Our people

Gloria Contreras Edin is a warm and compassionate attorney dedicated to her clients and upholding their protections under the U.S. Constitution. She has extensive experience advising clients from around the globe on complex immigration matters, representing them in various courts and agencies. Gloria is also a passionate advocate, serving on several nonprofit boards and commissions, and is an adjunct professor of Immigration Law at Mitchell Hamline School of Law. 

Dr. María C. Pabón Gautier is the Chief People Officer at Project for Pride in Living in Minneapolis, MN. In this role, she leads race equity strategies and programming, human resources, talent development, administration/operations, and the career readiness division. María holds a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Minnesota and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Puerto Rico. With over 20 years of experience, she has dedicated her career to training, coaching, teaching, and conducting research to develop evidence-informed practices. 

Her extensive experience spans nonprofit organizations, higher education, for-profit sectors, K-12 education, and government agencies, all with a focus on supporting underserved and marginalized communities. Her work uses an interdisciplinary and diverse approach, with a commitment to advancing justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) in various settings. 

Prior to her current role, María served as the Vice President of Equity and Inclusion at St. Olaf College. Throughout her career, she has been guided by principles of community engagement, the philosophy of “by us for us,” and a foundation in research, measurement, and evaluation. 

She is particularly focused on race equity and strengths-based approaches, ensuring that communities of color are at the center of development and decision-making processes. Her work aims to foster inclusive environments where all individuals can thrive and contribute meaningfully. 

Gloria Perez is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota (WFM), the first statewide women’s foundation in the country. Since 1983, WFM conducts ongoing research on the status of women and girls in Minnesota, advocates for public policy that results in greater economic security and safety for women and their families, and invests in organizations and leaders to build the field and achieve gender and racial justice – including distributing more than 54 million through community investments. 

Gloria became one of the country’s leading experts in reducing poverty as President & CEO of Jeremiah Program, a national nonprofit whose proven, holistic approach transforms families’ economic security two generations at a time. She has more than 25 years of experience across sectors, ranging from small business to for-profit corporations to nonprofit human service organizations. As an Ascend Fellow at the Aspen Institute, Gloria is working with other national leaders to drive innovative ideas and proven strategies to help families achieve educational success and economic security. She serves on the board of directors for the Ciresi Walburn Foundation, Esperanza United, Macalester College, and the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation. 

Tammie Nasseff, Inactive CPA serves as the Chief Financial Officer at Neighborhood Development Center (NDC). In her role, Tammie is responsible for overseeing NDC’s finances while leading the accounting team. She has over 35 years of experience in the accounting field. Before coming to NDC, she worked as the CFO at Rockwood Capital Management. In addition to being a licensed CPA (currently inactive), Tammie is a QuickBooks Pro Advisor and a retired member of the Minnesota Board of Accountants and the Minnesota Board of CPAs.  Tammie serves as Board Treasurer at Esperanza United and Savana Townhome Associations. 

Caroline Bettinger-López is a Professor of Law, Faculty Chair of the Human Rights Program, and Director of the Human Rights Clinic at University of Miami School of Law, which she founded in 2011. From 2022-2024, she served as a Senior Advisor on Gender and Equality at the U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime, where she helped to lead the development of the first-ever U.S. National Plan to End Gender-Based Violence. In Fall 2021, she served as a Special Advisor to the White House Gender Policy Council. From 2015-2017, she served in the Obama-Biden Administration as the White House Advisor on Violence Against Women, Senior Advisor to Vice President Joe Biden, and member of the White House Council on Women and Girls. 

Over the past two decades, Caroline has engaged in advocacy before domestic and international law and policy forums to address gender-based violence, racial justice, and immigrants’ rights. From 2017-2021, she served as an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, in addition to her teaching responsibilities. She has taught at University of Chicago School of Law and Columbia Law School; and was a Skadden Fellow at the ACLU Women’s Rights Project and federal law clerk.  

She is a Commissioner on the Lancet Commission on Gender-Based Violence and Maltreatment of Young People. She is the recipient of a Roddenberry Fellowship (COURAGE in Policing Project, focused on police response to domestic violence and sexual assault) and a TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund grant (Voces Unidas Project, to support low-wage immigrant women workers). 

Adam Born is a forward-thinking executive with more than two decades of leadership experience across sales strategy, customer experience, and business transformation. Known for building high-performing teams and delivering bold, customer-centric strategies, Adam is committed to creating meaningful experiences that drive both business results and long-term loyalty. 

Currently serving as Vice President of Sales Enablement at Best Buy, Adam leads Best Buy’s selling and engagement strategies, premium design experiences, and retail programs across the company’s physical and digital platforms. His work is rooted in a belief that understanding people – both customers and employees – is the key to sustainable growth. 

Adam began his career on the retail floor and quickly rose through leadership roles across multiple markets, including store operations and multi-unit leadership. Known for his ability to simplify complex strategies and turn ideas into action, Adam leads with a mix of curiosity, accountability, and a clear focus on impact. His leadership style emphasizes listening, adapting, and delivering experiences that evolve with the needs of the communities he serves. 

Adam holds an MBA from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. He lives in Minnesota with his wife, Anna, and their three daughters. 

Jacques Hebert serves on McKnight’s Executive Leadership Team and leads communications for the foundation. Since joining McKnight in 2022, he has directed the Foundation’s enterprise-wide communications strategies with vision, care, and impact. Under his leadership, the communications team has played a vital role in shaping how the foundation shares their story, connects with partners, and amplifies the work of those advancing justice, equity, and climate solutions in our communities. 

Jacques brings nearly two decades of experience in communications, public relations, public affairs, marketing, and advertising, across the corporate, nonprofit, and philanthropic sectors. His career has spanned large technology companies, nonprofit media organizations, environmental NGOs, and philanthropic institutions. Prior to joining McKnight, Jacques led communications for Environmental Defense Fund’s (EDF) global coastal resilience initiative, directing comprehensive communications campaigns that advanced supportive policies at the local, state, and federal levels. He also led communications for Restore the Mississippi River Delta, a coalition of national and state-based organizations working to address ongoing disaster recovery and build long-term climate resilience for Louisiana’s coastal communities. He previously served as communications director for the National Audubon Society as part of the same coalition. Before that, Jacques held positions at Mother Jones magazine, Google, and YouTube, all focused on driving innovation and impact through communications, digital advertising, and storytelling. 

Leah Aileen Hill is a Fulbright Scholar and Social Justice Leader who has created impact through 30+ years of legal representation, advocacy, teaching, program design and management, and community engagement. Her broad social justice experience spans poverty, family well-being, court reform, gender-based violence, and anti-racism. She is known challenging policies and approaches that fail to deliver. She is a thought leader, speaker, panelist, and media commentator deeply engaged in improving the legal system and legal education.  

Ms. Hill is currently the Ann Moynihan Clinical Research Scholar and Clinical Professor at Fordham University School of Law. Professor Hill’s teaching areas include family law, poverty law, and clinical education, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches to family law problems. Professor Hill directs the Family Defense and Advocacy Clinic, a fully integrated interdisciplinary education and practice clinic that allows students to serve parents seeking to protect the integrity of their families and prevent state intervention.   She is also the advisor to Fordham’s Black Law Student Association and the Public Interest and Service Concentration coordinator.  

Marylouise Kelley has devoted her career, at the local and national levels to advocacy for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and child maltreatment. As the former Director of the Family Violence Prevention and Services Program, US Department of Health and Human Services, she oversaw the primary federal funding stream for domestic violence shelter, supportive services, and technical assistance. She was instrumental in leading several interagency collaborations on housing for victims of domestic violence, trauma-informed services, health care responses to intimate partner and sexual violence, and services for abused parents and their children. She earned her doctorate in Social Work at the Catholic University of America. Her dissertation focused on Concerns for Children as a Factor in Battered Mothers’ Decisionmaking About Change (2003.) She is a Certified Mindfulness Meditation Teacher at the Insight Meditation Community of Charlottesville, Virginia, and at Banyan Together, a national online meditation community. 

As the Vice President of Human Resources, Principal Talent Advisor, and Head of Inclusive Diversity at Allstate, Olga Otero-Brown leads a high-performing team, driving strategic client relationships and delivering impactful solutions. Her leadership fosters growth and collaboration, ensuring success in an ever-evolving landscape. She focuses on creating an inclusive culture where employees grow, innovate, and succeed together.     

Olga excels in crafting and executing strategies that drive business growth and talent development. She has led transformative culture changes, creating inclusive environments that engage and empower employees. Her passion for building meaningful connections enhances team effectiveness and drives a culture of belonging.   

Beyond her professional accomplishments, through her service on Esperanza United’s Board of Directors, she is committed to making a positive impact in the communities she serves.