Our Team
Meet OUR TEAM of Expert Coaches
Your Journey to a Fulfilling Life
Yellow Parachute Learning Partners will help you change the trajectory for your students, colleagues, and teams.
(OK, we’re not really skydivers but we JUMP IN with you!)
Join us to discover what greats mind can do.
Our Team
Quantum JUMP
Meet Our Team
Great Minds Don’t Think Alike…All Minds Think Best Open.
Yellow Parachute Learning Partners will help you change the trajectory for your students, colleagues, and teams.
Join us to discover what great minds can do.
Cara Thorpe
Founder + Performance Coach
Cara Thorpe
cara@yellowparachute.com
After graduating from Grinnell College with a major in German and a minor in Gender and Women’s Studies. Cara attended the University of Minnesota, where she completed her Master’s degree in Elementary Education. She taught at Creek Valley Elementary School in Edina at the first, third, and fifth grades, for a total of seven years. Cara saw after-school tutoring as a way to create meaningful student growth and formed a small team of teachers to make a greater impact.
Cara continues to seek the most practical business applications for a company that values people over process and has grown to a team of over 50 individuals. She is a member of the global organization “Entrepreneur’s Organization” and has recently completed the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program.
Jenny McKeand
Connection Coordinator
Jenny McKeand
After graduating from the University of Iowa with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, Jenny followed her passion for working with children and young adults, as well as her lifelong love of literature, and received her secondary teaching license in Communication Arts and Literature and her Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of St. Thomas. Meanwhile, Jenny worked at a local high school in their Support Services program, working intensively with students who have learning disabilities, emotional/behavioral disorders, physical disabilities, and other learning obstacles.
Jenny loves being a Yellow Parachute Learning Coach and helping students to be organized, thoughtful, and successful learners. She finds nothing more rewarding than guiding students towards “a-ha” moments—moments when they finally understand a difficult problem or topic. Jenny works with students on organization/study skills (her true passion–she loves teaching students how to learn, not just what learn!), English, and ACT prep in the Southwest Metro.
Jenny is not only a certified Learning Coach, but also Yellow Parachute’s Student Connector. After many years of tutoring, she is thrilled to be working more closely with all Yellow Parachute families and helping their students obtain the personalized learning that she enjoys giving her own tutoring families.
Jenny is happiest when spending time with her husband and four children, cooking, traveling, reading, and cheering for her kids on various sport sidelines.
Dr. Carli Kody
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
|
I earned a doctorate in counseling psychology from the University of Minnesota in 2008 and a master’s degree in counseling from the University of Minnesota in 2002. My doctoral training included an American Psychological Association (APA) accredited predoctoral internship at the University of Southern California and a postdoctoral fellowship at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, CA. In 1999, I completed bachelor’s degrees in Psychology, Women’s Studies, and German at St. Olaf College. |
Kirsten Anderson
Learning Coach
Kirsten Anderson
Specializes in Orton-Gillingham, reading, and writing.
Kirsten graduated from St. Olaf College in 1997 with a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education. She has taught k -4 music and worked in the Special Education as a paraprofessional 1:1 with Early Childhood students with autism and DCD. Kirsten then went onto earn licensure in K-6 Elementary Education with an added specialty of Middle School Language Arts, in addition to a Master of Education from the University of Minnesota. In recent years, Kirsten has become certified in Orton-Gillingham instruction for reading through the Institute for Multi-Sensory Education and has been specializing in teaching students with dyslexia and other learning disabilities how to read.
Kirsten believes that her wide variety of experience in education makes her a very versatile educator and private tutor, and she forever will be dedicated to teaching! In her free time, Kirsten enjoys singing, yoga and Pilates, being outdoors, reading voraciously, and spending time with her husband and two sons.
Gabriela Grosshans
Learning Coach
Gabriela Grosshans
Specializes in math (all levels), Spanish, organization/study skills, UMTYMP, and gifted and talented.
Gabriela is a Learning Coach. In addition to ACT math and science, she tutors the following subjects: math for grades 6-12 (including AP Calculus AB and BC, IB Math and the Math 1 and Math 2 SAT Subject Tests) as well as through all levels of math in higher education. She also tutors Spanish through AP/IB levels.
Gabriela loves to teach math. Her passion is teaching math in a way that makes sense. Gabriela teaches students to problem solve instead of just memorizing steps. She loves seeing students’ eyes brighten after understanding a new math concept.
In addition to helping students with all levels of math from arithmetic to calculus, Gabriela is a top-notch Spanish tutor. Gabriela continues to use her Spanish in her travels, especially in Guatemala and Spain, where she has pursued many different types of charity and educational work.
With respect to her ACT tutoring, Gabriela is passionate about helping students realize how quickly and effectively they can raise their scores. One inspiration behind Gabriela’s tutoring was a theoretical neuroscience course that she took while pursuing her undergraduate degree at the University of Minnesota.
In her free time, Gabriela enjoys skiing in the winter and hiking during the summer. Of course, above all, Gabriela enjoys learning new things!
Kevin Smith
Learning Coach
Kevin Smith
Specializes in math (up to pre-calc), science (physics and chemistry), ACT test prep, study skills, organization and overall academic support.
Kevin has been tutoring ACT, math, and study-skills to students since December of 2012 and has more than ten years of experience in the classroom working with a variety of students. Kevin grew up in Edina, attended St. Thomas Academy for his prep education, then sailed through the U of Minnesota’s Honors program with a degree in Communication Studies with a minor in Art History. He has a casual style which helps students come alongside him in their personal learning process.
Reid Thorpe
Learning Coach
Reid Thorpe
Reid Thorpe was born and raised in the rural Wisconsin town of Platteville and grew up spending countless hours hiking, canoeing, and enjoying the outdoors of his home state. He now lives and works in Chaska, Minnesota. Reid attended Minneapolis College of Art and Design, where he received his B.F.A. in Studio Art. He went on to receive his Art Education degree from The University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Reid has taught a variety of subjects including Jewelry and Video Production in the classroom. His expertise lies in the two-dimensional realm of drawing and painting. Reid’s current work focuses on the land of the Upper Midwest; trees, architecture, and wide-open spaces, and the way each interacts with color in nature, inspire him.
Bob Plantenberg
Learning Coach
Bob Plantenberg
Bob Plantenberg is proud to be raising his dog and two cats alongside his wife at their home in Golden Valley. He currently works as a Government Grant Writer for Goodwill-Easter Seals of Minnesota but has a wide array of professional and educational experience. He has an MFA in Nonfiction Writing from the University of Iowa and has worked in the classroom with kids who have intellectual disabilities, tutored college-bound ESL students, and taught undergraduate writing workshops and literature courses. Professionally, he has worked in the nonprofit sector as a manager and supervisor among many other roles. He believes that critical thinking and organizational skills are the foundation of all learning, and that every student can succeed if they have the support they need. Seeing people succeed is his passion. When he is not working, he can be found writing, riding his bicycle, camping, or spending time with family and friends.
He is available to coach students in the West Metro and Minneapolis. He can coach virtually anywhere Yellow Parachute’s services are offered.
Join Our Team!
Yellow Parachute is growing and looking to add talented, passionate individuals to our team of experts, specializing in Executive Function Skills and Leadership Coaching. If your goal is to make a difference and help people reach their full potential, we would love to hear from you!
Learn more about Cara Thorpe’s Coaching Experience here.
