Our Team
CEO & President
Amanda Sappa joined the CIS-TC team as CEO in January 2019. She has over 20 years’ experience in youth program development and nonprofit administration. She is passionate about designing programs that help youth succeed in every aspect of their lives. Amanda earned her Master of Public and Nonprofit Administration from Metropolitan State University in St. Paul MN in 2013. She is a lifelong resident of Richfield MN, a devoted wife and mother, and enjoys travel and photography in her spare time.
Program Director
Kel has been with CIS for 3.5 years. She graduated from Bethel University with a degree in Communications. She has worked with teens and communities through various nonprofits over the last seven years. She is deeply passionate about creating meaningful relationships with young people in order to help them succeed in school and life. Kel actively seeks out new and exciting ways to connect with young people. Whether she was leading a dirt bike restorative justice program, on a week-long Boundary Waters camping trip for teens who have experienced trauma or leading a youth voice community art cohort, she believes in the value of connection. Kel is excited to bring her passion for relationships to CIS and to see the powerful impact it can have on students and the Hastings community.
Miya has been with CIS since 2023 and is excited to work with students at Murray Middle School. She graduated in 2021 with a dual degree in non-profit administration and intercultural studies and for the past 5 years she has worked with youth in various settings including after school and camp based environments. She is passionate about providing safe spaces for students to thrive and succeed in. She is eager to continue to impact the lives of the youth she works with and support her school staff. In her personal free time she loves to go out with her friends discovering new places to dine at in the metro area. She also enjoys spending quality time with her family.
Kyna has over 20 years of experience working in the field of education in multiple facets. She is passionate about including diversity, equity and inclusion into learning experiences and received a Bachelor of Arts in Ethnic Studies from Mills College. She completed a Master of Jewish Education from Hebrew Union College and went on to serve as a senior educator for several summer camps. After that she taught English overseas living in Israel for 2 years. Kyna is excited to bring all of her experiences in education as a student advocate and support. She grew up in the Hamline-Midway Midway neighborhood blocks from Hamline Elementary and is a long time resident of St. Paul Newell Parks area. Kyna can’t wait to bring her passion and knowledge of her community into advocacy for students. Outside of work, you’ll find her in her yard gardening and walking around lakes within the metro.
Sarah graduated from Saint Louis University in 2020 with a Bachelor's degree in English and American Studies. In college, she focused on providing tutoring and mentoring to youth at a local homeless shelter and juvenile detention center in St. Louis. This ignited a desire to pursue a career in education focused on equity. After graduating during the pandemic, she tutored and mentored three students in Minneapolis at her own former middle school as they navigated distanced learning. This solidified her decision to join Teach for America in Kansas City, where she taught middle school English for two years and graduated with her Master's degree in Secondary Education. Sarah loved building relationships with students in her role as a teacher but felt disheartened and overwhelmed by the lack of support and resources provided to students, which led her to find a new career path focused specifically on providing this kind of support. She is passionate about pursuing equity in education by means of building strong relationships with students and partnerships with the community. Originally from Minneapolis, Sarah is excited to be back in Minnesota supporting students at Hastings High School.
We welcomed Tiara to the team at the start 2024. She studied Sociology and Communication Studies at Hamline University from 2013 to 2017. She became a doula in 2022 and obtained her Community Health Worker certificate from Normandale Community College in 2021. She has experience working with underserved youth in high school and elementary schools as well as men with serious and persistent mental illnesses. Her passions include normalizing conversations about mental illness in BIPOC communities, finding community resources for clients, students, and family members, and serving people that are often overlooked. In her free time she enjoys kayaking, playing board/card games, watching movies, learning about astrology, and spending time with friends and family.
Originally from Saint Louis Missouri I relocated to Minneapolis after attending Iowa State where I studied Design. Upon moving to Minneapolis I served with City of Lakes AmeriCorps as a Youth Worker at Anwatin Middle School and Ella Baker Global Studies & Humanities Magnet School. Shortly after finishing my time with City of Lakes I became a Special Education Paraprofessional at Hiawatha Leadership Academies for a year and a half before becoming a Behavior Specialist for two years. Wanting to explore the arts more I left my school to join the Public Education Learning and Impact (PELI) department at the Walker Art Center where I supported teen programs for two years as the Youth Program Coordinator. I'm currently attending Augsburg to obtain my teaching license through the Black Men Teach Fellowship program.
Matt is excited to bring his experience to Hastings Middle School. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Iowa State University in 2011, and completed his Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) coursework at Eastern Washington University.
Matt returned to his home state after working for a K-12 Special Education program in Bellevue, WA for the past 11 years. He has held roles including Recreation Therapist and Behavior Intervention Specialist, and has trained across multiple evidence-based frameworks. In these positions, he has supported individuals with complex educational and behavioral needs, trained staff in effective intervention strategies, and developed systems that promote growth, resilience, and independence for both students and their families.
Whether working directly with students and families or professionals in special education and mental health settings, Matt’s goal remains the same: to illuminate pathways for meaningful, lasting growth. He believes that centering empathy in practice not only clarifies the most effective and ethical routes forward, but also strengthens the connections that make that growth possible.