Director of Public Policy

Amanda Koonjbeharry

Amanda is the Citizens League’s Director of Public Policy. In this role, she leads all efforts related to developing and advancing policy recommendations with the Citizens League’s members and partners. 
 
Amanda previously served as the Director of No Wrong Door, Hennepin County’s anti-sex trafficking initiative. She oversaw the implementation of the county-wide six-point plan to end and prevent the commercial sexual exploitation of children and youth. She did this by leading efforts to educate the community and Hennepin County staff about the issue of sexual exploitation and sex trafficking. She co-led the state-wide anti-sex trafficking committee for Super Bowl LII, advocated for funding from county leadership and the board to secure positions in multiple departments to address the issue, and managed multiple stakeholder groups to advance policy and programmatic changes. 

Previously, Amanda worked as a Senior Planning Analyst at Hennepin County, a Program Coordinator for the University of Minnesota’s Office for Business and Community Economic Development, a School Based Family Support Worker for 360 Communities (Partners for Success), and an Employment Counselor for Avivo (formerly known as Resource Inc.). Amanda has a bachelor’s degree in Family Social Science from the University of Minnesota, a Master’s of Social Work from the U of M’s School of Social Work, and a Master’s of Public Policy from the U of M’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs. In 2018, she was a Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal 40 Under 40 Honoree.

Culture Booster

Stephen Moore

Stephen Moore is the CEO of Culture Booster, a software as a service platform that enables executives, managers, and employees to work arm in arm to build workplace culture where everyone thrives.  Stephen is a certified DISC practitioner and sought-after speaker.

Stephen holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Studies with a minor in Multicultural Education from Metropolitan State University.

Twin Cities Innovation Alliance

Marika Pfefferkorn

Co-founder Twin Cities Innovation Alliance (TCIA) & Executive Director, Midwest Center for School Transformation (MCST) Twin Cities, Minnesota.

Marika Pfefferkorn is a change agent working to transform systems and collectively improve outcomes for youth and families in Black and Indigenous communities across education justice, SMART City technology and leadership.

Ms. Pfefferkorn works through policy, research and practice to end school push out at federal, state and local levels. Most recently focusing on the Cradle to Prison Algorithm, an emerging technological trend in education and juvenile justice, and the next iteration of the school to prison pipeline. She co-creates across research, organizing and advocacy to facilitate human centered design and restorative solutions.

Worthington Advisors LLC

Heather Worthington

The founder and principal of Worthington Advisors LLC, Heather brings 20 years of leadership in local government organizations, including most recently as Interim Community Development Director in Bloomington, MN.  As Director of Long Range Planning in Minneapolis, her team led the creation, engagement, and policy adoption of the Minneapolis 2040 Comprehensive Plan.  Worthington Advisors is a consultancy focused on governance and policy advising, recruitment and retention work with teams, and land use and strategy guidance all through a racial equity lens.

Previously she was the first Deputy County Manager appointed in Ramsey County in June 2010, where she led the Economic Growth and Community Investment service team.  She was the overall project manager for the cleanup and redevelopment of the Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant (TCAAP), the state’s largest Superfund site; as well as leading the redevelopment of the former West Publishing site in downtown St. Paul.  Heather also served as the City Administrator of Falcon Heights, MN and Assistant City Manager of Edina, MN, where she worked on a broad range of policy issues including public safety, human resources, and organizational development.

Heather is committed to seeking authentic community engagement and leading racial equity efforts to strengthen communities that have experienced disparities, disinvestment and marginalization.  She holds a master’s degree in public administration from Hamline University, a BA in History/Historic Preservation from Michigan State University, and a certificate from the State and Local Executives Program from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.