STAR House Board

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I was surprised to learn that Ramsey County didn’t have a crisis nursery like Minneapolis. So it was an obvious need to support for me because I believe that families need support, especially in a time of crisis. Our community is only as strong as our most vulnerable members so we have a moral goal to help all.

STAR House is designed to meet the needs of families in crisis by providing a safe, nurturing place for children and by sharing resources with parents to help them address their issues.

Today’s world places so many challenges on families, and not everyone has someone to lean on for help. 

STAR House can fill that a gap, at least for a weekend. 

We at STAR House hope to expand days of service so even more families can be helped.

Leticia A. Jones is a strategic nonprofit operations leader with more than 20 years of experience in organizational development, financial management, and human resources. Her niche is streamlining internal operations—building efficient, scalable systems that strengthen organizational capacity and support mission-driven work. 

She currently serves as Co‑Executive Director of Community Power, where she oversees financial operations, nonprofit compliance, HR administration, and grant and contract management while improving business practices and collaborative processes.

Leticia’s career includes leadership roles at Every Meal, Violence Free Minnesota, Great River School, and The College of St. Catherine, where she has consistently developed strong teams, enhanced organizational systems, and advanced community-centered programs. 

Her expertise spans board management, program and project leadership, DEIB engagement, donor and membership administration, and operational framework development.

An advocate for equitable and intentional leadership, Leticia holds credentials in Trauma-Informed Leadership, Train-the-Trainer, Nonprofit Leadership, and Psychological First Aid. Outside of work, she values her “me time,” which includes hanging out with family, exploring arts and crafts, and enjoying quiet moments alone to reenergize.

Marissa Pitterle is an institutional investment professional who has lived in St. Paul since her first job out of college over a decade ago. While her career has focused on investment management for insurance companies, she is also passionate about personal finance and financial education. When not absorbed in budgets and balance sheets, she enjoys traveling the world, reading, and running - if Minnesota weather cooperates. 

As a Wisconsin transplant, Marissa understands how critical support networks are to the community, and especially to parents. She is looking forward to being a part of STAR House and serving to support local families who need their community. Marissa has been a Board Member and Treasurer for Twin Cities Pet Rescue (2017-2019) and is currently a Board Member/Finance Committee member for Inkline Printing (owned by her sister) since 2020. Marissa has a Bachelor of Science in Physics from the University of Notre Dame and earned her MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Brian Ulrich brings extensive experience in strategic project leadership, operational transformation, and governance across healthcare, technology, and financial services. He has spent his career helping organizations align people, process, and technology to achieve meaningful, measurable outcomes. Brian currently works in healthcare operations and has held leadership roles at organizations including UCare, Target, and Optum. He is passionate about using his skills to strengthen mission-driven organizations and is excited to support STAR House’s work supporting children and families in Ramsey County.

Bio Coming Soon!

Born and raised in St. Paul, MN, Sarah Ellefson lives here with her daughter and is deeply committed to strengthening families in her community. Sarah’s career spans 17 years in the corporate world—working in marketing, purchasing, administration, and event planning—but her true passion has always been supporting children and families.

In 2001, Sarah envisioned creating a family-centered space offering parenting support that was missing when she was growing up, a place that many families in Ramsey County still urgently need today. Her dedication to this vision grew through years of community engagement, including developing daycare services for a local church, leading child care staff, teaching dance classes for children, facilitating teen support groups, and serving on the United Way Funds Allocation Board.

Sarah holds a Bachelor’s degree in Child Care Administration and Advocacy and brings hands-on experience from her time at the Greater Minneapolis Crisis Nursery. There, she held roles ranging from Child Development Specialist to Interim Manager, gaining deep insight into the crisis nursery model and children’s services.

What drives Sarah’s work is her lived experience being raised in multi-generational trauma by a single mother in poverty gives her a unique understanding of the challenges faced by many families served by STAR House. This personal connection fuels her dedication to preventing child abuse and neglect and providing nurturing, stable care for children in crisis.

As one of STAR House’s three founding members and interim executive director, Sarah is proud to help lead an organization that is rooted in community, equity, and trauma-informed care, working tirelessly to give children and caregivers the support they deserve.

Claire Busse (she/her) is the Executive Assistant Director of STAR House Crisis Nursery in Ramsey County. She is currently working toward her master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota and has a strong passion for supporting families with young children through challenging times. Claire believes in meeting each family with care, compassion, and respect, and she is dedicated to helping children and parents feel safe and supported. Outside of her work at STAR House, she enjoys biking around Minneapolis, thrifting, and spending time with her turtle, Mikkel.