Board of Directors

Founder & Board Member

Sheila Williams Ridge

Dr. Sheila Williams Ridge is the Director of the University of Minnesota Child Development Laboratory School. She has over 25 years of experience as an educator and administrator in nature-based early childhood education. Sheila has a BA in Biology, an MA in Education, and an EdD in Education Leadership. Sheila teaches courses at the University of Minnesota and Hamline University, including Nature-Based Learning in Early Childhood, A Sense of Wonder, Equity and Inclusion in Environmental Education, and Student Teaching Seminar in Early Childhood. She is also co-author of the book, Nature-Based Learning for Young Children: Anytime, Anywhere, on Any Budget, and has co-authored several other publications on nature-based learning. 

Chair

Liz Novotny

Liz is a realtor, former educator and a neighborhood board member in NE Minneapolis. With her early childhood education background, a love of nature and personal experience with the Minneapolis Nature Preschool program, she is able to bring fresh perspectives while planning for the future of nature-based education. Liz combines her business skills and community activism to help ensure Minneapolis Nature Preschool is here for her child now, and future students in the long term. 

Vice Chair

Lucy Lyon

Lucy is a parent of a Minneapolis Nature Preschool graduate. She is a Speech-Language Clinician for the Minneapolis Public Schools and currently works at Bryn Mawr School. She loves sharing the Bryn Mawr School Forest with the students and staff of MNP. 

Co-Treasurer

Liza Soto

Liza brings both local and international financial leadership experience to our board. She believes in leading by investing in others and valuing the character of individuals. Liza is also a dedicated volunteer in the community. Originally from Guatemala, Liza now lives with her growing family in Minneapolis.

Co-Treasurer

Janet Lopez

Janet is a parent of a Minneapolis Nature Preschool graduate, a Northside resident in a home modeling conservation, and an educator in the Minneapolis community. Janet brings business experience and creativity from her job as a pastry chef for Mintahoe Catering.  Janet combines professional skills with a passion for nature-based learning in early childhood to support the Minneapolis Nature Preschool.

Co-Secretary

Faline Williams

Bio coming soon!

Co-Secretary

Ellie Krueger

Ellie is a Preschool teacher north of the Twin Cities. She graduated from Augsburg College with a degree in Elementary and Pre-primary Education. When not in the classroom, Ellie coaches ice skating in the Forest Lake area and loves to play outside. She believes children do best when they are able to play and interact with their surroundings, and encourages a learning environment that allows for such. 

Board Member

Edgar Ohito

Edgar was a Scholarship Program Coordinator for the non-profit Think Small. Think Small is a leader in early childhood educational services and provides scholarships to low income families for pre-k and daycare programs. He has a background in non-profit management from St. Cloud State University. Edgar also has a diverse collection of service-oriented work experiences ranging work with Conservation Corps Minnesota (CCM) to AmeriCorps’ FEMA Corps to his current position with HECUA(Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs). Edgar hopes to discover useful dynamic solutions to combat Minnesota’s achievement gap and engage children of color to explore nature and plant the seeds of environmental consciousness.

Board Member

Cedrick Jones

Cedrick Jones is a Minnesota based freelance graphic designer. His passion for creating aesthetic designs shows through in the vibrancy and engaging nature of his work. His design focus has been on print design including but not limited to the creation of logos, posters, tickets, flyers, programs and brochures for local businesses. He also has a great love for photography. He is well versed in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign. Cedrick founded CJ6Designs in 2008 after earning his BA in Graphic Design from Elmhurst College. He recently earned his MBA from Augsburg University with a concentration in Entrepreneurship. Cedrick is known for making the visions of his clients come to life! If you can imagine it, he will create it.

Board Member

Lucy Littlewolf Arias

Lucy is a teacher and parent educator with the Minneapolis Public Schools Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) program. She facilitates classes such as Preschool STEM and Parents of Tradition, offering Native American families the opportunity to explore traditional parenting within their contemporary lifestyles and to deepen their connection to culture. 

Board Member

Tiah Colacci

Tiah Colacci is an experienced educator with over 20 years in the field, having worked as a literacy interventionist, preschool teacher, and elementary school teacher. She holds a Master of Instruction, an elementary teaching license, and a Literacy Specialist license. As a parent of two recent MNP alumni, Tiah was deeply inspired by the school’s mission and community. Her passion for nature-based learning and love for Minneapolis Nature Preschool led her to take on a leadership role to support its continued growth and success.