Leadership Council

photo of alex bender, LeadMN president, against red/copper brick
Alex Bender (they/them)
LeadMN President

Alex Bender is studying Computer Networking at Anoka Ramsey Community College, Coon Rapids. Alex was a member of LeadMN in its previous incarnation as MSCSA during the 2016/2017 academic year before leaving higher education for many years. They returned in 2024/2025 as a member of LeadMN’s Board of Directors representing Region 7. The following year they joined the Executive Board, now Leadership Council, as Secretary. This year, as President, Alex seeks to lead with experience, foster continuing growth for LeadMN, and use their voice to fight for the future Minnesota’s students deserve.
 
Alex has a passion for Advocacy and Public Policy that makes LeadMN a perfect fit, but the thing they love most about their work has always been the people. As a student leader, Alex constantly seeks opportunities to encourage other students to speak out and work together towards a common goal. The transformative power of a group of people coming together to create a better future has always motivated and inspired Alex, and they hope to share that inspiration with as many people as they can.
 
Currently Alex lives in Circle Pines and when they aren’t working retail or advocating for student issues they can surely be found gathering friends around a table to play games and laugh together. Alex has a deep love for board games, tabletop RPGs, and storytelling and feels that the common thread between these passions is their ability to bring people together.
Aaron Eischen is a Graphic Design Technologies student at Dakota County Technical College with a passion for creativity, design, and helping others. His interest in graphic design started in high school when he took a graphic design class and quickly realized that graphic design was something he wanted to pursue as a career. 
 
While attending DCTC, Aaron has developed experience in graphic design and has earned an Adobe certification in Visual Design, continuing to build his skills through his coursework, personal projects, and hands-on experiences. 
 
Aaron became involved with LeadMN because he immediately felt welcomed and connected to the people around him. After attending his first meeting, he knew that LeadMN was something he wanted to become more involved in. That feeling continued to grow as he became more active in the organization and eventually traveled to Washington, D.C., where found himself becoming more confident and outgoing than he had ever been before. Being surrounded by other student leaders gave him the confidence to speak with new people, share his ideas, and step outside of his comfort zone.
 
Aaron has also been recognized for his academic and creative accomplishments. Throughout high school, he received multiple academic honors and awards for his graphic design work. One of his accomplishments was competing with Business Professionals of America, where he earned the opportunity to compete at the national level in Nashville. 
 
Outside of school and his other commitments, Aaron is a longtime gamer. Although college has kept him busier recently, gaming continues to be an important interest of his. He has also spent time working closely with Shawn “Solo” Fonteno on a roleplay server, combining his interest in gaming with creativity and collaboration. 
One of the things Aaron enjoys most is helping others. He finds genuine happiness in seeing other people smile and knowing that he has made someone’s day a little better. This is also one of the reasons he enjoys being involved in organizations and leadership opportunities where he can work with and support other people. 
photo of Aaron Eischen, vice president, in front of a grey/blue background
Aaron Eischen (he/him)
Vice President

Rose Sargent (they/them)
Treasurer

Rose Sargent (they/them) is serving their second term as treasurer for the 26/27 year. They are currently attending their third year year at South Central College studying Communication. Rose has had a passion for advocacy and community support from a young age, engaging with their community through leadership positions in scouts and service projects to help local wildlife and nature reserves in their hometown of Kansas City, MO. This drive to change the world for the better only intensified after they moved to Minnesota to pursue higher education.

Since moving in late 2023, they have become an engaged student on campus through participating in student senate and starting and leading clubs at South Central such as Community Crafters, and the Creative Writing Club. As a tutor on campus they have first hand experience in working with students to build confidence and improve public speaking skills. It is this drive to help those around them that led Rose to LeadMN as a regional representative for Region 3 in the 24/25 school year.

In their time with LeadMN, they have worked to restart and guide the Fiscal Committee, as well as supporting the efforts to create more student positions through additional internship positions to help build the yearly policy platform alongside our staff. In the coming year, they hope to make space for more student involvement and continue to foster a welcoming environment for all students at LeadMN. They invite all students to come to them with any ideas or concerns they may have, and look forward to another year of representing MinnState students.