Meet The Board

Tonya Draughn is a nonprofit leader, coalition builder, and community advocate with more than a decade of experience advancing equity, strengthening community engagement, and expanding opportunities for youth and families across Minnesota. She serves as Board Chair of STAND Up Minnesota Parents United, where she works to elevate parent and family voices and strengthen their ability to participate in decisions affecting their children, schools, and communities.

Professionally, Tonya serves as Senior Partnership Manager at Environmental Initiative, where she develops strategic partnerships and coordinates coalitions focused on environmental solutions, environmental justice, youth leadership, and career pathways.

Tonya is also the founder and Executive Director of Uplift MN, a community-based organization focused on advocacy, civic engagement, leadership development, and creating opportunities for underserved communities.

Her experience includes community organizing, parent and family engagement, youth leadership, civic engagement, workforce development, and coalition building. Tonya is passionate about connecting communities with resources and opportunities while helping people build the knowledge and confidence to advocate for themselves and others. She believes meaningful and lasting change happens when parents, youth, and community members have a strong voice in shaping the systems and decisions that affect their lives.

I have 14 years investment and finance experience. I have 16 years in education. My lawsuit ForslundvMN went to the MN Supreme Court. I am a Roy Wilkins Community Fellow for Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, Advanced Methods Academy, led by Dr. Samuel Myers and a Katie Williams CARE Fellow for Early Childhood Advocacy and Public Policy. I was Secretary for the Minneapolis Alliance PAC with a budget of 225,000. Owner and Founder of Midwest Supervised Visitation, my family court/legal business since 2008. In 2017 I ran for Minneapolis City Council and in the height of the George Floyd movement ran in the primaries for the United Stated Congress. I am currently a circle keeper with Ramsey County for Restorative Justice. 

Erin Sandsmark is the Executive Director of Solutions Not Suspensions. Erin comes to this work as an educator, artist, and organizer. She has over a decade of experience in education. Since 2023 she has been leading the work at Solutions Not Suspensions (SNS) to end racial discipline disparities in Minnesota Schools.