Board
Kadra Abdi
At large
Kadra Abdi is a Minneapolis-based creative strategist and human rights activist committed to advancing racial equity in Minnesota and imagining an alternative world centered on equity. She is co-Director of Public Policy and Field Building with the Metropolitan Consortium of Community Developers. She is also a founder and curator of Ubuntu, a platform that spotlights emergent issues impacting the global black diaspora, and Synergy, a consulting business dedicated to helping BIPOC small businesses. She is deeply connected to the black and Muslim social justice community in the Twin Cities and her work and activism uplift equity, inclusion, and accessibility issues. She currently serves as a board member of the Center for Victims of Torture and the Twin Cities Media Alliance. She holds a Master of Public Policy degree with a minor in Human Rights from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs and a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and Gender Studies from Luther College. As a board member of the Alliance, she hopes to support advocacy efforts for resources and policy changes for BIPOC small businesses and work to address racial disparities in housing.
Hibo Abdi
At large
Hibo has worked in nonprofits for seven years. Prior to joining Propel, she worked for Seward Redesign where her work focused on developing, implementing, and growing Seward Redesign’s lending program including planning, budgeting, fundraising, implementing programs and operations, as well as program marketing. Previously, she worked for the African Development Center (ADC) where she was responsible for supporting a portfolio of businesses as well as soliciting and servicing prospective and current clients to produce a variety of business loans. she was also involved with generating and managing a portfolio of non-loan businesses and corresponding relationships. She has a Master’s degree (MBA) in International Business from Hamline University and a Bachelor of Arts in Health Science and Management from George Mason University. She aims to offer insights into immigrants’ assets and valuable contributions, explore ways to integrate them into thriving and inclusive communities, and promote community wealth-building initiatives.
Candy Bakion
MICAH
Bright and bubbly, Candy is a constant learner who believes life lessons come from natural experiences. A life-long Minneapolis and current Heritage Park Resident, Candy has many years of customer service experience at a variety of organizations including MICAH. When she is not rolling with her entourage of five children, and a Grandson, she enjoys connecting with people through chatting and sharing knowledge.
Nichole Buehler
Harrison Neighborhood Association
Nichole is the Executive Director of the Harrison Neighborhood Association. Since 2017, she has been working to advance HNA’s mission to create a prosperous and peaceful community that equitably benefits all of Harrison neighborhood’s diverse racial, cultural, and economic groups. Nichole has nearly 20 years of experience in advocacy, policy, and community organizing work. After receiving her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Spanish Studies from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, she worked with the Resource Center of the America’s El Centro de Derechos Laborales, advocating for workers without documentation as they faced discrimination and abuse in the workplace. She received her law degree from Hamline University School of Law with a focus on Employment and Labor Law, and has been a practicing attorney since 2010, working with clients on a sliding-scale fee or in a pro-bono capacity on cases involving employment discrimination, unemployment claims, tenants’ rights, and criminal defense. From 2014 to 2017, Nichole served on the boards of the West Bank Community Coalition and the Cedar-Riverside Neighborhood Revitalization Program where she found her passion for place-based community organizing. In 2017, Nichole helped form the MSP Airport Rapid Response Team in response to the Muslim Travel Ban which worked nonstop to train, schedule, and deploy over 300 attorneys at the airport, meeting every affected international flight arriving at MSP for six weeks. For her work on that volunteer effort, Nichole received the Advocates for Human Rights Special Recognition Award. Nichole was also an active volunteer organizer for the 15 Now! campaign in Minneapolis, and later served on the 15 Now!–St. Paul Board of Directors where she helped organize a major win for workers in their struggle for livable wages.
Denise Butler
African Career, Education & Resource Inc
Denise is the Associate Director at the African Career, Education & Resource, Inc. (ACER). With more than 10 years of experience, she leads and oversees various projects to address micro-businesses’ needs in the Northwest suburbs of the Twin Cities. In her work, she liaises with the regional, county, and city government elected officials and staff, and non-profit organizations to engage them in core initiatives to increase access to information, resources, and opportunities and move innovative policies to shift the outcomes for ethnic businesses and underrepresented and underserved BIPOC communities. Denise holds a Master of Science in organizational leadership and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from the University of St. Thomas. Venturing into entrepreneurship, she established her consultancy firm in 2014 which focuses on BIPOC women’s enterprises, entertainment, real estate, and staffing, with the aim of closing the employment gap for people of color in Minnesota. Denise has served on the Charter Commission for the City of Brooklyn Park; volunteered as a member of the City’s New Connect program to welcome new residents to the community; and supported civic participation as an election precinct judge supervisor. Through her work for racial equity and environmental justice, she has been a part of many campaigns, including serving as the co-chair for the Blue Line Coalition for six years and managing a successful campaign for an elected Brooklyn Park City council member. She has also served as lead organizer for the Northwest Community Collaborative and helped to form Black Immigrant Collective (BIC) where she serves as a board member. In 2022 she received the Top Women in Finance award, recognizing her hard work in business and community.
Brandon Detvongsa
Lao Assistance Center of Minnesota
Brandon Detvongsa (he/him) is the Program Lead for Civic Engagement at the Lao Assistance Center of Minnesota (LACM). He is passionate and dedicated to developing and uplifting the Lao American and Southeast Asian communities by ensuring their voices are heard and empowered. At LACM, he has and continues to play a key role in expanding community advocacy with an increasing focus on community-led solutions. Before LACM, he was a Brooklynk intern at the Brooklyn Center Fire Department, gaining valuable experience in community engagement through public safety and crisis response, and later, at Boston Scientific to improve operational efficiency by managing inventory and engaging in customer service. He currently holds a Bachelor of History degree and a minor in Religious Studies from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities. He hopes to further his education in Southeast Asian History to promote cultural preservation and professional mentorship for his community in the future. Beyond his work, he enjoys spending time with his family, learning new knowledge, and writing stories.
Beth Gendler
Jewish Community Action
Beth Gendler (she/her) is the Executive Director of Jewish Community Action, working to organize the Minnesota Jewish community in solidarity with allies to create long-term social change. Prior to joining JCA, Beth was the Executive Director of NCJW Minnesota where she developed the Muslim & Jewish Women of Minnesota policy collaborative, the Courts Matter Minnesota Coalition, the Periods Happen menstrual equity initiative, and the Rapid Response Emergency Fund. Beth has worked as a Director of Inclusion and Accessibility Services and a program supervisor at the St. Paul JCC; a municipal Human Services Coordinator, and a Community Health Extension Agent with the US Peace Corps in Mali, West Africa. Beth has a BA in Behavioral Science & Law and Political Science from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, and a M.Ed. in Recreation, Park and Leisure Studies from the University of Minnesota.
Ishmail Malik Holt-Shabazz
At large
Malik is the Neighborhood Leadership and Organizing (*NLO) Program Coordinator & Trainer for University of Minnesota – Twin Cities’ Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA). His experiences include Union Organizer for the AFL-CIO; Executive Director and Economic Development Organizer of North Minneapolis’s Harrison Neighborhood Association; Director of City of Saint Paul’s District 6 Planning Council; and Statewide Director for the Minnesota Higher Education Services Office at AmeriCorps. Malik is passionate about Issues based Organizing centered around Base Building, Reparative Racial Justice, Community-led Systems Change, Community Benefits-based economic developments including CBAs, equitable development scorecard legacy work, and land use planning. Malik is also a registered Civil mediator through the Conflict Resolution Center of Minnesota. One of Malik’s favorite careers outside of CURA work was his time as an Emergency Services Director for American Red Cross – Illinois. Malik graduated from the University of Minnesota – Morris.
Anthony Taylor
At large
Anthony Taylor is a co-founder of the Major Taylor Bicycling Club of Minnesota, founded in 1999 with the commitment to increase the participation of the African American community in cycling for sport, transportation, and health improvement. He is also a member of the League of American Bicyclists Equity Advisory Council, co-founder and VP of the National Brotherhood of Cyclists, and the founder of Slow Roll Twin Cities. He is actively engaged in partnerships that use active living and the outdoors as a tool to build community, increase personal power, community safety, and improve the wellbeing of our youth and families with a special commitment in historically oppressed communities. He recently served as the Director of Adventures and Equity Programs for the Loppet Foundation and has been a consultant with The Sanneh Foundation, The YMCA of the North, and The Cultural Wellness Center, Minneapolis Park Board, HGA Architects and The DNR at the intersection of equity, the outdoors, youth development, and community development. He currently serves as a member of the AARP Executive Council for AARP MN and was appointed by Gov. Walz to the Governor’s Council on Age-Friendly Minnesota and as a Commissioner on the Metropolitan Council Open Space Commission, responsible for funding and policy in the Regional Park Systems and the founder of Melanin In Motion leading outdoor adventures for BIPOC families and youth. He hopes to support the Alliance in directing the power of its membership in systems change that shows up as increased community agency and equitable public policy.
John Williams
Native American Community Development Institute (NACDI)
John Williams is a development professional with nearly 30 years of experience ranging from the arts to long-term care to mental health. John has spent a majority of his career in community organizing and development. He joined the Native American Community Development Institute as their Development Director in 2020. He is currently VP of Development. John is a cohort member of the Healthy Regions Planning Exchange with Alliance and New American Development Center. John’s particular way of leading is steeped in the Lakota values of generosity and respect. He believes people who live their values and work in a restorative manner attract abundance. John is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe in South Dakota.
Charles K. Young-Longdon
At large
Charles K. Young-Longdon (he/they) is a community organizer, storyteller, and facilitator currently serving as an Outreach Coordinator with the Clean Transportation program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. They have been active in the environmental justice movement in the Twin Cities since 2015, working on issues such as zero waste and recycling, land use, affordable housing, and anti-displacement.
Throughout their career, they have had the privilege of working with several grassroots organizations, including as a staff member at the Sierra Club Northstar Chapter and The Minnesota Environmental Justice Table and in advisory positions with both The Alliance for Metropolitan Stability and as the United States Representative for GAIA (Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives) Global Advisory Hub.
They are a passionate facilitator and practitioner of cultural organizing, using art to advance social justice dialogues. Throughout their careers, they have made it their mission to work alongside those most directly affected by environmental injustice to pursue active solutions and transform systems.
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