About Minnesota Crisis Intervention Team

Learn more about our Mission and Teaching Model.

Our Mission Our Model

Our Team

Minnesota CIT was founded in 2005, by Michael Peterson and Steve Wickelgren. There was an obvious need in the First Responder community to have a better understanding of mental health related issues as more and more calls involved people having a mental health crisis.

Both Michael and Steve are retired law enforcement officers, having served their communities for many years. Furthering their careers, they have both been trained in mental health and are bringing that expertise and training to the First Responder community. Their goal was to help educate, train, and enhance the safety of first responders when responding to calls involving subjects with mental health situations.

Gennae Falconer

Executive Director

Gennae is the Executive Director for MN CIT, as well as being in charge of Staff Learning and Development.

Jerry Hutchinson

Training Director

Jerry is the Training Director for MN CIT. His role in the organization is to schedule all the classes as well as participate in them as a coach.

Peggy Hutchinson

Facilitator Manager

Peggy Hutchinson is a class facilitator for MN CIT. She helps the organization by having all the administrative materials ready for class, she also works with the site coordinators for training to make sure the facility is set up properly for class. Once class begins, she helps keep everything running smoothly.

Nancy Masson

Records Manager

Nancy is our records manager. She helps make sure all credits are recorded and sent to POST.

Cheryl Ameluxen

Office Manager

Cheryl is our office manager. She has the important responsibility to make sure each class has actors, presenters, speakers, and coaches assigned, as well as general office duties.

Leah Isaacson

Actor Coordinator

Leah is our Actor Coordinator. She is responsible for providing actors for each scenario at the trainings, as well as ensuring the actors are trained and up to speed on characteristics being portrayed in each scenario.

Sandy Behnken

Facilitator

Sandy joined our team at MN CIT and began facilitating earlier this year. She helps in greeting all attendees and speakers, and makes sure that the classes she is present at run smoothly.

Our Board

The MN CIT Board of Directors is made up of individuals who have had experience with or are currently involved with law enforcement. The board meets quarterly to ensure that all decisions for MN CIT are in line with our mission and objectives.

Rob Allen

Rob Allen is the Director of Community Security for the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of Minnesota and the Dakotas, a position in which he works to reduce both physical threats and cyber risks to the community.
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Lisa Dressler

Lisa K. Dressler is the Director of Operations and Support-Enterprise Risk & Business Continuity for the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. She is the former Director of Emergency Management for the University of Minnesota system and for the City of Minneapolis. Lisa has held positions with both Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Minnesota Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM).
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Greg Hestness

Retired, 40 years of police work.  28 years Minneapolis Police, last 9 as Deputy Chief, 12 years University of Minnesota Public Safety Assistant Vice President/Chief of Police.
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Dawanna Witt

Dawanna S. Witt was elected as the Hennepin County Sheriff on November 8, 2022. She was sworn in and took office on Tuesday, January 3, 2023. She is the first woman and person of color to hold the office.
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Tim Kingsley

Tim Kingsley serves as Board Director on the Minnesota Crisis Intervention Team, where he advocates for changing the community response to crisis incidents and people struggling with mental health. In addition Kingsley serves as a Police Chaplain and is Chief Operating Officer and Canon Pastor at Saint Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral, ordained to the priesthood in the Episcopal Church in 2017.
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Hao Q. Nguyen

Hao Q. Nguyen, came to this country as a refugee from Vietnam at the age of nine. He grew up in Saint Cloud, Minnesota. Hao was raised alongside his two older brothers by a single mother.
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501(c)3 Information

Minnesota Crisis Intervention Team is a recognized 501(c)3 organization. We have been recipients of grants and can accept donations that are tax deductible.
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