Francisco Segovia has a 22-year track record of compassionate and effective asset-based service delivery and leadership within diverse communities. He brings experience in building networks and coalitions across sectors to change conditions that limit people’s choices. Francisco is the Executive Director of COPAL, a statewide organizing strategy focused on systems change through the empowerment of local leaders. He is an active member of a Minneapolis based group working with the City of Minneapolis to develop a racial equity blue print for the city. He also co-leads the Twin Cities Community Radio project – an initiative to open a Low Power FM community radio station. Francisco joined the board as an individual member in 2016.
Mai Chong Xiong is the chair of TakeAction Minnesota’s board and a leader with TakeAction’s Change Team and PAC. She also serves on TakeAction’s Executive Committee and Finance Committee. Previous campaigns she has been on include winning Hmong American Day in Minnesota and defeating both the Voter Restriction and Marriage Amendments. She currently works as a Legislative Aide to Saint Paul’s first-elected Hmong American Councilmember, Dai Thao. While serving as legislative aide, Mai Chong helped win the strongest Earned Sick and Safe Time ordinance in the nation in St. Paul, removed police officers from St. Paul’s Civilian Review Board, and took on tobacco corporations for targeting youth of color. Mai Chong was elected to the Board of Directors as an individual member in 2013 and Board Chair in 2016.
Nick Faber is a National Board Certified elementary science teacher serving as President for the Saint Paul Federation of Educators (SPFE). SPFE represents 3,600 teachers and paraprofessionals in Saint Paul Public Schools where Nick has taught for 33 years. Nick and his partner Sharon live in Minneapolis and have been individual members of TakeAction since the Progressive Minnesota days. Nick was elected to the Board of Directors as an organizational member in 2015.
Monica Meyer is Executive Director of OutFront Minnesota, a statewide organization working for equity for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. Under Monica’s leadership, OutFront Minnesota and Project 515 co-founded Minnesotans United for All Families, the electoral campaign which defeated the proposed constitutional amendment to limit the freedom to marry in 2012 and the legislative campaign, which won marriage equality seven months later. In 2014, OutFront led the Safe Schools for All Coalition effort to pass one of the strongest anti-bullying laws in the country. Monica received her master’s degree in public policy from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. Monica served on the founding Board and was elected as an individual member in 2006. Monica also served as Board Chair for 3 years
Lisa Weed joined the labor movement in 2003 by organizing a union where she worked as a Licensed Practical Nurse at Infinia Owatonna Nursing Home. Lisa was actively involved with SEIU HCMN as a member organizer and in October 2004 moved into a position as an external organizer. In 2007, she was an Internal Organizer, and in 2012, became the Long Term Care Director. Lisa has been an Executive Vice President since January 2013. She was appointed by the Executive Board in 2013 and elected by the membership the following year. In 2014, Lisa became the Southeast Sector Director. She currently serves on the Department of Labor’s Rehabilitation and Review Panel, as a Labor Member, and sits on the Health Professionals Services Program Advisory Committee. Lisa joined the TakeAction Board of Directors as an organizational member in 2019.
Christina Bowstring works as a Freelance Consultant for Eagle Eye Vision Consulting, an organization that supports Native people in a variety of capacities. Prior to that, she worked as a Family Support Specialist for the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe’s Indian Child Welfare Department. Outside of work, Christina serves on Chippewa National Forest Resource Advisory Committee, the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce’s Forestry Affairs committee, Circle of Healing, Chair of the Executive Council for Spark, Outreach Officer Itasca County DFL and the Eighth Congressional District. Christina is a graduate of Blandin Foundation’s reservation leadership program and Northwest Area Foundation’s leadership training program. She is the proud mother of five children and lives in Deer River, Minnesota. Christina was elected to the Board of Directors as an individual member in 2016.
Frank Brown joined TakeAction Minnesota during the Renew Minnesota campaign in 2009. He was a founding member of the Justice 4 All program, and worked for TakeAction as an organizer. Frank has participated in many actions, including organizing a rally in Target’s corporate headquarters. Frank owns a printing business in Minneapolis, hiring people with records. Frank serves on TakeAction’s finance committee, and is active in Justice 4 All. Frank was elected to the Board of Directors as an individual member in 2015.
Mónica Hurtado grew up in Colombia, where she was trained as a family medicine doctor. Upon arriving to the US in 2001, she worked with a clinic based Latino Youth Development Program. In 2009 she joined other members of communities of color to lead efforts around Race, Ethnicity and Language Data to achieve equity. Since 2014, Monica has been the racial justice and health equity organizer for Voices for Racial Justice, where she brings skills in policy, public health and community organizing. As a board candidate, one of Monica’s main interest is to support TakeAction in fostering partnerships with communities of color and American Indians to advance racial justice in Minnesota. Mónica was elected to the Board of Directors as an individual member in 2016.
Veronica Mendez Moore has been an organizer with Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en la Lucha (CTUL) for over ten years. As a part of CTUL, Veronica has organized thousands of low-wage immigrant workers from across the Twin Cities to stand up and win justice in their workplaces. Veronica became a leader with TakeAction Minnesota in 2010, working to ensure that the Latino community could organize and have its voice heard in electoral politics. Since then Veronica has chaired Take Action Minnesota’s Change Team, providing leadership to move the organization to build transformative relationships with organizations of color. Veronica was elected to the Board of Directors as an individual member in 2013.
LeAnn Littlewolf (Anishinaabe/Gaa-zagaskwaajimekaag Band of Ojibwe, Maa’iingan doodem) is the Economic Development Director at the American Indian Community Housing Organization (AICHO) and builds community direction centered in Indigenous cultural strategies. LeAnn has worked in the nonprofit and policy advocacy sectors for over 25 years and carries a deep commitment to community leadership and grassroots activism. LeAnn started as a grassroots organizer in her community of Pine Mill Court at the age of 18. As a young organizer, she worked with a group of youth leaders to design Circling to Seventh Generation leadership program. She has over 25 years of nonprofit, policy advocacy and community development experience and leads on building truthful narrative while strengthening economic equity in Minnesota. LeAnn is a proud mother, partner, sister, daughter, granddaughter, niijiikwe and community member. LeAnn grew up across Minnesota, but calls her grandmother’s land on Leech Lake reservation, aka the farm, her original home. She holds a bachelor’s degree in education, a master’s degree in advocacy and political leadership, and a master’s degree in education. LeeAnn joined the board as an individual member in 2019.
Karlton Scott is the Director of Organizing with the Minnesota Nurses Association. Karlton is a Purdue graduate, who was born and raise just outside of Chicago. Karlton comes from a family of healthcare professionals. His mom is a social worker, his brother is a physician in San Francisco, and his sister is a registered nurse in Chicago. Before coming to MNA, Karlton worked for another healthcare union on campaigns throughout the country against the largest for profit health systems in the world including the Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) and Community Health Systems (CHS). When not dedicating his time to the members, Karlton can be found volunteering in the community, especially with the Big Brothers Big Sisters where he mentors the youth of the Twin Cities. He joined the board in 2019 as an organizational member.
Kate Jacobson is co-founder and current Executive Director for MN350 & MN350 Action, organizing and advocating alongside phenomenal staff and volunteers for just and bold action for climate justice. Her love for dirt, fun, all living species and building community guided her path from operating an organic market farm in northeastern Iowa to serving communities through democratic participatory processes as a Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal, West Africa. These relationships and experiences brought her back to her home state of Minnesota to fight the systems perpetuating the climate crisis. She joined the board in 2019 as an organizational member.
Mike McMahon has been an organizer with the Land Stewardship Project for more than twenty years, currently serving as LSP’s co-Managing Director. The Land Stewardship Project is a membership organization that works to advance stewardship, democracy and justice in Minnesota’s farm and rural communities. Mike has been engaged with TakeAction through his work at LSP and as an individual member. Mike’s family have been a dues-paying members of TakeAction since 2006. He joined the board in 2020 as an organizational member.
