Anime Twin Cities Board
Christina Kramer
President
From the era of Dragon Ball Z and Sailor Moon on Toonami, my passion for anime ignited like a fierce battle cry. Since 2010,
I've been wielding my devotion within Anime Detour's merchandise ranks, and in 2022, I seized the mantle of department head.
In the heart of my dwelling, a vibrant orchestra of warriors assembles—a resolute cohort of five humans, accompanied by three loyal dogs and
three steadfast cats. Each participant infuses the familial tapestry with their distinct warrior spirit, creating a home where
the spirit of battle mingles with the fervor of animated realms.
2nd Term Ends Summer 2027
Hope Kronen
Vice President
I have been a long-time attendee of Anime Detour, with my first year being in 2008. I've been blessed to have not missed a year since. I joined Staff with the Volunteer
department in 2012 as a general staffer, and then was Head of the department from 2015 through 2024.
Anime and Manga have been a huge part of my life ever since I was introduced
to them back in 2005, but like most people, I was introduced to anime much earlier in life without even realizing it (thanks Sailor Moon and DBZ).
I love this community dearly and I am looking forward to doing my part in helping it grow over the next 2 years.
1st Term Ends Summer 2026
Jeannette Wallen
Treasurer
Volunteerism has been a part of my life since my college years. I am actively involved with my professional associations (medical laboratory
field) on both a state and national level. My involvement with Anime Detour began as the solo parent chaperone for my daughter and her group of
friends back in 2008. I was an attendee-volunteer within many departments at the 2008 through the 2011 Anime Detour convention cycles before
joining the Anime Detour Staff in 2012. I started out in the Programming Department (2012-2016) and have most recently been Staff in the Volunteer
Department (2017-present). Over the years, I have witnessed the immense joy and community that the Anime Detour convention has provided the
attendees and Staff. I applied to join the Anime Twin Cities Board as Treasurer, to help continue building on this sense of
community and camaraderie.
1st Term Ends Summer 2026
Nick Nelson
Secretary
I first watched One Punch Man in late 2015 and I've been hooked on anime since. I've been to
Anime Detour a few times, and I really enjoy the passion and community that it fosters in people
with similar interests. I've volunteered with Achieving Dreams for years and I've volunteered
multiple times at Feed my Starving Children as well as the Ronald McDonald House. I thought
that working with the Anime Twin Cities board would allow me to volunteer in a field I am very
committed to. I would love to help grow the anime community in the Twin Cities and make more
connections with those who love anime. I have been working in the financial services industry
since graduating from college in 2018, where I double majored in Business Intelligence &
Analytics along with Marketing. I hope that my college and work experience will help me to
provide the best minutes possible and will allow me to provide value to the Board anywhere else
that I can!
2nd Term Ends Summer 2027
Kevin Ehrler
Member-At-Large
I've been attending Anime Detour since it's first year all those years ago, and it didn't take long before I attended my first staff meeting. I've held a number of positions at Detour over
the years including head of Artist Alley, a member of Charity Auction, and a member of the Guest Relations department. In my down time I love to watch anime, program computers, and play board games.
1st Term Ends Summer 2026
Bruce Levine
Member-At-Large
Bruce Levine, a lifelong fan of Japanese and East Asian culture, began attending conventions in 2017! He focused on this passion during his undergraduate studies
at the University of Missouri. In 2019, he moved to Omaha, Nebraska, and started staffing at Anime NebrasKon. Since December 2019, he has held a senior leadership role
in the organization's technology department. In 2023, Bruce participated in a staff exchange with Anime NebrasKon, staffing his first Anime Detour and later becoming
the department head. Professionally, he is an IT Infrastructure Engineer with over a decade of experience supporting large enterprise server environments. In his free
time, Bruce enjoys building scale models, staying updated on technology trends, and participating in various forms of gaming.
1st Term Ends Summer 2026
Lori Fischer
Member-At-Large
I have been attending Anime Detour since the first year. I joined staff in the second year as part of the cosplay department, before eventually moving over
to programming, social media, and charity departments. My favorite things to do at Anime Detour are to run workshops and workshop adjacent panels, such as
3D Printing for Cosplay. I have been a strong supporter of Anime Detour and Anime Twin Cities' charity and education outreach programs. I was the first
staff member to reach out to the library systems about partnering with Anime Detour, resulting in the formation of what we now know as the Manga Reading
Library. I have represented Anime Twin Cities at outreach events such as the Como Park Lantern Lighting (Obon) Festival and Twin Cities Con. I have also
served as a liaison between Anime Detour and Snake Discovery. I want to help build a sense of shared community around Anime Detour and Anime Twin Cities
that lasts beyond just our yearly convention.
.
1st Term Ends Summer 2027
Coordinators:
J.C. Horvath
Anime Detour Coordinator
Once upon a time, years and years ago, there was a little J.C., and he was very impressionable, for he was just beginning to appreciate anime. Before J.C. appeared an anime convention at a glorious hotel. It had extravagant cosplay and thought-provoking panels. The convention wrapped J.C. in a Pocky-scented embrace and stoked the fires of his weeb interests. “Little one,” it said, “who bears up alone in such wondrous discovery, never lose your passion for anime and logistics, even when you grow up. I give you this badge to remember this day. The first of many. You will return to me, one day.” Perhaps the badge and lanyard were an obedience collar. This was all well and good, but so impressed was J.C. that he vowed to help run a convention himself one day. But was that really such a good idea? IYKYK
Makaila Kozitza
Communications Coordinator
My love for anime began back in the 4-Kids days with their dubbing of “Mew Mew
Power” (Tokyo Mew Mew), Sonic X, and One Piece. From Studio Ghibli's movies, video
games like Katamari, and my trusty Tamagotchi - I never put together just how much I
loved Japanese media until one day it “clicked”. Many of my friends did not share these
interests - and I longed to gab with anyone who would listen about the latest game I
was playing or anime I had watched.
In 2010, I stumbled upon Anime Detour's website and begged my father for a ticket. It
wasn't until my birthday in 2011 that he had purchased us both weekend passes for the
2012 con year. We spent that first year volunteering with the Cosplay Masquerade as
Den Mothers and met so many incredible people. That first convention experience was
truly magical and transformative, and served as the catalyst in continuing to attend
cons. It became tradition for me to receive my Anime Detour badge as a birthday gift
every year following, until I began purchasing them for myself.
I went on to create an Anime Club at my high school with the intention of connecting
local fans, like me, who desperately wanted to talk about their most recent anime
obsession.
I am passionate about serving my fellow local anime fans and strive to connect more
people with Anime Twin Cities' events to ensure they are able to feel the same sense of
belonging, vigor, and magic I do.
Jacob W
Charities Coordinator
My name is Jacob and I have been working with Anime Detour for well over 5 years now. I have been in various different departments since joining, and last year I was happy to be able to assist Anime Detour as the department head for the charity department. I really do enjoy what Anime Detour brings from my first experience on staff with them. It's amazing to find people who have so many like minded interests, as that was not always the most common for me in my younger years. I now get to date myself a bit and say my favorite anime is Cowboy Bebop, though I feel it's fairly timeless so perhaps I am not dating myself as much as I think.
Alli Cassel
Special Events Coordinator
I attended my first anime convention with the first Anime Detour in 2004, falling in love with conventions in general and Detour in particular. Over years of attending, I became progressively more and more involved with Detour, eventually joining staff and becoming involved in the other branches of ATC as a result. I've loved seeing and being involved in all ATC does, and am looking forward to helping us continue to serve and entertain the local community. During my off time from ATC/AD, I work as a software engineer in the medical field and volunteer with a traveling arts outreach program, or entertaining my three cats, Artemis, Havoc, and Beatrice.
Contact Us
Anime Twin Cities5021 Vernon Ave S Box 119
Edina, MN 55436
atcboard@animetwincities.org (No Solicitations)