Hello John,

The fight to protect our reproductive rights is ongoing. We're excited to endorse our next set of leaders protecting our rights. 

Today, we are proud to endorse a remarkable group of candidates who embody our mission of reproductive justice. These candidates are committed to protecting and expanding abortion access, and we're thrilled to have them on board.

Patsy Foster-Bolton - Minnetonka City Council Ward 1

Patsy Foster-Bolton is a mother, wife, community organizer and neighbor of 30 years. “I’m running because I love this city,” Foster-Bolton said. “I’ll work to make it an affordable place so that the people who work here can live here: the teachers, laborers, nurses, healthcare professionals and young families starting out.” Foster-Bolton has been organizing in Minnetonka for over 7 years, working on issues of affordable housing, clean air, and, most importantly to her, a multi-racial democracy with a caring economy for all. Foster-Bolton is proud to say she lives in Minnetonka, “not only because it’s beautiful, and neighbors look out for one another, but also because it is a place where kids from all backgrounds and religions feel equally welcome.”

Foster-Bolton believes Minnetonka is moving in a direction, as a city, that offers a home to everyone, clean air to raise children and a safe place to live and work.  She wants to help the city continue in this direction and provide to others what it gave her and her family.

Patsy Foster-Bolton is an escort for the women who choose a Health care clinic that provides abortions.  She donates monthly to "Our Justice" an organization that funds abortions for women who cannot afford one. She founded the West Metro branch of  ProChoice MN.  Called RFAN; Reproductive Freedom Action Network. They have been active in the campaigns of women who are Reproductive Champions in the House and Senate of MInnesota. Her group wrote letters of gratitude to all the women in the House and Senate that made this session so successful for women's reproductive rights.

Rebecca Schack - Minnetonka City Council Ward 2

Council Member Nadia Mohamed has served as an At-Large B council member since 2020. Mohamed is a 17-year resident of St. Louis Park. As a four-year member of the St. Louis Park Multicultural Advisory Committee, Mohamed participated in strategic planning and implementation efforts to connect various communities within St. Louis Park. That work resulted in Mohamed being named a co-recipient of the St. Louis Park Human Rights Award in 2019 and helped her to understand what could be achieved through civic activity.

Mohamed earned a bachelor’s degree in human resources management from Metropolitan State University and is currently getting her master’s in educational leadership at St.Thomas University. Mohamed has spent her career in public service. She has worked as a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) specialist at a local public school and currently works at a state agency doing DEI work. In her spare time, she spends time with her family and loves to travel.

Paula Ramaley - Minnetonka City Council Ward 3

Paula Ramaley is a native Minnesotan and the fourth generation of her family to live in the Minnetonka-Wayzata community. She worked for 30 years in the field of International Education and Culture. Half of that time she spent on the East Coast and Eastern Europe before moving back home to Minnesota to raise her family. She is deeply connected to her community's past and cares just as deeply about its present and future. Paula has long been a volunteer in the community and also for local organizations focused on international citizen diplomacy and assistance, serving as chair and vice-chair of several. Her political and issue advocacy began with her participation in the Women’s March in Washington, DC in January 2017. In 2018 she volunteered for a congressional candidate in her district; after that she quickly expanded her volunteerism to include federal, state and local races. Paula has also been an advocate for local election reform, which helped bring ranked choice voting in Minnetonka. In 2022 she co-founded a Giving Circle that focuses on raising funds and volunteers for key state legislative candidates - those determined to be ‘majority makers.’

Paula lives in her childhood home, a little blue cottage in the Groveland neighborhood of Minnetonka. She is married and the proud mom of two adult children; a daughter who works in the wine industry in California and son who is a Computer Science major at the University of Minnesota.

Kissy Coakley - Minnetonka City Council Ward 4

Kissy Coakley was elected to the Minnetonka City Council in 2019. She is the first African American woman to serve on the council. Kissy graduated from Metropolitan State University with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Criminal Justice. She has consistently advocated for positive reforms to the criminal justice system that rehabilitate people to productive lives vs. keeping them trapped in a costly cycle of perpetual punishment and incarceration. Kissy helped champion a national movement with Take Action MN, through the Justice 4 All campaign that worked with Target Corporation to change hiring policies and make criminal background checks fairer. Kissy has also worked on legislation in the state of Minnesota for several criminal justice reform initiatives and will continue to make sure women reproductive justice rights are protected and women can have their own autonomy on all levels. 

Kissy is the Founder of Kissy’s Stay Put Services. Kissy has worked as a Domestic & Sexual Violence Advocate and a Reentry Case Manager both for several nonprofits for 14 years. Kissy’s passion for both unique circumstances help her quickly realize the disparities women face as well as the injustice in the criminal justice system, as it relates to women being the fastest growing population who are being criminalized in our criminal justice system, while trying to keep themselves safe from their abuser. Kissy decided she would take her long history of advocating for criminal justice reform and safe community to create a nonprofit that addresses both critical issues.

Lona Doolan - St. Anthony City Council At-Large

Lona Doolan is an active volunteer in St. Anthony Village and Hennepin County. Her passions are centered around helping seniors in her community, helping kids explore nature, and caring for the natural world around us.
Her background is in Financial Management. She worked as a financial analyst in a financial investment company. The last 10 years she worked in strategic planning where she evaluated and helped prioritize technology investments. Using her analytical skills, she has brought in over $100K in environmental grants for St. Anthony Village schools, churches, and the city’s popular organics collection site.

Lona currently serves as a Parks & Environmental Commissioner in St. Anthony Village and as a Citizens Advisor to the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization. She has served as an election judge since 2000 and for the past 10 years has served as Head Judge in Hennepin Precinct 2.
She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Planning, Analysis and Process Improvement from the University of Minnesota while working and parenting full-time. She started volunteering in St. Anthony’s school system in 2003, when her daughter first started kindergarten, and she continues to work with students, helping younger ones learn to explore and care for nature, and older students learn about climate change, renewable energy, and climate actions. Lona also volunteers as a Minnesota Master Naturalist. She received the 2022 President’s Gold Volunteer Service award for 600 hours in service to her community.

Jenna Carter - Bloomington City Council At-Large

Jenna Carter brings fifteen years of experience working across sectors to advance healthy communities and equity with an emphasis on policy and systems changes. She is an at-large council member in Bloomington, MN representing over 90,000 residents.  She is also the Associate Executive Director of Mission and Strategy at the Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota, leading the organization's social services, community programming, and public policy efforts.  Jenna was recently named a Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal 40 Under 40 Honoree and is also a Humphrey Policy Fellow alumni. She has a Masters in Public Health from the University of Minnesota and a Bachelors in Nutritional Science from Iowa State University.  Jenna is a wife and a mom of Dylan (12) and Evelyn (9) and in her free time loves traveling, reading, and running. 

Keri Johnson - St. Peter City Council Ward 1

Keri Johnson is a Council Member in St. Peter who is seeking re-election for a 2nd term. She is passionate about shaping public policy for the common good and is grateful to serve the City of Saint Peter and the region. Her approach to the work involves listening, relationship building, courage, and vision. Johnson is rooted in her community and is passionate about its long-term vitality and sustainability. She deeply understands that the decisions that are made now, have impacts for generations. She is committed to being a champion for reproductive rights. In her capacity as City Council Member, that means preventing any erosion of rights that could be determined at the local level and improving systems, policies, and ordinances that create barriers to quality of life, access to quality and affordable healthcare, housing, healthy food, and childcare, work opportunities, etc. All of these issues are interconnected and as a City Council Member, Johnson hopes to continue to do this important work, improve policies, and make a positive difference in her community and for her constituents. 

Sophia Ginis - Golden Valley City Council At-Large

Sophia is a dedicated advocate for a welcoming, sustainable, and secure Golden Valley. With a vision for the future, Sophia aims to make decisions today that will benefit the city for years to come. Her priorities include resilient and sustainable infrastructure, housing choice, and well-maintained parks and trails. With almost 20 years of experience in community affairs, Sophia is a seasoned public sector leader. She has successfully overseen some of the most challenging infrastructure projects in Minnesota. Through her career, Sophia has consistently worked to improve public processes and amplify the community's voice in government decision-making.

Lona Dallessandro - Bloomington City Council District 3

Lona Dallessandro is running for re-election to Bloomington's City Council after successfully winning the District III election in 2021. As council member, she represents the city as a board member of the Bloomington Chamber of Commerce and as a steering committee member for the MN Cities Climate Coalition. Lona earned her BS in Biology from The Pennsylvania State University and her MBA from the University of Phoenix. She has worked for many years in both a professional and personal capacity to improve outcomes for the businesses and people for whom she has worked. Over her 20+ year career, she has held a variety of executive positions in the telecommunications and cloud software industries, and currently directs product management for Paladin, a public benefit corporation that is increasing access to justice by enabling attorneys to do more pro bono work for clients around the world. She lives in Bloomington with her wife, Sarah, and in her free time enjoys nature photography, travel, SCUBA diving, and transforming her yard into a haven for pollinators.

These candidates are dedicated to ensuring reproductive justice for all. Their commitment to reproductive health and care aligns with our vision for a more equitable future.

Thank you for your unwavering commitment to electing leaders who will protect and expand abortion access for everyone. Together, we can make a lasting impact on reproductive rights and create a more equitable society.

With gratitude,

Team Women Winning