Meet Jenne Nelson

Hamline Midway Coalition has a new office and a new executive director.
In February, the neighborhood group moved next door from the Hamline Midway Library into the Knox International Building.
Jenne Nelson joined the staff as executive director when Sarah O’Brien left.

What are your connections to the area?
I live in the Como Park neighborhood, and have for the last 13 years. I love Saint Paul. My two young kids go to a SPPS school, our neighbors have become friends whom we treasure, and my husband and I plan to live in this city for a very long time.
I started my career as a high school English teacher, and when I started volunteering with a nonprofit program for adults learning English in Minneapolis, I grew to love that work and eventually shifted my career into nonprofit management. On a personal level, I believe strongly in the power of community. I have spent time living in Hangzhou, China, and Dourados, Brazil, and in both cities, I was warmly welcomed by the communities I lived, worked, and volunteered in. I strive to create that same sense of radical hospitality in the communities in St. Paul that I am part of.

What drew you to the Hamline Midway Coalition?
For the last three years, I have been volunteering with the Como Community Council (I am currently the board chair). I love this work, and I see district councils as unique and powerful entities that can do grassroots, neighborhood-based organizing and promote robust civic engagement. Professionally for the past few years, I have been building up my fundraising skills with the goal of leading a small, community-based organization in St. Paul. Needless to say, when the executive director role at the Hamline Midway Coalition opened up, it felt like a dream job that I couldn’t not apply for.

What do you bring to the position?
I bring experience and comfort with the district council system in Saint Paul, a strong history of nonprofit leadership, and a love of Hamline-Midway’s parks, thriving small business community, and fantastic restaurant scene. I’m an optimistic person who thrives on building relationships with community members.

What is the value of the organization to the neighborhood?
HMC is a resource hub and a place for residents to bring ideas, questions, and concerns. It is also a venue for neighbors to work together to create the Hamline-Midway we all want to live, work, study, and play in. From planting free trees, to supporting local art, to connecting residents with everything from food resources to city processes, HMC is here for the community.

What excites you about your work with HMC?
Running a small, community-focused organization has long been a professional dream of mine, and I am humbled to have the opportunity to contribute to the health and vigor of the Hamline-Midway community. This is a special neighborhood in Saint Paul, and to get to work alongside the folks here who make it so feels like a real privilege.
I am also grateful to be able to work in my home geography and to feel deeply embedded – in both a personal and professional way – in a city I care so much about.

What initiatives are you working on?
One initiative that I am really excited about is our new Renter Engagement Committee. Last year, the board named renter engagement as a priority, and this year, we’ll welcome a VISTA tenant organizer (a joint position with Saint Anthony Park Community Council) to share resources and engage our renter neighbors in HMC and city activities. Our goal is that the committee will be led by renters and that HMC will be able to support the launch of tenant associations across the neighborhood.
I am also just starting to delve into the numerous activities that our Environment, Development, and Transportation Committees are leading. I am blown away by the breadth and depth of the work these dedicated volunteers do on behalf of the organization, and I am very much looking forward to engaging more deeply with all three committees.

Please share a bit about the office move, what prompted it, and where you landed.
Our lease at the Hamline Midway library ended in February of this year, and we were fortunate to land right next door at the Knox International Building, which made the physical move pretty convenient. Everyone who visits our new space (literally, everyone) comments on the stately round table that functions as the centerpiece of the office. Come on over to check it out yourself!