Panelist Bios

Cathy is a biomedical engineer who lives in Edina, Minnesota, with her husband and two young children. Her youngest child, Heron, was assigned male at birth and just finished her first year of kindergarten in a school that was supportive and encouraging of her non-binary gender expression. Cathy and her husband are committed to raising their children to be socially-aware, equity-minded, global citizens; and they are thankful that their children's educational experiences have continued to be positive -- not in spite of Heron's gender, but because of it.

Danielle has more than twenty years of experience in public policy, community engagement and collaboration building, leadership and management, and strategic planning and implementation. Prior to joining AchieveMpls, she held several positions with Minneapolis Public Schools, most recently executive director of educational & cultural services and Indian education.

Danielle, who is Turtle Mountain Ojibwe, was named Minnesota’s Outstanding American Indian Administrator by the Minnesota Indian Education Association in 2012. She currently serves as board chair of American Indian OIC and is also a long-time board member of the Minnesota Education Equity Partnership.

J Klimek lives in Roseville and has attended Roseville Area Schools the entirety of their school career. In the fall, J will be a junior, and they enjoy being able to participate in the high school's Gender and Sexuality Alliance. Outside of school, J balances a part-time job, writing their own music, and loving up on their pet bird and dog.

Dr. George Hoagland is Visiting Faculty in Liberal Arts at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Their academic focus is in media studies and QTIPOCI (Queer, Trans, and Intersex People of Color and Indigenous) studies. Hoagland also serves on the board of directors for the Philanthrofund Foundation (PFund), and helps to administer PFund's scholarship and grants program.