Julie Knopp – President
Julie Knopp has spent the past decade working in education and social justice. She currently serves as the Director of Communications for Friends of San Lucas, a fundraising non-profit that supports a Guatemalan partner organization working to increase access to education, healthcare, and housing. A CAA volunteer since 2015, Julie joined the board in April of 2019 and became president in January 2020.
Learn more about Julie | Contact Julie
Dyne Stephenson- Secretary
Dyne Stephenson has been an educator, animal advocate, and vegan, for over 25 years. Since 2016, he has been a volunteer in many different CAA roles, including coordinator positions for the CAA Banquet and Twin Cities Veg Fest. Additionally, he has attended and volunteered at Vegan Chili Cook Offs, Dine-Outs, potlucks, film screenings, and other events. We welcome him into his new role as our latest board member.
Learn more about Dyne | Contact Dyne
Stephanie Paquin – Treasurer
Stephanie Paquin has lived in the Twin Cities for the past 20 years, working in public accounting as a CPA and now as the Chief Financial Officer for a local wholesale distribution company. She became vegan in January 2017 and started volunteering with CAA in the summer of 2020. She is also a musician in several different Twin Cities bands.
Learn more about Stephanie | Contact Stephanie
Alyssa Foggia-Hamm
Alyssa has been an animal advocate with The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) for about three years and now she’s adding CAA to that list. As a professional writer and marketer, Alyssa brings a creative lens to our work. Alyssa got involved with CAA in 2020 through her work with HSUS – just in time for Twin Cities Veg Fest planning! She jumped in to help plan our CAA food giveaway booth, and spent her first Veg Fest handing out samples of plant-based hot dogs and engaging with attendees.With the desire to make a big impact in her local community, she wasted no time joining the board of directors in 2021. She’s honored to be a part of our amazing board of directors and hopes to bring some of her writing and marketing talents to the table as needed.
Learn more about Alyssa | Contact Alyssa
Chris Homsey
Chris Homsey has volunteered for CAA as a member of the Twin Cities Veg Fest planning committee, having coordinated both cooking demos and speakers. She is a food scientist by profession and has worked in the areas of sensory science, consumer research, and product development. Chris joined the board in December of 2016.
Learn more about Chris | Contact Chris
Henry Patterson
Henry Patterson has volunteered with CAA since 2017 most recently as a member of the Vegan Thanksgiving Potluck planning committee, coordinating social media for the event. He is a project manager and manufacturing consultant by profession and works in the areas of operations and manufacturing process improvement. Henry joined the CAA board in January of 2019.
Learn more about Henry | Contact Henry
Julie Reiter
Julie Reiter has been involved in education and nonprofit work for over 15 years. She currently serves as the director of a program focused on nonprofits and volunteerism for students at the University of St. Thomas. For her own activism, she was drawn to CAA because of its positive and inclusive approach to supporting folks on their journey toward plant-based eating. She started volunteering with CAA through the Vegan Chef Challenge, and joined the board in 2022.
Learn more about Julie | Contact Julie
Joining the Board
If you’re interested in joining the board, please read the letter to prospective board members and board member responsibilities. Also, familiarize yourself with the CAA core values and bylaws.
Prospective board members must attend and participate in at least one board meeting before being considered for board membership. After that, the board will ask you to fill out the questionnaire for prospective members.
If you are interested in attending a board meeting, email info@exploreveg.org to find out when the next board meeting will take place.