Business people

Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul, named Kent Whitworth director and executive officer effective July 1. Whitworth is executive director for the Kentucky Historical Society and served on the board for the Aviation Museum of Kentucky.

Model Cities, St. Paul, named Kizzy Downie chief executive effective Aug. 6. Downie joined the nonprofit in 2006 and held leadership roles including director of community services.

Operation Homefront named David Stibbe area manager. Stibbe was manager of the care partners program at University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital and was executive director for the American Liver Foundation Upper Midwest Division.

Rochester Area Economic Development Inc. named Ryan Nolander president effective June 4. Nolander is the executive director of the Albert Lea Economic Development Agency.

Rapp Strategies, Minneapolis, named Todd Stone senior director. Stone was a senior leader for the Houston Chronicle and a former business editor for Star Tribune.

Bremer Bank, St. Paul, named Liam Higgins vice president, nonprofit banking. Higgins is a loan committee member for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Minnesota and served on the board for Aeon.

The Minnesota Society of Certified Public Accountants (MNCPA), Bloomington, named Becky Keran board chairwoman. Keran is executive director, accounting for Health Fitness Corp. in Bloomington. MNCPA also named to the board Bob Cedergren, Stephanie Markert and Jerome Reutzel.

Carnegie Corp. of New York named Erika Lee an Andrew Carnegie Fellow. Lee is a professor of history in the University of Minnesota's College of Liberal Arts and director of the University's Immigration History Research Center.

Reference and User Services Association's History Section gave the Learning History Research and Innovation Award to Jenny McElroy. McElroy is a reference librarian for the Minnesota Historical Society's Gale Family Library.