PACER Center is thrilled to announce Tonia Teasley as Executive Director.

Tonia brings to PACER deep experience in business, as well as a passion for our mission of championing children with disabilities and their families. Most recently, she served as the Regional Chief Executive Officer for the American Red Cross for Minnesota and the Dakotas. Tonia also has held executive-level positions with Capella Education Company, Thomson Reuters, and the Emmerich Group. She is a graduate of St. Olaf College and the University of Minnesota Law School.

“Tonia is ideally suited for this position,” said PACER Board President Mark O’Leary. “She has managed large teams, significant budgets, and complicated projects, and she is also a parent of adult children with disabilities. She truly understands PACER’s philosophy of ‘parents helping parents.’”

Tonia has written extensively on her “Untangle the Knot” blog about the difficulties families have navigating the complexities of the laws and regulations surrounding education and services for people with disabilities.

“It is a joy and an honor to join PACER as its Executive Director,” she says. “I look forward to building on the incredible legacy of co-founders Paula Goldberg and Marge Goldberg and to working with the staff and board on the next chapter of this vital organization.”

PACER maintains several boards and committees that support the mission and activities of the organization. The majority of PACER’s Board of Directors are parents of children with disabilities.

PACER Center Board of Directors 2022-2023

• Alison Bakken

  Jeff Betchwars

  Lisa Elm

  Daniel Goldberg

  Kathy Graves

  John Guthmann

  Ginny Hopper

  Gwen Hopper

  Jay Jackson

  Daniel Levinson

  Jessica Mattson

  Don McNeil

  Mark O’Leary

  Sara Sagedahl

  Beth Simermeyer

  Dorothy Slegman

  Abbie Wells-Herzog

  Matthew Woods