James Burroughs, Senior vice president, government and community relations, chief equity and inclusion officer

James Burroughs leads the Collective. James joined Children’s Minnesota as the first chief equity and inclusion officer in January 2019, and is now the senior vice president, government and community relations, chief equity and inclusion officer. He is responsible for advancing equity and inclusion across the organization as well as leading advocacy, government affairs and community relations. Read his full bio.

Read his articles in the In the Burroughs blog

Lauren Gilchrist, Senior director of the Collective for Community Health

Lauren Gilchrist is the senior director of the Collective. Gilchrist served as executive vice president of external affairs for Planned Parenthood North Central States. She also held key senior leadership roles in the public sector, including in the offices of former Governor Mark Dayton, former U.S. Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota, and the late U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts. She has a MPH from the University of Minnesota and a BA from Wesleyan University in Connecticut.

Amanda Jansen, Director of Public Policy

Amanda advocates for kid-centric local, state and federal policies on behalf of the families that Children’s Minnesota serves. She is a self-described “policy nerd” who loves building collaborative relationships to shape vibrant, healthy communities. Amanda holds a Master of Public Policy from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

Cindy Nelson-Kaigama, Director of Community Health

Cindy is the Director of Community Health and leads Community Connect and the Healthcare Legal Partnership. Cindy brings over 20 years of experience as a solutions-driven health and human services leader serving people throughout the lifespan. She is committed to partnering with the patients and community we serve.

Megan Peterlinz, Community Affairs Program Manager

Megan is passionate about authentic community engagement and advocating for policies that support Minnesota’s children and families. She focuses on cultivating community relationships, organizing support for public policy priorities and managing Children’s Minnesota Community Health Needs Assessment process. Megan earned her Master of Public Health degree from St. Catherine University in May 2018.

Kjelsey Polzin, Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) Program manager

Kjelsey joined the advocacy team in 2017 and enjoys being an advocate for all children in Minnesota! She graduated from Minnesota State University, Mankato with a degree in Community Health. She began her career at Children’s Minnseota as an intern for the Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) Program and was hooked. She is now the program manager for the federally funded statewide program that ensures all children in our state receive the best appropriate care in a health emergency. Kjelsey’s passion for volunteering and health/wellness has guided her to be a Hands Joining Hands co-chair and also advocacy’s Wellness Champion.