Our Team
Interim Executive Director: Jen Thorson
The James P. Shannon Leadership Institute is pleased to announce that Jen Thorson has been selected as Interim Executive Director.
Jen Thorson is a St. Paul-based nonprofit executive with more than 25 years of experience leading mission-driven organizations and founder and principal consultant with Paradox Leadership Consulting. She is an experienced interim executive director who enjoys supporting nonprofit boards and teams through transitions, setting them up for future strength and success.
She previously served as Chief Operating Officer for Girl Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin River Valleys, one of the largest Girl Scout councils in the nation. Before joining Girl Scouts, she worked in higher education in the fields of marketing, communications, and enrollment management. Her first career was as a journalist, serving as a newspaper reporter and editor.
Jen is an active volunteer, advocate, and public speaker. She serves as the board chair for the Minnesota Alliance for Volunteer Advancement and as the treasurer for Little Free Library. She previously served on the City of St. Paul Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commissioner and on the Leaders of Today and Tomorrow board for directors. A heart attack survivor, she is also a frequent presenter about women's heart health and is a former national spokesperson for the American Heart Association.
Jen earned a master’s degree in organizational leadership from St. Catherine University and a bachelor’s degree in English and women’s studies from Hamline University. She also holds certificates in HR and Talent Management (Michigan State), Fundraising Leadership (Indiana University), and Excellence in Business (Carlson School of Management).
Jen believes in the paradox of leadership; to her, the best leaders are confident and humble, decisive and flexible. They lead and they follow. “Leadership is not either-or; it’s both/and.”
Program Facilitator: Katrina Mendoza
Katrina was born and raised in the West Side community in St. Paul. She independently raised 3 children who grew up to be organizers and activists seeking to build a better world. She was raised by her grandma, who was undocumented and still found a way to be a light to her community.
Katrina has over 25 years working alongside community with houseless folks, young people and LGBTQIA2 providing community health education. Currently, she supervises the work of organizers building collective power on the West Side. She is an unapologetic fighter for social and racial justice and strives to be someone both her ancestors and descendants will be proud of.
She's a community auntie who is married with 5 "bonus babies", making her a mother to 8. She also has 2 grandbabies, Onyx and Lazuli and her life is abundant in the blessing of family.
Katrina was a participant in the Shannon in 2022.
Program Facilitator: Megan Powers
With more than 25 years in community engagement, facilitation, mediation, and communities of practice, Megan is passionate about supporting people in reflective practice and meaningful collaboration, enabling them to show up even stronger in and for their communities. She has worked as a grantmaker, consultant, and capacity builder both in the USA and globally. Past roles have included at the McKnight Foundation, Grassroots Solutions, Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP), and the Advocates for Human Rights.
Megan is a 2005-06 Rotary World Peace Fellow and former Fulbright scholar. She pursued a Master's degree in International Conflict Resolution at the Universidad del Salvador in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and she holds a B.A. in English Literature, Spanish, and Women’s Studies from the University of St. Thomas. Currently, she supports rural communities in the beautiful Cuyuna Lakes region of central Minnesota as Executive Director of the Hallett Charitable Trusts.
Megan has been one of the Shannon Institute facilitators since 2022. She lives in St. Paul with her partner, two kids, and a mischievous dog. She explores plant medicine as an herbalist and loves travel, music, mutual aid, and time outdoors.