MRAC is pleased to welcome four new board members in 2026!
The Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council is the voluntary, governing body of MRAC, working primarily to safeguard financial health and provide strategic direction. The MRAC Board works in partnership with staff to ensure that the organization’s culture, practices, and relationships align with our mission, vision, and guiding principles.
The Board of Directors includes artists, former applicants and panelists, professionals, and community members, representing a diversity of disciplines, backgrounds, and all seven metro counties.
Javier Avalos (Scott county)
Since 2017, Avalos has worked for Hoċokata Ṫi, the cultural center and museum in Shakopee, operated by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community. He leads the effort to maintain the exhibit area, providing care for objects and processing new items into the SMSC collection, as well as preserving and building archival records. In his role, Avalos hopes to build access to SMSC’s holdings while also helping to share Dakota history through exhibits and collaborations with various partners. He has a BA in history from St. Cloud State University and a MA in public history from American Public University. Avalos also serves as president of the board of directors of the Scott County Historical Society. He and his wife live in Shakopee with their two children.
Allison Eklund (Ramsey county)
Eklund practices law, art, and music while building community through the arts in Minnesota. She practiced in federal Indian law for almost eight years before launching a solo practice in 2007. Her firm, Eklund Law PC, focuses on small business and nonprofit formation and governance, estate planning for families with legacy lands, equine law and policy, and arts advocacy. As an artist she paints representational landscapes and figures from life and memory, primarily in oils. Her history of equestrian activities as a horse wrangler and backcountry guide inspire paintings of wilderness and horseback adventures. A passionate advocate for artists and the arts, Eklund volunteers for Minnesota Lawyers for the Arts through the Springboard for the Arts legal services referral program and serves on the boards of several nonprofits, including the Minnesota Mandolin Orchestra and Outdoor Painters of Minnesota (OPM). She is currently the OPM events director and lead organizer of its marquis event, Plein Air Grand Marais.
Heidi Jedlicka Halvarson (Hennepin county)
Halvarson leads youth development and disaster response programming for the Medtronic Foundation. She is passionate about the power for change when working at the intersection of disciplines, sectors, and cultures. Halvarson holds an MPA from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, and certifications in equity and diversity and project management from the University of Minnesota. She has a BA in theater from the College of St. Benedict. She lives in St. Louis Park with her family and enjoys highbrow art and lowbrow TV.
Tiffany Xiong (Anoka county)
Xiong serves as an advisor and philanthropic strategist whose work bridges philanthropy, community engagement, and cross-sector strategy. With more than 13 years of experience across the nonprofit, philanthropic, and civic sectors, she partners with leaders and institutions to design and implement data-informed, values-aligned strategies that strengthen organizations and move resources toward community-led initiatives. Her work focuses on building the infrastructure, relationships, and strategies needed to advance both incremental progress and long-term systems change. She serves on the boards and committees of several local and national organizations, including Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP), the Metropolitan Alliance of Connected Communities (MACC), the Shavlik Family Foundation, Sahan Journal, and the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) Core Values Awards.