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email: board@novaclassical.org

Directors
Jason Belter, director, parent, and teacher, has taught 7th and 8th grade science at Nova since the 2007-2008 school year. He previously taught at South High school in Minneapolis. Prior to entering into education, he earned a bachelors degree in biochemistry at the UW-Madison, and pursued graduate work in biochemistry at the University of Minnesota.

John Bujan, director and chair of the Governance Committee, is the grandfather of two Nova students. He has a background in both law and business since 1975. From 1995-2002, he served as a senior executive, general counsel and board secretary of a NASDAQ high technology company. He volunteers with SCORE (providing advice to small businesses), and both the Hennepin County Master Gardener and U of MN Extension Tree Care Advisor programs.

Tom Corrigan, director, is a Professional Engineer with a Doctorate in Engineering. He has degrees in Physics and Mechanical Engineering from SJU, MIT and the U of MN. He has worked at 3M for 15 years leading projects and working on teams to create new products, design new processes, and solve problems. Tom and his wife Mary live in St. Paul with their four children, all of whom attend Nova.

Brandon Foat, director, joined the faculty at Nova Classical Academy before the school opened in 2003. Before coming to Nova, Mr. Foat worked for eight years in the Minneapolis Public School District. He currently teaches sixth grade language arts, history, logic, and math, as well as seventh grade history. He has a B.A. in Fine Arts from Augsburg College, and a M.A. In Social Studies Education from St. Catherine University. He has served on the Operations Committee for three years, and has run the Chess and Medieval History clubs for three years.

Damon Fraser, director and chair of the Finance and Budget Committee, is the parent of a Nova fifth grader. Damon has been on the board for over 4 years. He has served as Chair of the board and Treasurer. As General Counsel of A’viands, LLC, he brings to the Board seasoned expertise in the areas of finance, real estate, employment/labor matters and executive management. Prior to serving as General Counsel, Damon served in a number of leadership and legal roles with Buffets Inc. ending with VP of Restructuring. Damon graduated from William Mitchell College of Law in Saint Paul.

Kirsten Hornseth, director and co-chair of the Curriculum committee, is a parent of two children at Nova. Along with her husband, Gary, she is a partner of Hornseth Communications LLC, a public relations and corporate communications consultancy. She also has been a board member for several other non-profit organizations in the Twin Cities. Her professional background also includes work as a print journalist and a marketing communications specialist for government and educational agencies. She holds an MA in Journalism from the University of Minnesota and a BA in English from Luther College.

Dianne Krizan, director and Board chair, is the parent of a fifth grader and a second grader. She brings to the Board expertise in management and fundraising. Dianne is president of the Minnesota Children’s Museum, a nonprofit organization with an operating budget of $5 million. She also has five years of nonprofit fundraising experience, including leading the development division of Minnesota Public Radio to raise more than $20 million annually. Prior to transitioning to the nonprofit sector, Dianne held positions of increasing leadership scope at for profit companies for eighteen years, including director of Research and Development for General Mills. Dianne has a Bachelors of Science in Chemical Engineering and a Masters of Public Affairs.

Becky Lund, director, co-chair of the Curriculum committee, and secretary, is a second grade teacher at Nova Classical Academy and has taught at Nova since it opened. She has directed many Nova students in several dramatic productions in the past three years. She has also served on the Curriculum Committee for three years and as the chair of the Accountability Committee for two years.

Becky earned her BA in Elementary Education from Augsburg College and her MA in Education at Hamline University.

Wendy Swanson-Choi, director, served as Nova's Interim Executive Director for the 2008-09 year. She continues to work with charter schools in many different capacities and is currently the chair of Nova's Development Committee. Wendy has degrees in Education and English from the University of Madison, WI and from Hamline University in St. Paul. She has worked in the education field for more than 20 years as a teacher, consultant and administrator. Wendy and her family live in Eagan. Her youngest son, Alex, is in seventh grade at Nova Classical Academy.

Previous Board Chairs

• Dianne Krizan, 2009-present
• Damon Fraser, 2008-2009
• Elisa Knudson, 2003-2008

Founders

Simon Fung, cofounder and director, received a Ph.D. in Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1983. He worked at the Eastman Kodak Company before moving to St. Paul in 1990 to work for a local corporation. He is the parent of three children, the youngest of whom is a student at Nova, and was active for three years on a St. Paul public school site-based improvement council.

Elisa Pacini Knudson, cofounder and ex officio member, received a BA In political science from Mount Holyoke College in 1982 while spending her junior year at the London School of Economics and Political Science in 1981. She received her J.D. from The American University, Washington College of Law in 1987. Lisa was a law clerk to judges Marianne Short and Roger Klaphake of the Minnesota Court of Appeals from 1988-1989 and 1990-1991 respectively. She was a guardian ad litem for the Ramsey County Guardian Ad Litem Program (advocating for abused and neglected children) from 1992-1995. Lisa was active for three years on a St. Paul public school site-based improvement council from 1999-2002. Lisa was the first and only board chair of Nova Classical Academy from its inception in February 2002 until June 2008, when she retired. She is the parent of four children, two of whom attend Nova Classical Academy.

Teresa Schulte, cofounder and ex officio member, received a B.A. In Music from the College of St. Benedict in 1978. She has worked for the past 17 years in the title insurance industry. She is the parent of two children and was active for two years on a St. Paul public school site-based improvement council. Teresa wrote the charter school proposal that was approved by the commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Children, Families and Learning.