Charlie Althoff (he/him) is Constellation’s Operations & Events Project Manager. Charlie has a twenty-year background in hospitality which helped strengthen the many skills he uses to plan and execute large- and small-scale events for the Constellation Fund. Charlie holds a B.A. in Communications from the University of Minnesota. He is a HUGE Golden Girls fan and has an autographed photo of all four Golden Girls hanging in his home.

Jordan Belton (he/him) is Constellation’s Education Program Officer. He has 18 years of experience in the education, data analysis and policy evaluation sectors, living in several cities across the U.S. Jordan has also served as the Director of the Center for Applied Learning and Impact at Glide Foundation, Director of Enrollment Projections and Special Projects for the NYC Department of Education, as well as a high school math teacher for Chicago Public Schools. Jordan holds a B.A. in Mathematics from the University of San Francisco and an M.P.P. from Georgetown University. For fun, he enjoys playing piano and guitar.

Andrew Dayton (he/him) is the founder and CEO of the Constellation Fund. Prior to Constellation, Andrew served as the Deputy Legislative Director to former San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee. He has a background as an entrepreneur, having co-owned a trio of nationally recognized retail and hospitality businesses in the Twin Cities. Inspired by innovative philanthropic efforts that he saw working elsewhere around the country, Andrew drew on his experiences in both public service and in business to launch the Constellation Fund in 2019. Andrew received a B.A. in History from Yale University, and a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School. He lives in Minneapolis with his wife and daughter. His favorite constellation in the night sky is Cassiopeia.

Dr. Jose Diaz (he/him) is Constellation’s Chief Economist. Jose specializes in cost-benefit estimations and applied economic models in the areas of microfinance, education, and non-profit organizations. Jose has taught economic theory in several prestigious universities including the Hubert Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs and the University of St. Thomas. He has authored and collaborated on social return on investment reports of non-profit and government projects in Minnesota and nationally for the last 20 years. Jose holds a B.A. in economics from the University of Carabobo, from his native country Venezuela, an M.A. in public administration from Hamline University, and a Ph.D. in Applied Economics from the University of Minnesota. Jose lives in St. Paul with his wife and two Hungarian Vizslas and enjoys long and steep gravel bike rides across rural Minnesota.

Ruthvin Gardiner (he/him) is a Research Associate at CoLab where he reviews and leverages existing evidence to inform CoLab’s longitudinal research investments into innovative poverty-fighting solutions and supports and advises CoLab-sponsored research activities. Prior to joining CoLab, Ruthvin was a research assistant for the University of Minnesota’s Public Life Project, where he researched evidence to address division and polarization and organized initiatives on civic education and democracy by cultivating partnerships. Ruthvin holds an M.A. in Public Policy from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota and a B.A. in Spanish and Hispanic Studies and Global Management from Earlham College, where he was a Davis Scholar. He hails from the twin-island Republic of Trinidad & Tobago, is a racquet sports fanatic, and will always compete in the sibling-count Olympics.

Danyale Green (she/her) is the Beyond Dollars Program Director at Constellation. Danyale brings over 10 years of nonprofit experience, including building organizational infrastructure that helps teams thrive and missions shine. From streamlining operations to creating sustainable programs, she’s dedicated her career to turning big ideas into practical, impactful action. Danyale is a proud Langston University (HBCU) alum and says her time there ignited her passion for social justice and shaped her commitment to centering social impact in all that she does. Danyale is happily stuck in the 90s musically, so if you catch her stargazing, there’s a good chance she’s wishing on a star… to follow where you are. All puns—and soulful vibes—intended!

Cooper Hanning (he/him) is the Managing Director of Grantmaking at Constellation and serves as a Senior Program Officer responsible for the health portfolio. Cooper previously worked in international development on malaria control and neglected tropical disease programs, dairy development, and child nutrition programs. While earning a M.P.H. at UC Berkeley, he studied the global burden of disease and the health effects of particulate air pollution. Cooper's childhood plans to be an astronaut were derailed by a sensible fear of rocket travel.

Saanii Hernandez (she/her) is President of the Constellation Fund, providing strategic leadership and management as Constellation moves from a start-up to a long-term, growth-focused fund. Prior to Constellation, Saanii served as Chief Executive Officer of the Aditi Foundation and as the Vice President of the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota, where she provided strategic leadership across the Foundation and launched the Women’s Pathways to Prosperity and Young Women’s Initiative. She also previously led programs at Hispanics in Philanthropy and Northwest Area Foundation. Saanii is a native of Southern California and moved to Minnesota to study at Carleton College, where she received her B.A. in American Studies with an Ethnic Studies focus and a Women’s Studies concentration. Saanii lives in St. Anthony with her husband and two teenage sons. She likes to spend her time reading, learning to golf, enjoying the beach, and hanging out with her family.

Karisa Johnson (she/her) is Constellation’s Workforce Development Program Officer. Karisa’s passion for the dignity of all humans and her delight for data, evidenced by getting lost for hours in databases and code, led her to Constellation. She holds a B.S. in Economics and Public Policy with a focus on statistics from St. Catherine University. Although Karisa has seen the Northern Lights twice, she refuses to check it off her bucket list, always hoping for another show.

Amy Larson (she/her) is Constellation’s Advancement Engagement Coordinator. Amy previously worked as a contractor for the Bush Foundation where she further honed her Salesforce expertise and supported team operations and grant administration. Her database management experience comes from managing museum collections. Amy holds an M.A. in History from Eastern Illinois University and a B.A. in Archaeology from Wheaton College. Amy once worked at a Utah state park museum where she helped the park achieve International Dark Sky Park status and led scorpion hunts for park visitors under the stars.

Blaire Molitor (she/her) is the Vice President of Engagement at Constellation Fund and brings with her over fifteen years of nonprofit experience. Most recently, Blaire was the Executive Director at the Results Foundation, a non-profit focused on providing sustainable housing solutions across Minnesota and Wisconsin. Previously, she led communications and development for the North Minneapolis-based non-profit, Appetite for Change. Blaire received her M.D.P. from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota with a focus on sustainable international development and program evaluation. She also holds a B.A. in Religion and a B.A. in Social Sciences from the University of Southern California. Blaire lives with her two young sons and partner in Golden Valley, where she is proud to have founded the neighborhood book club.

Dr. Matt Morton (he/him) is the Executive Director of CoLab), which aims to reduce intergenerational poverty by producing actionable data through high-quality, longitudinal research on programs, practices, and their effects. Matt is an applied researcher experienced in working with communities, government, and philanthropy to create and use evidence for action. In Matt's previous role as Research Fellow at Chapin Hall, he led the most extensive national research initiative to-date on youth homelessness and developed homelessness prevention models and a multisite longitudinal evaluation of cash transfer and support interventions for young adults. Matt held previous positions at the World Bank as an Economist and Social Protection Specialist and the U.S. government as a Special Advisor on youth and family policy. Matt holds an M.S. and Ph.D. in Evidence-Based Social Intervention and Policy Evaluation from the University of Oxford. He has led numerous government and philanthropically funded research projects and authored over 70 publications. Matt’s been a long-distance runner since high school and enjoys waffle cones even more than the ice cream.

Dr. José Pacas (he/him) serves as CoLab’s Director of Data Leadership & Investment where he leads the work on building collaborations to strengthen and leverage administrative data capacity and access for longitudinal impact evaluations. He is an applied labor economist with over a decade of working with large administrative datasets, poverty measurement, and innovative uses of census data. Prior to joining CoLab, José served as the Chief of Data Science and Research at Kids First Chicago, as an Economist in the Poverty Statistics and the Longitudinal Research, Evaluation, and Outreach branches at the US Census Bureau, and as a Research Scientist at IPUMS focusing on the Current Population Survey and American Community Survey. José holds a Ph.D. in Applied Economics and a Master’s of Public Policy from the University of Minnesota as well as a B.A. from Williams College. José has seen the Northern Lights once before, by accident.

Sam Stork-Post (he/him) is Constellation’s Evaluation Officer. Sam came to evaluation after doing front-line work in student support and growing frustrated at the lack of evidence-based practices. He holds a B.A. in Physics from Beloit College, and an M.P.P. with a concentration in program evaluation from the Humphrey School of Public Policy. For a brief moment in 2011, Sam was one of the world’s top experts in a very specific part of Saturn’s F-Ring.

Stacy Sweeney (she/her) is the Operations and Executive Support Officer at CoLab, where she ensures seamless cross-project coordination, strategic planning, and operational efficiency. With over 20 years of experience in housing, homelessness, and social services, she has led large-scale program expansions, developed impactful funding strategies, and streamlined complex organizational processes. Previously, she managed multi-million-dollar nonprofit budgets and oversaw statewide initiatives that advanced equitable service delivery.

Stacy holds a Master of Public Administration from Metro State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Social Justice Leadership from The Evergreen State College. Passionate about systems improvement and strategic problem-solving, she brings a unique blend of analytical thinking and human-centered leadership to my work. A lifelong night sky enthusiast, she finds inspiration in both the science and symbolism of the stars—believing that, like constellations, the best solutions emerge when diverse perspectives come together to form a bigger picture.