KEDA Board & Staff
Board of Directors
Executive Committe
Andrew Lahti
VICE CHAIR
President,
Andrew Lahti Contracting
Brian Baccus
CHAIR
President,
Peninsula Powder Coating
Jerry Wuorenmaa
TREASURER
Executive Director,
Western Upper Peninsula Planning & Development Region
Board of Directors
Full Board
Brad Barnett
Executive Director,
Keweenaw Chamber of Commerce - Keweenaw CVB
David Rowe
CEO,
MTEC SmartZone
Dean Woodbeck
City Council,
City of Hancock
Ryan Heinonen
CEO,
UP Health System – Portage
Jeff Ratcliffe
Executive Director,
KEDA
Kevin Codere
President,
Peninsula Copper Industries
Mike LaMotte
Commissioner,
Keweenaw County & Fitzgerald's Hotel and Restaurant
Debbie Stouffer
President,
Baraga County Chamber of Commerce
Tom Tikkanen
Commissioner,
Houghton County & Superior Properties
Ian Repp
AVP University Marketing & Communications,
Michigan Technological University
David Paananen
Account Executive,
Upper Peninsula Power Co.
Tim Gasperich
Supervisor,
Charter Township of Calumet
Eric Waara
City Manager,
City of Houghton
Melanee Tiura
CAO,
Aspirus Keweenaw Hospital
Debbie Stouffer
President,
Baraga County Chamber of Commerce
KEDA Staff
Jeff Ratcliffe
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Jeff has a wide range of community and economic development experience. Over his 25 year economic development career in small rural communities he has worked with manufacturers and commercial businesses to identify financing and operational problems, obtain expansion financing and address management issues; worked with manufacturers and commercial businesses to solve employee screening, training, infrastructure and regulatory issues; worked with identified prospects to provide custom site location information package incentives and numerous business locations resulting in new jobs and millions of dollars in new investment; identified, packaged and managed infrastructure development to serve business expansions and locations; counseled start up and existing businesses, reviewed business plans, facilitated strategic planning, provided ongoing financial review and packaged loans for bank and EDC-managed revolving loan fund financing.
Ryan Moyer
BUSINESS RETENTION & OUTREACH SPECIALIST
Ryan has a unique background that makes him especially suited for the role of Business Retention and Outreach Specialist. Ryan owned a small business outside St. Louis, MO for seven years, and has extensive experience in dealing with different issues that arise in the small business world. He has been involved in leadership in local networking groups and understands the importance of supporting small businesses. He also has approx. 10 years of management and customer service experience that has helped hone his business and people skills. Ryan is highly motivated to help the local economy grow and to continue to give small businesses the resources they need to thrive and grow in this region. Ryan considers himself a people person, is all about communication and relationship building, has a positive and optimistic nature about himself, and is excited to help our local small businesses succeed.
Nikki Madisen
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
Nikki serves as the Administrative Assistant for the Keweenaw Economic Development Alliance, bringing extensive experience in nonprofit administration, event coordination, and organizational operations. In her role at KEDA, she provides essential office support and manages grant reporting, financial tracking, and administrative systems that support the organization’s programs and strategic initiatives.
Prior to joining KEDA, Nikki worked for several years in nonprofit administration, where she gained hands-on experience with day-to-day organizational operations, grant development and reporting, and 501(c)(3) financial management. She also spent ten years as an educator, experience that strengthened her skills in communication, organization, and collaboration. Together, these experiences inform her detail-oriented and systems-focused approach to supporting KEDA’s economic and community development work.