Alumni Association
The mission of the Mounds Park Academy Alumni Association is to foster a sense of community among alums, to cultivate relationships with other members of the MPA community and to support Mounds Park Academy in fulfillment of its mission.
Together we work to ...
- Create a lifelong and worldwide community among alums, with a focus on equity and inclusion for all.
- Represent the interests of alums and facilitate communication between alums and the school.
- Foster a culture of philanthropy among alums by facilitating opportunities for alumni to contribute their time, talent and financial resources to the betterment of the school.
- Commit to established subcommittees that provide thoughtful leadership and recommendations to the Board in order to better promote diversity, equity, inclusion, overall engagement, and philanthropic initiatives.
If you have any questions about the MPA Alumni Association Board or would like to read minutes and agendas, contact Angela Gerstner, assistant director of development, at agerstner@moundsparkacademy.org or 651-748-5539.
Get Involved
The Alumni Association is always looking for volunteers to help with its events and initiatives, as well as alumni to provide a presence at MPA activities. If you are interested in volunteering or being a part of the Alumni Association Board, please contact Angela Gerstner, assistant director of development, at agerstner@moundsparkacademy.org or 651-748-5539
Alumni Association Board
Chair: Tim Koerner ’03
Tim graduated from MPA as a 'Lifer' member with the class of 2003. His favorite MPA experiences from 13 years as a Panther student include: the lifelong friendships made and maintained to this day, the guidance and mentorship that MPA teachers provided, middle school soccer matchups at the now defunct Corner Kick facility, running cross country, trying spring show the year of 'Les Miserables', and joining every choral group he could, even if it meant having a zero-hour class schedule.
Philanthropy Committee Chair: Kethan Dahlberg ’14
After graduating from MPA in 2014, Kethan attended Harvard College during which time he pursued internships in various levels and branches of government. He graduated in 2018 with a concentration in government, secondary in music and citation in Spanish. After undergrad, hoping to gain some exposure to the private sector and business law, Kethan took a job as a corporate paralegal in New York City for three years. He then attended Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C., graduating cum laude as a Business Law Scholar. Kethan has returned New York and is currently a law clerk at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP in the general practice group focused on capital markets, corporate governance and executive compensation. Although he has now spent much time on the East Coast, he returns to the Midwest as often as possible to spend time with family - including siblings Kian (’16) and Declan (’18) - and to enjoy all of the great things Minnesota has to offer from the State Fair and the Twin Cities Marathon to Wild Games and cross-country skiing.
Engagement Chair: Victoria Simmonds ’01
Victoria Simmonds graduated from MPA in 2001 and then went on to graduate from the University of MN - Twin Cities. Real Estate has always been her passion and she loves the faced paced environment and interpersonal relationships of residential sales. She has been an agent with Edina Realty for nearly ten years and with three small children, she understands the demands of balancing family, work, and personal growth. She loves problem solving, managing details and advocating for people.
Whether negotiating a deal for clients or navigating a sibling dispute, every day is different and she thrives where fluidity is required! Her two oldest children are currently at MPA in Kindergarten and 4th grade. She feels fortunate to be back in the MPA community as a parent and looks forward to making new connections through her time on the Alumni Board!
Marketing Chair: Isabel (McKeown) O’Branski ’14
After graduating from MPA in 2014 as a lifer, Isabel attended the College of Saint Benedict where she studied Global Business Leadership, Economics, and Spanish. After college, she started her career down the road from MPA at 3M within the Sourcing Department. A few years later, she moved to San Diego, CA and into her current role as Project Manager at Topgolf Callaway Brands (formerly Callaway Golf) specifically focused on Sustainability and Product Development projects. She now holds this role remotely since moving to NYC in August of 2023.
Isabel's interests include sustainability and mentorship, so she is grateful to be able to focus on sustainability through her work and to participate in great mentorship programs like the MPA Alumni Mentorship program. In her spare time, Isabel enjoys exploring new restaurants with friends, spoiling her mini goldendoodle, and teaching yoga sculpt at CorePower Yoga.
Kate Johnston '98
Kate graduated from MPA in 1998. Some of her favorite memories of her time at MPA include singing in the choirs and being involved in the arts. MPA nurtured her love of learning and curiosity about the world. After MPA, Kate graduated from the University of Minnesota, School of Journalism, and has had many wonderful professional experiences. Kate continues to sing and shares her love of music with her family. Kate has a husband, two boys and a dog that they all adore. Her boys are both a part of the MPA community now too (class of 2026 and 2029).
Hugh Schilling III ’00
Hugh Schilling attended MPA from the 6th grade through graduation in 2000. After graduation, he attended the University of Saint Thomas where he graduated with a degree in Leadership and Management.
Hugh began his professional career at Bremer Financial Services while also working part-time at Nexen Group Inc. In 2009, he left Bremer to become a full-time employee at Nexen Group. During his 20+ years at Nexen he held positions in various departments before becoming Special Advisor to the Board of Directors and Owner of Nexen. Hugh and his wife Leah reside in North Oaks with their three children Tristan, Aviarra and Liviana.
Jessica Moss '03
Starting in 6th grade and graduating with the MPA class of ’03, Jessica went on to obtain a BA in English Literature with a minor in Creative Writing, as well as an MA in the Humanities from the University of Chicago in 2010. Her favorite MPA experiences and memories revolve around Mrs. Conway and Mrs. Shardlow’s incredible lessons, theatre, choir, and visual arts. Rumor has it she played a woman of the evening in Les Mis - scandalous! Today Jessica is a longtime Minnesota United FC season ticket holder and supporter of USL2’s Minneapolis City SC. Professionally Jessica is an Account Executive at Bolger in Northeast Minneapolis, where she helps Fortune 1000, higher education, and non-profit organizations automate their omnichannel communications with personalized, effective, and secure digital-and-print workflows.
George Mills ’04
George Mills is a 2004 MPA alum and a Ramsey County native, who went on to the University of Redlands, just east of Los Angeles. After obtaining a BS degree in Biology he went to work at a National Cancer Institute called the City of Hope near Pasadena, where he started his career in Clinical Research. In 2015 he and husband Barclay were married, and in 2016 returned to Minnesota, settling in Maplewood.
George worked at several medical device companies before transitioning to working on several gene therapies for rare diseases. For the last two years George has worked remotely for CSL Behring on global, post-marketing commitments for their gene therapy for Hemophilia B, called HEMGENIX®. George and Barclay have two children, Odysseus (age 4) who is attends MPA’s Pre-K program, and Ansel (age 1) who will hopefully join MPA in a few years too. On the weekends you will often find them frequenting the local museums, zoos, parks, or floating around on the St. Croix
Christian DeMarais ’07
Christian DeMarais graduated from Mounds Park Academy in 2007. While at MPA, Christian was a Varsity Soccer Captain, performed in Spring Musicals and Winter Shows alike, sang in Choirs + Quintets, played in Bands and (maybe most importantly) met and learned from some of the most meaningful people in his life, even to this day.
Immediately post-MPA, Christian graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College with a BA in Business Management and Honors Theatre, with a Minor in Dance. He then received an MFA in Acting from the NYU Graduate Acting Program at Tisch School of the Arts. Currently, Christian works as Director of Revenue Operations and Strategy at Wix in New York, while simultaneously pursuing a career as an Actor...having had Guest and Recurring roles on "Maniac" (Netflix), "The Equalizer" (CBS), "Mr. Robot" (USA), "FBI: Most Wanted" (CBS), "Elsbeth" (CBS) and "Elementary" (CBS).
Beth (Larson) Fewing ’08
Beth Fewing graduated from Mounds Park Academy in 2008. She is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center on Gender Equity and Health and has worked in the sexual and reproductive health field for the majority of her career. Her primary research interests include the use of normative approaches to understand sexual and reproductive health and how social norms influence women’s and couple’s family planning decision-making in Francophone West Africa.
Beth’s work is grounded in the reproductive justice framework to improve access to maternal, and sexual and reproductive health services for those residing in low- and middle-income settings. She holds a PhD and a MSPH from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Beth lives in Baltimore, Maryland, with her husband, Cameron Fewing, and their dog, Avah. Outside of work, she enjoys playing tennis and softball, volunteering as a clinic escort at Planned Parenthood and to distribute food in her community, spending time outdoors, and baking.
Isaac Marshall ’11
Isaac graduated from MPA in 2011. He attended Hampshire College in Amherst Massachusetts, where his studies ultimately focused on microbiology and health care delivery systems. Since graduating, Isaac has worked as a College Admissions Counselor, Healthcare Project Coordinator, and most recently, as a Sales and Operations Specialist at Apple Mall of America. Isaac is currently pursuing his JD at the University of Iowa. He enjoys traveling with his wife, creating pottery, and playing with his cat. Isaac looks forward to contributing his time to the Alumni Association and advocating for MPA.
Phillipe Thao ’14
Phillipe joined the MPA community in eighth grade and graduated in 2014. He currently lives in Los Angeles, where he works as a digital publicist at Lionsgate, developing campaigns for major film franchises like John Wick and The Hunger Games. Prior to that, he was part of Netflix’s editorial team, helping launch its official fansite, Tudum, and creating content around hit series such as Squid Game and The Crown.
Phillipe is also a published freelance writer, with work appearing in the LA Times, Teen Vogue, The Washington Post, and InStyle Magazine. A passionate supporter of MPA’s mission, he brings a creative lens and deep appreciation for storytelling to the Alumni Association Board. He looks forward to helping expand alumni engagement and fostering a strong, connected community.
Cooper Olson ’16
After graduating from MPA as a lifer in 2016, Cooper earned a degree in Business Management through the Honors Program at the University of St. Thomas while playing (and then coaching) for UST’s men’s basketball program.
Today, Cooper oversees marketing partnerships and digital advertising for Prep Network and lives in Northeast Minneapolis. In his free time, he loves to play soccer/basketball, try new restaurants with friends, and run a cooking Instagram page (LetCoopCook) with his girlfriend.
Rees Winga ’16
Rees graduated from the University of St. Thomas Opus School of Business in 2020, with a degree in Marketing. He then went on to secure a job at a Minneapolis advertising agency on their digital media team.
Eventually, Rees took what he had learned and started his own two e-commerce businesses during his time at the agency, and breifly quit his 9-5 to pursue freelance digital media and entrepreneurship full-time. He has since returned to the ad agency world in a digital strategist role. In his free time, Rees stays active through soccer and snowboarding, continues to run his businesses on the side, travels, and still to spends a lot of time with old MPA friends.
Esha Syal '16
After graduating from Mounds Park Academy in 2016, Esha attended St. Olaf College, where she studied Political Science and Management Studies. Before law school, she worked at an employment law firm, then went on to earn her J.D. from the University of St. Thomas School of Law. During law school, she worked in the Ramsey County Public Defender’s Office and later completed a judicial clerkship after graduation. Today, Esha serves as an attorney and Vice President at her family’s business, Pinnacle Production Group, where she oversees legal matters and helps lead the company’s operations and growth. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband and their two dogs, Ganesh and Sunny. As an MPA alumna, she is grateful for the education and opportunities the school provided and is excited to give back through the Alumni Association Board.
Ryan Ghose ’21
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Ryan is a proud MPA lifer and member of the Class of 2021. He recently graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Marketing and a minor in Theatre. While at Penn, he was deeply involved in The Mask and Wig Club, where he performed, wrote, and produced musical comedy—a passion he continues as an alumni member. Now based in New York City, Ryan works as a management consultant. He joined the Alumni Association Board to stay connected to MPA and help ensure it remains a place that nurtures exceptional thinkers and leaders. In his free time, Ryan enjoys reading thought-provoking books, analyzing reality TV, exploring eclectic restaurants, and learning to play the violin. |
Gavin Thorson ’22
Gavin graduated from MPA in 2022 after attending for grades 11 and 12. He is currently completing a bachelor's degree in Chemistry at Montana State University, with minors in Economics and Global Studies, and will begin a PhD in organic chemistry in 2026. Gavin’s research focuses on sustainable applications of chemical synthesis, though his intellectual curiosity spans far beyond the lab. At MSU, he served as director of the Honors College lecture series, bringing leading voices in science and the arts to campus.
Gavin credits MPA with igniting his passion for learning and inspiring a boundless approach to education. Now based in Bozeman, MT, he serves on the Alumni Association Board to stay connected and help foster community across generations of MPA alumni. In his spare time, he enjoys writing, language study (including Icelandic), and sharing his love for MPA wherever he goes.
