Esperanza Guerrero-Anderson
A passion for achieving the “exceptional” in board governance:
Esperanza Guerrero-Anderson is the founder and president of Guerrero-Anderson, Inc., a management consulting firm that specializes in creating exceptional boards for privately held companies. Esperanza has more than 25 years of experience in corporate governance and in service to nonprofit organizations. She has developed a proprietary method of creating, recruiting and leading boards that produce exceptional results for fast-growing privately held companies. Currently she serves on the boards of Great Lakes Educational Loan Services Inc., M&I Bank Minnesota, the Minnesota Chapter of the National Association of Corporate Directors, and the Bush Foundation. She also has served on the boards of Leeann Chin Inc., National City Bancorporation, Reell Manufacturing Precision Co., Center of the American Experiment, Guthrie Theater, Walker Art Center, and many other successful organizations.
Veteran business leader and trusted management consultant:
Esperanza is a nationally recognized corporate executive and business leader, and is a frequent speaker for associations and universities throughout the U.S. Recently she joined the adjunct faculty of the Opus College of Business at University of St. Thomas, teaching Board Governance and Ethics. From 1990 through 2006, Esperanza was CEO of Milestone Growth Fund, a Minnesota-based venture capital fund of which she is the founder. Under her leadership Milestone became one of Minnesota 25 largest venture capital firms, investing in more than 70 companies and generating ROI in excess of 20%. During her 16 years at Milestone, she represented the fund on the board of directors of many of its portfolio companies and assisted in establishing boards of directors for several of those companies. From 1985 to 1989 she was president/CEO of the Metropolitan Economic Development Association (MEDA), a business development and financing resource for entrepreneurial companies. Esperanza has worked in management consulting with Touche Ross and in international lending with First Bank of Minneapolis. She has been the manager of a private college, and enjoyed a 10-year career at Central Bank of Nicaragua. An entrepreneur at heart, she also owned her own consulting company in Nicaragua providing IT services to large financial institutions and government entities.
Educated in management, finance, leadership and public policy: Esperanza’s extensive education credentials include Yale University’s Executive Management Program; a master’s degree in Management Information Systems from the University of Minnesota; completion of the Leadership in Public Policy Program at the University of Minnesota’s Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs; and a degree in business administration from the Universidad Centroamericana in Managua, Nicaragua.
Awards and recognition: Esperanza’s commitment to make a difference has been recognized with many honors. In 2009 Esperanza was named to the Business Hall of Fame by Junior Achievement of the Upper Midwest. In 2008 Upsize magazine gave her a Lifeline Award, and in 2006 Mpls-St. Paul Magazine inducted her into its Volunteer Hall of Fame. In 2004 Finance & Commerce named Esperanza one of the Top Women in Finance, and the Governor of Minnesota commended her for her outstanding work on behalf of the state’s Hispanic population. In 2003 the International Leadership Institute chose Esperanza as the first recipient of its Immigrant Achievement Award. In 1999 Minnesota Business Journal recognized her as one of the 25 Most Influential Women in Business. She was named regional Entrepreneur of the Year in the Supporter of Entrepreneurship category by Ernst & Young in 1996 and as regional Hispanic Businesswoman of the Year by the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in 1992. In 1988 she received the Bush Foundation Leadership Award.Betty Grant
Betty Grant is a results-oriented executive who has successfully grown two businesses: an executive search firm and the regional arm of a high-growth software company. As an entrepreneur and corporate executive, her ability to identify and execute business strategies has been a hallmark of her success.
Betty, as one of the co-founders of O’Leary and Grant, an executive search firm, conducted numerous nationwide searches for senior executives from a range of disciplines, including IT, Finance, General Management, Marketing, Sales and Engineering. Her clients were major corporations in a variety of industries including financial services, technology, manufacturing, distribution and healthcare. Prior to O’Leary & Grant, Betty spent 16 years in the software industry with Cullinet Software and Unisys. She launched Cullinet Software’s business in the Twin Cities and over a period of eight years built an extensive sales and service organization in the Upper Midwest. She was the recipient of numerous President’s Club and District Manager of the Year awards.
In the encore phase of her career, Betty combines working with executives who are in transition with her commitment to the community. She serves on the board of the Playwrights’s Center, Minnesota Organization on Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention and Parenting, and The Works – a hands-on engineering and technology center for kids. She works with the immigrant community as a volunteer English teacher and as a bilingual counselor in a Latino resource center. As a result of her own experiences in career and life transitions she offers both empathy and practicality as she coaches clients in their own transitions.
William H. Stevens, ChFC®, CLU®
President & CEO, Stevens Foster Financial Advisors
Stevens Foster Financial Advisors provides integrated and comprehensive financial planning to high net worth individuals and corporate executives. Key highlights regarding Stevens Foster Financial Advisors:
• Ranked by Barron’s among the top advisory firms in the U.S. for the past four consecutive years (For more information go to www.wcorg.com.)
• Ranked by Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal in the area’s top 5 wealth advisors since the list was first published in 2003, and one of only two independent firms to make the list of the top 25. (For more information regarding this award go to fivestarprofessional.com/wmresearch.)
The key to our singularity lies in our integration of all the disciplines of wealth management under one roof. We offer integrated services in all financial aspects including financial planning, estate planning, tax planning and preparation, asset management and risk management. Since we are an independent firm, we offer services without bias toward any financial product or retailer and on a fee-basis.
We unify the elements of our clients’ financial lives, assisting in maximizing the growth opportunities within corporate benefits packages (stock options, 401(k) and pension plans) and integrating them into their personal financial plan.
Please contact Bill Stevens at 952-843-4200 to discuss how Stevens Foster Financial Advisors may assist you in planning your future. www.stevensfoster.com
Bill Stevens is a registered principal with and offers securities through LPL Financial. Neither Stevens Foster nor LPL Financial is affiliated with Navigate Forward.
