Board Members
Members of the board, including ex-officio, non-voting members, are:
Mufaddal Baxamusa is an associate professor in the finance department. His research focuses on mergers and acquisitions, capital structure, the choices between different investment decisions and the human aspects underlying decisions in finance. He is widely published in leading academic journals, including Financial Management, and presents at prestigious national conferences, including the annual meeting of the American Finance Association. Baxamusa earned his PhD from the University of Minnesota and an MBA from George Washington University. Dr. Baxamusa is uniquely qualified for service on the charter accountability board as his professional interests and scholarship include both organizational governance and finance.
Bio coming soon!
Molly McGraw Healy is the Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships at the University of St. Thomas and is proud to serve as the founding liaison between the university’s School of Education and the Collaborative School at Maxfield Elementary, a collaborative partnership launched in 2023. She holds a Master’s in Public Policy from the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School and received her Bachelor of Arts from St. Olaf College. Prior to her current role, she served as the Director of Charter School Authorizing for the University of St. Thomas and was an active member of the authorizing community, serving three years as chair of the state’s authorizer organization, and acting as presenter and consultant nationally and locally. She is an alumna of the inaugural cohort of both the National Association of Charter School Authorizers’ Leadership Program and University of St. Thomas’ Leadership Program. She particularly enjoys spending time with her husband, sons, and friends mountain biking, skiing, reading, gardening, cooking, and pretending to go running when she is actually just taking a walk.
With more than 30 years of educational experience across three continents, Danielle Miller has worked in a wide range of school settings, including private, charter, bilingual, and immersion programs. Her teaching journey began in Lahore, Pakistan, where she taught lower and middle school English and math. In 1995, she helped found the Internationale Schule Frankfurt-Rhein-Main in Germany, expanding her teaching to include science, social studies, and EL. Within two years, she was appointed Lower School Academic Quality Controller, overseeing academic programming, staffing, and student performance. Upon returning to the U.S., Danielle dedicated herself to improving education systems through professional development, curriculum design, and program leadership. Her mission is to ensure that every child has access to a quality education and the tools to succeed. In pursuit of this goal, she has held the position of Lower School and Upper School Academic Quality Controller at the International School of Minnesota, District Assessment Coordinator at Nova Classical Academy, PLC Observer and Facilitator at Kaleidoscope Charter School, and most recently English Academic Director at Yinghua Academy.
Danielle holds a B.A. in Psychology and History from the University of St. Catherine and an M.A. in Teaching from the College of St. Scholastica. Outside of work, she volunteers in Ramsey’s Master Gardner Program and enjoys exploring nature, travelling, cooking, and spending time with her two children.
Terry Moffatt has almost 35 years of experience in education in a wide range of settings. She started her teaching career at a boarding school in rural New Hampshire where she stayed for 10 years before expanding her horizons overseas. Terry taught fifth grade English at a bilingual school in Bahrain for five years and then moved to Cape Town, South Africa, where she completed a master’s degree at the University of Cape Town as well as taught Grade R, Grade 1, and Grade 5. While in Cape Town, Terry also developed a curriculum for English language learners that was purchased by the South African Ministry of Education and is still being used in many schools across the country. Upon her return to the U.S. after being abroad for 10 years, she worked with the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe as a start-up director for a new charter school in Sandstone, Minnesota. Terry then moved to the Twin Cities metro area where she joined DaVinci Academy of Arts and Science as the Academic Director, a role she has held for the last 13 years. In her spare time, Terry is an avid birder and recently hit the 300 species in Minnesota milestone. She also enjoys photography and traveling. She is looking forward to learning from schools across the St. Thomas network as well as sharing her knowledge and expertise.
Sean Sonderman began his career in museum education after earning his certification in Secondary Social Studies Education from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte and a master’s degree in Museum Studies from North Carolina State University. He spent a decade in the museum field, including work developing three traveling exhibits in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution. Sean then transitioned into traditional education, teaching AP and IB History and Psychology in both North Carolina and Vermont before stepping into the role of Dean of Academics & Faculty at the Vermont independent school. In this capacity, he lead the development and authorization of the first International Baccalaureate school in the state of Vermont. His passion for international education led him and his family overseas, where he served as an IB Coordinator at IB World Schools in London; Moscow; and Incheon, South Korea. Upon returning to the U.S., Sean worked as a college counselor at an academy school in Maine before moving to St.Paul to become the Director of Advancement at Lakes International Language Academy, a charter school in Forest Lake. A former curator at the American Museum of Fly Fishing, Sean still enjoys stepping into a stream with a fly rod in hand. He is also an avid sports fan who has recently adopted the Loons and Wild as his new favorites. He is looking forward to working with schools in the S. Thomas portfolio of charters.
John A. Spry is an associate professor in the finance department. He earned his BS in economics at the Ohio State University, and his MA and PhD in economics at the University of Rochester. His current areas of research are state and local public finance, the economics of state lotteries, the effects of tax rates on tax bases, and applied non-parametric econometrics. He was a member of the Minnesota Governor's 21st Century Tax Reform Commission.
A 2007 PhD graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Dr. Lynn Stansberry Brusnahan used to train Delta Air Lines flight attendants. The birth of a son with autism pointed her to her next career. Now, she is one of just a handful of faculty members in the country with a specialty in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Under her guidance, the University of St. Thomas has developed a highly successful certificate program in autism spectrum disorders. Appointed by Governor Jim Doyle, Dr. Stansberry Brusnahan currently serves on the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities and is a member of the Autism Society of America Board of Directors.
Aura Wharton-Beck is an assistant professor in the department of educational leadership. Her career began as a teacher for hearing impaired students in the Chicago Public Schools, and she has also taught and served in leadership positions - including coaching, mentoring, and principal leadership positions for the Minneapolis Public Schools. Aura's passion for arts integration in education led her to create a pint-size orchestra in an elementary school. Among her student-centered achievements, Education Minnesota captured her philosophy of education in a statewide television commercial titled "validatED." The Minnesota Orchestra Showcase Magazine published her essay, "Practice, the Best Homework," which defined her lifelong pursuit of advocating arts education and academic equity for all students. The Minnesota Elementary School Principals’ Association (MESPA) recognized her for leadership accomplishments in 2012 by awarding her a Division Leadership Award. She was the recipient of the 2017 University Advocates for Women and Equity Award (Sapientia Award) for scholarly or creative work focused on women.
