Cara is a versatile nonprofit and policy leader who works with mission-based organizations at the intersection of community engagement, policy development, and nonprofit excellence. She has over 25 years of experience working in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.
Through Mill City Consulting, she partners with nonprofits and other community efforts on community-improving projects, be it an organizational strategic planning process, designing and implementing a community engagement process, or develop an advocacy plan to move a policy proposal. She brings to her work a deep commitment to social and economic justice and believes that people working together towards a common goal is the best way to achieve an equitable world.
Previous to establishing Mill City Consulting in late 2010, Cara worked as Policy Aide to former Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak from 2006 – 2010. In this role she led projects related to housing and homelessness, community and neighborhood revitalization, economic development and workforce development, and environmental sustainability. Previous to joining the Mayor’s Office, Cara served as the Executive Director to three Minneapolis neighborhood-based organizations, and founded the City of Lakes Community Land Trust in 2002. She also served on the Metropolitan Council during the Dayton Administration from 2015 – 2019, serving on the Transportation, Community Development, Environment, and Audit Committees, and was on the Board of the Hennepin History Museum from 2012 – 2018, serving as its President from 2013 – 2018 and remains passionate about bringing relevant local history to a broader audience.
Cara lives in the Longfellow neighborhood in Minneapolis with her husband, their dog, and two children who come and go.