Board of Directors

Steve Olson – Board Chair

Steve is the President and CEO of MinnStar Bank N.A. located in Mankato and Lake Crystal. He has been a House of Hope board member for 14 years. He is the past Chairman and current Board member of the Independent Bankers of Minnesota (ICBM). He also serves as a Federal Delegate representing Minnesota to the Board of Governors for the Independent Bankers of America (ICBA). He is also on the Board of Governors for the City Center Partnership (CCP) in Mankato and a Board Member of the South Central College (SCC) Foundation. Steve is a 1978 graduate of the University of North Dakota.

He is married with two daughters. In his free time he likes to golf, fish, travel with his family, and work on remodeling projects around his house.

Karen Luepke – Board Secretary/Treasurer

Karen was born in Owatonna, MN and grew up primarily in Fennimore, WI and Mankato, MN. She attended Minnesota State University, Mankato majoring in psychology with a double minor in therapeutic recreation and technical writing. After college Karen moved to Denver, CO where she worked as a counselor for teenagers with mental illnesses. While in Colorado she began her employment as a Special Investigator Retained by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. She has worked in this capacity in many different locations in the U.S. For two years Karen worked as a manager for many different territories. After living in Denver, CO she moved to Raleigh, NC, followed by Fort Collins, CO. Karen recently returned to Mankato, MN to be closer to family.

Dave Connor – Board Vice Chair

Born and raised in Owatonna, Dave moved to Mankato in 1999. After more than 13 years as a manager at Sam’s Club, in 2015 he accepted a management position at Play It Again Sports. He is active in the Mankato recovery community, and enjoys his volunteer position as a Board Member at the House of Hope. In his free time, Dave enjoys playing golf in the summer, tinkering on things around the house, and spending time with his wife, Sarah.

Dawn Wilson – Board Member

Dawn has a BS in Industrial engineering, an associate’s degree in nursing, and her Master’s degree in Business Administration. Dawn grew up in NW Illinois and has worked in many places around the country as a safety and environmental professional, adjunct professor, and a healthcare executive. She is currently work as the environmental health and safety manager for Kato Engineering in Mankato, MN. Dawn is very interested in alternative wellness therapies including meditation, equine therapy, acupuncture, and holistic medical practice.

Other interests include landscaping, interior design, cooking, and all thing equine. Dawn lives in rural St. Peter with Wayne, three rescue dogs and two horses.

Mark Johnson President/CEO – Board Member

Mark joined our staff in November 2010 as Marketing Director and in 2014 became the Chief Operations Officer, in 2017 Mark became the Senior Executive Vice President, Operations. He served on the Board of Directors at the House of Hope for 3 years prior to becoming an employed at the House of Hope, most recently as Chairman. He served as the President of the HOH alumni program for several years. For the past 20+ years Mark has worked in many different management positions for local businesses. His passion is in helping other people and their struggles with addiction. Mark is very active in other recovery based programs in southern MN, and enjoys going out and speaking about his life’s struggles and experiences with alcoholism. Mark and Joan have 3 adult children, thier 2 oldest son’s work in Mankato and there daughter is a student at the University of Minnesota, Mankato. He and Joan enjoy spending time outside and doing family activities. Mark enjoys playing golf, all sports in general, and helping his dad on the farm.