2022 Slate of Board Nominees

Anderson Group

Paul Anderson

Paul Anderson is currently the president and CEO of The Anderson Group. He has been successfully navigating the intersection of government, politics, business, and non-profits for over 25 years. 

Paul was elected to the Minnesota Senate in 2016 and represented Senate District 44 and the communities of Plymouth, Minnetonka, and Woodland, from 2017 to 2021. As a first term Senator, he served as the chairman of the Higher Education Committee, Vice-Chair of the Jobs and Economic Growth Committee, and as a member of the E-12 (Education) Finance and Policy and Taxes Committees. In just four years, he authored over fifty bipartisan bills that became law, prioritizing legislation involving reforms to workforce development, training and business expansion, education, and taxes.

Paul’s prior work includes serving as Deputy Chief of Staff for Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, director of business development for a Silicon Valley startup, CEO for a national veteran’s charity, senior staff for U.S. Congressman Jim Ramstad, and co-owner of his family business.

A graduate of Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, Paul went on to become a policy fellow at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute. He and his wife live in the Twin Cities suburbs with their two daughters.

Lead for Minnesota

Benya Kraus

Benya Kraus calls home a fusion of Waseca, MN and Bangkok, Thailand. Searching for a pathway back to serve in her rural hometown after graduating from Tufts University in 2018, she realized that little infrastructure and cultural narrative existed to bring young talent back to small towns, rural, and economically distressed urban communities – particularly to engage in public service. She went on to co-found Lead for America, a national nonprofit that supports young talent in returning to their hometowns through two-year paid fellowships with the mission of catalyzing community renewal and strengthening our public institutions. Supported by the Bush, Blandin, and McKnight Foundations and ServeMN, Benya has returned home to Minnesota to launch Lead for Minnesota – the next state affiliate headquartered in her hometown of Waseca, where she supports homecomers across 30 rural communities in Minnesota, and over 200 nationwide in 35 states.

In addition to Lead for America, Benya served as the youngest member elected to the Amnesty USA Board of Directors, was appointed by Governor Walz and Lt. Governor Flanagan to the Minnesota Young Women’s Cabinet and most recently the Governor’s Workforce Development Board, and is involved in her hometown community as a board member of the Waseca Area Foundation, where she is helping to develop a rural entrepreneurial ecosystem in Waseca.

Global Language & Staffing

Khadija Ali

Khadija is a successful entrepreneur in the language services, staffing and cultural competence industries, and she has become a leader in creating opportunities for immigrant communities.

Born in Somalia, Khadija immigrated with her family to the United States in 1996, via the refugee camp in Kenya. After learning English in school, she began serving as an interpreter for her family. An experience within her family where language became a life-threatening barrier to health led her to pursue a career in health care.

During college she worked as a medical assistant, then as a medical interpreter, before founding her own interpreter agency, which grew to one of the largest in the state with more than 900 interpreters speaking more than 100 languages. In 2014, Khadija sold that business. In 2015, she founded a new business with focus beyond language services to include staffing and recruiting, and teaching cultural competence to corporations and other organizations.

She serves on the board of AEON, Affordable Housing, Minneapolis Regina Chamber of commerce, and the Final Four Impact Advisory Council. Khadija attended St. Paul Community College, University of Minnesota, and Harvard. In 2017, Khadija was as a member of Harvard Business School’s 2017 Young American Leaders Program.

McKnight Foundation

Cedrick Baker

Cedrick Baker joined McKnight Foundation in May 2022 as chief of staff. He serves as a key strategic advisor to president Tonya Allen and aligns enterprise-level work across the organization. Cedrick is a warm, inspiring, motivational leader and systems thinker who thrives on building high-performing, engaging cultures. He is especially skilled in navigating change and removing barriers within large, complex organizations and jurisdictions. Applying a lens of equitable outcomes and justice, he strives to help organizations recognize and remedy systemic inequity so that all people can thrive.

Cedrick spent the past five years serving the Saint Paul Public Schools, most recently as chief of staff. In that role he supported the superintendent in district-wide operations, strategic planning, and partnerships. Previously, Cedrick served as administrator for and a member of the Saint Paul school board. Earlier in his career, Cedrick was an equity manager and audit team leader for the Metropolitan Council, a regional agency that fosters economic growth for the Twin Cities metro area.

Cedrick is currently pursuing a PhD in organizational leadership, policy, and development at the University of Minnesota. He holds a master’s in public administration from Georgia State University, and a bachelor of arts in sociology from the University of Florida.

Active in the community, Cedrick serves on the board of Citizens League and the advisory council for GreenLight Fund Twin Cities, and has been a longtime volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Firefly Advocacy

Fatima Moore

Fatima Moore is the Principal at Firefly Advocacy, a government affairs boutique based in Minnesota. With a career in public policy spanning work with nonprofits and state and local governments, she finds purpose in ensuring that impacted voices are included in the public policymaking process. Her over ten years of engagement in this work have allowed her to align her purpose with other values in leading the work under Firefly’s umbrella.  

As a first-generation immigrant from Liberia, West Africa, raised in Providence, Rhode Island, she uniquely brings people from varying perspectives together and navigates complex systems. Her experiences have sharpened her aptitude for bridging people, systems, and lives with a deep commitment to social and racial justice. These core values are integral to her approach, guiding her as she navigates various political and social systems.

Community building is at the heart of Fatima’s advocacy work. She understands that actual change requires collaboration, support, and empowerment and actively incorporates these principles into her advocacy efforts. Whether rallying support for policy reform or championing grassroots initiatives, Fatima is driven by a passion for justice.

Beyond her professional endeavors, Fatima finds joy in her personal life. She resides on the East Side of Saint Paul with her partner, two daughters, and their beloved puppy, Teddy. In her downtime, Fatima can often be found teaching fitness classes, enjoying quality time with her family, neighbors, and friends, or indulging in a captivating read.

Fatima’s unwavering dedication to social justice and her innate ability to foster collaboration and community make her a formidable force for positive change in Minnesota and beyond. Through her work at Firefly Advocacy, Fatima continues illuminating the path toward a more just and equitable future.

Target

Breanna Schafer

Breanna Schafer is the Vice President, Government Affairs at Target where she oversees the government relations function. In this role, Breanna leads a team responsible for advancing public policy initiatives on behalf of the company at the federal, state, and local levels. She also oversees Target’s grassroots and civic engagement, PAC strategy, trade association and coalition management, and she serves on a cross-functional executive leadership team that manages corporate risk and reputation.

Prior to joining Target in 2012, Breanna was a senior manager at the Public Affairs Council where she advised a diverse membership of more than 600 companies and trade associations on public affairs strategy. There, she led customized trainings to corporate executives and public affairs teams and served as lead staff expert on government relations and political action committees (PACs). Previously, Breanna worked in political fundraising and as a deputy press secretary for a presidential and U.S. Senate campaign. She began her career in Washington, D.C. working in education policy.

Breanna attended Johns Hopkins University for her Master of Arts in Government and is a recipient of the 2013 Bryce Harlow Fellowship. A native of Minnesota, Breanna graduated with a bachelor’s in political science from the College of Saint Benedict/Saint John’s University. She serves as Chair of the Board of Directors for the Citizens League, is an Executive Committee member of the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the Ascend Fund Leadership Circle. 

Her biggest accomplishment is her family. She lives in the Twin Cities with her husband and three boys.