Ayan Abdinur

Ayan Abdinur joined the team in early 2023, bringing many years of experience in economic development with her. As a 10-year veteran of the African Development Center, she worked with African communities throughout the state to ensure equitable access to economic opportunities.

Ayan brings a wealth of experience in project and program management, grant and loan administration, technical support, capacity building, and business development. She enjoys helping clients increase their financial literacy, build generational wealth, and create successful small businesses.  She has particular expertise in working with Minnesotans of African descent, and is proud to have counselled many African families in Minnesota to become first time homebuyers.

Ayan was raised in Rochester, Minnesota and has an MBA with an emphasis in project management from Capella University and a BA in Interior Design from Minnesota State University.  She loves traveling and spending time with her family and friends. 

Lisa Boyd

Lisa joined the team in early 2024. Her role is to develop goals, strategies and outcomes that reflect the priorities of Longfellow Rising and Lake Street Alignment and move each initiative forward from vision to action. Steeped in the principles of human-centered economics, Lisa Boyd has a natural talent for tackling the fundamental causes of poverty and inequality by challenging bias and creating equal economic opportunity. A data enthusiast at heart, Lisa values empirical evidence over mere conjecture, consistently aiming to discern the core issues that give rise to economic disparities. This mindset, combined with a natural ability to break down complex information, has made Lisa a valuable asset to a variety of stakeholder groups.

Prior to joining Redesign, Lisa worked for nearly 12 years at Second Harvest Heartland doing capacity building and resource development with a network of MN nonprofit organizations focused on food security programs. Before that, she worked for nearly 10 years in senior housing. Lisa worked internationally over a period of 10 years and has a long history with both nonprofit and government organizations.

Lisa grew up in Central Illinois and after living in various parts of the U.S. and internationally in three different countries, she has been a resident of the Longfellow neighborhood since 2004. She has an MA in international and intercultural management with a focus on sustainable development from the School for International Training and an MA in applied economics from American University. When not using data to change the world, you will find Lisa volunteering with her neighborhood organization.

Reva D’Nova

Reva D’Nova joined the Redesign team in May of 2023 and brings 20+ years of Administrative knowledge with her into the Administrative Assistant role. She has worked in various Twin Cities agencies within the Non-Profit sector polishing her Front Desk and Administrative skills – including Criminal Justice, Mental Health and Medical fields and is excited to be a part of the Redesign team.

Reva is also an Elder within the Native American Two-Spirit community and was one of four Native American Trans cohorts chosen to contract with the National Center for Transgender Equality for the US Trans Survey in 2021, with the final report to be released in 2023. She also mentors incarcerated individuals that have been recently released from custody. Some of the mentoring skills shared are Cognitive skills awareness, Health and sexuality, Financial planning and job seeking skills.

Reva is a long time South Minneapolis resident and spent her childhood growing up in the Seward neighborhood. In her free time, Reva enjoys Native American crafting, gardening, listening to music and hanging out with her cat, Cordelia.

Reva received her Administrative certification through Rasmussen Business College.

Lawrence Erskin

Lawrence Erskin is a Property Manager at Redesign Inc. Lawrence has 4 + years of Real Estate experience helping commercial and residential management and transactions. He was inspired to pursue a career in real estate with the hopes of helping to make homeownership attainable for all Twin Cities residents. Specializing in restaurant facility management and maintenance, Lawrence uses his experiences to excel at catering to the specific needs of his clients. Helping first-time buyers find a place to call their own, gain a sense of belonging, and ultimately build generational wealth, is one of Lawrence’s biggest attractions to real estate.

Lawrence is a Century College graduate, with a Degree in Communications. In his free time, he enjoys cooking for family and friends, completing DIY projects and most importantly being a husband and father.

Andy Hestness

Before becoming the Executive Director of Redesign, Andy has been both a staff member and a member of the Board of Directors at Redesign, Inc. He has a long history in south Minneapolis, having worked for both the Native American Community Development Institute (NACDI) and Redesign on the Franklin LRT Station area and cultural corridor as well as other community projects. Andy has a background in architecture, engagement, real estate, construction management, community development, government, and small business finance. 

Gabriela Ortiz-Riera

Gabriela’s role is to support and connect with businesses in the Redesign service area. As part of her role in supporting local businesses, she provides operational support for the Seward Civic and Commerce Association. 

She graduated from Augsburg University (Fall ‘22) with a BA in Political Science with a concentration in public policy and political change. As a student, she was actively involved in the community, including working as a volunteer to distribute fresh produce from the farmer’s market to community members at Riverside Plaza. Gabriela had an internship at Neighborhood Development Center (NDC) where she learned about the issues facing small businesses. This experience played a significant role in her desire to continue working alongside small businesses to provide support.

Krista Pearson

Krista Pearson joined Redesign, Inc in May of 2023. She comes with 21 years of experience at Minneapolis Institute of Art she has experience collaborating, coordinating, and building relationships with neighbors and community partners from across the Twin Cities to along Franklin Avenue. A graduate of Augsburg University in Urban Studies, a former resident of Seward, and a former employee of the Riverside Market, (now Seward Co-Op) she has deep roots in the area. Most recently she supported the Dream Sequence Project, a pop up exhibition of artworks on Elsa’s House of Sleep. Krista believes in art as a tool for connecting and inspiring communities to co-create the future together. She appreciates Redesign, Inc.’s commitment to asset-based community organizing, innovating, and coalition building.

Alan Petroski

Alan joined the Redesign team in 2015. He manages tenant leases and administration, monitors day-to-day operations of properties and implements construction improvement projects. Prior to joining Redesign, Alan worked for more than twenty years with tenants, owners, and brokers, managing, renovating, leasing and selling commercial and residential buildings throughout the metro area. Alan is a licensed real estate agent and a graduate of Metropolitan State University. 

Jessie Roeming

Jessie Roeming joined the Redesign team in early 2024, bringing over 15 years of experience in nonprofit communications.

Jessie has worked across a broad spectrum of issues and communications methods, including teaching film & video production at Phillips Community Television, grant writing at Intermedia Arts, social media management at Twin Cities Public Television, and Communications Management at MN350.

Jessie has a BA in Communications from Augsburg College and brings extensive experience in fundraising and communications strategy and implementation. She moved to the Longfellow neighborhood in 2017 and has only fallen more deeply in love with this corner of the city with each passing year. She loves textile arts, creative reuse and repair, attempting to garden, and seeing the world through her toddler’s eyes.

Abby Romero

Abby joined the Redesign team in 2021 and is responsible for leading housing and community focused redevelopment projects within Redesign’s service area. She knows what it takes to create healthy communities and has managed over $38MM of redevelopment at the intersection of affordable housing, arts and culture, transit and renewable energy. Abby’s great love is serving projects and programs that build social equity, create more just economic conditions, and meet community need. While much of her work has been in redevelopment, Abby believes that community power is intrinsic and needs no saviors. She works through an asset-based and equitable development lens to acknowledge the past, understand the present, and build a future with folks who have traditionally been left out of the development process. Prior to joining the Redesign team, Abby worked in shared mobility at HOURCAR and community and real estate development at PLACE. Abby holds a Bachelor of Design in Architecture from the University of Minnesota and is a Certified Professional Project Manager. She is seeking a Master of Professional Studies in Community and Economic Development from Penn State and a Leadership in Affordable Housing Certificate from Hamline.

Taylor Smrikárova

Taylor joined the Redesign team in 2020. Her work is focused on the intersection of real estate development, architecture, urban-focused design and, community orientation. She believes that the development process itself adds beauty in creating occupiable art. Prior to joining the Redesign team, Taylor has worked in mixed-use development at The Excelsior Group; in both commercial real estate and architecture at THOR Companies and; office renovations at RSP Architects. She also worked in residential architecture at Nelson Architects; commercial mortgages at Capital One and; assisted homeowners during the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) after the 2008 crisis while at Dorner Law & Title Services. Her passion is real estate development that not only satisfies investors but also, uplifts end users from all walks of life. She values the full urban experience and gets excited about large & difficult mixed-use developments that feature mixed income housing. Taylor holds a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from Northeastern University and a Master of Real Estate Development from the University of Maryland.