Andrea Crouse is the facilitator of the Healthy Hillside Team and the Community Development Manager at Zeitgeist. She is honored to work with and learn from this incredible group of people to best reach the residents of Duluth’s Hillside neighborhoods with resources and support to keep us safe and secure during the pandemic. Prior to joining Zeitgeist, Andrea worked for the City of Superior Dept. of Public Works as the Stormwater Program Coordinator. She served on the board of the Lake Superior Community Health Center for 9 years and is an active member of the Twin Ports community in organizations such as the St. Louis River Alliance (SLRA), Standing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ), and the Feminist Action Collective (FAC). She has a passion for green infrastructure, native plants, and urban design that promotes healthy living and environmental sustainability.

My name is Cullen Cusick and for (nearly) five years I have worked a clerical position within Saint Louis County and am a proud AFSCME member. Prior to this, I held management roles across industries for many years while attending the University of Minnesota–Duluth. There I majored in philosophy and political science. I am also a product of local public schools: both Myers-Wilkins and Duluth Central. The Hillside neighborhood is where I have lived nearly my entire life, and I currently reside near Chester Creek in the East Hillside with my lovely wife Andrea, an artist and graphic designer. My family also goes back a long time in this neighborhood–you can find my great-great grandfather in the 1900 census living on East 4th Street–and I consider myself blessed to have roots here. The upcoming work led by Zeitgeist to develop a Hillside oriented response to the COVID-19 pandemic will be a vital aid to our community. I am enthusiastic in my own efforts to help and feel honored to be given the opportunity.

My name is Marah (like Sarah but with an “M”) and I have lived in the Duluth hillside for 4 years! I have my Masters in Social Work and am currently working as a School Social Worker. I am a strong relationship builder and advocate. My favorite part of being a social worker is seeing the resilient nature of humans and assisting them through difficult times. I love spending time getting to know new people, playing outside, working with my hands and hanging out with my cat! I am excited to be able to work on behalf of the Duluth Hillside! 

Cyndy Klinksiek works for Duluth Aging Support (DAS) as program manager to reduce isolation among older adults. She’s glad to be representing DAS and older adults on the Healthy Hillside team.

Cyndy lives in Duluth’s Central Hillside where she enjoys watching lighting storms over Wisconsin, eagles riding thermals, and lakers “threading the needle.” She has volunteered at Damiano, CHUM, and Sacred Heart Music Center.

Hello, my name is Sophia! I am currently a senior at the University of Minnesota Duluth pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree with a concentration in studio art and communications. I am from St. Paul, Minnesota and am a resident of the Hillside neighborhood. I believe art plays a crucial role in connecting people with their built environments and community to create positive change. I am passionate about the ways in which art can bring agency to individuals to advocate for their needs and beliefs. In my free time, I enjoy being outside, reading, and spending time with animals. I am excited to use my experience as an artist to bring agency to my community at Zeitgeist!

I am a Minnesota based artist, focusing on storytelling through video and design. I hope to utilize my collaboration, production, videography, storytelling, design, and communication skills to help bring our communities together. As an artist, my artistic vision is to create colorful, vibrant work that serves as a “heart opener” for those that it reaches. Through vehicles of high quality video/design and heart forward storytelling, I hope to bring some light into the world.

Rachael Kilgour was born and raised here in Duluth and currently makes her home in the Central Hillside. When it’s not the middle of a global pandemic, she makes a living as a touring musician. With performance opportunities out the window for the foreseeable future, Rachael is happy for the opportunity to stay put and plug into her neighborhood and community. She has worked with Loaves and Fishes, CHUM, and Meyers-Wilkins in the past and is helping out at the Warming Center (emergency shelter) this winter.

I was born in the Duluth Hillside a couple of decades ago and after 15 years in a small town in Nebraska I am back and a proud resident of the East Hillside neighborhood. Despite growing up in Nebraska my family has deep roots in northern Minnesota and it holds a special place in my heart. I am currently a Junior at UMD, studying urban and regional studies. With minors in GIS and Sociology. Over the past few years in Duluth I have been a student leader with MPIRG (now known as SEE-Change), spearheading projects that range from Line 3 resistance fundraisers to a walk identifying anti-homeless infrastructure in the Central Hillside. This past summer I worked at the UMD Land Lab- campus’s organic research farm- both as a general farm worker and as a food access intern. Through the Land Lab, I helped with Community Action Duluth’s Lincoln Park Farmers Market and led our harvests for their mobile food market. My most rewarding experience was helping lead our Morgan Park Free Produce Giveaway, where I got to get to know community members and help make a small impact in the fight for food justice. I am super excited to be joining the Healthy Hillside team as it combines my passions for urban design, social/economic justice, and my community.

Miranda Pacheco works at Life House as a Youth Outreach worker and Peer Support Specialist specializing in mental health and addiction. She also attends Fond Du Lac Tribal and Community College where she is currently working towards an AAS in Human Services and a LADC counseling certificate. She hopes to go on to get her bachelor’s degree in Social Work. She is also involved in the community doing work to help build wealth within the BIPOC community, where her passion lies. Miranda likes to run/hike, go to powwows and attend traditional ceremonies. She is excited for the challenge of working with Zeitgeist!

I was born and raised in the Central Hillside neighborhood of Duluth, Minnesota. After obtaining a B.S. in Child Psychology and Human Development at the University of Minnesota Minneapolis, I began working as a program coordinator in the Department of Ob/Gyn and Women’s Health at the University of Minnesota Medical School. In 2008, I returned to Duluth with my husband Benjamin to raise our children; Sterling, Vince, Cian, and Nina. I’ve stayed quite busy as a homemaker, an independent contractor for ISD 709 and Superior School District, and a volunteer for many different organizations including MN Environmental Partnership, City of Duluth, Area Youth Soccer Association, Superior Hiking Trail Association, Hermantown Youth Soccer Association, Area Youth Soccer Association, Hermantown Area Futbol Club, Hermantown Elementary School, NAACP, One Roof Community Housing (Formerly NHS), and the American Red Cross. I am excited to be joining the Healthy Hillside Steering Committee and I am thankful for the opportunity to serve my community.

Born in old New England, Justin came to know Duluth and its sweetwater sea on a transcontinental journey in 2010 and has lived here ever since. As an adherent to the ideals of a ‘Rucksack Revolution,’ he has traveled across continents searching for mountains, good stories and the kindness of strangers. An intrepid in his own time, he believes in global awareness and local action and has worked with such esteemed organizations as Amnesty International, Men as Peacemakers and most recently the Duluth Folk School. Justin’s passion for wellbeing and community building extend to issues of food security, urban agriculture and the utilitarian fundamentals & pleasures of cycling. Aside from his work with the Healthy Hillside Leadership Team, Justin helms the operations at Almanac Coffee in Duluth’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. He resides in the Central Hillside with his lovely wife Kiah and is the proud father of two sons.