Krysten Lynn Ryba-Tures Krysten Lynn Ryba-Tures is a data-driven visionary. By day, she is a Research Associate at Wilder Research, providing research support on a number of child and family service evaluations. By early evening, she’s at home caring for her two adorable dogs – Frieda and Chroma – and probably a foster puppy or two, whipping up a delicious vegetarian meal, and talking strategy with YNPN board members on how to assess member engagement, evaluate programming for effectiveness, and generally trying to raise the profile of the organization. By late evening she is asleep – dreaming in interactive infographics. Prior to her move to the Twin Cities in 2010, she spent eleven years in Chicago – first studying sociology and geography, then starting her nonprofit career in a small data consulting firm.
 

Aisha Eady Aisha Eady is the Marketing Communications Specialist for Osseo Area Schools. She graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and a minor in Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature. She’s written for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and Newsweek magazine and has been doing education and nonprofit communications work for five years. She’s a media maven, social scribe and aficionado of alliteration. You’ll find her tapping away on her MacBook Pro devouring blogs and learning about the next big thing.

Membership Chair

At-Large

Virginia Brown Virginia Brown has been involved with YNPN since 2005, when she was a founding member of YNPN Orlando. She also started a similar program in Vancouver, British Columbia, where YNPN has not expanded yet, called the Next Leaders’ Network. She is currently Director of Volunteer Services at the Animal Humane Society. Prior to that time, she was a Program Director at Vantage Point and worked as an expert in organizational development and community engagement in delivering mission. Her background includes a focus on marketing and fundrais­ing in both the corporate and not-for-profit sectors. She has a Master’s Degree in Busi­ness Administration from the Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins College and a Bachelor’s Degree from Carleton College. Virginia joined the board of YNPN Twin Cities in February 2010.

 

Brian Gioelli

Brian Gioielli is the Director of Major and Alumni giving at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. His passion for creatively engaging individuals in all walks of community goes beyond his professional work for such organizatons as St. Paul’s Riverview Economic Development Association (REDA), the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and the YMCA, into his personal life. He is the volunteer glow necklace distributor at local dance nights, and recently provided much needed new bingo tiles to the weekly Liquor Lyle's bingo nights, at which he can typically be found on Wednesday evenings sporting his signature Hawaiian shirts (for which he also has an exotic passion). Additionally, Brian—whose great grandfather immigrated here from Italy was known in New York as "Giacomo the Barber"—went to space camp when he was a young man, which is the kind of thing that definitely can tell you a lot about a person.

Leah Lundquist manages community-engaged leadership development efforts for the University of Minnesota's Center for Integrative Leadership. Her prior experience includes organizational development and program management roles in both foundations and nonprofits including positions as an Associate Program Officer at the Northwest Area Foundation, a Program Associate for the Kellogg Action Lab (a program that built the capacity of grantees of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation) and a Member Programs Fellow at the Women’s Funding Network. She holds a B.A. in biology and English from Luther College. She joined the YNPN-TC board in April 2010.

Sarah Townsend Morris Sarah Townsend Morris works as a project consultant for Impact Strategies Group, where she helps create and share sustainable strategies for social impact. Her interests lie in nonprofit management and communications, as well as cross-sector collaborations and social entrepreneurship. Sarah has worked previously with Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Central Indiana, Social Venture Partners Minnesota, and the Center for Nonprofit Management in Nashville. In Nashville, she helped found Middle Tennessee’s first nonprofit conference and the only young nonprofit professionals group. Sarah is a native Tennessean, alumna of Rhodes College in Memphis, and holds a Masters of Public Administration from Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs. As a newbie to the Twin Cities, Sarah loves meeting new cool, people and learning new, cool stuff.

Katie Tharp

Katie Tharp is the Foundations & Special Initiatives Manager with Greater Twin Cities United Way, managing the organization’s centennial anniversary fundraising campaign and writing grants. Katie geeks out on project management and loves scheming ways to put things into flowcharts. She serves on the board of Torch Community and also volunteers with Fourth Generation and Casa de Esperanza. Katie loves bicycling and art – sometimes both combined.