Our team.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Connie Black
After many years serving children and families as a guide (teacher) in Montessori Children’s Houses (early childhood environments), Connie saw the opportunity to reach exponentially more children and families through adult education. She recently served as the Director of Training for the Boston Satellite of Montessori Training Center Northeast, working with adults preparing to guide Montessori Children’s Houses. She also serves as an examiner for the Association Montessori Internationale, consultant, and guest lecturer on AMI Primary Courses. Connie has worked her entire career to bring Montessori back to its roots, making it more broadly accessible to all children and families.
Connie holds a B.A. in English and Theatre from the University of Tennessee at Martin, as well as a M.Ed. from Loyola University Maryland. Connie loves living in Duluth, with her husband and dog. Her four grandchildren call her “Grand.”
Contact: connie@duluthcenterforwomenandchildren.org
BOARD CHAIR
Aparna Katre
Aparna is the principal faculty and Cultural Entrepreneurship program director at the University of Minnesota Duluth. She is passionate about developing an ecosystem bridging the academic and workforce needs of students and those of the public, private and nonprofit sectors. Her research is practice-led and community-engaged at the nexus of entrepreneurship, strategy and design-thinking for sustainable development and social change. She studies innovative entrepreneurial and community ownership models, and design-led interventions for solving societal issues of underserved communities. Aparna has provided leadership in the areas of strategy, organizational change management, business process improvement, and program management at Global Information Technology consulting firms. She led a technology based nonprofit organization and was a small business owner prior to taking the current position at the University in 2013. Aparna received her PhD in Management (Designing Sustainable Systems) from Case Western Reserve University in the United States in 2013 and has a Master’s in Statistics from Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, India.
Contact: aparna@duluthcenterforwomenandchildren.org
AMERICORPS VISTA
Molly Williams
Molly recently graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth with BAs in Spanish, International Studies, and Political Science. Molly is also the owner of Molly Suzanne Photography, LLC where she specializes in travel and nonprofit branding. Her passions for grassroots organizing and ethical storytelling led her to volunteer with DCWC while she was in college, and later take on DCWC’s communications efforts as an AmeriCorps VISTA. In her free time, you can find Molly hiking the North Shore, planning road trips, and taking pictures of just about anything involving people.
Contact: molly@duluthcenterforwomenandchildren.org
Board Members: Jennifer Webb, Elise Lindaman, Grace McLarnan, Caitlin Smith, Chelsey Jonason, Julia Williams, Lisa Blade, Daphne Amundson