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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
Jeffrey Wigren

Bio Coming Soon!

Grid 2
Mark Martinez (Board Treasurer)

Mark has been a home owner in Grid 2 since 2015. He lives in the Merriam Park neighborhood with his wife Christine and their two dogs. Mark is currently the Executive Director at South Washington County Telecommunications Commission (SWCTC). Originally from southern California, Mark has also lived in NYC. He’s an avid music and sports fan. He enjoys traveling in the US and abroad and loves the great outdoors.

Grid 3

This seat is open! Email brandon@unionparkdc.org if you live in the grid and are interested!

Grid 4
Claire Warren

Claire Warren lives in Saint Paul and has rented a home in the Merriam Park East neighborhood since 2016. She 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 conservation engineering and sustainable operations. A sourdough enthusiast, Claire is attempting to grow her own wheat so she can harvest and mill her own flour for bread baking. She loves biking, complicated cooking, and eating Thai food from On’s Thai on University avenue.

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
Adrian Perryman (Vice President)

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.

Grid 7
Sarah Dvorak

Sarah has lived in Merriam Park with her family since 2002. She received her J.D. from UST and works for Wolters Kluwer as a legal quality analyst. Sarah volunteers on two non-profits that foster community engagement and programs that serve youth in the community. In addition to volunteering Sarah is passionate about running and yoga.

Grid 8
Jilla Nadimi

Jilla grew up as an immigrant and so community became an essential resource her from an early age. Throughout her youth, Girl Scouts nurtured this passion as she learned about community service and earned her Gold Award. After receiving her bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota in French and Global Studies, she continues to build community both at home and abroad. Currently, as the Global Quality & Results Officer the Twin Cities based NGO, Alight, she supports teams in providing aid to refugees and internally displaced people. As the 2018 St. Paul Winter Carnival Queen of the Snows, Jilla was honored to have the opportunity to proudly represent the city she loves locally and abroad. Here in the Union Park neighborhood, you can find Jilla tending her garden with her feisty cat, Chimera.

Grid 9
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 10
Caitlin Magistad (Board Secretary)

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

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
Terryann Nash

Terryann is a Community Developer who is the owner of NashInspired; a professional development business that looks to enhance/inspire/develop full potential in others. Her services include motivational keynote speaking, educational presentations, business coaching and personal vision planning.

Terryannhas worked for the Minneapolis Urban League, Catholic Charities and is a Wellstone graduate. Terryan has lived in St. Paul isnce 1984, first in Highland but has since become a renter in the Merriam Park neighborhood. She is currently finishing up her Masters in Advocacy and Political Leadership and has a Bachelor's in Human Rights/Adult Training and Development with a minor in Deaf Studies.

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
Ellen Fee

Ellen Fee is a writer, teaching artist, and youthworker focused on creative writing and arts education. A Union Park renter since 2016, Ellen is interested in fostering deeper neighborhood engagement and building a creative community that meets the needs of its residents.

At Large
Henry Parker (President)

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

Concordia University
Bruce Corrie

Dr. Bruce Corrie over the past three decades has integrated his various roles as economist, cultural entrepreneur, professor and administrator, to change the narrative of immigrants and minorities from deficits to assets and to champion efforts around economic, political and academic inclusion.

As director of the department of Planning and Economic Development in the Capital City of Saint Paul, he continued his work on minority business development and implemented a strategy of economic inclusion that resulted in positive outcomes and deeper institutional change. 

His global perspective derives from his travel to 27 countries in six continents including accrediting/developing academic programs in Mongolia, China, Hong Kong, India and Mexico.

A faculty member of Concordia since 1987, Dr. Corrie has served on the board of several national, state and local public and non- profit boards such as the U.S. Small Business Administration, Governor’s Workforce Development Council, Chair of the Governor’s Working Group on Minority Business Development and the World Cultural Heritage District.

Macalester College
Jack Acomb (Vice President)

A born-and-raised Minnesotan, Jack is currently a sophomore at Macalester College in St. Paul, studying Geography and Political Science. During his time at Macalester, his experiences have ranged from serving as the college’s representative on the Union Park District Council to interning as a GIS analyst for the Environmental Working Group in Minneapolis. His passion for community and the environment made this position a natural fit.

Skyline Tower
Seat Currently Vacant

Please email brandon@unionparkdc.org if you are a Skyline Resident or staff who is interested in filling this seat!

 
Lexington-Hamline Community Council
Kent Treichel

Kent has had a love of maps and faraway places since he was old enough to turn the pages of National Geographic magazines.  Once or twice a year, fold out maps were included, which he promptly 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 U of M and Macalester college.

He wasn't sure what he would do with a BA 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 first MGIS class.

A short 19 years later, Kent finished his MGIS and has maintained the same fascination with maps and geography he had as a kid.

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 (Vice President)

Amy Gage is director of neighborhood relations at the University of St. Thomas. She and her husband, David Studer, moved to Merriam Park after raising their two sons in Northfield. A multi-modal advocate who walks to work, Amy writes and edits for Streets.mn. She also co-chairs the West Summit Neighborhood Advisory Committee (WSNAC), which works on collaborative town-gown issues in the neighborhoods around St. Thomas.