NENA hires new executive director

Sarah Friedman has been promoted from communications manager to executive director at the Nokomis East Neighborhood Association.
She will step into the new role on May 1.
“I’m truly honored to be NENA’s executive director,” said Friedman. “I’m excited to build strong relationships, deepen our connections across the community, and support meaningful, neighbor-led change.”
“Sarah has already shared many thoughtful ideas, approaching our organization’s current state with open eyes and a clear focus on the needs and goals of our community,” observed NENA Board Chair Christina Meyer. “The NENA Board of Directors is excited to step into this next chapter with Sarah leading the way. We feel incredibly fortunate that she accepted the role with such enthusiasm – bringing just the right mix of experience, vision, and collaborative energy to move our mission forward.”
Friedman joined the Peace Corps in 2011 and was sent to Poltava, Ukraine. Friedman grew up in North Carolina and had never made a snowman before. So, her Ukrainian mentor and fellow teacher Lidiia and her students went outside and made one with her.
Upon returning to the U.S., she taught for about five years at public schools in North Carolina and a foster home in Detroit. Then she followed her husband to Minnesota in 2019 when he got a job at 3M, and she pursued a master’s degree at the Humphrey School of Public Policy in nonprofit management. The mom of two, Friedman joined the NENA staff in 2022.
She has continued to raise money in various ways, including by selling the Babusya’s Kitchen cookbook, to support charitable work in Ukraine.
Interim Executive Director Amy Arcand will support NENA through the month of May.
Friedman is replacing Brandon Long, who, upon being told of his termination on Monday, Jan. 20 at Nokomis Beach Coffee, threw a cup of coffee at volunteers, and police were involved due to destruction of property. (Read article here.)
Connect with Friedman at the NENA Annual Meeting on Monday, April 28, at Nokomis Square Cooperative, 6-8 p.m.
“As part of this work, NENA will be rolling out a neighborhood-wide survey to better understand what matters most to our neighbors and where we should focus our energy over the next five years,” remarked Friedman. “I’m looking forward to learning more about the community’s hopes and needs – and working together to make Nokomis East an even better place to live, work, and connect.”