Our Board
The Board of Directors is responsible for governing, managing, and directing the affairs of Lionsgate Academy. The number of directors constituting the Board shall be not less than five nor more than nine following each election. For information regarding our Board Election Procedures, click here.
- Three licensed teachers employed by Lionsgate Academy or providing instruction under a contract between Lionsgate Academy and a cooperative, in teaching positions
- Three parents and/or legal guardians of one or more students currently enrolled at Lionsgate Academy each of whom is neither employed nor has within the last six months been employed by Lionsgate Academy
- Three community members, each of whom is neither employed nor has within the last six months been employed by Lionsgate Academy, nor the parent or guardian of any student(s) enrolled at Lionsgate Academy.
Meetings
LGA board meetings will be held in person as well as virtually at this time. The meeting agenda and link to attend these meetings will be posted on this page three (3) days in advance of the meeting. Board meetings begin promptly at 6:30 p.m. (with the exception for the February Strategic Planning Session).
Meeting Calendar: 2026-2027 School Board Meeting Calendar
Meeting Agenda: September 15th Agenda
Join our monthly board meetings:
Meeting ID
https://meet.google.com/gmr-yqpj-ttq
Phone Numbers
(US)+1 484-546-8127
PIN: 713 673 831#
Current Members
School board members are elected to a three (3) year term. Each spring, the Lionsgate community elects one (1) parent, one (1) teacher and one (1) community member to the school board. For more information about the school board, please contact Board Chairperson Kim Busse at [email protected].
Kim Busse, Community Member, Chair
[email protected]
Kim Busse has been a supporter of Lionsgate Academy for many years. As a special education teacher and mental health therapist, Kim has recommended LGA to many families since it began. Kim currently consults with school districts and owns Busse & Reid where she provides individual and family therapy, as well as diagnostic testing, to families affected by neurodiversity. When Kim isn’t working, she likes to garden, travel, watch football (GO PACKERS) and spend time with her family. Kim lives with her husband and has 2 adult daughters. She looks forward to being a part of the LGA community.
Julie Tarshish, Parent (Minnetonka & Lynx), Vice Chair
[email protected]
Julie Tarshish has 20+ years of nonprofit experience with expertise in communications and marketing. She has been a parent advocate, helping others navigate the complex county and state paperwork for waivers, and has served on several school SEAC boards, including LGA's. Julie’s twin sons are high schoolers: one at Minnetonka and one at Shoreview’s Lynx program. Julie’s lens as a parent of two children on diverse places within the autism spectrum puts her in a unique position to help guide LGA as it works to serve the needs of all neurodivergent learners, including those who are nonspeaking and those with higher support needs.
Konner Hayes, Community Member, Director
[email protected]
Konner Hayes graduated from Lionsgate Academy in 2024. He enjoyed writing movie reviews for the newspaper and he went on the Japan trip with other Lionsgate students and staff. Konner will be attending MCTC and will be majoring in Cinema. He has an older sister, a younger brother, a dog named Honey and a cat named Earl Gray.
Alicia Reyes Johnson, Teacher (Minnetonka, Shoreview, Lynx), Secretary
[email protected]
Alicia is the Multilingual (ML) teacher for the district in a unique position where she works collaboratively with students and staff at 3 locations; Minnetonka, Shoreview and Lynx. She has a few different connections to the Lionsgate mission, including a son who is on the Autism Spectrum, a Master's degree in ESL from Hamline University and experience as a teacher and Family Liaison at Minneapolis Public Schools. Working at Lionsgate allows her to use her expertise from both her formal academic training and her lived experience to help advance Lionsgate's mission. Alicia has communication, marketing, event planning, community building and fundraising experience from her work as a Family Liaison in Minneapolis Public Schools. She has experience in pedagogy and teaching as an ML at Minneapolis Public Schools and now at Lionsgate Academy as a Service Provider. Alicia is excited to join the Lionsgate Academy Board and work with a collegial group of people who have a shared purpose, try their best, respect each other and work together collaboratively.
Stacey Monsen, Parent (Shoreview), Director
[email protected]
Over the past 25+ years, Stacey has worked across startups, privately owned to Fortune 50 companies, designing inclusive products, services, and experiences that support all dimensions of human difference. She’s a passionate advocate and ally in the autism and disability community, with leadership experience on the school board of Spero Academy and the Minneapolis Public Schools Special Education Advisory Council. Her daughter attends the center-based program at the Shoreview campus. Lionsgate was the first educational environment where her daughter was truly seen, valued, and supported as a whole, capable individual. Her intelligence was recognized beyond spoken language, and staff focused on how she learns while nurturing friendships and community. She has seen firsthand how Lionsgate’s mission comes to life—and is honored to contribute to this meaningful work.
Lyndsey Lee, Teacher (Minnetonka), Treasurer
[email protected]
Lyndsey Lee is in her sixth year as a licensed teacher in Minnesota. Lyndsey is in her fourth school year at Lionsgate. Lyndsey taught foundations Language arts for three years and will be a grade based case manager at Minnetonka. Lyndsey enjoys spending time with her son outside of school and doing all things sports! Lyndsey enjoys being apart of the Lionsgate community where she is excited to share her ideas to keep Lionsgate growing in a positive way.
Sara White, Teacher (Minnetonka), Director
[email protected]
With over 25 years of teaching experience, I bring deep expertise in special education advocacy to the Lionsgate Academy school board. Outside of education, I love spending time outdoors camping, gardening, biking, reading a good book, and cheering on the Green Bay Packers. My husband, Nathan, and I are the proud parents of three children, two dogs, and a cat. I am honored to serve our school community and advocate for inclusive, high-quality education for every student!
Rob Hurda, Parent (Lynx), Director
[email protected]
Rob Hurda is a Partner Account Executive at Microsoft leading retail gift card partnerships for Xbox across North America. With over 15 years of experience across Blackhawk Network, InComm, Electronic Arts, and Target, Rob has managed multi-million and billion-dollar revenue portfolios with Fortune 50 retail partners. He combines deep retail category expertise with advanced data analytics to build scalable go-to-market strategies and accelerate partner growth. His son Andrew is a Junior at the Lionsgate Lynx program in Shoreview.
NEW MEMBER BIO & PHOTO COMING SOON!
Dina Inderlee, Community Member
[email protected]