MNCASA - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Minnesota SART Program Coordinator Minnesota
Alana is the Minnesota Sexual Assault Response Team Program Coordinator with the Sexual Violence Justice Institute at the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault. She supports Minnesota communities' systems response to sexual violence by providing training, technical assistance, and developing resources. Alana is clinically licensed and has previously been employed at the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, providing substance abuse treatment. She also worked for the MN Department of Corrections providing sex offender treatment, domestic violence programming, and substance abuse treatment to incarcerated people. Alana has a Bachelor's degree in Human Development and Family Studies and her Master's in Addiction Counseling.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Partner Program Member, Metro
Ashley has worked in the anti-sexual violence field in numerous contexts. Prior to joining MNCASA, she was a Legal Advocate at Alexandra House (Anoka County, Minn.), a Shelter Advocate at SAFEHouse (Ann Arbor, Mich.) and Jefferson Children's Advocacy Center (Gretna, La.). Additionally, Ashley has taught master's level courses in Social Work. As the Senior Advocacy Coordinator, Ashley strives to create space for the amazing anti-sexual violence advocates across MNCASA's membership to learn, connect, and grow. By cultivating this space, anti-sexual violence advocates will have even more tools to provide quality services to victims/survivors. She strives for a culture shift where sexual violence is no longer acceptable, systems respond appropriately, and the most oppressed voices are lifted up in this movement.
Ashley loves spending time with her family (including two golden retrievers: Maple and Cherry), often has her nose in a book, cleans her house while binge-listening to podcasts, and goes on nature walks.
Job Titles:
- STOP Program Coordinator National
Aubrey is the STOP Program Coordinator who provides sexual violence training and technical assistance to STOP Administrators nationwide. During her tenure in the anti-violence movement, Aubrey has served as an advocate, an educator, and a preventionist. With a background in rural, dual-advocacy agencies and large statewide universities, Aubrey has persistently worked to serve survivors and build community capacity to respond in consistent and trauma informed ways.
Aubrey obtained degrees in Women's & Gender Studies from the University of South Florida where she conducted foundational research on assessing campus climate for marginalized students to support the expansion of culturally specific services and programs. Aubrey is an artist, traveler, and dog mom.
Job Titles:
- Director of Communications & Advancement Minnesota
My name is Becca and I am the Director of Communications and Advancement at MNCASA. My team and I are responsible for internal and external communications, membership engagement, and executing strategies to diversify the organization's funding sources. I am a multifaceted communicator and love to learn and teach through intentional conversation. My love of storytelling and listening has allowed me to produce TV newscasts in Fargo, Tucson and the Twin Cities; to serve as Public Information Officer at the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office; to strategize internal and external communications at Ameriprise Financial, Best Buy and 3M Health Care; to help develop Here's the Truth, a groundbreaking independent news program on CW Twin Cities. I have a degree in Mass Communications and broadcast journalism from Minnesota State University Moorhead. I enjoy live music, quality time with my loved ones, and meeting new people.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Treasurer, at Large Member, Greater MN
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- at Large Member, Greater MN
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- at Large Member, Greater MN
Job Titles:
- Rural Projects Coordinator National
Fatima joined the Sexual Violence Justice Institute at the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault in May of 2020. As a Rural Projects Coordinator, Fatima provides training and technical assistance to rural communities working to improve systems and community response to sexual violence. She connects with and supports rural SARTs and state/territory-level leaders across the country. She is committed to working with rural communities on creating a victim/survivor-centered, trauma-informed, and collaborative response to sexual violence.
Fatima has been involved in the anti-violence movement since 2015. Before joining SVJI at MNCASA, she worked across Eastern Iowa as a mobile multilingual advocate and prevention educator. She holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in Social Work and Gender, Women's, and Sexuality Studies and a Master's in Social Work, with a concentration in Integrated Practice, from the University of Iowa.
Outside of work, Fatima enjoys exploring the Twin Cities and spending time with family and friends.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Partner Program Member, Metro
Job Titles:
- National SART Program Coordinator National
Heather Blanton is the National Sexual Assault Response Team program coordinator with the Sexual Violence Justice Institute at the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault. She has been working with victims/survivors of domestic and sexual violence and allied professionals in the field for more than 13 years. Prior to this role, Heather worked with the Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence to provide training and technical assistance to community-based advocates and allied professionals on a variety of topics including officer perpetrated domestic and sexual violence, court advocacy and protection orders. In addition, Heather worked on the OVW Improving Criminal Justice Response Grant to develop a toolkit for Kansas around implementing lethality assessments and high-risk teams into communities.
Job Titles:
- Program Coordinator
- Prevention Program Coordinator Minnesota
Hunter Beckstrom (he/him) is the Prevention Program Coordinator at the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault. Since joining in 2020, Hunter has focused on developing community-level, primary prevention strategies that are rooted within approaches of anti-oppression. Hunter strives to uplift and build capacity for the diverse and comprehensive prevention projects MNCASA members are implementing throughout the state. He also demonstrates how direct services providers can embed prevention efforts into their response.
Hunter has been a part of the anti-violence movement since 2015 when pursuing his bachelor's degree from Winona State University. He has also received a Master's degree in Gender & Women's Studies from Minnesota State University, Mankato.
When not at work, Hunter enjoys walking around the many lakes of the Twin Cities, traveling, reading, spending time with loved ones, and making plans to one day have a small hobby farm with tons of animals.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Partner Program Member, Greater MN
Jude has been working with victims/survivors of sexual violence and professionals in the field for more than 25 years. She has worked extensively in developing and managing crisis services programs, working with, and coordinating multidisciplinary teams, and providing training and technical assistance to victim services, medical forensic programs, and criminal justice professionals. Jude serves as the Advocacy, Medical Forensic, and Prevention Programs Director at MNCASA, focusing on program development and implementation, providing technical assistance, and supporting staff. Jude is currently working on the challenges surrounding medical forensic compliance, accessible primary prevention, and statewide coordination.
Jude has a passion for social justice, cooking, and her family tree. When Jude isn't working on increasing prevention efforts, and sexual assault exam and advocacy access, she is usually hanging out with her cats, Stephen Sondheim, Hank Mobley, and Desmond Dekker.
Kate is a Minnesota native, and a proud graduate of the Perpich Center for Arts Education. Kate earned a Bachelor's Degree in Social Justice from Hamline University in 2003, and graduated cum laude from Hamline Law School in 2009. After law school, Kate clerked for the Honorable Tony N. Leung and the Honorable Anne K. McKeig in Minnesota's 4 th Judicial District. She then spent 5 years as an Assistant Hennepin County Public Defender, where she represented adults in community, property and drug cases, as well as juveniles in delinquency and child protection. In 2017 Kate moved with her family to the Territory of American Samoa, where she ran the Family, Drug and Alcohol Court practice of the American Samoa Office of the Public Defender. From 2019-2023, Kate lived and worked in Austin, Texas, where she served as Director of Legal Services at Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas, the largest provider of civil pro bono representation in the region. From 2018-2021, Kate also provided consulting services for Gender Justice's reproductive justice advocacy work. Kate is licensed to practice law in Minnesota, American Samoa and Texas. She is a former board member of MN NARAL and If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice. She is Texas bar-certified in Guardianship and a member of the Texas Bar College. Kate is thrilled to return home to Minnesota with her husband and children. In her spare time she likes plants, puzzles, and trips to the public library.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Chairman, Partner Program Member, Metro
Job Titles:
- National Sexual Assault Response Team Program Coordinator National
Madeline is a National Sexual Assault Response Team program coordinator with the Sexual Violence Justice Institute at the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault. In her previous role, Madeline served as the Protection Order Project Coordinator for the Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence. Madeline worked to enhance the statewide protection order process through training programs, technical assistance, stakeholder collaboration, and policy development relating to issues of protection orders in cases involving domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and human trafficking.
Madeline served on the Access to Justice Committee which made recommendations to the Kansas Supreme Court on matters such as reducing barriers to accessing justice faced by survivors and self-represented litigants navigating the legal system.
Madeline holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies and a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism from the University of Kansas. In 2019, she completed her juris doctorate at Washburn University, where she earned the Outstanding Advanced Intern Award for her work in the Washburn Law Clinic.
Madeline has a pack of rescued pets, enjoys Kansas City BBQ and riding horses.
Job Titles:
- Member and Organization Services Manager Minnesota
Megan has held several roles since at MNCASA since joining the staff in 2007: Office and Systems Manager, Communications and Resource Design Specialist, Senior Membership and Program Services Coordinator and, most recently, Member and Organization Services Manager. In each role, Megan has worked to make sure MNCASA members and allies have access to the information, trainings, and resources they need. As Member and Organization Services Manager, Megan works to support current members and grow MNCASA's membership to better reflect communities throughout Minnesota. She is committed to making MNCASA accessible to all members and allies, whether they've been in the movement for 20+ years or one day.
Outside of work, Megan enjoys spending her time with people who make her laugh really hard, baking, and attempting to garden.
Job Titles:
- Rural Project Coordinator National
Miranda Gonzalez (she/her) began her position as Rural Projects Coordinator in March 2021. She supports rural communities' systems response to sexual violence by providing training, technical assistance, and developing resources. She has a passion for working with community-focused organizations to create systems change in response to sexual violence. Throughout her various roles, she has seen the importance of a community's role in the victim/survivor's healing. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Criminal Justice at Loyola University. Afterward, she became a legal advocate in a community-based, dual organization. Outside of work, Miranda enjoys reading a good book and traveling to new places.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- at Large Member, Greater MN
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- at Large Member, Greater MN
Job Titles:
- Member of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin
- National and State Programs Director Minnesota, National
Nigel Perrote (he/him) has 16 years of experience working from direct service to program administration. His professional experiences include youth and young adults experiencing homelessness, pregnant and parenting adolescents, sexual violence, and commercial sexual exploitation. Nigel started with the Sexual Violence Justice Institute at the Minnesota Coalition against Sexual Assault as the National and State Program Director in December 2020. In his role, he oversees the National and Statewide technical assistance projects of SVJI.
Nigel is an enrolled member of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin and enjoys playing video game and watching scary movies in his free time.
Job Titles:
- Interim Executive Director Minnesota, National
Job Titles:
- Prevention Program Coordinator Minnesota
Job Titles:
- Senior Communications and Design Coordinator at the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault
- Senior Communications and Design Coordinator Minnesota
Rachel Martin Asproth is the Senior Communications and Design Coordinator at the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault. She has a dual Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Socio-Cultural Studies with a minor in Gender Studies. Since joining MNCASA in 2019, Rachel has crafted communications and strategic marketing strategies, led fundraising initiatives, managed MNCASA's digital voice through outreach and social media, and developed and designed resources and tools aimed at responding to and preventing sexual violence in Minnesota.
Rachel has expertise in strategic communications, writing, editing, design, marketing, social change advocacy, community outreach, and social media. She has worked in advocacy-focused communications roles in the non-profit sector for eight years and is the recipient of writing, publishing, and poetry awards. A dedicated visual and written storyteller, Rachel loves to combine strategic thinking with love of stories in order to highlight injustice and reach and inspire others.
Rachel enjoys exploring the outdoors, cooking with her partner, and buying more books than she will ever fit on her bookshelf.
Job Titles:
- Public Policy Manager Minnesota
Sarah has a Master's Degree in Public Affairs from the Humphrey School at the University of Minnesota. Prior to coming to MNCASA, she spent over 15 years working with youth in crisis, including survivors of sexual exploitation. Her work at MNCASA has included helping communities in Minnesota to improve their awareness and response to sexual exploitation and trafficking, and providing training and technical assistance to Sexual Assault Response Teams across the U.S. as part of MNCASA's Sexual Violence Justice Institute.
In her current role as Public Policy Manager, Sarah leads MNCASA's policy work to advocate for change at the local, state, and national level. She works with members, victims/survivors, community stakeholders, and lawmakers to address issues affecting victims/survivors of sexual violence and fulfill the organization's mission of driving transformative culture change.
Outside of work, Sarah enjoys spending time with friends and family, checking out new restaurants, and reading or listening to podcasts.
Job Titles:
- Operations Director Minnesota
Shane began her career in arts administration. Since leaving the arts, she has worked as a shelter advocate for the homeless and obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. Shane is a member of the administrative team, which oversees the day-to-day operations of MNCASA and provides support to the program staff. She is passionate about helping people, whether it is assisting a victim/survivor to find the necessary resources and support or helping coworkers with projects.
Away from the office, Shane enjoys spending time with family and friends. She still has a deep passion for the arts, especially the theater, and continues to be an active part of Twin Cities' arts community.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- at Large Member, Greater MN
Job Titles:
- Program Manager
- FVPSA Program Manager Minnesota
Victoria Riechers is the FVPSA Program Manager. Prior to this role, she was the Interim National SART Program Coordinator with the Sexual Violence Justice Institute at MNCASA. Victoria previously worked with the Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence to provide training and technical assistance to sexual assault responders and service providers in Arizona. Victoria has an MA in Gender, Violence and Conflict from the University of Sussex, where she researched bisexual women's experiences of sexual violence. She has also worked in international public health, focusing on sexual and reproductive health, HIV and gender equality.