Who We Are

Ramon Pastrano,  President – CEO

With over 25 years of experience in leadership among many different cultures around the world, Ramon founded ImpactLives in 2007 to create a dual model of transformational leadership and social innovation. His model is designed to teach and optimize service leadership, development and cross-cultural awareness, which leads to social innovation and produces sustainable humanitarian work. In other words, transforming communities - one life at a time. Ramon inspires and leads the ImpactLives team to achieve greatness, aspiring to the highest standards.
 
Ramon’s global experience is vast. He has lived in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, and has traveled extensively for humanitarian efforts throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Israel, Jordan, India, Palestine, Africa, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Korea, China, Cambodia, Thailand and Japan.As a graduate of the U.S. Naval Supply Corps School, Ramon served as a Commanding Officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve. He received his Bachelor of Arts. from Briar Cliff University in Sioux City, Iowa, and his Master of Arts in Theological studies from Bethel Seminary in St Paul, Minnesota. Ramon is currently finishing his Doctorate in the Emerging Leader program at Bethel University, St. Paul, Minnesota.Ramon’s vision and expertise is broad and includes: business development, strategic planning, organizational and transformational leadership, marketing and sales. Prior to creating ImpactLives, Ramon spent 15 years as a surgical consultant and medical device specialist. He has received recognition from Pfizer, Medtronic and Warner-Lambert, and is the recipient of the Doctor Act Award presented by TRANS4M Council for Research and Innovation in Switzerland. This award is given in recognition for outstanding achievement in Social Innovation.
 
Never one to sit on the sidelines, Ramon has a Master Degree (5th) in Tae Kwon Do and Aaki-Jiu-Jitsu. Other interests include ballroom dance and dance sports, and he played semi-pro basketball in the Puerto Rican Professional Basketball League. He loves music, theater and strategic sports, and maintains an interest in surgical procedures. Ramon enjoys family time with his wife, Shelly, and sons Xavier and Kryston. He lives in Maple Grove, Minnesota.

Kim Olstad, Training and Development

Kim Olstad’s experience in not-for-profit organizations is extensive and includes roles in educational institutions (Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, California; Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Indiana; Youth Leadership, St. Paul, Minnesota; and Bethel University, St. Paul, Minnesota); churches (Saint Barnabas Lutheran Church, Plymouth, Minnesota, and Plymouth Covenant Church, Plymouth, Minnesota); and an agency that launched a senior home (Consortium at Carondelet Village, St. Paul, Minnesota). She has also served as a volunteer with several agencies including leadership with the Saint Paul Interfaith Network, and City Life Center, where she was a board member.
 
She has traveled for humanitarian trips to Nicaragua, as well as locations in the United States (New Orleans, Louisiana; Laurel, Mississippi; Grand Forks, North Dakota; and Minneapolis, St. Peter and Red Lake Indian Reservation, Minnesota).
 
With her broad range of experience, it’s no surprise that Kim chooses to focus on training and leadership development, where she brings a passion for empowering individuals and organizations to have action flow from their belief.
 
Kim recently finished her Master of Divinity at Bethel Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. She also has a Master of Nonprofit Administration from the University of San Francisco in San Francisco, California, and a Bachelor of Arts in History and Secondary Education from Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana.
 
Kim lives in Plymouth, Minnesota with her husband Stuart and dogs, Rosco and Zula. Their two children, Jessie and Conor, are both college students.
 

Mikelle Mosier, Service Learning and Event Manager

Mikelle Mosier joined ImpactLives in the summer of 2011, after completing her Bachelor of Arts from Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she graduated cum laude with a major in International Development. Always a self-starter looking to optimize her experiences, Mikelle designed this custom program of studies, which combined multi-disciplinary courses including social change, race, gender, reconciliation, economic development, religion and political revolution. While at Bethel, Mikelle was also the executive director of leadership with the Bethel Student Association. Other studies include Students for International Training and Development Studies in Uganda, and presenting development research at the Kellogg and Family Ford Foundation Development Conference at the University Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana.
 
Prior to ImpactLives, Mikelle was the alumni program and event coordinator at Breaking Free, a non-profit organization serving to empower exploited women. Other experience include roles as assistant director at Discovery Day Camp, part of Colorado Springs Disabilities and Cultural Services, and internships in the Human Resources department of Compassion International, where she worked on employee engagement and served in a research role at the Child Development Center in Uganda. She also volunteered at New Hope Homes in Kigali, Rwanda.
 
Originally from Colorado Springs, Colorado, Mikelle has traveled to Uganda, Rwanda, Bolivia and Brazil for humanitarian work, and believes supporting the dreams and aspirations of our youth and children builds hope for our future.
 
Outside of work, she loves music, outdoor fitness (hiking, swimming, snowboarding, kayaking and sailing), and is active in her church. She and her husband, Kegan, live in New Brighton, Minnesota.

Laura Thompson, Event and Office Manager

Laura Thompson has traveled to Costa Rica, Egypt, Peru, India and Kenya for mission work, and joined Impact Lives in June 2011. Prior to working at ImpactLives, she worked at William Sonoma, where she was the winner of the Catch the Spirit Award. She has also spent considerable time as a nanny, planning and developing creative activities for children and parents that promote the physical, intellectual and social development of children, while maximizing family time.
 
A graduate of Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois, Laura obtained a Bachelors of Science in Housing and Environmental Design, where she was also the secretary of American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences.
 
Laura enjoys painting and organizing, spending time with family and friends, and is involved with her church, where she volunteers with the youth group. She lives in St. Louis Park, Minnesota.

Melissa Kalal, Director of Operations

Melissa Kalal is a proven change agent that builds healthy, effective and efficient organizations. With an intuitive belief that people are the heart and soul of any organization, no time is wasted admiring a problem. Melissa leads the operations for ImpactLives with an entrepreneurial spirit and a focus on results. Her goal: to build teams that function as one, solid strategic front.
 
A graduate of Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, Minnesota, she earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in Organizational Management and Music. She has over 20 years of for-profit corporate and creative agency experience leading client-focused teams, strategic project management, human resources and technological management.
 
Melissa is currently co-principal at Modern Culture, a consulting partnership that builds cultures of excellence. Previous experience includes 10 years at Little & Company as vice president of operations and organizational effectiveness, and project management roles for both small and large companies including The Musicland Group, General Growth Management, Kilter and Winslow Printing.
 
Active in the Twin Cities music community, Melissa plays her French horn and is on the Board of Directors for the Wayzata Symphony Orchestra, Wayzata, Minnesota. She is also a member of the Ars Nova Brass Quintet, St. Paul, Minnesota. Melissa lives in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, with her husband, Wayne. She has three stepchildren, Mason, Megan and Madison, and one beloved but barking dog, Piper.
 
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