Nominees to the Board

Nominee Statements for the Board of Directors

Heather Hegi, President
Thank you for the nomination to be president for a second year. My goal this year is to boost our dues-paying membership. I personally haven’t put enough value on being a dues-paying member, not enough to ask others to pay their dues. But there’s a reason I pay my membership year after year, and its because I am passionate about atheists having a voice in Minnesota. It’s important to financially support organizations you care about and support them financially with your membership dues. It’s a point of strength and legitimacy to bolster a large dues-paying membership, and it’s time we make it a priority.

Eric Jayne, Vice President
No statement submitted.

August Berkshire, Chair
I have been Associate Chair for the past year, but have been acting as Chair at our monthly meetings. I am happy to run for Chair this year. I plan to continue to serve on the Public Policy Committee, the Building Committee, and the Program Committee.
I have been active in the atheist movement since 1984. In addition to being on the MNA Board, I am Vice President of Atheist Alliance International. The atheist perspective is needed now as much as it ever was and I am looking forward to the upcoming year.

Michelle Morlan, Associate Chair
I am excited to have the opportunity to continue volunteering on the board of Minnesota Atheists for another year. I joined in 2021 as a director at large and spent the last year as chair. I have really enjoyed working with the organization and have many thoughts for the future! I am a STEM professional, and I’m passionate about how critical science and reason are to society at large.

Chris Matthews, Treasurer
I am a Minnesota native and a life member of Minnesota Atheists. I personally value positive atheism and the separation of state and church. I have served on the board as treasurer since 2011. I am proud to help provide the infrastructure for Minnesota Atheists to pursue goals that we collectively find worthwhile, and I appreciate the opportunity to continue in this role.

Steve Petersen, Secretary
I am a founding member of Minnesota Atheists and an active volunteer with Minnesota Atheists. Why do I want to serve on the board? Because this is a partnership with the dues paying members, donors, and volunteers. Each of us has a differing amount of time and funds to make Minnesota Atheists an effective and relevant organization. Minnesota Atheists is central to my well-being as a person and personal identity, so it is natural that I would want to be part of the governing structure.
My goals for 2026 are the same as last year when I sought a board position. I want the building fund to be transferred into a useful fund that will enhance our public representation. Our building committee is following our legal advice, and we are surveying past donors to make the funds useful in today’s market.
Why is there a building fund? Well I think about it this way: Today there are so many differing tragedies that impact our daily lives and the more horrendous the event the more society looks to churches for refuge and community support in framing how society grieves. If we had an atheist center, we could alter that narrative to include the secular voice in a time of social crisis. As one of our now-deceased fund supporters would say when they entered a room full of atheists, “Atheists, this is like a breath of fresh air.”
I am a candidate for the board to give us the space to breathe enhanced critical thinking and secular sanity in an atmosphere of impaired religious atmosphere.

Trevor Nelson, Director at Large
I’m running for an at-large seat on the Minnesota Atheists Board of Directors because I care deeply about our community and the shared values that bring us together. As someone who openly identifies as an atheist, I strongly support the separation of church and state and believe in the importance of preserving a society where everyone’s rights and beliefs are respected. I would love the opportunity to help continue the thoughtful, meaningful work that MN Atheists is known for.
I’m also mindful of the challenges we face, including the growing influence of Christian Nationalism. While I can be passionate in my views, my goal is always to approach these issues with kindness, collaboration, and steady resolve. I hope to contribute a balanced voice — one that is both caring and committed — to ensure our organization remains strong, welcoming, and engaged. It would be an honor to serve on the board and support this community I value so much.

Frank Leonard Eller, Director at Large
I am originally from the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians reservation in Belcourt, North Dakota, by the Canadian border. I grew up somewhat conservative, as Belcourt is a small town. I also became a strong, fundamentalist Catholic during my teenage years and into my early twenties.
When I was 13, it was discovered that I needed a kidney transplant. Many people began praying for me, and I still appreciate their intentions. But it was science, not any gods, that saved my life with a kidney transplant a year later at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
In June 2013, at age 21, I began having major doubts about religion. I searched the internet and couldn’t find any atheist organizations in North Dakota, so I tried Minnesota. I called the Minnesota Atheists phone number and this led me to completing my journey to atheism. In December 2016, I moved to the Twin Cities and I immediately became part of Minnesota Atheists. I have attended many events since then and have marched in the May Day and Gay Pride parades.
I am a strong, proud agnostic atheist who believes firmly in the separation of religion and government. I am quite aware of how much damage religion continues to do to individuals and to our society.
There are two areas where I believe I can bring a special expertise to Minnesota Atheists. First, because I am Native American, I can help demonstrate to other Native Americans, as well as other racial minorities, that Minnesota Atheists can be of value to all of us.
Secondly, I am blind, and this gives me a connection to the disability community. I have experienced how religion preys upon disabled people, promising us a better life, free from disabilities, after we die. This is false hope. Instead, we must help each other and work to improve life here as much as we can.
Since June 2021, I have been a voting board member of the State Rehabilitation Council for the Blind (SRCB), which is part of the State Services for the Blind (SSB) of Minnesota.
Many members of Minnesota Atheists have been very kind to me. I believe I can use my experience and talents to help Minnesota Atheists grow and I would like the opportunity to be part of our Board of Directors.

Shelly Nelson, Director at Large
I grew up attending Protestant churches and was skeptical of what was taught. Later I followed Parmahansa Yogananda and realized that I did not believe in any kind of deity. I wanted a community that shared my beliefs and joined Minnesota Atheists. My goal is to help that community thrive and grow.