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
Denon Schaefer
Vice President
Denon has moved through many environments which have taught him how to adjust, survive, and ultimately thrive, shaping the heart of
who he is. As Bruce Lee said, “Be formless, shapeless, like water.” Whether by necessity or instinct, he has learned to become water - flowing
where he must, crashing when needed, and reshaping himself without losing his essence. Those experiences, paired with navigating life with
limited resources, have deeply informed his values of empathy, resilience, and care.
I'm motivated to join the Board because I value
creating inclusive and diverse spaces where everyone can find joy, connection, and a sense of belonging. I bring a creative, adaptable
approach to challenges and enjoy finding innovative solutions when unexpected issues arise. There's a special magic to what ATC brings
to the community that we all cherish, I want to protect that magic and help it grow so that we and future generations can enjoy
it for years to come.
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.
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 to help continue building on this sense
of community and camaraderie.
2nd Term Ends Summer 2028
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
David (Echo) O'Donnell
Member-At-Large
I first learned of Anime Detour from my schools Anime and Game Clubs in 2007, and it opened my eyes
to the greater nerd community. In 2009, my friends and I took our passion for Pokémon and joined Anime Detour
Gaming Staff to run our first Pokémon League Challenge. After that I started hosting many other tournaments and
events in the Greater Community.In 2013 I hosted my first Pokémon Center Room Party, which is Detour's second
longest running Room Party. What had started as a joke between Detour Gaming staff years before became reality
in 2014 when I left to start my own convention MN PokéCon, where I've continued to support the local community!
In 2024 after chatting with Buttons about how much Detour had changed, I was convinced to come back and I took
over the Room Party Department after the previous Head stepped down. I then rebuilt the Department using my
experience of hosting Room Parties for over a decade. The Room Party Department has now had two years in a row
with no major medical, security, or biohazard incidents and has grown significantly! I want to continue to better
and grow the Community for many years to come! I've seen firsthand how much Anime Detour has grown over the years
and since coming back how much it's changed for the better. I want to help to make Anime Detour and the Community
even better for many years to come!
1st Term Ends Summer 2028
Josh S
Member-At-Large
My first year at Detour I volunteered for badging and selling t shirts. I loved the community they built and
felt so welcomed. The next year I joined staff and have been working in merchandise since. Anime has a story for
everyone and it's great to see the creative ways we can come together and celebrate that. With as long as I've
been just helping on staff I figured it's time to step up and do my part with ATC since there's a need to be filled.
1st Term Ends Summer 2028
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)