Meet our team!

Dianne Haulcy is President and Chief Executive Officer of The Family Partnership (TFP), a high-impact multicultural Minneapolis nonprofit focused on clearing the path to success for individuals and families impacted by low-income, systemic racism and adversity. She assumed the lead role in July 2022 and oversees a $10 million organization with 100 staff.

Background:

Haulcy is a well-known advocate and leader with 25 years of non-profit executive experience, most recently as Senior Vice President of Family Engagement at Think Small. In this role, Haulcy directed $44 million in early childhood learning scholarship dollars from the state of Minnesota, Hennepin County and the Northside Achievement Zone (NAZ) to low-income families to access high quality early learning. Over her career, she has led five early childhood programs all serving inner city, low-income diverse populations.

At TFP, Haulcy previously served as Chief Operating Officer from 2011-2014 to help lead a post-merger consolidation with Reuben Lindh Family Services where she served as Executive Director from 2006-2011. The merger expanded TFP’s programming reach to prenatal and preschool development, provided greater funding stability and opened the door to the holistic, 2Gen approach the organization uses today.

Haulcy has held many prominent volunteer leadership positions. As Chair of the Voices and Choices for Children Coalition, Haulcy was instrumental in passing a 2019 law that created the Community Solutions for Healthy Child Development grant program at the Minnesota Department of Health. These grants fund programs throughout Minnesota so communities of color can improve child development outcomes. The Voices and Choices for Children Coalition steering committee is comprised of professionals of color and American Indian’s advocating on behalf of children and families of color in Minnesota.

Education:

M.P.A. in Public Affairs from the Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota. B.A. in Sociology from Spelman College.  University.

Other current affiliations:

• Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) Podcast Host – Little Moments Count Early Risers podcast created and hosted by Haulcy discusses how to talk to young children about race and racism. In its third season, the 14 episode series attracted 40,000 downloads.
• Board Chair of NAZ
• Minnesota Governor’s Early Learning Council, member Parent Aware Advisory Committee.

As Vice President of Advancement at The Family Partnership, Kit is responsible for cultivating resources to deepen the organization’s impact and increase The Family Partnership’s visibility. When Kit joined TFP in 2018, she breathed new life into the Building for Better Futures capital campaign, successfully completing the $23 million campaign while simultaneously growing annual fundraising.

Background:

Kit has more than 25 years’ experience fundraising for Twin Cities’ social service, art, and philanthropic organizations. Her resume includes serving as the business director of Theatre de la Jeune Lune; development director at Graywolf Press, Tubman, United Theological Seminary, and Cornerstone; and, as executive director of PFund – the community foundation serving the LGBTQ communities in the upper Midwest.

Education:

M.A. in Arts Administration and M.B.A., University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Affiliations:

Board member of the Kaleo Center for Faith, Justice and Social Transformation.

Presentations/Speaking Engagements:

Kit presents at industry conferences on Nonprofit and Philanthropy EDI, The Spiritual Practice of Asking, and Development & Program: Landing (and Managing) the Grant Without Drama.

“Philanthropy is a blend of science and art. Metrics and research are important, but the difference is made when you listen deeply to donors to match them with projects that truly excite them.”

As Vice President of Programs, Lorena oversees 13 programs and 65 staff to assist families in clearing the path to success.  Lorena emerged as a leader from within The Family Partnership, where she demonstrated expertise in direct service delivery, program management and staff development.

She previously served as Director of the PRIDE (Promoting Recovery, Independence, Dignity and Equality) program for survivors of commercial sexual exploitation. There she led the creation of a new group that gives survivors a “voice” as leaders in our community and our Super Bowl anti-sex trafficking education and street outreach efforts.

In 2019, Lorena received the Catalytic Leader award from the Minnesota Council on Nonprofits for her work advocating for programs and policies to end gender-based violence, and for creating a lasting impact in our community.

She also led TFP’s Mobility Mentoring® evidence-based coaching trial within the PRIDE program, leading to agency-wide adoption of the model. Lorena joined TFP in 2017 and currently co-leads our Equity, Diversion and Inclusion Council of staff and board members.

Background:

Lorena has worked in the non-profit sector for over a decade. She served as a program director, advocate and case manager in Minnesota, California, and her native country of Peru.

Education:

Graduate of the Wilkins Community Fellows Program at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs – University of Minnesota. B.A. in Psychology, San Diego State University. Currently pursuing a master’s degree in social work at Widener University.

Other affiliations:

Board member Lake Street Council. Director of the Twin Cities New Leader’s Council for two years, a national organization that equips young leaders of color with the skills needed to run for office, manage campaigns, create start-ups and network with other thought leaders.

Presentations/Speaking Engagements:

Lorena has trained over 1,500 community members on promoting and understanding sexual exploitation. She has presented at local, regional and national conferences.

As Senior VP of Strategy and Innovation at The Family Partnership, John leads our two-generation (2Gen) and brain science-informed program and policy strategies.

He spearheaded development of The Family Partnership’s Executive Functioning Across Generations© curriculum, a novel whole family approach to boost executive functioning in preschool children and their parents.

Harvard Center on the Developing Child – Frontiers of Innovation selected The Family Partnership’s curriculum for national replication and scaling. Now, national pilots are underway for the original curriculum and adaptations for family home visiting and parenting programs.

John participates in the leading national networks for brain science innovation, including Change in Mind, the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities’ international brain science initiative; the Ascend Network of Ascend at the Aspen Institute, the primary national resource for organizations implementing a two-generation (2Gen) or whole family approach; and Harvard’s Frontiers of Innovation, which seeks to accelerate innovation in the early childhood field.

For more than 22 years, John has led successive cycles of program innovation –including The Family Partnership’s use of EMPath’s Mobility Mentoring® economic empowerment coaching approach, and its 2Gen successor, Intergen.

Currently, John oversees The Family Partnership’s Early Education and Care programs, and serves as the affirmative action/EEO and COVID-19 officer. He lives in an LGBTQ Filipino-American immigrant household in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Education:

M.S. Biological Sciences, State University of New York at Brockport. B.S. in Biology, St. John Fisher College. John holds an M.S. in biological sciences; his research was on the neuroscience of sensory and cognitive development in children. John is also an alumnus of the Executive Leadership Institute, a two-year executive leadership program of the national Alliance for Children and Families, and the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and School of Social Work.

Other affiliations:

Founding member, Empire Reading Group, which at 20+ years in operation, is the Twin Cities’ longest running study group devoted to social theory and social change.

Presentations/Speaking Engagements:

John is a frequent presenter on Brain Science, Executive Functioning and our 2Gen approach including at: Aspen Institute, Alliance for Strong Families and Communities, and the Institute for Child and Family Well-Being.

“Every child who breathes the air in this country deserves the opportunity to develop their mind, body, and spirit in an environment free of toxic stress – and even in a pandemic, we can all do our part to make this happen.”