Ms. Brown has been working collaboratively with children and families for more than 20 years. In 2023, Ms. Brown was named the University of St. Thomas – School of Social Works, Distinguished Alumna. In 2022, she was recognized as the School Social Worker of the Year by the Minnesota School Social Workers Association.

Ms. Brown has been employed with Minneapolis Public Schools since 2010. In her current position as the Manager of Mental Health Supports, she is responsible for creating what is now known as the Mental Health Supports Department. The Mental Health Team is comprised of Mental Health Specialist (School Social Workers (LICSW), Counselors (LPCC) and Licensed Alcohol Drug Counselors (LADC).

Ms. Brown serves as an Adjunct Professor in the Human Services/Pre-Social Work Department at Minneapolis College. In addition, she facilitates Lady Like??, a social-emotional group for 5th -8th grade girls that earned her the distinguished Minneapolis Educators Leadership Award (MELA). Ms. Brown was also named Minnesota’s School Social Worker of the Year (2022) by the MN School Social Work Association.

As a Mental Health Supports Manager, School Social Worker, and professor, Ms. Brown is a leader in the social, emotional, and behavioral learning of students, families, and adults. As a clinical social worker, Ms. Brown works from a strengths-based model while focusing on resiliency, perseverance, and inner strength. Ms. Brown practices from a healing centered model which focuses on culture, spirituality, civic engagement, self-care, and communal healing.

Ms. Brown is a strong leader in the community and in the lives of children and families outside of her work. Most importantly, Ms. Brown is a proud mother of three and grandmother of two.

Ms. Brown is very passionate about closing achievement and wealth gaps, ending racial/ethnic injustices, and eliminating disparities. Prior to holding positions in education, and children’s mental health, Ms. Brown has also served in community corrections, child protection, and public health.

Kentral received his BA in Human services and criminal justice from Lindenwood University in May of 2004. In 2004 he began his career at Saint Joseph Home for Children as youth counselor on a residential treatment unit for adolescents. In April of 2005 he took a job as a case manager with Ramsey County working with families who were involved in the child protection system. He proceeded to hold this position until March 2012 where he then returned to Saint Joseph Home for Children (Catholic Charities) as the Program Manager of Emergency shelter and Central Intake Program leading that program until November of 2019. He is currently at Hennepin care as the Director of the Next Step Program that leads efforts in addressing gun violence, health disparities, equity, and antiracism in the institution and community.

Nicki (they/she) is the Executive Director and Founder of QUEERSPACE collective, an organization committed to creating space for LGBTQ+ youth to feel safe and empowered to be their true selves. They have been providing leadership in both for-profit and non-profits spaces for over 20 years and have a diverse background in strategic partnerships, business development, program oversight and financial management. Prior to launching QUEERSPACE collective, Nicki worked in the field of International Development designing and implementing system-focused agricultural programs across the globe. Nicki also worked at Minnesota Public Radio, as an accountant and financial analyst and prior to that was a Special Educational Assistant at Minneapolis Public Schools.

Nicki earned her Bachelor of Science degree from University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Saint Thomas – Opus College of Business.

Nicki grew up in South Minneapolis surrounded by a vibrant LGBTQ+ community and currently lives in North Minneapolis with her wife and two amazing kids. They are passionate about serving their community, advocating for the rights of all humans, and creating lasting impact locally and globally.

Irma Márquez Trapero is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of LatinoLEAD, a nonprofit organization of Latine leaders across all sectors who join together to create innovative strategies to drive and define policies and perceptions that advance Latine collective influence, success, and power. Irma is an immigrant from Culiacán, México. At the age of nine, her family emigrated to St. James, a small rural farm town in Southern Minnesota. She is a proud DREAMer and former Deferred Action (DACA) recipient. She’s passionate about the advancement of Latines and believes in the opportunity that Minnesota has to ensure this continues to be a great home for the Latinx community.

Irma has over 15 years of experience serving in the areas of community organizing, policy and political campaign work, immigration and employment law, nonprofit development, and education equity. Irma holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Gustavus Adolphus College. She was also a 2015-2016 University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Policy Fellow Alum and serves as a member of Make It. MSP Leadership Council, an initiative to have our region become a Top 10 metro at attracting and retaining talent, especially people of color. Most recently, she was accepted as a 2022 participant of Harvard Business School’s Young American Leaders Program and was the winner of the 2023 Outstanding Community Builder Award recognized by the Minnesota Council of Latino Affairs and presented by Governor Tim Walz.

Laurelle Myhra is an enrolled member of Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians and directs the tribes’ Mino Bimaadiziwin (“Good Life”) Wellness Clinic in Minneapolis, MN. She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and has practiced and provided clinical supervision in the Native American community since 2007. She completed her PhD in Marriage and Family Therapy and Family Social Science at the University of Minnesota in 2012. Her research has focused on American Indian mental health and substance use disorders, integrated health care, and training for health professionals. She is one of the original developers of the Indigenous Health Toolkit, a 7-module training for health professionals, aimed at improving health outcomes and healthcare experiences for Native Americans.

Sarah is a graduate of the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where she studied global public health before serving as a Community Health Educator with the United States Peace Corps in Peru. In addition to working as a health educator and community outreach specialist for over ten years, her areas of expertise include health communications, behavior change theory, program design, implementation and evaluation, and unconscious bias in healthcare.

Sarah currently serves as the Director of Neighbor Services at Second Harvest Heartland (SHH), one of the largest food banks in the country and a member of the Feeding America Network of food banks. She and her team work to connect neighbors with food resources and programs through the lenses of equity, innovation, and care. Before joining the SHH team, she worked in the Community Benefits and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Offices at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA, promoting programs and policies to reduce cancer disparities. She has been an adjunct faculty member at MCPHS University for eight years, where she teaches courses on health promotion and education, and community health needs assessments for students in the Master of Public Health program.

Sarah is a native of New England with family roots in the Midwest and Puerto Rico. Her experiences and studies have inspired a commitment to eliminating health disparities, and dedication to work with underserved and marginalized populations in the US and abroad.

Antony Stately (Ojibwe/Oneida) received his PhD in clinical psychology from California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University in 1997. He currently is the Executive Officer and President for the Native American Community Clinic in south Minneapolis, which provides primary care, dental care, and behavioral health services the Twin Cities Native American community.

He formerly worked as the Director of Behavioral Health Programs at the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, in Prior Lake, MN. Previously, he was a Research Scientist and Director of the Center for Translational Research at the Indigenous Wellness Research Institute, at the University of Washington-Seattle; Director of Client Services at AIDS Project Los Angeles; and the founding and inaugural Program Director for Seven Generations Child and Family Counseling Services, in Los Angeles. He has taught in clinical graduate programs at UW School of Social Work, Antioch University-Seattle, Phillips Graduate Institute, CSPP/Alliant University-Los Angeles, Antioch University-Los Angeles, and Loyola Marymount University.

He has served as a consultant and advisor to the CDC, HRSA, SAMHSA, the Native American AIDS Prevention Center (NAAPC), the US-Mexico Border Health Association (PAHO/WHO), and numerous NGOs and non-profits delivering health services to tribal and indigenous communities nationally and internationally.

As Chief Program Officer with Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity Shereese leads the Programs and Services division, which includes Homeownership Development, Community Outreach, Neighborhood Revitalization, Foreclosure Prevention, Post-Purchase, and its repair programs. Before joining Habitat in 2018, Shereese spent over 11 years in workforce development as the Director of Programs and Operations at Twin Cities R!SE. Shereese is an inspiring, passionate leader who builds bridges with community partners and advocates for underrepresented communities.

Shereese shares “nothing is more gratifying than sharing your own personal story of homeownership, determination and resilience, stories most like those I serve in the housing sector. It is so important to recognize, and value the stories in this field. I am committed to dedicating my passion, skills, and abilities in making sure dreams and transformation are possible for all no matter their past and circumstances.”.

Shereese is the co-founder of the Stop the Violence Bring the Unity Movement, currently serving as Commissioner for the City of Brooklyn Park Planning Commission, and Minneapolis Advisory Committee on Housing. Shereese has a degree in Public/Non-Profit Management and a master’s in health and human Services from St. Mary’s University/Twin Cities. Shereese is married with three adult children, 3 grandchildren, a canine and resides in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.

As a legal and legislative expert, a change-manager, and a movement builder, ThaoMee is a natural fit for CAAL as Executive & Network Director. She actively works to build collective power and collective leadership through racial solidarity and political participation.

ThaoMee received her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Pennsylvania and her master’s degree in public administration from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Administration.

Prior to CAAL, ThaoMee was the Director of Intergovernmental Affairs for the City of Saint Paul Mayor Melvin Carter’s Office, leading state and federal legislative initiatives while the city received over $300 million in state bonding, direct appropriations, local government aid, and federal funding. ThaoMee led the historic $52 million bonding request to build a new bridge, which was projected to create over 1200 jobs.

ThaoMee has held leadership roles at the Center for Health Equity at the Minnesota Department of Health and has international experience working for the International Organization of Migration and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees.

Growing up in a traditional Hmong family as a refugee in Wisconsin has shaped ThaoMee’s passion for pursuing issues concerning gender equity, racial justice, and immigrant rights – the very issues that define our work at CAAL through advocacy and policy work, leadership support, community investment, research, and solidarity partnerships.