Staff & Board

Joy Persall is a leadership coach, facilitator, and transition organizational consultant. Joy has a depth and breadth of experience leading organizations locally and nationally, guiding transitions and developing leadership skills. As a woman of Ojibwe Metis’ descent, mother, grandmother, gardener, seed keeper, Joy is committed to a life supported by community and family, working for equity and justice, and caring for our Mother Earth. Primarily, Joy is a gardener of people, teams, and organizations, developing their ability to grow, learn and create new solutions in a grounded atmosphere of human dignity and deep respect. 

Following a 20 year career in philanthropy, Joy received a Bush Foundation Leadership Fellowship in 2011 completing an M.A. in Organization Development and Management and CEBC Coaching Certification, mentored by Indigenous women leaders. Joy prioritizes work with Native American leadership, engages multicultural, multi-generational leaders in coaching and facilitation of transformational leadership experiences in non-profit, philanthropic, and community organizations. Joy previously served in executive leadership roles at Dream of Wild Health, Headwaters Foundation for Justice, and Native Americans in Philanthropy and continues to advocate and organize for greater equity and inclusion at community and national scales. Persall provides strategic leadership and organization development to nonprofits and community leaders focusing on community engagement, healthy systems, and advancement of equity and positive change. Joy is a World Institute for Action Learning Senior Coach, is certified in The Leadership Circle and Organizational Culture Profile, and the Intercultural Development Inventory.

Nation Wright Sr. (Anishinabe from Leech Lake) works for the American Indian Community Development Institute as their Chief Operating Officer. He is a proud father of 2 boys and he loves to sing with his boys on the drum. Nation is passionate about culture sustainability, community and behavioral health and is looking forward to one day bringing those passions together to provide additional help for our community.

Felicia Galvan (she/her) is an enrolled member of the White Earth Nation and of Mexican descent. As a Dream of Wild Health youth alumni and former seasonal farmer, Felicia is most excited to support the organization by sharing her knowledge and passion in youth development and community engagement. Felicia is now an American Indian cultural liaison for the Mound View Public School District; her previous professional experience includes youth program coordination at the  American Indian Family Center. Felicia earned her undergraduate degrees in Anthropology and Spanish at the University of Minnesota Morris in the Spring of 2021. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband, her nieces, and cat.

Pam is Anishinaabekwe from Lac Courte Orielles, WI.  She moved to Saint Paul, in 2013 and has been working in the Twin Cities Native community since. Pam is the Youth Services Manager at American Indian Family Center and previously worked at Nicolet Area Tech College in Rhinelander, WI for 15-years. At Nicolet, Pam and a few coworkers created a community garden for staff and students on campus. Each staff and student involved with this project volunteered their time to maintain and care for the garden. Two of the greatest gifts Pam has received from Our Creator was eight children and the love for our land.

Dave (White Earth Nation) has recently retired from his role as CEO of Bald Eagle Erectors, Inc. He started his career as an apprentice with the Ironworkers Local 512 in 1980, after graduating high school and being in the US Marine Corps. In 1994 Bald Eagle Erectors was created and is still going strong 28 years later. Through his career he has supported the communities he works and lives in, minorities, and veterans. Dave is a board member of Building Strong Communities, past committee member for the American Indian Center Capital Campaign and Local 512 apprenticeship committee; past Board Member of Minnesota American Indian Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Minority Contractors (Midwest) Minnesota American Indian Chamber of Commerce, The Circle (Native American Newspaper), Metropolitan Economic Development Association (MEDA), American Indian Community Development Corporation, The Tiwahe Foundation, and former commissioner on the City of St Paul Department of Civil Rights HR/EEO.

Jackie Dionne, enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Chippewa Tribe in North Dakota.  Her family moved to Minneapolis, MN in 1970 under the BIA Relocation program when she was 6 years old, and Minneapolis is where she grew up.  She is currently the Tribal Liaison for the Minnesota Department of Commerce.

She joined Commerce after serving as Tribal Liaison with the Minnesota Department of Health from 2012 to 2023, and as Interim Director of the Office of American Indian Health. While at MDH, Jackie led work and collaboration on American Indian health initiatives within the agency. In addition to her time at MDH, Jackie worked at the Department of Human Services. Prior to her state service, she worked for over 20 years with Minneapolis-based American Indian nonprofits.

She graduated from Minneapolis Public Schools and received her undergraduate degree from the University of Minnesota in early childhood education. She has one daughter, Amanda, and two grandchildren.

Jackie is bringing her deep experience and relationships with Tribal leaders and communities to Commerce to help lead our critical work with Native people.

Faith (Wyandot of Anderdon Nation) works at the American Indian Cancer Foundation as an Indigenous Evaluation Specialist. She has a BA from the College of Saint Benedict in Biology and Peace Studies with a concentration in Indigenous Health Equity. For over six years, Faith worked with Dream of Wild Health as a garden warrior, youth leader, seed intern, and seasonal farmer. She was a founding member of her college’s Indigenous Student Association and the student director of their new Initiative for Native Nation Relations. Most recently, Faith served as an AmeriCorps fellow working to advance Indigenous health equity at a large healthcare system in the Twin Cities. In her free time, she enjoys dancing, bouldering, beading, and time outdoors

Yvonne Goodsky is the Deputy Director of Prevention and Operations for Child Safety and Permanency (CSP) in Children and Family Services Administration at the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth and Families. Previously, she was the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) Manager in CSP and Deputy Director of the Office of Indian Policy at the Minnesota Department of Human Services.

Before joining DHS, Yvonne spent over 20 years working in the Indian Child Welfare field at Hennepin County and Ain Dah Yung (Our Home) Center. She also has a philanthropic background as a Program Officer at the St. Paul and Minnesota Foundation and as a Board Member with Tiwahe Foundation, the first local American Indian Community Foundation and the Sundance Family Foundation. Yvonne completed her Masters in Social Work at Augsburg University, with an emphasis on program development, policy and administration. Yvonne is an enrolled member of the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe and is a mother and grandmother and former foster parent. Growing up as a teenager, Yvonne was in out of home placement with her maternal aunt which grounded her and lit a passion for her life’s work. Her daughter, Mika, is a third generation social worker/community helper working to preserve American Indian families at Ramsey County.