
Bailey McDonald
Secretary
Bailey was a Class of 2009 graduate from SES before earning a degree from Minnesota State University- Mankato. She has had years of event experience before recently transitioning to the mortgage industry. With that transition, she has turned back to the school that gave her the tools to decipher and navigate an ever more complicated world by becoming involved in SESEF.
In her free time, she enjoys gardening, spending time in the kitchen with family, and planning trips up north.
Elise Reller
Treasurer
Touring the globe with SES’s unique learning opportunities made a huge impression on Elise; after graduating in 2009, she spent the next ten years living outside the mainland US. During that time, Elise sang the praises of SES’s educational philosophy and hoped to someday give back to the institution that gifted her with an expanded mind at a young age.
The opportunity to serve on the board came when she moved back to Minnesota in 2019, and she endeavors to aid the organization well.
Tom Goodwin
Board Director
Tom Goodwin taught biology for 27 years before helping to develop and then teaching at SES for eleven years until he retired from the school in 2006. He was one of the house teachers for eleventh grade students in Blue House and Rose House. He views his years at teaching in an inter-disciplinary setting at SES as some of the most important of his career.
In the years since retirement Goodwin has enjoyed traveling with his wife, fishing hunting, golfing, and volunteering with the city of Lakeville.
Now, he is proud to be a member of the SESEF Board and hopes to make a positive contribution to the continued success of SES.
Patty Born Selly
Board Director
Dr Patty Born is an assistant professor of environmental and STEM education at Hamline University inSt Paul MN. She is currently interim Director of Hamline’s environmental studies program. She serves as faculty in the teacher education program as well as Director of the Master of Arts in environmental education program which offers a concentration in climate literacy.