Celebrate and support the Twin Cities nonprofit working to level the playing field for students

Working for change is not a new goal for Mikisha Nation. She is a 2023 Bush Fellow, was just named a Women in Business 2025 Honoree by the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal, has more than 20 years of experience in corporate, government and nonprofit leadership and is the current executive director of Teach for America Twin Cities (TAF Twin Cities).

“This is a difficult time for our country,” Nation explained. “We’re more divided now than we should be, but I want folks to think about what it takes to make change happen, and a lot of that happens by centering community and collaborating and seeing each other in our humanity.”

The public will have an opportunity to meet Nation and collaborate with TFA Twin Cities at the organization’s 15th Anniversary Celebration and fundraiser on Saturday, June 14, at Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis.

“We have this amazing alumni network of over 950 leaders and teachers all across the state, and we want them to be energized and we want them to feel celebrated for the impact they’ve made and to inspire our community to continue to invest in this work,” Nation added.

TFA was founded in 2009 and finds, develops, and supports a diverse network of 70,000 leaders. On its website, the organization positions its mission as “working in pursuit of profound systemic change so that one day every child has an equal opportunity to learn, lead, thrive, and co-create a future filled with possibility.”

TFA Twin Cities has trained more than 325 new teachers and impacted more than 16,000 students in this community. The organization committed to the ambitious goal that by 2030, twice as many children in the communities it serves will reach key educational milestones that build a path to economic mobility and a future of possibility.

TFA Twin Cities works to reach its goals by recruiting and developing young leaders to teach in schools most impacted by educational equity, providing those teachers ongoing support, and offering professional development to alumni.

“Some of the most important work we can do is recruiting and magnifying talent, especially folks from different backgrounds that mirror the students that we serve here in Minnesota.”

Nation said another key component is listening to students. “If they feel the class is not right, the class is not right. The partnership starts with the students in the classroom but also looks at community organizations.”

Nation cites a past example of working with Northside Achievement Zone, which helped TFA Twin Cities navigate the pandemic with its teachers, putting their emotional well-being and resiliency first at a difficult time, which led to the decision to quarantine the students. Another example is a summer practicum that NAF Twin Cities is running this summer for more than 250 students at Hmong College Prep Academy.

“We can’t do this work alone,” Nation said. “We didn’t get into this problem alone in terms of making sure that all students have access to opportunity, and so it’s not something we can solve by ourselves.”

Nation says the 15th Anniversary Celebration allows the public to support the mission and work of TAF Twin Cities.

“The investment from the community goes a long way to directly impact teachers in schools each and every day,” Nation explained. I’m really excited about the momentum that’s continuing to build for our students and our teachers.”

NAF Twin Cities 15th Anniversary Celebration on Saturday, June 14th at Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis runs from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. with a welcome reception, seated program with dinner service, and celebration reception. To learn more and purchase tickets, go to: https://events.bizzabo.com/681790.