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Ryan earned his Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. He is a former Certified Public Accountant with more than fourteen years of nonprofit management experience. Before coming to Life House, he was an AmeriCorps at Lutheran Social Services, then worked in leadership at Animal Allies and Community Action Duluth. He serves as the treasurer on the Wildwoods Wildlife Rehabilitation Board of Directors. Prior to moving to Duluth in 2010, Ryan was Vice President of Operations at Minneapolis-based Regis Corporation.

Amber has a B.A. in English Writing and Environmental Studies from Concordia College and a B.A. in Education from the University of Minnesota. She also earned a Human Resource Management certificate from UWS.  A majority of her career has been spent working with children and youth in various capacities, including direct service and administrative support. Altogether, Amber has over nineteen years of experience working with young people, eight of which have been spent in the nonprofit sector. Professionally, Amber enjoys supporting programs and colleagues and working hard to help operations run smoothly. Outside of work, Amber is very involved in her community, including serving on various committees and boards. In her spare time, she loves spending time with her family, gardening and hiking.

Julie has 18 years of experience providing direct services to children and families, and 8 years of experience providing trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, in conjunction with other evidenced-based therapeutic interventions which are appropriate for helping children and families to understand and address their individual needs and goals for mental, emotional, physical and spiritual wellness. Julie is a Potawatomie descendent from lower Michigan, and she wrote her masters thesis for UMD on Cross-Cultural Social Work. Julie is committed to a client focused approach, which begins with developing a trusting and collaborative therapeutic relationship. Julie has been a Mental Health Therapist at Life House since June of 2014, where she serves youth, ages 14-25 years-old, who experience the highest needs and barriers in our community; Julie accompanies them as a tireless advocate as they pursue their individual hopes and dreams.

Babette Sandman graduated from the American Indian Mental Health Training Project at the University of Minnesota, Duluth in 1988 where she completed an internship with the Domestic Abuse Intervention Project (DAIP). While at DAIP she obtained work through the National Training Project bringing an education style nationally and internationally known as In Our Best Interest to people who have been oppressed and dehumanized living through domestic violence and sexual assault. This training helps humanize and sets up environments that address oppression using Paula Freire methods. Babette is and enrolled member of White Earth Nation.

Sophie earned her Bachelor of Arts in English Writing from Northern Michigan University. Throughout her education, she developed her passion for writing and community building. Sophie has more than 8 years’ experience working in writing and communications. Prior to college, she completed a service term with AmeriCorps National Community and Civilian Corps.