Board Member Profile: Alli Stolper Hearne

Thank you for serving on Bet Shalom’s Board of Trustees, Alli! Let's help the congregation get to know you better with this interview. Please tell us about your family, your history in Minnesota, and when you joined Bet Shalom. 

I come from a long line of Southern and Midwestern Jews who have kept our traditions going in unlikely places like Muskogee, Oklahoma. I grew up in Kansas City – my parents Dan and Jennie Stolper introduced my brother Jeff and me to reform Judaism through religious school, summer camp at Goldman Union Camp Institute, and lots of family dinners and simchas. 

My husband Mike and I met walking down the street at Indiana University. Mike is a BBQ pitmaster, Excel wiz and makes friends with everyone he meets. Over the past 20 years together we established our life in the Twin Cities where he grew up. Our family has grown to include Hannah, 6, a dancer and artist who is full of sass, and Sam, 9, a budding chess player, Rubik’s cube fanatic and aspiring engineer. 

And your professional life?

After graduate school at Northwestern University studying Integrated Marketing Communications, I began at General Mills almost 17 years ago. I still work there today, currently leading the website teams. I’m proud to work for a company that values diversity, inclusion and belonging - I’ve had the chance to help plan the annual MLK breakfast benefitting UNCF and to launch Looking Glass Books, a nonprofit I operated during the pandemic that distributed diverse children’s books. 

Tell us about your previous involvement at Bet Shalom. 

We joined in 2019 when Sam started kindergarten. I am in my third year of teaching kindergarten at religious school, where my kids also attend. 

And now you’re on the Bet Shalom Board of Trustees. What has your experience been like?

The highlights of my board experience are connecting with people in different life stages, engaging in meaningful conversations about our strategic framework and dancing with the Torah on Simchat Torah.

What do you do in your spare time?

I love to read historical fiction and take walks while listening to podcasts like The Daily and This American Life. I love a Friday afternoon challah bake, a field trip to a museum, and an adventure with my family and friends to a new place. I also love a good cake decorating challenge.

Favorite Jewish Holiday and foods?

It wouldn’t be Passover, my favorite Jewish holiday, without a house full of folding chairs and charoset with pecans. My Nana’s brisket and latkes from a cast iron skillet on the grill always bring me home. I’ve never met a (Jewish) cookie I didn’t like.

Final thoughts?

It’s a pleasure to be part of this inclusive community and to have the honor and responsibility of carrying on our traditions to the next generation - L'dor Vador.