Meet the
Maria’s Voice Team
Bill Pew
Co-Founder, Maria’s Dad
Bill’s proudest achievement is being dad to Maria Pew. Maria and Bill were close buddies from the start. He shared his love of dogs, horses, boating and nature with Maria. Bill taught Maria to snowmobile, waterski, 4 wheel, trap shoot, and hunt. He gave Maria her first MN winter driving lesson in a raging snowstorm. They came back laughing at their great adventure. Maria’s favorite meals were Bill’s creation, pheasant a la Pew and duck egg rolls. He was proud of her determination, loving her big heart, her sense of adventure and her funny personality. Bill was so proud when Maria graduated from college with honors. After their exhaustive test drives, Bill gave Maria a blue Subaru as his gift.
Bill is a commercial construction executive, building shopping centers, commercial buildings, apartments and cities. He’s a big-hearted, outdoorsy good guy. As an entrepreneur, he founded a commercial construction company and led teams to success in multiple markets across the US. Retired in 2021, Bill is a pickleball enthusiast, and a frequent speaker at Maria’s Voice events. You can find him and Rocky curled up on the couch reading every morning.
Lissa Weimelt
Co-Founder, Maria’s Mom
Lissa@MariasVoice.org
Being Maria’s mom was the gift of a lifetime to Lissa. As the chauffeur to catechism, Brownies, gymnastics, cheerleading, college, or to shopping, Lissa and Maria spent car time sharing their view of the world and life’s dreams. They were at ease with each other as two peas in a pod. They shared their love of the lake, their awe of the mountains, and walked on every beach they could by any ocean. Together with Bill, their adventures are memorable…the Redwoods, Oregon, whales, Mexico. Lissa loved seeing Maria walk into a room, knowing her laugh, a hug, her sparkling eyes, and a funny story or a unique observation would turn an ordinary day into an awesome one when you love being Maria’s mom.
Lissa spent her career in education and training, sales and marketing, Executive search, HR consulting, and for-profit and nonprofit business coaching. She is also an entrepreneur, founding two successful companies and working with Bill as a co-founder of Maria’s Voice.
Twila Johnson
Executive Director
Twilaj@MariasVoice.org
As a champion for the unseen, the forgotten, and the voiceless, Twila comes to Maria’s Voice as a calling to her heart. With that, she brings her lifelong passion for advocacy that betters our communities. While an entrepreneur in a Functional Medicine and wellness practice, Twila worked to remove the barriers people face in achieving equity in quality, fair, and personalized medical care. Her commitment to domestic violence prevention education will heighten Maria’s Voice work in all communities.
Twila has served on numerous boards whose focus is Community Advocacy. She’s worked with many nonprofits, such as the McKnight Foundation Loans for Single Parents. Twila actively lobbied for children's rights at the County and State levels, asking the courts to enforce court-ordered child support. She was an early advocate for communities who struggled for acceptance during the HIV/AIDS fears. As a recent board member of Loaves and Fishes, Twila saw firsthand the stigma prevalent with food insecurity; serving on the board allowed her to do her part to remove that stigma. Twila was also a NOW member and still supports women's equity, health and safety issues.
Angie Bottema
Grant & Project Manager
Angie@mariasvoice.org
Angie is passionate about shining a light on the personal and public health issue of intimate partner violence. She has been an active member of the St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church’s Domestic Violence Awareness and Action (DVAA) ministry since 2011. In 2023, she earned her master’s degree in Health and Wellness Management, with a final capstone project on the City of Maple Grove’s domestic violence awareness programming.
Angie’s background is in human resources, employee benefits and employee wellness. She also has extensive volunteer experience. She understands well the needs and perspectives of employers, employees, and volunteers. As our Grant & Project Manager, Angie is the main contact for our Prevention Network and volunteers.
Jamie Carlson
Intern
Jamie is Maria's Voice Public Health Intern. She is obtaining a Master’s degree in Public Health with a certificate in Social Justice from St. Catherine’s University. She serves on the Graduate Advisory Board and the Public Health Advisory Board.
Jamie comes to Maria's Voice with her own touch to leadership and advocacy for domestic violence prevention education. Jamie has worked in behavioral health customer services for the last 5 years and has been in the medical space for 15 years. She knows first hand the importance of preventive education and its long-term benefits on various populations. Jamie contributes to Maria’s Voice programs and events with enthusiasm, heart and dedication to prevent domestic abuse.
Rocky the Maria’s Voice Dog
Cheerleader
Maria’s Dog
Rocky is Maria’s fur baby, now her 100 pound black lab. Maria said she was raising him to be a lover, a talent Rocky excels at. He does everything enthusiastically, like eat your glasses, lick your face, snore, go for car rides or retrieve pheasants. He keeps your chair warm when you leave it for another cup of coffee. He comes when called Lover Boy, Sweet Boy, Handsome Boy, Rock or to the rattle of his treat bag. Rocky also mends broken hearts. You can meet Rocky at events, parades, and business expos.
Rocky inspires doggone important observations on how we can all work together to prevent domestic violence. The Rocky Squad Coloring Books for kids share how to resolve everyday conflicts with love and understanding. Rocky Speaks features men and their dogs in 6 short prevention education videos highlighting men’s responsibility to prevent domestic violence.