“Safe Haven is honored to welcome Judyth Babst, Debra Ann Cervenka and Melissa Kadlec as new board members. Each one brings a wealth of experience in serving their communities that will enhance our efforts to serve battered women. We look forward to working with them during their terms on the board,” says Susan Utech, Executive Director of Safe Haven.

Melissa Kadlec  is Marketing Manager at Citon Computer Corp. Kadlec’s successful career includes positions with Charter Communications as a marketing and public relations manager and Executive Director of Duluth Sister Cities International. She is a graduate of St. Cloud State University.  Kadlec has been an active member of the Duluth community serving on various boards including the Duluth-Växjö Soccer Exchange, Duluth Legacy Endowment Fund & Duluth Art Institute and Duluth Sister Cities International.

Debra Ann Cervenka  was an officer and on the Board of Directors of Phillips Plastics Corporation, serving as Executive Vice President, responsible for Marketing, Sales and People Services until the Cervenkas sold the company in December 2010.  She has dedicated the past eight years to non-profit work and currently serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees of The Nature Conservancy – Wisconsin Chapter, Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of Northland College, Chair of the Philanthropy Committee – Ecumen, and serves on the Board of Visitors of the School of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Wisconsin.

Judyth Babst  is a co-founder and board member of the Duluth Girls Hockey Association and volunteer at Hartley Nature Center.  Babst graduated from the University Of Minnesota with a BS in Occupational Therapy. She has worked with St Luke’s Home Health Care, Duluth Public Schools and Northern Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. An outdoors enthusiast and avid gardener, she is currently a member of three garden clubs (Longview, Unitarian Universalist, and Wild Ones). 

The three new members join a fourteen-member board that oversees Safe Haven’s finances, strategic planning, policies and practices.