Bio

Linda L. Hoeschler, a New York native and St. Paul resident since 1968, has enjoyed a business and non-profit career leading the turnaround, building and management of organizations.

From May 1991 through July 2003, she was Executive Director of the St. Paul-based American Composers Forum, which she led from its position as a small regional organization to become a nationally significant arts leader.

Prior to joining the Forum, Hoeschler worked for 14 years in the corporate sector, including roles as vice president of the Dayton Hudson (now Target) Corporation, group vice president of National Computer Systems, and president of Landmark Investors, Ltd.  From 1976 to 1977 she directed the Minnesota Governor’s Commission on the Arts; during the seven previous years she worked as writer, editor and arts critic for several Twin Cities newspapers and magazines.

Hoeschler has served on several business and many charitable boards over the years. She currently serves as trustee of the Ascendium Education Group (formerly Great Lakes Higher Education Corp), the Hampsong Foundation, and Regions Hospital Foundation. She also chairs the advisory board for PBS Undertold Stories Project, housed at the University of St. Thomas and serves on the Artistic Advisory Committee of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. 

She is a past member of the Minnesota Governor’s Commission on Education (Committee Chair), North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (Vice Chair), and the National Education Policy Information Center.

Prior board memberships include the Minnesota Women’s Economic Roundtable (President), Lark String Quartet (President), American Council for the Arts (Treasurer), Jerome Foundation (Treasurer), Milkweed Editions (Chair), Northwest Area Foundation (Finance and Investments Chair), Delegation for Friendship Among Women (President), Collegeville Institute (Secy/Treas), Chamber Music America (Treas), St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Ordway Music Theatre, Minnesota Dance Theater, VocalEssence, Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies, Landmark Center, Dodge Nature Center, Madison Council of the Library of Congress, United Theological Seminary, St. John’s University (Chair, Student Development), University of St. Thomas (Executive Committee), and Opus College of Business. She was also a company board member of Personnel Decisions Research, Inc. and the Gift Certificate Company.

Hoeschler is an honors graduate of Barnard College, and a Herbert Lehman Fellow at the New School University where she received her M.A. with highest honors.  In 2003 she was awarded Doctor of Humane Letters degrees by St. John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota and by the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul.

She is married to Peter Blyberg. She has two children, Kristen Hoeschler (Terence) O’Brien and Frederick Reeves (Julia) Hoeschler, plus two grandsons.

Resume

DEGREES

1966     B.A.      Barnard College, Columbia University, New York, NY, Government, with honors.

1968    M.A.      New School for Social Research, New York, NY, Political Science and Economics, with highest honors. Herbert Lehman Fellow.

2003     L.H.D.    Saint John’s University, Collegeville, MN (Honorary)
L.H.D.    University of Saint Thomas, Saint Paul, MN (Honorary)

EMPLOYMENT

August 2003-
AMERICAN COMPOSERS FORUM

National Consultant

May 1991 to August 2003     

AMERICAN COMPOSERS FORUM, St. Paul, MN

Executive Director

The American Composers Forum is one of the largest composer service organizations in the world (over 1800 members) offering 15 innovative programs that significantly support 7500 composers and performers each year.

Responsibilities and Accomplishments

Recruited by Twin Cities music leaders to rescue the Forum following disastrous decline. Developed long term strategic plan for disciplined turnaround and growth, reconfigured operations, redesigned all programming, built significant constituent relations and initiated record fund raising.

—Effected organization turnaround and positioned it for rapid growth, increasing annual operating budget from $280,000 to over $3,000,000, multiplying institutional donors from 8 to 85, and tripling programs. Implemented standard-setting planning, governance, finance and personnel practices; eliminated deficit, secured endowment funds.

—Propelled Forum from a modest regional to a high-impact national organization with ten chapters; national board, and award-winning national programs including several in partnership with the Library of Congress and the White House.

— Expanded live audiences and users from several thousand to over 400,000 each year. Millions more encountered the Forum annually through its daily and weekly nationally-distributed radio programs, record label and web presence, as well as through PBS specials and national press coverage.

 

September 1987 to May 1991      

LANDMARK INVESTORS, LTD., Minneapolis, MN

President

Explored and managed business investment opportunities and provided consulting services in marketing and strategic planning to small companies and inventors.

 

August 1983 to September 1987

NATIONAL COMPUTER SYSTEMS, Minneapolis, MN

Group Vice President, reporting to President

NCS is a manufacturer of optical mark reading equipment (scanners) and provider of complementary tools (software, forms, services, published products, and systems) primarily in the education, professional counseling, and financial services markets. The company's revenues were $83 million in 1983 and $260 million in 1986.

Responsibilities and Accomplishments:

Charged with repositioning Professional Assessment Services (PAS) after loss of its most significant product (40% sales and profits). Retooled operations, constituent relations and finances of this publisher and distributor of clinical and vocational assessment tests.

—Achieved PAS turnaround in two years. Produced a disciplined strategic plan to offset division's loss of its primary product by developing alternative products and markets.

—Increased sales by 67% to $10.2 million and negotiated 50% product additions.

—Improved profits by 126%, to 21% pretax in 1986, with no headcount change.  Increased customer base by 20%, despite 1/3 initial loss.

—Reversed NCS’ reputation and became recognized as a premier ethical test publisher and dominant force with quality products and the most innovative computerized delivery systems.

In May 1985 was assigned responsibility for the Human Resources Products Division, a start-up strategic business (1983) which developed and distributed computer based applications for personnel departments including: an information management system, applicant tracking product, attitude survey, and assessment instruments.

—Developed a strategic plan and implemented operations to penetrate this new market and with near break-even P/L results.

 

April 1977 to August 1983     

DAYTON HUDSON (TARGET) CORPORATION, Minneapolis, MN

Dayton Hudson (now Target) is a premier national retailer with divisions then representing department, discount and specialty stores. Sales volume was $2.5 billion in 1977 and $7 billion in 1983.  B. Dalton was a chain of over 700 bookstores with 1982 sales of $374 million and 1983 sales of $445 million.

Regional Sales Manager, B. Dalton Bookseller

January 1982 to August 1983.

Responsibilities and Accomplishments:

Position provided diversified operating experience, part of a fast-track development program for executives viewed as having CEO potential. Managed 17 Minnesota, South Dakota and Iowa bookstores with total annual sales of $9 million and 150 employees.  Also supervised "Hooked on Books," a national mail-order business.

—Increased region's sales by 33% (existing stores).  Region was number one in: sales increase, sales versus plan, profitability, ROI, shortage and expense control in 1983.

—Based on employee feedback and observation, introduced store productivity and innovation programs which B. Dalton then adopted for nationwide use.

 

Vice President, Communications, Dayton Hudson Corporation

April 1978 to January 1982.

Responsibilities and Accomplishments:

Recruited as Director and promoted to Vice President in 1980. Managed the external and internal communications of the Dayton Hudson Corporation, and monitored the corporate management process, communicating and tracking staff and operating company assignments. Member of all DHC acquisition and divestiture task forces. Advised senior management on the strategic handling of public interest issues and coordinated corporate and operating company personnel; served as negotiator and spokesperson on important issues. One of 6 corporate pyramid heads and 7 vice-presidents with a 12-person staff and $600,000 budget.

—Initiated a media strategy to increase both the amount and consistency of coverage of DHC.  Negotiated regular features by the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Fortune, and other national media (national coverage more than doubled each year for four years) that helped produce significant DHC stock price increases.

—Designed an executive speaking program to benefit the corporation on a nation-wide scale: developed themes and speeches on topics of critical interest to the corporation; obtained speaking invitations for officers from noted national organizations; and secured press publicity, radio broadcasts and reprints in journals.

 

Grants Coordinator, Dayton Hudson Corporate Foundation

April 1977 to April 1978.

Responsibilities and Accomplishments:

Managed grants of $3 million of corporate foundation funds (of a $7 million total giving budget) to non-profit agencies in Minnesota, Oklahoma, Colorado, Illinois and California.  Also advised recipients on finances, organization, management and services.  Managed publication of the Foundation's first award-winning annual report.

—Strategized the Foundation's new arts giving program, devising standards for grants as well as formulas for allocating funds; this structure continued for at least 20 years.

 

July 1976 to April 1977         

MINNESOTA GOVERNOR’S COMMISSION ON THE ARTS, St. Paul, MN

Managing Editor

This study commission was set up in August 1975 by the Governor of Minnesota to research and report on the economic impact as well as significant fiscal and program features of the state's non-profit arts organizations.  The results of the report enabled the Governor to recommend a much higher level of funding for the Minnesota State Arts Board.

Responsibilities and Accomplishments:

Designed and directed the strategic and operational restructuring of this year-old Commission at a point of near-collapse and political fiasco.

—Immediately initiated an operations plan to: outline critical information needed by the Governor and Legislature; evaluate existing work and determine content and strategic validity; undertake new research in the most effective and efficient manner; produce a substantial report in time for the next Legislative session.

—Developed and edited a 278-page report, Minnesota: State of the Arts, which triggered a 400% appropriation increase to the Minnesota State Arts Board and which the National Endowment for the Arts used as a model for other state studies.


September 1969 to July 1976

FREELANCE WRITER, EDITOR AND LECTURER, St. Paul, MN

Wrote cultural reviews plus feature stories for the Minneapolis Star, Saint Paul Pioneer Press and Northwest Architect Magazine.  Wrote capital funding prospectuses for Landmark Center and The Science Museum of Minnesota, national award-winning annual reports for the St. Paul Ramsey Arts and Science Council, and exhibit scripts for the The Science Museum of Minnesota. Lectured on the arts and on music criticism. 

SELECTED BOARD ACTIVITIES

2009-2015                   Collegeville Institute for Ecumenical Studies, Board and Finance Chair

2009-2014                   University of St. Thomas, College of Arts and Science Advisory Board

2005-2007                   Madison Council, Library of Congress

2004-13; 2016-20 Saint John’s University (MN), Board of Trustees.

2003- 2008                  University of St. Thomas Business School, Board of Advisors and guest lecturer.

2001-2014                   Northwest Area Foundation, Trustee Chair and Director; Chair, Investment Committee.

1992-2003          University of St. Thomas (MN), Board of Trustees, Executive Committee.

1991-2001          Gift Certificate Center, Board of Directors.

1990-2001          Jerome Foundation, Board of Trustees and Treasurer.

1990 -                 Northstar Student Loan Guarantee, Inc. (now Great Lakes Higher Education Corporation) Board of Directors and former Vice Chairperson.

1990-2016          Delegation for Friendship Among Women, President. (1996-2005; 2008-) and Board member

1989-2000          Personnel Decisions Research, Inc., Board of Directors.

1985-1988          Lark String Quartet, Board of Trustees; President 1987-1988.

1984-1990          North Central Regional Educational Laboratory, Chicago, Board of Directors; Vice President.

1983-1984          Minnesota Governor's Commission on Education for Economic Growth; Subcommittee Chair.

1981-2005          Minnesota Women's Economic Roundtable, member; President, 1991-92.