Board of Directors

Jay Stoddard, President - Event Oversite Jay has been President of the Board for eighteen years, and a Board member since 1985. His experience at the UNI Dome and with outdoor event management has been invaluable to the Celebration as he spearheads the organizational needs of the weekend with the other Board members. Jay and his wife Debbie are the parents of Ali, 18 and Jason, 33.
Linda Kennedy, Vice President - Overman Park Band Shell Entertainment, Talent Competition, Pool Party, Children’s Choir, and Scholarships Linda is a past Sturgis Falls Committee member from 1983 -1989, and returned to the Board in 2000. She has always been a tenacious and energetic community volunteer. Linda and her husband, Bob, are the parents of Brandy and Jill, and the grandparents of Lane, Dylan, Audrienne, and Gavin. In addition to spending time with her family, she, also, volunteers her time and energy to her church and Girl Scouts.
Mary-Sue Bartlett - Treasurer, Parade, Car Show & Dignitary Liaison Mary-Sue joined the Board in 1999 as an ad-hoc member and then in 2000 being voted on as a full Board member. She has enthusiastically embraced roles with both the parade and the car show, as well as dignitary liaison. Mary-Sue is the Administrative Assistant to the Dean of the College of Education at UNI. As an active community volunteer, she brings fresh ideas and great experience to the Board, being Co-Chair of the College Hill Arts Festival and also the Lipstick Open Golf Outing. Mary-Sue has two grown children, Erin and Luke and has three granddaughters, Avery,Lakin and Emerson Grace.
Susie Hines - Secretary, Program Guide & Trifold Susie Hines moved to Cedar Falls in 2006, enjoyed the 2007 Celebration and joined the board in Fall 2007. She has an eclectic professional background in advertising, philanthropy, higher education, ministry, transportation and sales. After 10 relocations in 5 states, she and her family look forward to making Cedar Falls home.
Kim Burger - Children's Parade Kim is Manager of the Cedar Falls Tourism and Visitors Bureau, began her service to the Celebration as an ad hoc member in May of 2000. Kim helps involve and coordinate community groups in the planning and execution of the festival, which is the area's largest and most celebrated annual tourism event. She also works with other annual community events including the Cedar Basin Jazz Festival, College Hill Arts Festival and Cedar Trails Festival. Kim is a life-long resident of the Cedar Valley and proud parent of two daughters, Whitney and Mackenzie.
Michael Drey - Food Vendors, Setup and Tear Down Michael has been involved with Sturgis Falls’ setup for several years while in College at UNI. Now in his first year with the Sturgis Falls board he will be working with the food vendors. Originally from Des Moines Michael moved to Cedar Falls in 1999 and currently works as a manager at Hy-Vee. Outside of Hy-Vee he works as a technician at the Cedar Falls Band Shell, and owns his own DJ Business. Michael enjoys playing softball and volunteers as Alumni Advisor for Kappa Sigma Fraternity. He has a daughter Kaliah who is 4 years old.
Chuck Frost - Memorabilia This is Chuck’s second year on the Board. He has been a dedicated volunteer for several years, working at the information and memorabilia tent in Overman Park. Chuck and his wife Pam, also volunteer their time at the Oster Regent Theatre and Special Olympic Events at River Hills School. They have lived in Cedar Falls for 33 years and have raised two children, Laura and Meghan.
Molly Kahler - Kidsway Stage & Activities Growing up in the Overman Park area, Molly has been in attendance or a part of the Sturgis Falls Celebration for over two decades...Everything from a banner carrier in the Parade to a judge for the Talent Competition. She now lends her enthusiasm to a popular part of the Celebration underneath the Kidsway BigTop. Now serving in her third year as a Board member; when asked to join the Board at the end of 2006, it was only natural for her to say “Yes!”. She is married to Shane Kahler and has a daughter, Meghan, a BIG fan of the Kidsway.
Brian Herzog - Advertising, Promotions Brian Herzog will coordinate the Advertising and Promotion for Sturgis Falls with local and regional media. After living away from the area for more than a decade, he has returned to his hometown. His passion for Cedar Falls and the Sturgis Falls Celebration, fueled his desire to give back to the community by joining the Board of Directors. Brian is married to Barbie and has a daughter, Abby.
Lauri Miller - Arts & Crafts Fair Lauri Miller has accepted the responsibility of the Arts & Crafts Fair, previously known as The Street Fair. She has enjoyed Sturgis Falls since it began in 1976. The free music, festive atmosphere and the Parade are a few of the things she enjoys. She feels honored to work with the Board and the community to bring such a great event to her hometown.
Pete Downs - Tent Setup, A-frames & Signage Pete Downs is in charge of Tents and A-Frame signage. He believes that serving on the Board of Directors is one way of saying “Thanks Cedar Falls, for being such a great place to live and raise a family. The Sturgis Falls Celebration serves as a platform showing off our community spirit by providing fun entertainment and family oriented events for all to enjoy. So many benefits, food, family friends and fun. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?”
Rose Miller - Tourist Beer, Groups to ID, Sell Tickets & Pour Beer Rose will be managing these areas in Tourist Park. She will be overseeing the group of volunteers that will ID, Sell Tickets, and Pour the patrons favorite brew. Rose has volunteered with Sturgis Falls for several years, recently joining the Board of Directors in 2007. Born, raised, and worked her whole life in the Cedar Valley. She always looks forward to the weekend celebration.
Nicole Boesen - Overman Stage Manager Nicole has been a Cedar Falls resident since the age of 13 is a graduate from the Cedar Falls High School and University of Northern Iowa. She has a degree in Interior Design with an emphasis in Business. After graduating from UNI, she moved to Des Moines where she spent the last 10 years working in various aspects of the field of design. She has been a member of the International Interior Design Association since 1999 and has served various positions on the Great Plains-Ia & Ne board since 2002. In 2009, she decided she would move back to her hometown of Cedar Falls. Nicole has two boys, Jake (9) and Tyler (6). Nicole is happy is to back “home” and is grateful for the opportunity to serve on the Sturgis Falls Board of Directors. Nicole will be orchestrating the entertainment on Overman Stage, taking the position of Overman Band Shell Stage Manager.
Marcus Kjeldsen - Tourist Entertainment and Stage Manager Marcus has been a Cedar Falls resident for the past 15 years and is a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa. His wife is a 5th/6th grade teacher at Saint Patrick’s School in Cedar Falls. They have two young children and enjoy spending time together. Marcus is an owner of the HuB on Main Street and has a passion for live music. He is thrilled to be a part of the Sturgis Falls Celebration and to help bring some great entertainment to Cedar Falls. Marcus has taken on the position of Tourist Entertainment and Stage Manager.