Who We Are

Tam is a fairly recent Minnesota transplant in his second year of teaching middle school band in St. Paul. He previously worked up north at a YMCA family camp and helped support equity and inclusion programming there, and served for three years as a member of the Luther College Music Department’s Racial Justice Committee. He developed a strong commitment to community service helping out at his childhood church’s free community meals and participating in youth service trips. He is most excited about helping people find ways to engage in service outside of a religious context and to build more connections with his community. He spends his free time playing traditional Irish music and hanging out with his two cats.

Margo’s  professional background includes 30 years as a nonprofit business consultant, account manager, and project manager, focused on creative problem solving, solution design, implementation, and quality improvement. Later she served eleven years as an academic office manager, and nine years as an art teacher. I have a BA from Macalester College, majoring in art, minoring in biology. Margo is married with three grown children and a four- year old grandchild. She has been at MPUC for over 50 years where has enjoyed a variety of voluntary leadership roles. Margo is most inspired by addressing justice issues in our community and engaging people in community service, which is why she is so excited to be involved in the Grove Initiative.

Beth retired in 2024 as Vice President of Orchestra Administration after 33 years at the Minnesota Orchestra where she led the artistic department during high-profile tours and commissions, programming innovations during the pandemic, and the arrival of Music Director Thomas Sondergard.  She was the staff lead for the Orchestra’s DEI and anti-racism work for several years and is passionate about bringing people together and working towards a more just world. Beth and her husband are both Macalester College alums and have two adult children, an elderly cat and two naughty dogs.

Janeen has been retired since 2018 after working at the Minnesota State Planning Agency for 6 years, Northwest/Delta Airlines for 20 years, Center for Global Education for 6 years, and Ecolab for 5 years. All of her positions, with the exception of the Center for Global Education, were in information technology focused on strategic planning and project management. At the Center for Global Education she was program director for International Travel Seminars, planning and executing social justice travel seminars for adults in Mexico, Central America, Southern Africa, Cuba and Vietnam.

Gail spent more than 30 years working within the nonprofit and government sectors specializing in K-12, higher education, and workforce issues. As the retired Executive Director of Advancement for Inver Hills Community College, she created individual, local and statewide partnerships to build and nurture support for the college and its students.  Gail is excited about The Grove Initiative because it is an important path to volunteerism and community building.  It provides folks who would like to be more involved with their community a structured way to partner with non-profit organizations and be of service to and learn more about our community and our residents. Gail is especially interested in addressing the needs of elementary and middle school students and their families.

Megan has dedicated her career to supporting individuals, organizations, and communities to develop the skills and experience they need to thrive. She has designed and led high-impact educational programs for over thirty years, including as the Director of the Public Service Center at the University of California, Berkeley and as Director of Experiential Education and Graduate Programs for the Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota. She currently is the Executive Director of the Upper Midwest Association for Campus Sustainability and teaches "Cultivating Purpose" for the University of Minnesota's Midlife Academy.

Megan is excited about creating new opportunities for people to be in meaningful community together while learning about complex social problems and developing the skills and connections to help address them. This quote from Margeret J. Wheatley names why she is excited about the Grove, "There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about." -Meg Wheatley

Lauren Wood, Ph.D.is a retired licensed industrial psychologist who has lived and worked in Minnesota her whole life. Last employed by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists as Director of Examination Development/Psychometyrics, Dr. Wood led a team of 250 employees and volunteers to develop national certification examinations for radiologic technologists. A life-long volunteer, Dr. Wood served in various capacities with many organizations and in leadership positions as President of the PTA, Chair of the Deacons and Vice Moderator of the Session (both with MPUC) and most recently with Bridging and DAP Health/Southern California.

Dr. Wood is excited to be part of The Grove Initiative as it is uniquely suited to strengthen human interaction in service to the community during a time when that is most needed. Together the TGI will help foster caring and acceptance and build a better and more just community.