The PLACE Team

Chris Velasco, President

Chris Velasco is the President and Executive Director of PLACE. Chris has been actively engaged in the creation of innovative communities and sustainable facilities for nineteen years. He has worked in over two hundred communities, and has been a leader in the creation of over $500 million of new facilities. Chris worked to develop some of the nation’s early leasehold housing cooperatives for artists. His projects have won numerous awards from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the American Institute of Architects and more. Chris is a frequent keynote speaker in the areas of sustainable arts, live/work communities, ethical development, community and economic revitalization and the environment.

Elizabeth Bowling

Elizabeth has advanced degrees in law and public policy, focusing on community economic development. She is published in the prestigious Minnesota Law Review on the topic of affordable housing as a tool for metropolitan development, integration, and social justice. In addition to her work as an attorney, Elizabeth has participated in the development of several arts-related facilities, design and implementation of social services programs, and the creation of two charter schools. She has served on the board of an artist cooperative, and currently chairs the board of Anodyne Artists Company, a supportive day studio for artists with disabilities.

Tim Duffy

Founder and head of Duffy Creative, Tim has twenty years experience in designing and building affordable commercial and housing spaces for large, national corporations and small businesses. Tim recently designed and built locations for the national expansion of Kuhlman Company. He is considered a national expert in the area of creative design. Tim also is the developer/owner of the world-class Fusion Life Spa in Deephaven, Minnesota.

Peter Sieve

From 2004 to 2007, Peter managed the Consulting & New Projects arm of Artspace Projects, Inc., working to develop affordable arts-related projects with dozens of communities across the nation, initiating feasibility studies and launching broad market studies. He studied fiction writing at St. Olaf College and is an active musician, touring the country extensively with his band, Rogue Valley. Peter is passionate about the betterment of communities through smart growth, green design, the arts and affordable housing.

Kerri Stahlecker Hermann

Kerri is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School. Her legal career includes twelve years of practice with the Office of the Minnesota Attorney General. At the Attorney General’s Office, Kerri represented government clients in various areas of law including transportation, contracts, welfare benefits, child welfare, affirmative action, and mental health. Kerri also taught an appellate advocacy class at the William Mitchell Law School, and provided continuing legal education to other lawyers. Additionally, she has been actively engaged in pro bono work throughout her career, including work for Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights. Kerri and her husband own a real estate development company that focuses on rehabilitating homes.