Andrew Percic has lived in Merriam Park with his wife Deborah, and daughter Maddie since 1997. He graduated from the University of St. Thomas with a degree in Business Administration, and went on to start and operate for 29 years a food service business. He was a founding member of The Mid City Business Association whose mission was to involve business with local community issues ranging from crime to liquor license applications and many more.

Sarah Swisher has lived in Saint Paul (Merriam Park) since 2021 with her husband and two children. They previously lived in south Minneapolis for several years before making the move across the river. She enjoys spending time at neighborhood playgrounds with her kids, biking to the library, cross-country skiing in the winter, and enjoying the Mississippi River trails. Her family loves spending time outdoors in all seasons, whether they are canoeing the Boundary Waters or ice skating on a frozen lake. Sarah is an associate professor of electrical & computer engineering at the University of Minnesota. She is a passionate educator and leads a team of researchers studying novel semiconductor materials for next-generation computing devices.

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Claire Warren has lived in Union Park [Merriam Park East] since 2016. She recently purchased a home in the neighborhood and looks forward to many years in Saint Paul. Claire graduated from the University of Minnesota with a B.S. in Industrial and Systems Engineering and works for Metro Transit as an engineer focused on sustainable engineering and operations, and electric bus implementation. Claire is also a master gardener volunteer with Ramsey county. In addition to gardening, Claire loves kayaking and spending time on the water, walking with her dog at Minnehaha dog park, and eating good food in the neighborhood [On's Thai, Kalsada, Gus Gus, Mario's, Pizza Luce].

April King has lived in the Snelling–Hamline area with her partner and two children since 2017. A graduate of the University of Minnesota, she works in information security for Dropbox, having previously worked for Mozilla and Twitter. As a lifelong geek, she also helps run CONvergence, one of the largest volunteer-run conventions in the country. In her limited remaining spare time, she cosplays, is a soccer goalkeeper, restores vintage cast iron cookware, and works to turn her lawn into a pollinator paradise.

Contact leah@unionparkdc.org if you would like to learn about representing this grid.

Sarah Dvorak has lived in Union Park [Merriam Park] with her husband and two sons since 2002. She received her J.D. from the University of St. Thomas and works for Wolters Kluwer as a Senior Legal Quality Analyst. Sarah has volunteered on two non-profits that foster community engagement and serve youth in the community. In addition to volunteering, Sarah is passionate about spending time with family, walking and skiing with her dogs, biking [recreational and commuter]. as well as practicing yoga.

Yvonne Hundshamer is a native of St. Paul. She and her family have owned their home in Merriam Park since 2002. Yvonne loves the landscape of Merriam Park and our surrounding neighborhoods, with two DIFFERENT colleges - each six blocks in either direction of her home, along with dozens of restaurants, shops and entertainment – all within walking distance. Her family has benefitted from the nearby community center, the small library just blocks away, and the close proximity of her Church and other faith-based organizations. She values the neighborhood feeling of St. Paul and is delighted to volunteer on the efforts of the Union Park District Council.

Dean Cummings moved to Union Park in 2017 with his wife and 8 children. He graduated from the University of Minnesota with a B.A. in Political Science. He runs an investment firm from his home that he has been with for 30 years and recently acquired. Dean has served as co-chair of the Land Use and Economic Development committee since 2019. Dean coaches youth wrestling, plays trombone, and runs a 20 piece swing band.

Scott Berger moved to Union Park in 2017. Scott is a practicing patent attorney, and studied physics at St. Olaf College before teaching for a year in France and eventually attending law school. Scott has been a year-round cyclist for numerous winters, but is also an automotive enthusiast, particularly electric cars. Scott's favorite way to get around is on foot, and he walks his children to daycare each day no matter the conditions. Scott is originally from the west suburbs of Minneapolis, and has rented in the Cathedral Hill, Downtown St. Paul, Wedge, and Loring Park neighborhoods.

A transplant from Michigan, Dan Elenbaas has been living in Grid 16 of the Lexington-Hamline neighborhood since 2006. He’s a civil engineer who enjoys restoring his historic home that was designed and built by famed architect Franklin Ellerbe. Dan and his wife, Ann, are raising Sawyer and Audrey as they grow through elementary and middle school and are actively involved with their children in soccer and basketball. They love their walkable neighborhood.

Dan has served on the Union Park board since 2012, including as past president and a vice president on the Executive Committee. He currently sits on the Transportation Committee. He enjoys bicycling to work and, in nice weather, cycling just for the exercise.

Lisa Nelson spends a lot of time thinking about community, streets, and art in various permutations. She grew up in the Twin Cities suburbs, spent some time on the East coast in Philadelphia and New York City, and moved to Union Park in 2013. She graduated from Swarthmore College and New York University with degrees in Art, Art History, and Art Conservation. Lisa spends her free time organizing block parties, painting, reading, and doing backyard projects and science experiments with her family. You may have seen her riding around the neighborhood on her electric cargo bike (the one with a canopy and a blinking LED safety vest, feel free to say hi!). She has co-chaired UPDC’s Transportation Committee since 2022.

Kirsten Fryer has worked in Union Park since September 2019 and loved it so much she moved into the neighborhood in July 2020. As pastor of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in the Midway, she loves listening to stories of the neighborhood throughout its history, serves on the board of Open Hands Midway, and works on the intersections of faith, justice, and community life. She and her husband, Justin, frequently can be seen playing “Charlotte’s Web” at Aldine Park with their daughter, Joanna, usually with dog, Como, in tow. She also enjoys biking, walking, and supporting local restaurants. An avid reader, she can often be seen checking out books at the Merriam Park library. Originally from southeastern Minnesota, she attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison. For six years prior to moving to St. Paul, she worked with St. Andrew’s Refugee Services (StARS) in Cairo, Egypt.

Contact leah@unionparkdc.org if you would like to learn about representing this grid.

Contact leah@unionparkdc.org if you would like to learn about representing this grid.

Joe grew up in St Paul just south of Union Park and has lived in St Paul most of his life. He has lived in several UP locations and has been a business owner in different parts of Union Park since 2004. In 2014 Joe started Union Park Management Inc to oversee his residential and retail investment properties. Joe plays an active role in managing these properties. He is passionate about improving and maintaining historical buildings and about providing clean, safe, and reasonably priced housing to residents of Union Park. He is also passionate about helping small businesses to start and grow. As a board member Joe looks forward to continuing and growing dialog between residents of Union Park, Business Owners, and St. Paul city officials. In addition he looks forward to focusing on improving community safety, helping to promote a business friendly community and working to help residents and business owners in need.

Demetrius Shaw has been a Teen Program Coordinator at Skyline Tower since October 2018. He has a strong passion for working with youth during out of school time and has been involved in the movement for the past 10 years with experiences working as a social Rec Director and Program Director with Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee (3 years) & in the Twin-Cities branches (8 years). Demetrius enjoys working with youth and teens by providing support and mentorship to become their best selves, conquer challenges, and develop skills that promote character and leadership.

Kent Treichel has loved maps and faraway places since he was old enough to turn the pages of National Geographic magazine. Once or twice a year, the magazine included fold-out maps, which he taped to his bedroom walls. A steady stream of foreign exchange students and a trip to Japan in seventh grade cemented his focus outside of Minnesota. The desire gained direction when a couple of his friends began teaching geography at the University of Minnesota and Macalester College. He wasn't sure what he would do with a Bachelor of Arts in Geography, but the coursework was interesting and seemingly connected to nearly every other academic discipline. Kent was fortunate to find a job making maps, and three years later he was part of the U of M's first Master of Geographic Information Science (MGIS) class. A short 19 years later, Kent finished his MGIS and has maintained his childhood fascination with maps and geography.

Jerome brings almost a decade of experience working for government agencies and community engagement initiatives. He worked at the City of Saint Paul as Zoning Inspector and staffed the City’s Board of Zoning Appeals. He also worked closely with neighborhood residents across the city to educate them on City processes.

In addition, Jerome has worked as a Senior Planner for the Metropolitan Council and most recently as a Senior Project Manager for NEOO Partners, a real estate and community engagement planning firm located in Saint Paul. Jerome managed a number community engagement projects for municipalities in the Twin Cities with a focus on reaching underrepresented community members.

Jerome holds a B.A. in Urban Studies from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities. He is a resident of Highland Park in Saint Paul and avid pickleball player.

Contact leah@unionparkdc.org if you would like to learn about representing this grid.

Contact leah@unionparkdc.org if you would like to learn about representing this grid.