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.
Alexa has been with CIS for 9 months come September, 2023. She graduated with her Bachelors in 2017 from Iowa State University with a degree in Child, Adult and Family Services. She continued on to get my Masters Degree from Iowa State in Family Consumer Science specializing in Youth Development and graduated in 2019. She has many years of experience working with youth and families in different settings. In her work experience she has learned and loved the importance of building relationships, supporting our youth and bringing communities together. She absolutely loves advocating and supporting youth to ensure they are set up for success and to help them every step of the way. She is passionate about making a difference in the lives of youth. She loves working in a school setting as she gets the opportunity to help out in a wide variety of ways. Her favorite part about working with CIS is the connections she is able to make with her students. In her personal time, Alexa loves to bake, spend time with friends and family, and is always seeking new adventures.
Brandi is the Site Coordinator at Washington Tech Magnet School. She obtained her Bachelor’s in Urban Elementary Education from Metropolitan State University in 2013, her Master’s in Family Studies from Concordia University - St. Paul in 2020 and a MN K-6 Educators License in 2017. She has worked over 20 years to equip and encourage inner city youth and families, through education, volunteering and providing connections to community resources. She values family and enjoys spending time with her two children, her husband and two bonus daughters watching wrestling, swimming, going to the movies, taking walks around the lake, playing card games and cooking large family Sunday dinners.
Miya will have been with CIS for about 6 months in September, 2023 and is excited to continue working with youth at the American Indian Magnet School in Saint Paul. 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.
Lexi is originally from Minnesota. After graduating high school, she moved to North Dakota to attend college. She graduated from North Dakota State University in 2020 with a bachelor's in social work and a minor in psychology. Lexi decided to further her education and obtained her master’s degree in social work with a minor in addiction studies from Walden University in 2024. While living in North Dakota, Lexi worked with troubled youth and adults in correctional facilities, youth experiencing homelessness, and individuals with disabilities. She’s always had an interest in working with youth in the community to help provide support and resources to better the situations they are currently facing. Lexi enjoys learning about individual's backgrounds, strengths, and goals while building an authentic connection. She strives to build authentic connections to help make a difference and provide positive support to better youth's outcomes and connections within the community. In her free time, Lexi enjoys spending time outdoors, being with family and friends, and caring for her houseplants.
Kyna comes to the CIS team fresh for the 2023-24 school year. She 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. Recently she received a grant to write a DEI curriculum for preschool aged children. 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 Hemline 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 her dog around with me of several 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.