Leadership
​St. Paul

Leadership St. Paul (LSP) is the premier cohort learning program in the Twin Cities for emerging and current civic & business leaders that prepares, challenges, and engages leaders to strengthen the St. Paul/East Metro region.

Why LSP?

Since 1980, more than 2,200 graduates have been given the unique opportunity to connect with other leaders by meeting people with a shared commitment to community in addition to building a diverse, long-term network and promoting the organization they represent.

Cultivate skills and knowledge by:

• Building skills in leadership, communication and citizenship
• Gaining knowledge about challenges and issues facing the
  St. Paul/​East metro area
• Exploring the interrelationships of government, business and
  the broader community

Contribute to the vitality of the St. Paul/East metro area by:

• Helping people who live in the communities they care about
• Ensuring the continued health and well-being of the St. Paul/
  ​East metro area
• Giving back to St. Paul/East metro area

Program Overview

Leadership St. Paul supports a vital, positive community, with engaged and well-informed leaders. Each year, LSP selects up to 50 emerging and existing leaders from private, public, and nonprofit sectors of the community to participate in the ten-month program. 

LSP curriculum is designed to raise awareness of the needs and challenges that affect the St. Paul/East metro region and enhance individual leadership skills with a focus on community stewardship.  The program offers participants exceptional “insider” access by bringing in top-level business, civic, and government leaders to facilitate productive conversations around critical issues that influence our region.

Curriculum Elements

Monthly Program Days: Day-long sessions, focusing on significant challenges facing the region such as community effectiveness, education, health care, regional economic development, and criminal justice. Each program day strives to enlighten, inspire and transform participants by exposing them to a vast array of perspectives, resources and mentors. Program Days are always the second Thursday of the month.
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Nonprofit Engagement Program: each participant will form a team with 4 to 8 classmates and partner on learning about and volunteering for a local (pre-selected by LSP staff) nonprofit. Participants will gain experiential knowledge in community stewardship and systems change. Recent nonprofit partners include: Art From The Inside, CornerHouse, Junior Achievement, Majority in the Middle, Rice & Larpenteur Alliance, Union Gospel Mission, Women’s Advocates, Nine Lives Thift, St. Paul Art Collective, Rethos, and Mapping Prejudice.
 
If you're a nonprofit and are interested in being a selected nonprofit for 2026, please contact Kathleen.

Important Information for Interested Applicants

Anyone in the Twin Cities metro area can apply to Leadership St. Paul; usually applicants live and/or work in the St. Paul/East Metro Area. The application process consists of an online application and an in-person or virtual interview if interviews are needed.
 
The initial application deadline for the Class of 2026 is October 15, 2025. Preference will be given to the first 50 applications; but applications will be accepted until the class is full. If the class is not full after the initial application deadline, LSP staff and the committee will review applications on the 15th of the month in November, December, and January. Please contact Kathleen with any questions about the application process.​

Complete your 2026 Leadership St. Paul Application

Applicants who submit their application before the initial deadline of October 15, 2025, will be notified if interviews are needed by November 1. If no interviews are needed, they will be notified of acceptance into the program by November 15. Applications will then be open and accepted on a rolling basis on the 15th of each month until the class is full. We will post here if the class is full. Applicants submitting after the October 15 deadline (if the class is not full) will be notified by the end of the month in which they applied.  
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The program will start on February 12, 2026 and will be held every second Thursday of the month through November of 2026.
 
If you have any questions, please contact us. 

LSP Class of 2025

• LSP Curriculum Committee Chair: Liz Novotny, VIBE Realty
• Janna Bell, Platinum Bank
• Anthony Bergman, Royal Credit Union
• Fiona Brand, Securian Financial
• Cory  Brown, Xcel Energy
• Erica Cassada, Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare
• Georgina Chinchilla Gonzalez, ComMUSICation
• Ava Diaz, Visit Saint Paul
• Loveza Easton, Travelers
• Breanna Galuska, Saint Paul Public Schools
• Ololade Gbadamosi, Ordway Center of the Performing Arts
• Molly Guthrey, Pioneer Press
• Ali Hansen, Boyum and Barenscheer
• Madeline Harrington-Sharma, U.S. Bank
• Trever Harwell, Ramsey County Attorney's Office
• Miranda Hernandez, Neighborhood House
• Megan  Hesselberg, Redpath and Company, LLC
• Anna Hover, Magnolia Mouths Media LLC
• Jerico Huggar, Saint Paul Public Works
• Dustin Hultman, Redpath and Company, LLC
• Suzi Hunn, Teach Your Thing
• Holly Huston, Saint Paul Port Authority
• Jessica Jackson, Office of Cannabis Management - State of Minnesota
• Ingrid Johansen, Fairview Health Services

• Benjamin Johnson, Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity
• Karissa Kostka, Ever-Green Energy
• Kristin Larsen, Bremer Bank
• Alan L'Esperance, JE Dunn Construction Company
• Albert Lok, Morrissey Hospitality
• Ruth Lott, Mahoney I CPAs & Advisors
• Lisa Maloney-Vinz, Ecolab 
• Melissa McLean, St. Paul Area Chamber
• Luke Nilles, Minnesota Boat Club
• Ingris O'Connor, Bremer Bank
• Jeannette Rebar, City of St. Paul  
• Nathaniel Saltz, Minneasota Assisstance Council for Veterans
• Yuka Shiotani, Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP
• Maria  Snider, Rainbow Child Development Center
• Madeline Summers, Mississippi Market Natural Food Co-op
• Nancy Swanholm, Univeristy of St. Thomas
• Haley Thannum , Hilivate
• Jennifer Thurston, Fairview Health Services
• Steve Tran, Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation
• Wone Vang, Springboard for the Arts
• Jordan Vernoy, See What I Mean LLC
• Amy Votel, Merrick Community Services
• Sarah Weidner Camp, Land O'Lakes
• Kim Werst, The Sanneh Foundation
• Jamie Wirth, Minnesota Wild 
• Nicholas Wolff, City of St. Paul
• Panu Yang, State Farm