Our People

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 Joyner joins us as the new Executive Vice President of People and Culture. Previously, she was the interim executive director for Hallie Q. Brown and the chief human resources and inclusion officer for the Minnesota Historical Society, Briana is a passionate leader of people and impact with a diverse business background and extensive experience. 

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. 

Originally from Houston, Texas, Jackie Chavez came to Minnesota to pursue her undergraduate degree in Sociology with a minor in Psychology at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University. She is passionate about understanding societal dynamics and the impact of social systems on people’s lives. This interest led her to work with WFM, where she focuses on improving the livelihoods of women and gender-expansive people.

Lorena Armstrong-Duarte has over 20 years of experience working with Minnesota’s largest mission-centered organizations including The University of Minnesota, Minneapolis Public Schools, and Twin Cities PBS. She is an expert in institutional storytelling and strategy and is passionate about helping individuals and organizations see their vision for a better world come to life. Alongside her professional career, she is a published poet and experienced spoken word performer. She was born in El Salvador, raised in Minnesota, educated at Harvard University, and now lives in Minneapolis with her husband and two sons.

As the senior partnership and events officer, Lauren supports the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota’s impact by strategically engaging with external stakeholders and designing convenings to strengthen relationships.

Lauren has 10 years of experience designing creative visibility and grassroots fundraising strategies for Indigenous-led nonprofit organizations. Lauren’s personal motto is, “It never hurts to ask,” and she loves piloting new approaches to building connections. Having previously worked for systems- and narrative change-focused organizations, she appreciates WFM’s approach to advancing racial and gender justice.

Lauren has a Bachelor of Arts in American studies and biology from St. Olaf College and a Master of Arts in Women’s and Gender Studies from the University of Texas at Austin. In her free time, she enjoys participating in a cookbook club with friends, racing bikes on a local team for femme/trans/women riders, and adventuring outdoors in northern Minnesota and beyond. Lauren lives in South Minneapolis with her partner, mini Australian Shepherd, and cat.

Michelle Tran Maryns is the Founder of We Sparkle Co., a social enterprise that equips underestimated entrepreneurs with the AI-powered tools they need to succeed. Prior to WFM and We Sparkle, Michelle advised companies like Google and Target as a strategy consultant for WORKSHOP and Rêve Consulting. She also served as Chief of Strategic Initiatives at Meda, Associate Director of Digital Strategy & Innovation at the American Academy of Neurology, Community Relations Specialist at the U.S. Department of Justice, and a Foreign Service Officer at the U.S. Department of State. In her free time, she volunteers on the Greater MSP Forge North Leadership Council and the Board of Directors for Junior Achievement North. She is a 2022 Global Good Fund Fellow and earned a Master in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Kansas.

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.

Alexa McIndoe (she/her) is a passionate advocate with a dedication to amplifying the voices of the unheard. Her career has revolved around crafting impactful marketing and communication strategies to foster connections both within organization and across communities. Born and raised in southern California, she made her way to the Midwest graduating from the University of Minnesota Duluth with her BA in Journalism and Women’s Studies. She’s honed her expertise at a consulting and strategy agency specializing in diversity, equity, and inclusion. Prior to that, she was in the non-profit world for eight years including working for marginalized communities. She was at YouthLink, an organization supporting young people experiencing homelessness, as part of their fundraising team. And while at Proof Alliance for six years, hosted events like Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Day at the Capitol, managed the FASD Public Awareness Grant Program, and created public awareness campaigns. Today, Alexa proudly calls Minnesota her home, where she resides with her loving wife, cherished daughter, and their sneaky corgi companion. As a true believer in the transformative potential of equitable practices, she remains steadfast in incorporating this lens into her daily life.

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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