Brandon LongExecutive Director
(612) 724-5652
brandon.long@nokomiseast.org
Brandon moved to the Highland neighborhood of Saint Paul from Iowa with his wife in 2012 to begin his Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy at St. Kate’s. He began work at the Minnesota Autism Center as an occupational therapist in 2015. Brandon served as an elected At-Large board member of the Highland District Council on their engagement committee and helped found the neighborhood non-profit Sustain Ward 3 (now Sustain Saint Paul).
Prior to serving as NENA’s new Executive Director, he served in the same role with the Union Park District Council. Brandon is also a graduate of Neighborhoods Now!, the grassroots organizing training program through the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) at the University of Minnesota.
With a history of proactive leadership and community involvement, we are confident that Brandon will help to further NENA’s goals to promote neighborhood connections and implement our 2022-2024 Strategic Plan.
Jennifer Davis
Hello to Nokomis East neighborhoods! My name is Ms. Jennifer Davis and I’m thrilled to join NENA as a community organizer, family advocate, and licensed ECFE educator.
Most especially, I love being a mother to an adolescent thriving in South Minneapolis.
Feel free to say “Hi!” if you see me walking and talking to folks around the neighborhood, but the best way to catch me is rollerblading on streets, sidewalks, around lakes and trails.
Last resort, drop a note by email at jennifer.davis@nokomiseast.org
¡Hola a los vecindarios de Nokomis East! me llamo Sra. Jennifer Davis y estoy encantada de unirme a NENA como organizadora comunitaria, defensora de la familia y maestra licenciada en ECFE. Sobretodo, en mi papel más vital, como madre de una joven en el sur de Minneapolis.
Si me ves caminando y hablando con la gente del vecindario, Siéntanse libres de decirme “¡Hola!” pero la mejor manera de encontrarme es patinando en las calles, aceras, y alrededor los lagos y senderos. Cómo ultimo recurso, envíen una nota por correo electrónico a jennifer.davis@nokomiseast.org
Sarah Friedman
We are excited to welcome Sarah Friedman as NENA’s new Program and Communication Manager!
After obtaining her Bachelor’s in English, Sarah moved to Minnesota in 2019 to pursue her Master’s degree in Public Policy with a concentration in nonprofit management at the University of Minnesota.
Sarah has lived on four continents, most notably, she lived in Ukraine for three years while serving with the Peace Corps. Sarah continues to help her friends in Ukraine by working with other returned Peace Corps Volunteers and community members to raise awareness and funds for Ukraine. One of these projects is publishing a Ukrainian cookbook that directly funds grants given to Ukrainians.
In her spare time, Sarah plays with her one-year-old and is often rock climbing, hiking, running, or hiding behind her massive camera in attempts to take a photo of the same object about one hundred times.
Please say “Hi!” if you see her running around the neighborhood or email her at sarah.friedman@nokomiseast.org.
