Renson Anjere, Community Equity Advocate
Renson Anjere works as a Senior Territory Manager for Minnesota and South Dakota for a national Insurance Company. Renson is an active member of his community. Presently, he serves as a vice chair of the board of Seven Hills Preparatory Academy, a public charter school with campuses in Bloomington and Richfield Minnesota. He is an active member of the Association of Kenyans in America, MN (AKIA, MN Inc.). Along with other members of the association, he championed efforts leading to the formation of a self-funded benevolent fund program that caters for its members in their times of bereavement and distress, besides fostering community engagement and cultural relations among the members. Renson is also the vice chair of the board of Good in the ‘Hood, a nonprofit organization that serves the community through a variety of programs and provides hot meals, groceries, and more to those in need.
In his equity work, Renson is passionate about improving awareness and increasing utilization of various insurance products as a risk management tool in his community. Minority communities have a disadvantage when health, property and casualty, life, business, or disability insurance are concerned. Many lack insurance and those that do, tend to have inadequate coverage due lack of knowledge and guidance which exposes them to unlimited financial risks and diminishes their financial mobility.
Renson holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in both Management and Economics from Hamline University. He is currently pursuing a Master of Business Administration degree.
Kirk Crow Shoe, MN Tribal Nations Liaison, DEED
Kirk Crow Shoe, MN Tribal Nations Liaison, DEED
Kirk Crow Shoe is from the Piikuni band of the Blackfoot Nation located in Southern Alberta, Canada. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Community Studies and has served the Indian community in both the States and Canada most of his career. He has been a tireless advocate with a proven track record serving the needs of Native communities.
Kirk has held multiple roles at DEED in the Commissioner’s office, Employment & Training and Business Community Development Divisions. Most recently, serving as a liaison between the eleven MN Tribal Nations and DEED’s Leadership.
Anisa Hajimumin, Assistant Commissioner for Immigrant and Refugee Affairs, DEED
Anisa Hajimumin is the new Assistant Commissioner for Immigrants and Refugee Affairs at Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. After founding and leading two businesses focused on providing technical and strategic support to entrepreneurs from communities of color and immigrants and refugees, Hajimumin returned to Somalia from 2014-2017, where she served as the Minister of Women, Development and Family Affairs in the Puntland region. During her ministerial service, she established a social protection framework for women and children, directed a program to prevent human trafficking, raised and distributed funds for displaced families, increased women’s political participation, oversaw the building of a center to serve people with disabilities, advocated and helped pass passage of a bill (the first ever in Somalia) to prosecute sexual offenders.
Under her leadership, Somalia was the first African country to sign on to the campaign to end female genital mutilation. She has extensive experience collaborating with local, state, national and international agencies and government entities to move policies forward. Hajimumin immigrated to Minnesota in 1996 and holds a Master of Public Administration from Hamline University in St. Paul and a Bachelor of Arts in Gender Studies with a minor in creative writing from Metropolitan State University in St. Paul.
James Cooper, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Program Lead, DHS
James Cooper works as a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Program Lead at the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS), the State’s largest government agency providing services intended to help people live as independently as possible. In his position, James plays a lead role in driving agency-wide diversity recruitment and retention efforts to ensure that talent pools represent the diverse communities the agency serves.
In addition to his role at DHS, James is the founder and CEO of James Cooper Consulting LLC., a career and organization development consulting group focused on empowering people with the knowledge, skills, and resources needed to accomplish their desired career goals or execute positive change within their organization.
Born in Liberia, James immigrated to the U.S. in 2001 with his family. His career background includes years of experience as a diversity, equity and inclusion leader, educator, college & career access advocate, and organization development practitioner. He has a B.S. in Management/Marketing and an M.A. in Organization, Leadership, Policy, and Development.
James is committed to community service in the Twin Cities. He has served as a board member of the Urban League Twin Cities Young Professionals and actively participates/supports many community led organizations. James has a passion and drive for creating access and opportunity for those from underserved, underrepresented, and/or historically marginalized backgrounds. He believes in the importance of empowering others to reach their full potential and lives by the motto that as we rise, we must bring others with us.
Ekta Prakash, CEO, CAPI
Ekta has been with CAPI for 5 years including as the Human Services, Program Director and 10 years as the agency's CEO. Ekta has two Master's Degrees in Sociology (Delhi School of Economics) and Public Administration (Metro State University). She is fluent in Hindi and English languages.
Ekta currently serves on the National CAPACD Board of Directors, serves on the Governors- Workforce Development Board, and has been involved with many organizations over her 15-year tenure with CAPI. She is a LAAMP and Gender Equity AAPIP Fellow, and a recipient of Rosa Park Diversity Award, and Hometown Hero Award by MLS Soccer League.
Her experiences includes leadership, cross cultural expertise, program administration, strategic planning, and working with culturally based grass roots organizations.
Rev. Dr. Francis O.S. Tabla, Senior Pastor, Ebenezer Community Church
Rev. Dr. Francis Tabla is a native of Liberia, West Africa. In 2000, Dr. Tabla and his wife, Christine, started Ebenezer Community Church (ECC), one of the largest immigrant churches in Minnesota. Over the past 22 years ECC has grown into a vibrant congregation with over 700 members. A place of hope, the church supports the community in various ways. During the pandemic, ECC hosted multiple health education events, provided Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), held food drives, served as a vaccination site for the community, etc.
Dr. Tabla holds a Doctor of Ministry degree from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Master of Divinity degree from the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University, a Bachelor of Theology degree from the Liberia Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Diploma in Electronics from the Booker Washington Institute in Kakata, Liberia.
Dr. Tabla is currently the African Outreach Coordinator of Christians United for Israel and formerly served as Pastor of the Grace Baptist Church in Barnesville, Liberia and previously taught at the Monrovia Bible Training Center and the Liberia Baptist Theological Seminary. Dr. Tabla has been featured in numerous articles and newspapers and is the author of My Golden Rule (How Men Should Treat Women) and SCRAP Racism (The Church’s Response to Racism). Dr. Tabla loves to empower people to fulfill their destiny. He loves to teach, sing, play the guitar, write, and travel.
If you are interested in additional information regarding the Community Advisory Board, to become a member, or to learn more about the RETAIN program, please contact us at info@mnretain.com.
