About SDA

Ana Vergara is the current president of the Shakopee Diversity Alliance. She is passionate about worker’s rights advocacy and is the Lead Wage Theft Investigator/ State Outreach Coordinator for the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office. Ana holds a Masters in Human Rights from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, where she was awarded the 2019 Paul and Sheila Wellstone Award for Public Action for embodying the spirit, passion, and dedication of the late U.S. senator and his wife. Ana has heavily focused much of her research on asylum seekers at the southern border and family separation. In fact, at the height of family separation, Ana worked as a refugee campaigner at the Amnesty International headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Ana’s drive for advocacy work comes from being a daughter to Mexican immigrants from Puebla and Chihuahua. She was raised in Shakopee, Minnesota where much of her immediate family immigrated. She previously taught ESL to immigrants and refugees in Chaska. She also worked as an educator in South Korea, where she gained her love for Kimchi in burritos.

Neyva Nava has lived in Shakopee for over 20 years. She has worked for the CAP Agency for 9 years and has enjoyed her role as a nutrition educator as a breastfeeding coordinator for the WIC program. In her free time, she enjoys long hours of reading, and spending time finding fun activities to do with her kids. She started volunteering and getting more involved with the Shakopee Diversity Alliance in 2019. She has a strong passion for community involvement and helping the Shakopee community in any way possible. She enjoys being a part of SDA and having her kids learn about the different diversity backgrounds that we have here in town.

Councilwoman Angelica Contreras is the first person of color to take a seat at the Shakopee City Council in January 2019. She has previously played an active role as a SDA board member by being Vice-President. She has volunteered through her church community (La Luz del Mundo) in many outreach projects. She is currently the Co-Director to the Association of Professionals and Students, where higher education is promoted. She currently sits on multiple boards where she advocates for her community.

Councilor Contreras’ passion for her community began early on when she started working for the CAP Agency. While working there she saw the many needs that Shakopee had. Today as a Certified Lactation Counselor she helps and supports moms and newborn babies achieve their personal goals.

Councilor Contreras was raised in Houston, Texas. She enjoys traveling with her family and spending time at the beach. She loves hosting parties and cooking.

Kyla Drammeh is a first grade teacher at Eagle Creek. She lives in Shakopee with her husband, Khadrie, and their children. In addition to managing a busy household she has held leadership roles within the SDA and the Shakopee Educators for Equity and Diversity (SEED) for many years. She is passionate about equity and diversity and has a Master’s of Education with an emphasis in Culturally Responsive Teaching. She strongly believes in creating a community where all feel welcome and valued for their individuality.

In her free time she loves spending time with her family, visiting friends, doing crafts, reading and playing outside with her children as much as possible.

Stephanie Contreras Romero is passionate about promoting recovery, independence, dignity and equality across diverse populations through her work as a mental health therapist with the PRIDE Program of the Family Partnership, whose vision holds her passion. Stephanie holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice and a Master’s
Degree in Integrated Recovery for Co-Occurring Disorders with over eight years of hands on experience in social services, criminal justice, housing, crisis intervention and therapy roles. Stephanie works to empower individuals from diverse populations to gain independence and free themselves from the throws of commercial sexual exploitation and substance use through mental health therapy within the PRIDE program.

Additionally, she regularly attends task force meetings on these issues such as the Justice involved girls & women’s task force meeting per the Department of Corrections, monthly. Stephanie has worked in diverse populations over several years and is highly knowledgeable about the important issues that directly affect these populations such as
trauma, mental health, substance use, housing concerns, family crises, criminal justice involvement, and immigration concerns. While she understands the complex issues that affect these populations, Stephanie also understands her duty to advocate for others within systems and has done so for several years.

Ariana Hoyer is currently a Youth Development Program Manager for the River Valley YMCA. She manages and develops programs for underserved middle and high school students in Scott County, such as Youth in Government. She’s proud to be part of the Shakopee Diversity Alliance and is passionate about increasing equity and inclusion throughout our community, especially as it relates to young people. When she’s not at work she loves to travel, explore the great outdoors and hang out with her cat.

Lisa Brodsky is the Public Health Director at Scott County. She has been a faithful and active board member for many years for the Shakopee Diversity Alliance. Lisa cares about promoting diversity in our community as it relates to public health. She has been instrumental in ensuring that SDA’s health related events have a positive impact on the health of the Shakopee community and that our community knows the services provided by our county. Lisa previously worked for Bloomington Public Health and received her bachelors from the University of Minnesota. Additionally, Lisa received her Masters Degree from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.

Daniela A. Stocker graduated from Augsburg College in 2013 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology and earned her Drug and Alcohol Counseling License. Daniela has seven years of experience working with in dual diagnosis treatment centers for adolescents and adults, and working as a Care Guide with the Advance Care Team at Allina Health. Being a Care Guide has equipped Daniela with crisis intervention, advance care planning, and addressing individual’s adversities. Daniela is excited to be a part of Shakopee Diversity Alliance because she wants to share her skills with her community.

Daniela enjoys spending time with her family, doing DIY projects, and taking road trips with her husband and dog, Monty, whenever there is a chance.

Former Cultural Liaison, Shakopee School District
Current LAC – Scott Co. Mental Health Local Advisory Council
Southern Valley Alliance for Battered Women – Community Engagement Coordinator
Present – Rivervalley YMCA Board Member
Executive Director of Esperanza Inc.
Former Member, Board of Directors, Saint Francis Regional Medical Center, Former
At Large Member, Shakopee Community Education Advisory Council, present
Former Shakopee Rotarian
Co-Founder, Shakopee Diversity Alliance, present
Former Volunteer, Families and Individuals Sharing Hope (FISH) Network & Love Inc in Eastern Carver Co.

I am passionate about developing/fostering and creating an diverse talent, that advances diversity withing educational, community and employment and creating accountability and empowering woman .