White Bear Lake Area Schools is pleased to announce that Tonya Flower has been selected to serve as the district’s new American Indian Education Program Coordinator. The position became available when Vincent Patton left WBLAS to teach Native American students at South High School in Minneapolis.

Flower joins White Bear from Interfaith Action of Greater St. Paul, where she served as American Indian Youth Enrichment Program Manager. In that role, she collaborated with St. Paul Schools to plan and deliver summer and after-school programming, built strong relationships with families and community partners, and coordinated lessons and special events. 

Prior to that, she worked as an American Indian Education Advisor in Anoka-Hennepin Schools, supporting 250 American Indian students across 13 elementary sites. Before beginning her work in education, she spent 28 years owning and managing a successful small business.

“We are excited to welcome Tonya Flower to the team,” said Brenton Shavers, Director of Educational Equity and Achievement. “We anticipate she’ll begin making connections with families and students immediately and learn quickly just how great it is to be a Bear – and that she’ll help grow our programs and engagement efforts!”