After three years as CEO of the St. Paul Public School system (SPPS), Michelle Walker is hoping to make a greater contribution to closing the racial achievement gap in the Twin Cities with her new role as executive director at Generation Next, which she assumed mid-October, succeeding R.T. Rybak. Throughout her time in St. Paul, Walker served as a member of Next’s leadership council, facilitating collaborative projects to ameliorate the achievement and opportunity gaps in the Minneapolis and St. Paul school systems, building invaluable ties for the work ahead.