Our People

Karina Kpahn (she/her) joined the foundation as the Wenda Weekes Moore Intern as a way to learn more about philanthropy as a whole and to be a part of the impact that the foundation has on women and gender-expansive people in Minnesota. She is in her final year at Winona State University studying Public Health with an emphasis in Community Health and minoring in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies as well as Child Advocacy Studies.

Karina’s commitment to social change is evident throughout her work. As president of her campus’ reproductive justice club, she has spearheaded significant public health initiatives including the creation of Winona State’s free Plan B distribution program. She has also built coalitions with student groups, alumni, and community members to advocate for increased funding for the university’s on-campus advocacy center to better support survivors. Her dedication to reproductive justice extends beyond campus through her internships with Planned Parenthood Generation Action and Advocates for Youth. While balancing these responsibilities keeps her plate full, Karina’s passion for bettering the lives of those around her—particularly women and gender-expansive people—is what motivates her to stay involved and continue fighting for meaningful change.

Best known for her 25+ years as an award-winning journalist, most notably on NBC-Minneapolis, CBS-Minneapolis and FOX, Roxane Battle has spent her entire career as a strategic communicator and impactful storyteller.

Prior to her role with the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota, Roxane built a public speaking practice focused on workplace well-being. During the pandemic, she held executive-level positions as a mental health and health equity advocate inside Fortune 5 UnitedHealth Group, appearing in her own video series, “Checking in with Roxane Battle,” reaching 4 million subscribers. She has appeared both virtually and in person at the Essence Festival of Culture. Previously, Roxane worked as a fundraising program producer and host for the Girl Scouts River Valleys and was named an Honorary Girl Scout.

Roxane is a proud alumna of the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, where she earned a B.A. in journalism, prior to completing a master’s in journalism at the University of Missouri-Columbia. She serves on Minnesota Carlson’s Global Women’s Connect advisory board and has presented for Carlson’s Women’s Leadership Conference and Executive Education.

She is the author of the bestselling book, Pockets of Joy: Deciding to Be Happy, Choosing to Be Free, and was among the first cohort of national authors to be named one of Maria Shriver’s Architects of Change. Roxane has been featured on the cover of Working Mother magazine and in addition to multiple Midwest Emmy nominations, Roxane has won four international Telly Awards for storytelling excellence.

She has an adult son and enjoys cycling around the Minneapolis Chain of Lakes.

Asha Harrison is a grants and community development specialist with over 20 years of experience supporting marginalized communities across the world.  Asha brings over ten years of experience in grant design and implementation, and more than 13 years in project and program management, to her role with the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota.

As Institutional Fundraising Manager, Asha supports the Foundation’s Advancement Team, and is responsible for all aspects of funding from institutions, corporations, and foundations.  This includes prospecting, outreach, relationship management, impact storytelling, solicitation of philanthropic support, project management and content writing for customized communications and grant writing.

“Everywhere in the world, Black, Indigenous, and women of color have to work twice as hard for half as much – aside from being deeply unjust, it is an impossible burden to place on the shoulders of young girls attempting to navigate their future in such a challenging and uncertain environment.  I am proud and excited to join the WFM in the struggle to address some of the systemic barriers that prevent women and girls from thriving.”

Originally from the UK, Asha settled in South Minneapolis recently with her husband and son, after many years supporting women and other vulnerable groups across Africa and Asia. Asha loves travelling the world, spending time with her family, reading, painting, and exploring Minnesota.

As the Senior Manager, Donor Engagement and Stewardship, Chris supports the Women’s Foundation’s state-wide impact by project managing fundraising activities working with both internal and external teams. Chris brings over 10 years of nonprofit fundraising experience to the foundation, most recently working in education related philanthropy where he worked in an annual giving and community building capacity at St. Paul Academy and Summit School and The Blake School. He is passionate about collaborating with colleagues, community members, and peers to work towards common goals and to ultimately work towards improving the lives of others and supporting a more equitable society for all.

In addition to his work, Chris volunteers for several organizations and currently sits on the boards of TC Food Justice, a Twin Cities based nonprofit working to reduce food insecurity and waste, as well as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Alumni Board. Chris graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with his bachelor’s degrees in Political Science and International Studies and from the University of Missouri with his master’s in Public Administration and Nonprofit Management. Chris resides in Richfield and enjoys traveling with his husband, taking their dog Lonnie for walks, and attending Minnesota United games.

Maria Pauly has 5 years of experience working in the nonprofit industry with a focus on database and gift management. She graduated from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Studies and Digital Media Studies. As an Accounting Clerk for WFMN, Maria is responsible for the accounts receivable and grants payable functions of accounting. She is dedicated to using her time and skills to help build a community that is equitable for all. Maria enjoys reading, listening to podcasts, and spending time outdoors with her husband and dog.

Sara is a passionate advocate for policies that uplift Minnesota’s communities. She has nearly twenty years of experience in the non-profit, political, and government sectors. She has worked with organizations in Boston and the Twin Cities, led and worked on multiple political campaigns, directed programing and was a senior policy aide in the Minneapolis City Council. Most recently she led the Girl Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin River Valleys’ advocacy program, centering issues that improved the lives of girls and gender-expansive youth in Minnesota. At the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota, she brings her expertise to build a robust legislative agenda, advocate for statewide legislation and policies and work alongside communities to advance racial and gender equity.  

Sara was born in Guatemala and raised in the Twin Cities where she lives with her family. She has a law degree and volunteers as a law school mentor in her spare time.

Briana is a passionate leader of people and impact with a diverse business background and extensive experience. Prior to WFM, she was the interim executive director for Hallie Q. Brown and the chief human resources and inclusion officer for the Minnesota Historical Society,

Briana’s vast experience includes organizational development, behavioral science, evaluation, operations, strategy development and implementation, learning and development, human resources, culture transformation, diversity, equity, access, and inclusion. Briana has worked to develop broad ownership of equity work, a sense of belonging, and deep intercultural competence across the communities she’s led. She continues to champion, inspire, mentor, and empower the next generation of changemakers and beyond. Briana served as the Board President for Hallie Q. Brown, Board of Director for Solid Ground and she is a Board of Trustee for the OD Global Network where she teaches other OD and D&I practitioners on JEDI related topics and Chairs the Membership & Volunteer Engagement Committee. Most recently, Briana was named Co-Chair for Governor Walz’s Committee to commemorate the 250th (semiquincentennial) anniversary of the American Revolution, she was named Best-in-Class Executives as a 2023 Notable BIPOC Executive by the Twin Cities Business Magazine and in 2022 she was named as a Women in Business Honoree by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal for her outstanding work.

Before joining Hallie Q. Brown and MNHS, Briana worked in various positions in the field of people and culture development, human resources and providing strategic leadership in roles at Target Corporation and public and privately held companies throughout the Twin Cities. She has two B.A.s in Marketing and International Business from St. Cloud State University and an M.B.A. in business administration with a concentration in organizational development, human resources management, and change leadership from the University of St. Thomas. 

As Director of Learning & Evaluation, Kate Boyle-Steed infuses learning in all aspects of the Foundation’s work and manages the Foundation’s measurement and evaluation activities.

She brings enthusiasm for and a decade of experience in evaluating initiatives. She enjoys working with partners to design evaluations that offer insights for program improvement. She has worked as both an internal evaluator and an external evaluation consultant in nonprofit, for-profit, and government organizations. With a background in the public health field and a grounding in intersectional feminism, she is excited to continue serving communities and advancing systems change through the Women’s Foundation.

She has a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of New Hampshire, and a Master of Public Health in epidemiology from Drexel University. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, biking, dancing, and basking in the hot/cold therapy of sauna. She lives in Minneapolis with her delightful partner and two hilarious chihuahua-terrier dogs.

Janett Jimenez joined the WFM as the Wenda Weekes Moore intern in June 2023, and became the Dr. Reatha Clark King Fellow in January 2024. Southside Minneapolis is home for Janett, who graduates from the College of Saint Benedict this fall with a double major in sociology and Spanish and a minor in Latino/a American Studies. She is passionate about social justice and social change and would like to contribute to positive changes for women and gender-expansive people in her community and other Minnesota communities. 

Nadia Siddiqui is a fundraising and partnerships executive with over 18 years of passion for uniting teams in achievement of impactful business objectives. This includes delivery of transformative work through immersive and meaningful engagement offerings with organizations such as Alight (formerly American Refugee Committee), MDA (Muscular Dystrophy Association), Big Brothers Big Sisters, and MEDA (Metropolitan Economic Development Association). She values the opportunity to serve as a trusted partner to external funders and donors, advising them through fundraising and partnership opportunities that offer strategic alignment. Through her collaborative leadership style, she believes that all voices have valuable perspectives. She is an unconditional advocate for marginalized communities.

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Heidi Walsh received her BA in elementary education from St. Catherine University and her BA in accounting from Metropolitan State University. As vice president of finance and operations, Heidi enjoys aligning the mission and values of the Foundation with our investments and was an early leader in Program Related Investments (PRIs). With a tenure spanning 19 years at the Women’s Foundation, Heidi can understand the story and impact of NGOs through their financials. Heidi sits on the advisory board at her children’s school. In her free time, Heidi enjoys gardening and raising poultry with her children and husband, Kevin.

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Erika Idrovo-Cuesta, previously the Wenda Weekes Moore Intern and Dr. Reatha Clark King Fellow, returned to WFMN in August 2019 after working as a legal assistant in immigration law and participating in policy training. She graduated from Augsburg University, and plans to continue as the first in her family to pursue higher education by obtaining a master’s degree in public policy.

“Philanthropy to me means opportunity. It wasn’t until I was introduced to philanthropy that I realized a community of supporters believed in this opportunity for all people to thrive, regardless of legal status, educational experience, skin color, gender or sexuality. As a Fellow, I find impact in the relationships, support, and opportunities to lead that strengthen my skills. In this role, I hope to learn more from my community and from influential leaders to grow in my leadership. I hope to respond to the growing needs from communities impacted by the coronavirus, anti-Black racism, and anti-immigration policies.”

Hailing from Minneapolis, LaCora Bradford has over two decades of experience living, volunteering and working in the Twin Cities metro area. She is a Northside Community Member in the Camden-Lind Bohanon neighborhood. LaCora graduated from the College of St. Scholastica and completed two years of AmeriCorps, completing over 3,400 service hours for her community.

Previously, she worked for the federal government at the agency the Corporation for National and Community Service as a Program Officer and the African American Leadership Forum as the Program Director for Collective Impact. She is board co-chair for Hope Community, where she has served for five years.

In her free time, she enjoys spending quality time with family, going on bike rides, walks, and salsa dancing.

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