People and board
KARA’s staff, board of directors, advisors, and how we handle the naming of children.
KARA operates with a small, active board of directors and advisors, supported by hundreds of student interns and community volunteers.
People
President and Executive Director
Mike Tikkanen
Author of Invisible Children (2005). CASA volunteer guardian ad litem in Hennepin County from 1996 to 2012. Founding board member of CASAMN since 2010.
Technical Director
Allen Huang
Over a decade in technology startups, most recently Head of Engineering at Desora. At KARA, a resource for technical development, data governance, and development communications.
For the timeline of who came before and what they built, see the KARA history.
Board of Directors
Greg Christian
Board member and donor for over ten years. Also fundraises for CASA volunteers in Minnesota.
Jim Earley
Trailblazer Coaching. Executive coach. Advisor to KARA since its founding.
Al Innamorato
Over 40 years in corporate and investment leadership, with executive roles at Cendant Corporation, Ernst and Young, Microsoft, Dendrite, Scholastic, and the Fulcrum Management Group. Former member of the Oracle Hyperion SIG Board of Directors. Bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Villanova University. Research background at the Human Issues Institute at the University of Pennsylvania.
Lawrence King
Purdue graduate, born and raised in Detroit. Campaign work with Nike, Jordan Brand, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and the National Urban League. Focus at KARA: mental health, financial literacy, and child wellbeing communications. Mentors underserved youth in his community.
Secretary and Treasurer
Damon Kocina
Long-time KARA resource. Background in marketing.
Advisory Board
Advisors, without governance authority.
Jarred VanHorn
Founder and President of Seeds of Success, a Minnesota 501(c)(3). Student Ambassador at Dakota County Technical College. Past Governing Council Alternate at LeadMN, the Minnesota State College Student Association.
Past Board Members
With gratitude for their years of service.
- Tiffini Flynn Forslund
- Carol Koepp
- Joe McCarthy
- Lynn McCarthy
- Thomas Carter MD
- David Strand
On naming children
KARA reprints reporting from newspapers of record without redaction because that reporting is public, citable, and already part of the historical record. Where we choose what to include, we do not name children who were not already named in the public record, and we do not add photos of children to any blog entry.
Our judgment is that hiding what has already been written does not protect children. Refusing to add to what has been written sometimes does.
If you are the parent, guardian, or (as an adult) the person named in a blog entry and you want the piece removed or your name replaced, write to info@invisiblechildren.org and we will act within seven days. We do not require legal proceedings and we do not require an explanation.