About Us

Patrick Boyle – President

Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
Nurse Practitioner
Duluth, Minnesota

Patrick Boyle, a nurse practitioner for the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, was first elected to the SLC board to represent the 2nd District in a special election in January 2014 to fill out the term of the late Steve O’Neil. At the time, he was a member of the Duluth City Council. He was reelected last November for a four-year term. As a county commissioner, he has chaired the Public Safety Committee and currently chairs the Health and Human Services Committee.

Boyle has been active in the community as a member of the Friends of the Lakewalk and the Duluth Preservation Alliance. He and his wife, Jennifer, have two daughters and live in Duluth.

Mike Jugovich – Vice President

St. Louis County Commissioner
Chisholm, Minnesota

Mike Jugovich is a retiree of the United Steelworkers of America, Local 2705, Hibbing Taconite Company. He finished his career as an equipment and warehouse manager in the agglomerating department.

In 2000, Jugovich was elected to the Chisholm City Council, serving six years before being elected mayor in 2006. He served as mayor for a decade before being elected SLC commissioner of the Seventh District in 2016. He was elected vice chair of the SLC board in January 2019, and currently serves as chair of its Public Works and Transportation Committee.

A graduate of Chisholm High School, Jugovich attended Range Technical College, Hibbing Community College, and the College of St. Scholastica. He has given back to the Iron Range region through his work in several organizations, including the Chisholm Economic Development Authority, Youth in Action, Range Association of Municipalities and Schools, Chisholm-Hibbing Airport Authority, Governor’s Workforce Development Council, and the Minnesota Assistive Technology Advisory Council. Commissioner Jugovich resides in Chisholm with his partner, Melanie and together they have four adult children.

Yvonne Prettner Solon – Secretary

State of Minnesota
Former Lieutenant Governor
Duluth, Minnesota

Yvonne Prettner Solon entered active politics in 1988, winning election to the Duluth City Council and serving three four-year terms. From 1992 to 2000, she also served as Duluth’s deputy mayor. In 2002, Prettner Solon was elected to the Minnesota Senate where she quickly became a leading health policy advocate.

Four years later, she was appointed chair of the Senate Energy Committee and chief authored the state’s Next Generation Energy Act of 2007. Prettner Solon was elected Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota in 2010 and served until January 2015. She has served on a multitude of public and private sector commissions including the Duluth Economic Development Authority, League of Minnesota Cities and Great Lakes Commission.

By profession, Prettner Solon was a clinical psychologist, maintaining a practice for 30 years until her retirement in 2010. She has two children and two grandchildren with whom she enjoys spending as much free time as possible.

Brian Murphy – Treasurer

North Shore Bank
Retired SVP and Chief Lending Officer
Duluth, Minnesota

The Duluth City Council appointed Brian Murphy to the Port Authority Board of Commissioners in October 2024, just a few months prior to his retirement from North Shore Bank. Murphy began his tenure at North Shore Bank in 1994, retiring as senior vice president and chief lending officer. The remainder of his 41-year banking career was with the St. Louis County Federal Savings and Loan Association. He specialized in residential mortgage and commercial lending, with a focus in real estate lending.

Murphy is a graduate of Duluth Cathedral High School and Harvard University. In addition to the Port Authority board, he also serves on the One Roof Community Housing and Kitchi Gammi Club Foundation boards.

Ida Rukavina – Assistant Treasurer

Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation
Commissioner
Eveleth, Minnesota

Appointed to the Port Authority Board of Commissioners in January 2025, Ida Rukavina is commissioner of Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation, a Minnesota economic development agency located in Eveleth. Prior to her current role with IRRR, she was executive director of the Range Association of Municipalities and Schools (RAMS) and worked extensively with various levels of government and labor organizations.

Rukavina earned a bachelor’s degree in government and American politics from Clark University and a master’s degree in advocacy and political leadership from the University of Minnesota Duluth. Her late father, Tom Rukavina, served as a Minnesota state representative for 26 years.

Nancy Aronson Norr – Commissioner

Minnesota Power, an ALLETE company
Retired Regional Development Director
Duluth, Minnesota

Nancy Aronson Norr was appointed to a six-year term on the Port Authority board by the Duluth City Council in November 2022, soon after completing a 31-year career at Minnesota Power, an ALLETE company, as director of regional development. A Duluth resident since 1985, she has served on numerous local, regional and state boards, including a tenure as chair of the Duluth Economic Development Authority (DEDA) and a co-founding role with the Area Partnership for Economic Expansion (APEX). In 2021, the Minnesota Humanities Center appointed Norr to its board and she also founded Norr Community Solutions.

Born in Wisconsin, Norr holds a bachelor’s degree in business economics from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and a master’s degree in agricultural economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Jerome Johnson – Commissioner

United Association of Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 11
Duluth, Minnesota

The Duluth City Council appointed Jerome Johnson to the Port Authority Board of Commissioners in August 2024. A business manager with the United Association of Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 11, Johnson serves on a number of boards, including with the Minnesota and Wisconsin Pipe Trades Association, and as a trustee for the Duluth Building Trades Welfare Fund.

Johnson attended Lake Superior College and worked locally with AG O’Brien Plumbing and Heating. He served previously in the United States Army from 1996-2003.