Meet Our Board

Twin Cities Academy Board (as of November 2023)

Rich Holst, Board Chair and TCA Parent – rholst@twincitiesacademy.org

Rich has had three children attend TCA in the past. He is actively involved in the St. Paul community by serving on several community boards and committees. Additionally, he brings a focus on marketing and finance, using skills from his current sales and project management position. Rich was instrumental in helping TCA through the tough decision-making during the pandemic, and is deeply committed to the ongoing success of TCA for its staff and students.

Adam Gooder, Treasurer and TCA Parent – agooder@twincitiesacademy.org

Lisa Dennis, Secretary and TCA Social Worker – ldennis@twincitiesacademy.org

Lisa is a school social worker at Twin Cities Academy. She is committed to providing mental health services in the school system. She truly believes early identification and education of mental illness support for youth start at school. She has worked in a school setting for nearly a decade. Prior to her current role, she worked as a school therapist in various districts throughout the Greater Twin Cities. Lisa aspired to be a part of the TCA school board in order to properly advocate for TCA students and families, in order to help them achieve access to needed support and services.

Ofir Germanic, Community Member – ogermanic@twincitiesacademy.org

Ofir has been involved in many youth organizations on the eastside of St. Paul, including leading Conway Rec Center and currently leading youth at World Youth Connect. Ofir is committed to supporting youth from all communities on the eastside and has been specifically involved in reaching out to youth in the Karen and other immigrant communities.

Aida Faye, Parent – afaye@twincitiesacademy.org

Aida has one student who graduated from TCA and a current senior at TCA. She is a special education teacher at another local charter school. She is excited to be on the TCA board to in an effort to understand the functions and policies of TCA more deeply and to bring her expertise as a teacher and parent to help TCA continue to serve students and communities in the best possible way.

Erin Enquist, TCA Teacher – eenquist@twincitiesacademy.org

This is Erin’s 9th year working at Twin Cities Academy. She teaches middle school English Language Arts. She graduated from Iowa State University and earned my Master’s in Teaching from Simpson College. She has had roles at TCA as the ELA professional learning community leader, the Equity team, and Data Coach. She joined the board because she cares deeply for her students and wants to help ensure that TCA continues to thrive and supports them.

O’Rion Walker-Hatfield, Parent – orionwalkerhatfield@twincitiesacademy.org

In her current role at MNPU, O’Rion coordinates, collaborates and engages various communities in an effort to raise awareness and gain support for educational improvement initiatives. O’Rion plans to use her experience to further engage parents with TCA and the TCA school community at large. O’Rion also has experience in fundraising and legislative advocacy. TCA has a current sophomore at TCA and hopes that her experience with human resources, DE&I, and L&D/training can add creative ways to further the mission and goals of TCA.

Christian Guerrero-Arely, Parent – cguerreroarely@twincitiesacademy.org

Christian is the parent of a 9th grade student. She would like to contribute her past charter school board experience, including the knowledge and skill she has gained, to help provide resources and support for a successful school. She believes that her past experiences can help make a positive impactful learning environment for all students.

Karen Calcaterra – Current Board Member & Community Member – kcalcaterra@twincitiesacademy.org

Karen is currently a Staff Attorney at the Minnesota Department of Human Services. Prior to her work at MDHS she was a Charter Center Specialist at the MN Department of Education and an attorney and law clerk at several other law firms. Karen was also a grant administrator and served on the marketing, governance and board nominating committees at another MN charter school. She is excited to assist the board’s governance and long-range strategic planning. She looks forward to contributing with board duties such as setting policy, oversight of programming and operations, and legal compliance.