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Our Board

The Union Park District Council is governed by a volunteer board.  Our Board of Directors is comprised of 21 community volunteers – 11 are elected to positions based on geography or business representation, and 6 are appointed from institutions and organizations. The community votes for elected members at our annual fall meeting to serve staggered two-year terms, so that approximately half of the seats become available each year.  Mid-term appointments can also be made to open seats.

Anyone who is 18 or older and lives, owns property, or is the owner or designated representative of a business within the Union Park district boundaries can serve on our Board.  Serving on our board is a great way to give back to the community and to ensure that Union Park continues to be a wonderful place to live.  Contact us if you’re interested in applying.

 

Our meetings

Meetings of the Union Park Board are open to the public. Community members are encouraged to attend!  The Board meets on the first Wednesday of every month at 7:00 p.m. at Episcopal Homes, in Otto Hall. We usually start with a voice from our community, hear reports from our committees, discuss issues of interest to residents, and take actions important to the successful operation of our organization. You can review recent board meeting agendas here. And recent board meeting minutes can be found here after approved by the board.

 

Our board members

The District community is divided into 11 grid sections, with a board member elected to represent each section.  We also have one elected nonprofit representative, one elected business representatives, two at large representatives, and six members appointed by institutions and legacy neighborhood organizations. 

 

 

Grid 1
Drew Ross

Drew Ross is a writer and editor. He is currently focusing on 19th century Twin Cities history, researching and writing about photographers, Town & Country Club, and the Midway.  He chairs the Environment and Parks committee, and supports safe, sane traffic routes for all modes of travel (i.e., he frequents Transportation Committee meetings as well.) Drew is also a dad, husband, caretaker, biker, river runner, bread baker, guitarist, and news junkie.

Grid 2
Kyle Dukart

Kyle Dukart has been a resident of Union Park since 2007. He is especially interested in creating fun, interesting and valuable avenues for people to get involved in their community. As an employee of the University of Minnesota, he's also interested in creating experiential learning opportunities for college students. He lives in the Merriam Park neighborhood with his wife and five children.

Grid 3
Rob Vanasek, Vice-President

Rob has owned a home in Grid 3 since 2005.  He enjoys the outdoors and traveling, when he’s not restoring his house or advocating at the state capitol.

Grid 4
David Rasmussen, Secretary

David has lived in Merriam Park near Snelling and University since 2005.  He has been to all 50 states and is currently an Area Governor with Toastmasters. 

Grid 5
Daniel Jambor

Daniel has lived in Union Park for over 25 years, first as a St. Thomas student and since 1992 as a homeowner. He has one son currently in college—and two dogs. He serves as President of the Ramsey County Chapter of Pheasants forever, and is concerned with habitat, water quality, conservation and engaging youth in the outdoors. His hobbies include decoy carving, bicycling, canoeing and fly fishing.

Grid 6
Josh Capistrant

Josh and his wife Laura have lived in Merriam Park since 2002.  He is on Land Use, WSNAC, and the Neighborhood Involvement Committee. He runs Crows Nest Design, building and designing architectural projects in his office in Lowertown.  He is also a printmaker, and has recently been the printer at the Renaissance Festival.

Grid 7
Dan Taylor, Vice-President

Dan and his family have lived one block north of UST on Dayton since 2003.  He was appointed to the Board in 2013 and remains actively engaged in neighborhood issues.  Dan is the director of Conference & Event Services at UST where his role is to rent meeting venues and facilities to external groups.  His office brings over 40,000 visitors to campus annually and has a significant economic impact to local businesses.

Grid 8
Noelle Jacquet-Morrison

Noelle has lived in Merriam Park for over 30 years.  She is interested in working with residents to accept change and welcome diversity, and to promote the safety of children and their families.  She was born in France and was raised in France and Senegal.  She and her husband, John, raised three children who are bi-cultural and multilingual. 

Grid 9
Lucas Miller

As a proud St Paulite, I have called Merriam Park home for the past four years. I am a renter who strongly believes that community councils are the backbone of our civil society. As a person who enjoys the walkability and transit options of this neighborhood, I look forward to working with my friends and neighbors to increase the liveability of our district. This would include increasing housing options and creating an even more walkable community by increasing the visibility of the right-of-way for cyclists and pedestrians. I would also like to see more investment in public art that celebrates the history of this district while creating unique experiences for those intrepid pedestrians exploring our streets. We live in a vibrant community that should be enjoyed by everyone who calls this place home while making space for others who wish to become our neighbors. My vision for Union Park is to be one of the most walkable, vibrant, and livable communities in the Twin Cities.

Grid 10
Caitlin Magistad

Caitlin is a renter in the Snelling-Hamline neighborhood. She lives with her husband and 2 cats. She is a lifelong St. Paul resident who grew up on the East Side, and has called Union Park home since 2004. She is a social worker and public policy advocate, with more than 10 years of experience in a variety of affordable housing programs. She currently works for the Metropolitan Consortium of Community Developers (MCCD), an association of nonprofit affordable housing and economic development organizations. Her professional experiences prior to joining MCCD include Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, the Wilder Foundation, and the YWCA St. Paul. She is passionate about increasing community engagement and involvement in public policy and community decision making, particularly for people who are most impacted by the issue. 

Grid 11
Dan Elenbaas, President

Dan has been living in Grid 16 of the Lexington-Hamline neighborhood since 2006.  He’s a Civil Engineer and enjoys restoring his historic home that was designed by Franklin Ellerbe.

Other Elected Seats

At Large Business
Marcy McHenry, Treasurer

Marcy is the Owner & CEO of Midpointe Event Center and Dancers Studio in the Midway area of Saint Paul, which she founded in 1986.   She is a board member of National Association of Women Business Owners - MN Chapter.  She is also an active advocate and committee member for St. Paul Chamber of Commerce, and Midway Chamber Of Commerce.  Marcy is a former Minnesota and United States Ballroom Dance Champion and a United States Latin Dance Champion finalist and is the proud mother of 4 lovely children.

Non-Profit
Mike Robertson

Mike Robertston is a long time St. Paul resident, restoration carpenter, and cycling enthusiast. He is Program Manager for the A Brush with Kindness program at Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, which provides painting and repair services for low-income homeowners throughout the metro area. He––along with his wife and two daughters––is currently living through his fourth St. Paul old-house restoration adventure on Laurel Avenue.

At Large
Alicia Valenti, Vice-President

A recent graduate of the Humphrey School of Public Affairs with a Master's in Urban and Regional Planning, Alicia is passionate about contributing to the creation of equitable and sustainable communities. She is an advocate for housing and renters' rights as well as safe streets for everyone, especially pedestrians, cyclists and scooter riders. As a representative on the Board of Directors, Alicia will seek to ensure all perspectives are heard, particularly those of people who are typically left out of the political process.

At Large
Henry Parker

Henry Parker lives in Merriam Park with his wife and looks forward to raising a family in their new home. He was raised in the Lex-Ham neighborhood and recently returned to Minnesota after serving in the Army. Prior to his military service he worked for Congresswoman McCollum in DC and in St. Paul. Henry is currently pursuing his Master of Public Policy at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs and also serves on the board of the St. Paul DFL. 

Appointed Seats

Lexington-Hamline Community Council
Jeremy Lostetter

Jeremy lives in the Lexington-Hamline neighborhood of Union Park with his wife and young daughter. He chairs Lex-Ham's Community Fund Task Force, and served as Lex-Ham Community Council Treasurer for two years. Jeremy works for Hennepin County and enjoys many different running paths in Saint Paul. 

Desnoyer Park Improvement Association
Gregg Gridley

Gregg has lived in Desnoyer Park for five years with his wife Linda and dog Gracie. He has served on the DPIA board for three years, and manages the Desnoyer Park website, Facebook page and email newsletter. He especially enjoys the activities that involve the people in the neighborhood, like the Desnoyer Park Summer Picnic, and hopes to support more activities in the future.

University of St. Thomas
Amy Gage

Amy Gage is director of neighborhood relations at the University of St. Thomas. She and her husband live in Merriam Park. Amy is active in the International Town & Gown Association and co-chairs the Land Use and Economic Development committee of the Union Park board. A multi-modal advocate who walks to work, she also blogs for Streets.MN.

Concordia University
Adrian Perryman

Adrian serves as the Assistant Director of Academic Advising at Concordia. He is also on the City of Saint Paul's Planning Commission, served on the board of the Hallie Q Brown Community Center, and was a member of the Snelling Midway Community Advisory Committee addressing redevelopment issues. He was born and raised in Saint Paul, and owns a home with his wife and two cats.

Macalester College
Jack Acomb

 

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