MCH Staff Comings and Goings

March 09, 2021

Good Morning MCH Advocates,

We are moving quickly at the legislature after a great Homeless Day on the Hill. Please stay tuned for ways to get and stay engaged as the legislative session progresses.
I want to share some important staff updates from MCH. We are adding two new staff and saying goodbye to one…

It’s time to bid farewell to our incredible Director of Communications, Kirsten Rokke. Kirsten has brought so many gifts to our collective work–passion, smarts, enthusiasm, strategy, creativity (and let’s not forget wit!) She will be greatly missed and we will all watch with excitement as she takes on a new opportunity. MCH is making plans to navigate through the rest of the legislative session and decide on a hiring process for this position moving forward. 

A note from Kirsten:

Friends,
After seven (!) years with MCH – I am moving on. I have accepted a new position and my last day at the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless will be March 25, 2021.

I am very grateful for the opportunity I’ve had to work with you and learn from you all in various capacities. I have grown immensely both professionally and personally from an intern position to the Director of Communications. Together we’ve gone wild with social media campaigns (hello, MFIP), created a buzz among advocates and legislators to stir change, and shifted the narrative of homelessness inside the Capitol, outside the Capitol, and in the media.

I have loved the opportunity to partner with each of you as we generate the policies, investments, and resources that will one day end homelessness in our state. We have done big things together!

I am headed to serve remotely as the Marketing and Communications Coordinator at an ELCA camp in Western North Dakota that has been a part of my family in various capacities for over 60 years. I am excited to have the opportunity to develop a marketing plan and public narrative that promotes attendance, connection, and a sense of community. The skills, support, and growing pains I have experienced at MCH will all serve me well in my future position, and I thank you for having participated in that. I look forward to this new challenge with a place that means so much to me. If you’d like to stay in touch, please reach out to Rhonda (rhonda@mnhomelesscoalition.org) for my personal email.

 –Kirsten

Left is Kirsten as Bill Ding @ Habitat Day on the Hill in 2019

MCH New Positions
I am excited to share that we have hired a new Operations Manager (started March 16) and a Regional Experts Organizer (starting April 12.) Last week, we welcomed Noa Shavit-Lonstein to the team and we’ll announce more about our Regional Experts Organizer once they start in mid-April.

About Noa:
Noa Shavit-Lonstein serves as Operations Manager for the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless. A lifelong advocate for systems change and equality, Noa came into the nonprofit world through her work on the climate crisis. She has also been active in electoral politics and community aid. Noa earned a Master of Public Policy from the Humphrey School at the University of Minnesota. She’s passionate about data and robust analysis as a tool for good policy and strong organizational leadership. A resident of South Minneapolis, Noa can often be seen cooking, cycling, or playing music in and around the neighborhood.

Thank you for your ongoing advocacy — we will be in touch soon!

Rhonda