Meet Our Team
Dwight Tostenson
Chief Executive Officer, President and Co-Founder
As Chief Executive Officer, Dwight oversees the strategic direction of the organization with a particular emphasis on the Virtues for Success curriculum. Dwight has been approved by the Bureau of Prisons to serve as a mentor for incarcerated individuals and routinely visits the prisons in which The Redemption Project operates. Dwight has a strong passion for social justice and for providing second chances to former felons. He also brings over 20 years of executive management experience to the organization.
Tom Pippitt
Operations Director
In his role as Operations Director, Tom works with the Directors of the Mentorship, Support Services, and Employment Partner programs as well as the day-to-day operations of The Redemption Project and keeps the organization up-to-date on the latest technology. He also strives to keep in contact with many of our ‘Fellows’.
Tom has over 30 years of experience in the field of technology as well as a Master’s Degree in Software Engineering from the University of St. Thomas. He was also previously incarcerated at the Federal Medical Center in Rochester, MN. It was there that he became a proud graduate of TRP’s Virtues for Success class. Having experienced the power of redemption and taking responsibility for one’s actions himself, Tom is driven to help other incarcerated individuals who want to be positive members of their community. Oh, and he has a great singing voice too!
Nate Reisetter
employment services director
As the Employment Partner Director, Nate oversees The Redemption Project’s (TRP) relationships with our Employment Partners through recruiting, education, training, supporting, and retaining employers; and connecting TRP Fellows to those job opportunities. Nate has had significant experience in both for-profit and non-profit work. He has served as a Division Director for a Fortune 500 corporation, as an AMERIcorps VISTA, as the Volunteer Coordinator for Community Action Partnership of Ramsey and Washington Counties, and as the Eastern South Dakota Director of the American Red Cross, in addition, he has held several Board positions for non-profits. Nate was previously incarcerated in the Federal Bureau of Prisons in Minnesota where he graduated from The Redemption Project program at FMC Rochester.
nreisetter@redemptionproject.org
Employment Services: 612-475-6703
Jeromy Darling
Mentorship services director
Jeromy is an artist a nd advocate based in Minneapolis, MN. In 2014 he founded The Salvage Project with the goal of bringing redemptive arts into prisons across America. Besides being a great father to his 4 children, his greatest passion in life is showing each person their innate dignity and value and helping those on the fringes of society find meaning and purpose in their lives.
Steven Fitch
education services director
As Education Director of The Redemption Project, Steven will be teaching the inmates the Socratic method, social adaptation skills to assist them in their re-entry into society & the second chance job market,
After a twenty-five-year career in sales ending as an Account Executive with DenMat, Steven went into the business world for 5 years as the owner/operator of Mr. Hot Dog MN, a hot dog cart that grew to a 28 ft, self-contained kitchen on wheels, selling the business for a profit. He felt the calling to the field of Education, where he took a position as a paraprofessional with Waseca Public Schools, for 7 1/2 years, He worked with behaviorally and developmentally challenged students as well as mainstream students assisting them with their studies. Now he has joined the team at The Redemption Project.
Alan Bistrup
Support services director
As Support Services Director, Alan will be meeting with all of our Fellows as they are released from prison. Many of our Fellows coming out of prison are starting from scratch and find themselves in need of life’s basic necessities such as Housing, Food, Clothing, and Transportation, just to name a few. Alan will ensure any services they need, in supporting their transition back into the community, are met.
abistrup@redemptionproject.org
support Services: 612-479-4345
Tish Torchia
mentorship services manager
As the Mentorship Program Manager, Tish works with our Mentorship Program Director in the recruiting, training, onboarding, and supporting of the organization's Volunteer Mentorship Program. Volunteering for more than 15 years in and through the Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Tish has worked in both the Departments of Education, teaching men who were getting their GED's and Religious Services, and mentoring men through the BOP's Threshold Program. She continues to mentor these men, many of whom are now out and thriving members of society.
Born and raised in Portugal, she moved to the US at the age of 11. Tish attended both the University of Notre Dame and St. Mary's College, earning a BA in Psychology and a Degree in Education, respectively. While teaching Elementary School in Baltimore, MD, she attended Johns Hopkins University to receive an MS in Computer Education.
Tish has raised 5 children and is now blessed with 10 grandchildren, the "loves" of her life. She is an avid mountain biker/trail runner and is most grateful to be joining The Redemption Program family.