Our Team

The team at Minnesota Realtors® is committed to supporting association members with the tools, knowledge and support they need to thrive.

Leadership Team

Board of Directors

Staff

2025 Leadership Team

Minnesota Realtors® all-volunteer leadership team draws on the deep experience and far-reaching vision of dedicated leaders in our industry.

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Patti Jo Fitzpatrick

President

Coldwell Banker Realty
St. Paul, MN

After pioneering the new role of first vice president in 2023, Patti Jo Fitzpatrick steps up to president-elect for 2024. Bringing more than 30 years of experience to the office, Fitzpatrick is an associate broker at Coldwell Banker Realty in St. Paul. Previously, she was president of the St. Paul Area Association of Realtors® (SPAAR) in 2019 and named SPAAR’s Realtor® of the Year.

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Wendy Uzelac

President-Elect

RE/MAX Thousand Lakes
Grand Rapids, MN

With over 31 years as a Realtor® and 20 years as broker of the RE/MAX Thousand Lakes office in Grand Rapids, Wendy Uzelac is a deeply experienced real estate professional dedicated to maintaining high ethical and professional standards. As first vice president, Uzelac will serve as vice chair of the Finance Committee and manage the development and rollout of MNR’s annual strategic plan. During her year in office, she will participate in local and state events, attend legislative meetings and a conference and expo hosted by the National Association of Realtors® (NAR). Additionally, she will fill in during events that the president and president-elect cannot attend.

Uzelac holds a Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) real estate designation and is a recipient of the RE/MAX Hall of Fame Award, which honors agents who earn more than $1 million in commissions during their careers. A past president of the Itasca County Board of Realtors®, she serves the Grand Rapids community as Centennial Rotary Club past president. She belongs to the local chapter of Business Network International (BNI).

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LeRoy Bendickson

Treasurer

Edina Realty
Minneapolis, MN

LeRoy Bendickson currently serves as Treasurer of the Minnesota Realtors® Leadership Team, playing a key role in the association's financial strategy and initiatives. He previously served as Treasurer for Minneapolis Area Realtors® (MAR) in 2020.

Bendickson began his career in the office products and furniture industry, owning and operating his own business before transitioning to real estate in 1992 with Edina Realty.

A U.S. Army veteran (1966–1969), Bendickson earned a business degree from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Business in 1974 and a mini master’s in real estate from St. Thomas University in 2004. He is currently pursuing a master’s in advocacy and political leadership at Metro State.

As a dedicated advocate for housing issues, Bendickson attends Realtor® Day at the Capitol and the Mid-Term Convention annually. He has served on numerous local, state, and national Realtor® committees and founded the Minnesota Good Neighbor Award to honor Realtors’® community-building efforts.

In addition to his real estate career, Bendickson volunteers with several charities and founded the Real Estate Riders, a nonprofit that has raised over $3 million for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Bendickson holds CRS, GRI, AHWD, Green Realtor, and C2EX designations and has received numerous awards, including MAR’s Realtor® of the Year (2017) and President’s Award (2024).

Babatunde Shonoiki

First Vice President

Lakes Area Realty
Minneapolis, MN

Babatunde Shonoiki's real estate career began over 20+ years ago. After two years at Apartment Search in Uptown, he joined Lakes Area Realty where he has remained since. In addition to his expansive experience as a residential Realtor®, Shonoiki brings over a decade of experience in commercial real estate. He holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from St. Thomas University and is a licensed Minnesota Real Estate Broker.

Shonoiki is dedicated to working with first-time and first-generation homebuyers, particularly those in need of assistance with financing options, including Riba-free, Sharia-compliant, and non-interest-bearing programs. Through his partnership with the African Development Center, he had the unique opportunity to close the first non-interest-bearing mortgage loan in the state of Minnesota.

A strong advocate for the Realtor® community, Shonoiki has been involved in the Professional Standards Committee for over 10 years, serving as Chair. He has also served as Vice Chair of the Policy Committee for Minnesota Realtors® and on his local association’s Board of Realtors®.

Geri Theis

Immediate Past President

Scenic City Realty
Redwood Falls, MN

Serving as MNR president-elect in 2023, Geri Theis began her term as MNR president in January 2024. The owner and broker of Scenic City Realty in Redwood Falls, Theis has served in a range of roles in the association, including 2022 MNR treasurer, the Realtors® Political Action Committee (RPAC) and the Federal Political Coordinator (FPC) program, and MNR’s Professional Standards, and Governmental Affairs committees. In 2020, her work was recognized with the MNR Realtor® of the Year award. During her term, Theis said she will work to promote diversity in the real estate industry and continue providing a strong voice for small businesses in Greater Minnesota.

Board of Directors

Managing the business and affairs of Minnesota Realtors®, the Board of Directors is a volunteer body comprised of diverse real estate professionals from across the state.

View List of Board Members

Staff

From expertise in law and government affairs to education, marketing and events, Minnesota Realtors®’ team is dedicated to helping our members thrive in their careers.

Senior Staff

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Josh McFall

Chief Executive Officer

Josh McFall has been named the new chief executive officer of Minnesota Realtors® (MNR). He comes to the state association by way of Alabama, where he served as CEO of the Huntsville Area Association of REALTORS® (HAAR) and ValleyMLS.com.

McFall holds the National Association of REALTORS® REALTOR® Certified Association Executive (RCE) Designation, (NAR) ePRO Certification, At Home with Diversity (AHWD) Certification, and the Commitment to Excellence Endorsement (C2EX). He has earned the American Society of Association Executive’s (ASAE) top-level designation, Certified Association Executive (CAE).

Originally from Florence, Alabama, McFall holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Communication from the University of North Alabama and a master’s degree in Communication from Auburn University. Prior to his time at HAAR, he served as vice president of Strategic Development at the Alabama Association of REALTORS® (AAR) where he managed the state association’s strategic initiatives, professional development, and association communications. McFall has also served on faculty at Auburn University, Huntingdon College, Auburn University-Montgomery, and Jefferson State Community College teaching courses in communication.

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Carrie Andersen

Chief Member Engagement Officer

Since joining Minnesota Realtors® in 1994, Carrie has held many different positions.  In her current role, she directs the activities of Member Services, including board administration, outreach, education and events such as Housing Day at the Capitol and UNITE, the association’s annual member convention. Born and raised in Racine, WI, she is an alumnus of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and a member of the Pi Beta Phi Sorority.

Heather Meier

Chief Finance & Operations Officer

Heather Meier comes to MNR with considerable experience having served as CFO/COO at both the American Clean Power Association and The Nature Conservancy (External Affairs), and as a finance executive at General Mills. Additionally, she serves as a board member for the Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness, a member of the Minnesota Chapter of the CFO Leadership Council, and a mentor with TeamWomen and Menttium.

Heather holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Admin-Accounting and a master’s degree in Agricultural Economics (from Penn State). She and her husband reside with their two terriers in a historic home in Monticello.

Paul Eger

Senior Vice President, Governmental Affairs

Leading the activities of Minnesota Realtors®’ Government Affairs team, Paul advocates at the state capitol for legislation that supports Realtors® and protects the rights of homeowners.

Joining Minnesota Realtors® after nearly 14 years in the Executive and Legislative branches of state government, Paul served as Commissioner of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) from 2009 – 2010 during the tenure of Governor Tim Pawlenty. Before that, he held a variety of positions at MPCA, including Legislative Liaison, Clean Water Policy Manager, Assistant Commissioner for Water Policy, and Deputy Commissioner.

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Jonathan Kopecky

Senior Vice President, Legal Affairs

Jonathan Kopecky graduated from the University of St. Thomas in 1995 with a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in political science and theology. He then received his Juris Doctorate from the Saint Louis University School of Law in 1998, and has been licensed to practice law in both Iowa (since 1999) and Minnesota (since 2003). Jon practiced real estate law for five years as an associate at Ackley, Kopecky & Kingery, LLP and then practiced canon law for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis for eight years.

In May 2013, Jon started as MNR’s director of professional standards. He was responsible for processing and reviewing formal ethics complaints filed by both the public and other licensed real estate agents. His duties included interfacing with the public and agents regarding potential ethical concerns, administering grievance reviews to ascertain the merit of ethics complaints, and administering hearing panels to ensure that all parties to an allegation are heard. He has extensive knowledge of the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) Code of Ethics, in addition to real estate law. Jon holds a Certificate of Scholastic Achievement for Instruction in the Professional Standards Administration Program from the NAR Executives Institute.