Russ Adams, Executive Director

Russ Adams has been the executive director of the Alliance for Metropolitan Stability since 1995. He has worked as a nonprofit advocate and community organizer for more than 22 years.  During this time, he has helped to build community coalitions in support of economic and racial justice; sustainable and equitable development; renewable energy practices; better land-use and urban growth policies; and challenged public officials to address environmental justice concerns. 
 
In June of 2006, Russ took a temporary leave of absence from the Alliance to work as the field director for the Keith Ellison for U.S. Congress campaign. Russ previously served as director of All Parks Alliance for Change, a tenants’ rights organization of manufactured home park residents. 

Tracy Nordquist Babler, Development and Communications Director

Tracy Nordquist joined the Alliance in March 2007 as the organization's first development and communications director. Tracy spent the previous five years raising money for other local nonprofit organizations. Before joining the Alliance she was the development director at the Resource Center of the Americas. She has also served as director of development and communications at the Minnesota Environmental Initiative. She also served on the board of directors of the Minnesota Environmental Fund. Tracy holds a master of public policy degree with a focus in public and nonprofit leadership from the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.

Maura Brown, Associate Director

Maura Brown joined the Alliance staff in May 2000. Maura ensures that each Alliance campaign emphasizes grassroots organizing, strong research support and strategic capacity-building that unites organizations in building an integrated approach to achieving regional equity. Her work to ensure that Alliance initiatives reflect the values of many people, particularly low-income people and people of color, has been nationally recognized by PolicyLink and the Funders Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities. She previously served as the director of the Harrison Neighborhood Association, a citizen participation organization in North Minneapolis. Before that, she organized low-income tenants at Central Community Housing Trust, a nonprofit developer of affordable urban housing.

Marcus Harcus, HIRE Minnesota Coalition Organizer

Marcus was hired as the HIRE Minnesota Coalition Organizer, a position housed at the Alliance, in July 2010.

Marcus was formally trained by the Organizing Apprenticeship Project in 2003, but he has been involved in grassroots community organizing since 1995 when he was a Patrick Henry High School student challenging the role of structural inequities in perpetuating the racial academic achievement gap. Marcus has been involved in a variety of social and economic justice campaigns since then.  In 2007-2008 Marcus managed a community visioning project for Northeast Minneapolis. During the past year he has been organizing with the Northside Community Reinvestment Coalition, focusing on foreclosure prevention efforts, including door-to-door outreach, community-lender negotiations for mortgage loan modifications and legislative advocacy.

Joan Vanhala, Coalition Organizer

Joan Vanhala joined the Alliance in February 2008 as a coalition organizer. Joan has an accomplished career that includes: expertise in community organizing to achieve lasting results through effective partnerships; leadership development to sustain organizing efforts for long-term community strength; and the inclusion of racial equity as a necessary component of grassroots community development. Her work in leadership development includes creating curriculum and leading classes in organizing, conducting community best practices workshops and providing one-on-one technical support to community leaders.

Before joining the Alliance, Joan worked for the Seward and Longfellow neighborhoods to develop and implement restorative justice programs for juveniles. She previously worked as the Native American Educational Services college campus director and a program manager for the Community Leadership Development Program at Family & Children's Service. As a community organizer for the Phillips neighborhood, Joan led several successful campaigns that resulted in Green Institute/ReUse Center, Midtown Greenway Coalition, Franklin Avenue revitalization, public art projects created by neighborhood youth, and an energized citizen participation process in neighborhood planning and development. Joan has a degree in Community Organizing, Leadership Development: Methods and Practices from Metropolitan State University.

Alessandra Williams, HIRE Minnesota Coordinator

Alessandra Williams coordinates all aspects of HIRE Minnesota, including scheduling and staffing committees, organizing events and maintaining inter-coalition communication. Her most recent work prior to working for the coalition was with the DFL Coordinated Campaign, where she served as regional field organizer for the North Minneapolis community.

Born and raised in the Phillips and Whittier Neighborhoods, Alessandra Williams earned her bachelor's degree from Macalester College, with a major in American Studies and a minor in Dance.

Jeff Bauer - Vice President
Family and Children's Service

Julia Freeman
At Large

Larry Hiscock
At Large

Tina Homstad - President
Local Initiatives Support Corporation

Mona Langston
Housing Preservation Project

Mari Lecours
Community Stabilization Project 

Karen Monahan
Sierra Club Northstar Chapter

Natalia Pretelt - Treasurer
Metropolitan Consortium of Community Developers

Eleonore Wesserle - Secretary
Women's Environmental Institute