Board, Staff & Reps
Monthly Board Meetings
Our Board of Directors usually meets second Tuesdays monthly, 7–9 PM at Grace-Trinity Community Church (1430 W 28th St) or hybrid on Zoom.
Input at Board meetings is welcome from all attendees throughout the meeting, and there is special time dedicated at the beginning for introductions and at the end of the meeting in the open forum section for any attendee to bring up a topic of interest.
Board of Directors
OFFICERS
Ellen van Iwaarden, President
Ellen van Iwaarden loves living in the East Isles neighborhood where she can walk to so many places, garden, bike, and enjoy life in our amazing city.
She is grateful to live in a neighborhood filled with active and civic-minded neighbors and has met many friends through her neighborhood volunteer work. As the Chair of the East Isles Green Team, Ellen enjoys planning neighborhood events to protect our environment and lakes.
Ellen is a retired lawyer and nonprofit professional who started her career in securities law with a large law firm, clerked for the Minnesota Supreme Court, wrote the City of Minneapolis’s Ethics in Government Code and finished her career working for The Advocates for Human Rights.
She and her husband Jim have two daughters, two sons-in-law, and two grandchildren.
Quinton Courts, Vice President
Quinton is originally from Kansas City and now proudly calls Minneapolis and East Isles home. He joined the East Isles board in 2022.
He formerly served for twelve years as both a bilingual teacher and elementary school principal in New Jersey and Texas, but life changed course and he is now happily employed as a flight attendant and purser for a global airline.
He appreciates that East Isles has the perfect mix of historic architecture, proximity to parks and commerce, and density of residents and visitors.
Quinton and his partner can often be found riding their bikes or walking around the lake and neighborhood with their old boxer. If you see us around, please say, “Hello!”
Brian Milavitz, Treasurer
Brian has called East Isles home for over 30 years. He recently retired from full time work in management for a non-for-profit health system, but is busier than ever with volunteer assignments, travel, and trying to do all things he never got around to while working, like learning to play the guitar.
Brian values East Isles for its central location, mix of residents, architectural charm, nearby shops and restaurants, and walkability. He also appreciates the lakes, bike trails, and other recreational opportunities right in our backyards. You will often find him biking, running, or cross-country skiing with family or friends. He also volunteers with the Loppet Foundation, including playing a key role in the annual Luminary Loppet and grooming the trails on the Lake of the Isles.
As a board member, Brian wants to help East Isles again be a welcoming and safe place for all, preserve its natural amenities, and make our collective voices heard in decisions that impact our neighborhood.
Julia Edelman, Secretary
Julia has lived in the same 119-year-old four-square for 23% of the house’s life. She and her husband Harry have raised two boys, Zander, 26, and Jonah, 24, two dogs, two cats, three finches and one rabbit.
Over the years, they’ve (all) slid down the slides at Triangle Park, represented the neighborhood in the now defunct Palio Parade, played ice hockey on the north arm, T-ball in Kenwood Park, biked, sailed, kayaked, and cleaned up the lakes, often from the bow or gunwales of their aptly named canoe, Mission Impossible.
Julia’s early careers were in advertising and journalism; she was the previous publisher and editor of The Phoenix Spirit newspaper and wrote parenting columns for various publications. A midlife career switch has Julia enjoying private practice as a Marriage and Family Therapist.
BOARD MEMBERS AT-LARGE
Debra Altschuler
Debra has lived in East Isles since 2015, and at the encouragement of her neighbors, joined the East Isles Neighborhood Association Board in 2022.
Debra has two children and a dog that likes to escape to Triangle Park all too often. She is a real estate and development attorney with Ryan Companies.
Her favorite things about East Isles are the Ice Cream Social, ice skating rink, walkability to the lake, coffee, pharmacy, groceries, and of course, the Luminary Loppet.
Debra’s wish for the neighborhood is for all people to feel safe and confident again in city living. She would also like cars and traffic to remain on Hennepin and nearby thoroughfares to preserve the quiet and residential feel of our neighborhood.
Jonathan Beck
Jonathan and his wife Elizabeth closed on their East Isles house just a couple of hours after Elizabeth gave birth to their first child, daughter Laura, now 10 years old. They've been in that house ever since, and son Torsten joined the family in 2016. They love the walkability, breadth of stores and amenities in East Isles, as well as the great neighbors we've met over the past decade.
Jonathan grew up in River Falls, WI, attended the U of MN studying chemistry, and used to park on these same streets to have fun and spend too much money at Cal-Surf, Gap, Urban Outfitters, and Cheapo records, never thinking he'd live here some day. After completing his PhD in analytical chemistry, Jonathan moved to California, then Chicago and Charlestown, MA with Elizabeth, who was finishing her medical residency. He currently works for Archer Science, an analytical chemistry instrumentation manufacturer based in Lake Elmo and Switzerland.
Jonathan and family enjoy paddling canoes or paddle boards on the chain of lakes, camping, traveling, and looking for birds throughout the year passing through MN on their migrations.
Sophia Hill
Sophia has rented in East Isles since 2020, when she moved to be closer to green space and the lakes. She works for College Possible, a college access and success nonprofit, doing program management and student communications. In addition to education work, she volunteers as a VITA tax preparer with Prepare + Prosper, which has deepened her appreciation for how much small details impact people.
Her favorite part of East Isles is walking with her dog around Lake of the Isles (or across it in the winter!) and through the neighborhood gardens and greenery. Although her dog will bark at yours, the sentiment is not shared — Sophia’s happy to say hello!
Brian Lammers
Brian has lived in East Isles for 18 years with his wife, Emily and three children, Ella, Peter and William. He is a frequent visitor to Minneapolis lakes, parks and trails where he enjoys cross-country skiing, running, golfing and other outdoor activities.
Brian has worked in the electric power industry for more than 25 years, developing utility-scale renewable power and low carbon energy solutions for clients throughout the U.S. He is a partner at a clean energy infrastructure company supporting Midwestern agricultural, industrial and municipal customers.
Brian serves as philanthropy committee chair on the board of the Twin Cities chapter of the American Red Cross and has served on various local nonprofit boards and board committees in the areas of fundraising, development and finance.
As an EINA board member, Brian wants to help ensure our wonderful neighborhood remains an economically vibrant hub and destination, with a strong tax base and attractive climate for businesses, residents and visitors.
Henry LaBounta
Henry spent many of his formative years in the Twin Cities, and moved back to Minneapolis, along with his wife, Barbara, two years ago. They consider themselves lucky to have found their ideal house in their ideal neighborhood, the walkable and friendly East Isles.
Henry’s career spans decades and includes credits in television, feature animation, visual effects for film, and art direction for video games. He is an Emmy and BAFTA award winner, and an Academy Award nominee. His work has taken him and his family on a journey, living in New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Vancouver BC, San Francisco and London.
Lake of the Isles is Henry’s favorite. He enjoys kayaking, running, biking and skate skiing all year—yes, including the winter. He is fervently concerned about keeping the lake healthy and clean, picking up gallons of trash daily while out walking the dog. He is also actively looking toward long term innovations and solutions to insure the future health of this neighborhood treasure.
Lyndsey Spiczka
Lyndsey is a 5+ year resident of East Isles and a longtime Minneapolis resident, having lived in north Uptown for over 20 years.
She studied Entrepreneurship and International Studies at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota, and later earned her M.A. in International Peace Studies and Economic Development with a focus on social entrepreneurship from the University for Peace (UPEACE) in San Jose, Costa Rica. That foundation has shaped more than three decades of work in family-based, residential real estate across the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota, along with experience in multi-family housing, commercial and rental properties. Her work brings a practical, ground-level understanding of housing, neighborhood evolution, and the conditions that support strong local business corridors.
East Isles is, to Lyndsey, one of the most distinctive neighborhoods in Minneapolis. She values its rare combination of proximity and calm, with Lake of the Isles, downtown, and the Central Corridor all close by, alongside quiet, tree-lined streets and a strong connection to nature. It feels peaceful and residential, yet still connected, with easy walks to restaurants, local businesses, and cultural spaces. For her, it is a place that feels both beautiful and grounded, and one where people feel genuinely lucky to live.
She spends much of her time walking Lake of the Isles, biking nearby trails, and supporting the restaurants, shops, and creative spaces that give the neighborhood its energy and personality. Outside the city, she typically heads to the Brainerd Lakes area for summer lake adventures or southwest Florida to visit family.
As a board member, Lyndsey is focused on strengthening connection, preserving neighborhood character, and supporting an East Isles that remains welcoming, engaged, and resilient as it continues to evolve.
Mark Sloo
Staff
Cuyler Dinegan, Executive Coordinator
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Cuyler coordinates communications, programs, and more for East Isles and Lowry Hill Neighborhood Associations.
He received a B.F.A. in Electronic Imaging and Writing from Northern Michigan University, and after designing communications for corporations, municipalities and nonprofits, now freelances graphic design and neighborhood work.
Cuyler spends time exploring stories across experience and media—visual art, books, film, games—and was drawn to the Minneapolis art and music scene. At home in the woods as much as a museum, Cuyler enjoys walking the Chain of Lakes and escapes to Lake Superior as frequently as possible.
Representatives
Elizabeth Shaffer, Ward 7 Council Member, Minneapolis City Council
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Jacob Frey, Mayor, City of Minneapolis
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Jason Garcia District 4 Commissioner, Minneapolis Parks & Recreation Board
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Faith Randal, 5th Precinct Crime Prevention Specialist, MPD
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Marion Greene, District 3 Commissioner, Hennepin Co. Board
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Katie Jones, District 61A Representative, MN House of Representatives
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Scott Dibble, Senator, MN Senate
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Tim Walz, Governor, State of MN
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