Our Team

Staff & Consultants

Michael Jon (MJ) Olson
Executive Director

Joan Naymark
Senior Advisor

Alisha Everwind
Indigenous Communities Initiative Consultant

Alisha Everwind (Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians) is a strategic leader in Indigenous economic development and planning, with a focus on data sovereignty, policy design, and sustainable community growth.

Her work supports Tribal governments, Native-led nonprofits, and Indigenous entrepreneurs in building pathways to economic self-determination through business strategy, grant acquisition, and infrastructure development. Alisha contributed to the Native Governance Center’s "The 2020 Census at Red Lake Nation" a case study that illuminated the systemic barriers and opportunities related to census participation in Tribal communities.

With an MBA emphasizing American Indian Entrepreneurship, she brings deep experience in leveraging data and public investment to advance Native-led initiatives, strengthen Tribal economies, and expand equitable access to funding, capital, and resources.

Jaci David
Rural/Greater MN Initiative Consultant

Jaci David brings a heart for rural communities to MACS’ work.  Jaci spearheads initiatives aimed at enhancing rural outreach strategies for the 2030 Census. In her role with the Minnesota Census Mobilization Partnership in the lead up to the 2020 Census, she successfully coordinated efforts to increase census participation in rural areas. 

Jaci is the founder of Verweven Strategies, an independent consulting firm that works to leverage the power of rural communities to innovate, thrive, and create lasting change.  She brings experience in philanthropy, public policy, health care and education to her work.  

Learn more about Jaci on LinkedIn. 
Learn more about Verweven Strategies on their website.

Valerie Martin
Strategic Communications Consultant

Michael Jon Olson has over 25 years of experience working with community-based nonprofit organizations - as a board member, consultant, and staff.

You can learn more about his experience on his LinkedIn profile.

Michael Jon enjoys travel, gardening, hiking, biking, cooking, coffee, red wine, donuts, and spending time with friends and family.

Valerie is the Founder and Owner of Alpha Agency, LLC, a strategic communications consulting firm in the Twin Cities. Alpha Agency provides services to private, public-sector and nonprofit clients around the country, specializing in message development, public affairs, media relations, crisis communications and high-profile clients.

Prior to founding her firm in 2002, she served as press secretary and senior staff to the MN Governor, was director of communications and public affairs for the MN Supreme Court/Judicial Branch, director of communications for a congressional campaign and was a radio newscaster and announcer. She most enjoys partnering with community leaders, elected officials and business execs to deliver measurable and visible impact. Her 20+ years of experience have been utilized by clients ranging from the CEOs of Fortune 100 and Global 500 companies to numerous nonprofits and advocacy campaigns.

Andrea Tritschler
Website Consultant

Joan Gentili Naymark is the founder of MACS. She was a member of the Census Advisory Committee from 1995-2011 representing the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.  Joan served on two National Academy of Science panels on the American Community Survey and annual Economic Data from the Census Bureau.

Joan retired from Target Corporation in 2012 after 30 years of market planning leadership. As Director, Market Analytics and Planning, she was responsible for strategic, analytic, and geo-spatial research in support of capital expenditures. Learn more about her on LinkedIn.

Joan enjoys spending time with family and friends, gardening (daffodils & dahlias), cats, traveling, walking, mountains, and all things Italiano.

Andrea is a passionate creative and storyteller with a background as a communications professional specializing in the nonprofit sector, newspaper and magazine reporter/editor, magazine creator, and digital designer.

Currently, Andrea works as the Communications Director for a statewide nonprofit focused on empowering college students, higher education advocacy, and leadership development.

In her role at MACS, Andrea manages the design, content, and user experience of the MACS website.

Catarina “Cati” Gómez
Young Children Initiative Consultant

Laura LaCroix-Dalluhn
Young Children Initiative Consultant

Catarina “Cati” Gómez (they/them) is a community organizer at heart, dedicated to advancing equitable, community-informed solutions to complex issues. They specialize in building and supporting cross-sector advocacy campaigns that promote civic engagement and address systemic barriers.

Cati’s advocacy experience ranged from neighborhood to national initiatives and is grounded in the belief that knowledge is power and that together, we can build a better world for the children and families in Minnesota.

Laura LaCroix-Dalluhn (she/her) works to address complex community and policy challenges through relationship-based strategy, management, and public policy consulting. She understands complex challenges require strategic and innovative solutions that consider public, private, and community needs and assets.

Laura is leveraging her experience advocating for families, children, and communities and working with state and local governments to assist MACS address the undercount of young children in the 2030 census.

Board of Directors

  • As the MACS Board Chair, Jane brings vast experience in using and understanding the importance of accurate census data for community vitality research and decision making across the public, private, non-profit, and philanthropic sectors. Jane knows and believes in the critical value of sustainable investments in the human and technical infrastructure necessary to equitably gather and analyze census data that are foundational to creating and supporting a fair and fully functioning democracy and economy in the United States.

  • Rodolfo Gutierrez is the Executive Director of HACER, Hispanic Advocacy and Community Empowerment through Research. He has extensive professional experience in quantitative and qualitative research and evaluation. He is greatly committed to working with those interested in creating a Minnesota where disparities are eliminated and are not based on ethnic or cultural differences. Originally from Mexico, Rodolfo’s formal education includes History (BA and Ph.D.) and Demography (MS) with extensive experience in research on demographic change.

  • Holli Arp lives in Jackson, MN and has served as the Program Leader for the leadership and civic engagement team within the Department of Community Development with the University of MN Extension since September 2015. She works with field and campus-based faculty and staff to provide research-based educational programs that improve Minnesotans’ ability to lead, engage in public discussion, and improve the future of their communities. She has worked with numerous groups and committees in rural Minnesota to understand their unique leadership needs. Holli has administrative experience in human resources, budget development, staff development, program development and reporting, and public and stakeholder relations.

  • Kim Chung joined the St. Paul Area Chamber as a Manager of Strategic Initiatives in May 2024 to support the Minnesota Black Chamber of Commerce and aid in the development of programming and events through the Drive for Five Grant. She is eager to bring her business development perspective to workforce and economic development. Her educational background includes a master’s in International Marketing from HULT International Business School and a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Washington. Kim currently serves as the Saint Paul appointed representative to the CapitolRiver Council as she both works and lives in Downtown St. Paul.

  • Bob Tracy is the retired director of public policy for the Minnesota Council on Foundations where he led the Minnesota Census Mobilization Partnership campaign for the 2020 Census. Bob has 35 years of public policy leadership experience in Minnesota guiding public and private investments to address the impact of HIV/AIDS, sexual violence, and household poverty, to promote arts development, and to strengthen democratic systems and practices. He now lives in Lucca, Italy, and is a voting expat of Minnesota’s 4th Congressional District.

  • Xp Lee is Program Director of Asian Pacific Islander Coalition (APIC) Minneapolis, building a base of engaged API voters in the northwest metro. He has championed data equity at the state level as a public health professional and at the local government level as a city council member. Xp also helped coordinate and lead the nationally-recognized 2020 MN Census Mobilization Partnership in his time with the MN Council on Foundations. Born in a refugee camp in Thailand, he and his wife now call Brooklyn Park home. Xp is just a big kid full of great passion for helping people and tremendous hope for a better tomorrow.

  • Kaolee Yang, CPA is the founder and owner of SmartGrowth CFO, a fractional CFO, controller, and accounting firm dedicated to helping businesses achieve financial clarity and growth. With over 15 years of experience in accounting, finance, and management, Kaolee has worked across multiple sectors, providing strategic financial leadership to organizations of all sizes.

    Before launching SmartGrowth CFO, Kaolee served as the Chief Financial Officer of a nonprofit organization, overseeing all financial functions, including accounting, audit, treasury, and finance. She began her career in public accounting, working in the audit department, where she developed a strong foundation in financial reporting, compliance, and internal controls.

    Kaolee holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accountancy from Georgia State University and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in the state of Washington. Passionate about community impact and advocacy, she currently serves on the boards of Parrott Creek Child & Family Services, the Coalition for Racial & Educational Justice, Minnesotans for the American Community Survey & Census (MACS), and the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC).

    With a deep commitment to financial empowerment, Kaolee enjoys helping business owners and nonprofit leaders understand their numbers, make informed decisions, and scale their organizations successfully.

  • Mónica Segura-Schwartz was born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia where she studied Electrical Engineering and worked in the field for about 5 years. In 2001 she came to the United States to improve her English at St. Cloud State University where she received a Master’s Degree in Social Responsibility. Later in her career she received a second master’s in Advocacy and Political Leadership from Metro State University.
    In addition to her interest in science and math, she grew and nourished a great passion for the arts and has been an advocate for the presence and exploration of art in her community and in the state. She believes the arts are an essential part of a rounded education and all children must be exposed to them early in their life.  Mónica met her husband and settled with him in St. Cloud, where she worked in social services for more than 12 years before going back to the private sector where she works now in a cybersecurity company. Monica has served on several boards and organizations during her life in St. Cloud MN (Great Theater, Create Community, Minnesota Council of Latino Affairs, St. Cloud School Board, Great River Children’s Museum), from those she has been an advocate for inclusive community building and developing and maintaining systems that works for all of us, with regards for the environment and arts.

Emeriti Board Members

  • Theodore Rose (he/him) partners with communities to develop strategies for people-powered change. He uses data and storytelling to help communities address finance, knowledge, and relational resource challenges. As Policy Director at the Council for Minnesotans of African Heritage, he advises government on issues affecting African heritage people and leads research and communications for the Council's policy and strategic initiatives. Theo worked previously on human rights and international development campaigns in Chicago and Washington, DC. He loves teaching writing and courses in African and African American Studies.