Meet Our Team
Founder &
Executive Director
She/Her
Dr. Meg Bartlett-Chase is a proud Minnesotan who is committed to supporting sex education efforts across the state. She earned her PhD in Education Policy from the University of Iowa where she focused on
sex education policy, practice, and potential controversy. Her research and outreach centers the role of teachers and families in sex education policy formation and implementation. She spent her early career working in schools as a sex educator and crisis counselor across the Twin Cities Metro Area, and currently serves on SIECUS's Sex Education Policy Action Council. Meg is an experienced program director and leader in equity-centered skill and leadership development. She believes in community-engaged advocacy that centers those most affected. In her free time, she loves visiting bookstores, canoeing or hiking with her partner Austin, and cuddling with her dog and cat.
Associate Executive Director
She/They
Christina DeVries, is a writer, artist, and pro-people-power kind of person. She earned a Masters in Advocacy and Political Leadership from Metropolitan State University. Professionally she builds grassroots development
programs with a Community-Centric Fundraising lens, people-centered training to increase organization equity and personal growth, international public health work and grant writing. She served on the Fair State Brewing Cooperative Board and spent many years with the Headwaters Foundation for Justice. She works at the Woman's Club of Minneapolis with members to address community needs and connectedness alongside lifelong learning. Outside of their 9-5 life, she surrounds herself with deep friendships and family, a couple book clubs, two cats from the Cat Distribution System, and adventures with her partner Reed.
Meet Our Board
Board Chair
She/Her
Jill Farris, MPH, is the Director of Training and Education at the Center for Healthy Youth Development at the University of Minnesota.
In this role, she leads capacity building initiatives to strengthen community-based adolescent sexual health programs. Farris is a certified trainer on dozens of evidence-based interventions to prevent teen pregnancy and HIV/STIs, and is a nationally recognized expert on sex ed, reproductive health, trends in adolescent health, and the social and cultural factors affecting young people's sexual behavior. She leads the creation and dissemination of the annual Adolescent Sexual Health Report, as well as county health reports and data visualization fact sheets. Farris is deeply committed to addressing health disparities through a lens of equity, inclusion, and trauma-informed practice. In her free time, Jill is a Girl Scout troop leader, Our Whole Lives facilitator at First Universalist Church of Minneapolis, and an avid fan of figure skating and gymnastics. She's passionate about travel, coffee, triathlons, and progressive politics.
Board Secretary
She/Her
Tipheret Peña earned a bachelor's degree in English and journalism with a minor in gender, women, and sexuality studies from the
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. She is a state-certified sexual assault crisis counselor and worked closely with students in undergrad at both the university's sexual violence center and in the department of housing and residential life. She now does development work at a community college foundation while also working part-time at a local gift shop. In her free time she enjoys reading and writing, trying out new bars and restaurants, and playing with her cat.
Board Vice Chair
She/Her
Kara Cowell is a passionate advocate for menstrual and reproductive health, with over seven years of organizing experience.
She is currently pursuing a Master of Public Health at the University of Minnesota, focusing on maternal and child health. Kara continues to play a key role in advancing menstrual equity legislation in Minnesota and has also spent significant time doing peer sex education in multiple capacities. She is committed to making comprehensive sex education accessible and inclusive. She brings her expertise in advocacy and youth leadership to the board, aiming to address systemic health inequities and empower communities through education. In her free time, Kara enjoys spending time drinking coffee, hanging out with family and friends, swimming, running, and most recently has been learning to crochet.
Board Treasurer
He/Him
Stephen is a Health and Physical Education Teacher - St. James, MN Named the 2023 MNSHAPE Health Teacher of the Year, he
has worked toward developing a skills-based health education model for his community. He has studied data around teen pregnancy rates in rural and outstate MN with a focus on improving these stats. Chapin has convened multiple community groups to review and support sexuality education curriculums that best fit his community. He has worked with local ministerial, healthcare, public health, law enforcement, and others to create a community-wide approach to supporting positive teen decision-making with a focus on abstinence, early sexual experimentation, comprehensive sexuality education, and overall teen health. In his free time, he is an MSHSL official and loves to travel with his wife Michele and two kids - Danielle and Tyler.