Minnetonka Schools is pleased to announce it has named Julie Friend as Assistant Student Activities Director for Minnetonka High School. She replaces longtime and beloved staff member, coach and district supporter Paul Twenge, who retires at the end of June this year as Activities Coordinator. Friend will begin on July 1.

Friend brings more than 13 years of athletic and activities leadership experience, as well as experience with managing operational budgets, to this role. Currently, she is the Activities Coordinator for Roseville Area High School. There, she supervises, staffs and manages student athletics programs and cocurricular activities. For the past eight years, she has also served as a Hockey Color Analyst for FOX Sports North, KSTC-45, the Big Ten Network, Bally Sports North, FOX9-TV and Midco Sports. 

Prior to her time in Roseville Schools, she was the Business Operations Program Manager and worked in a support role for the Vice President and Director of Athletics for University of St. Thomas. She has also worked as an administrative assistant for athletics at St. Paul Academy and Summit School and was an assistant coach for boys and girls hockey. 

“I am very excited to announce Julie Friend as the new Assistant Student Activities Director here at Minnetonka High School,” said Ted Schultz, Activities Director for Minnetonka High School. “Julie is an exceptional fit for this role. Not only does she know the role of Asst. AD very well, she knows Minnetonka High School very well being a former high-achieving student, both academically and athletically. Julie has a strong work ethic, is highly organized, and has a transformational approach with students, all of which will be huge assets to our school, administrative team and activities department."

As Assistant Student Activities Director for Minnetonka Public Schools, Friend will be responsible for assisting the Activities Director, coordinating the facility usage for athletics and events, supervise event logistics and staff, coordinate officials and assist with parent and student relations, among other duties.

“I am incredibly honored and excited for this role,” said Friend, “Paul Twenge has been a staple at Minnetonka and someone I have been lucky enough to know for more than 10 years. The impact he has made on so many individuals is something I will aspire to continue in this position. I knew after graduating from Minnetonka that someday I would like to come back. This district means so much to me, and I’m proud to be a Skipper. I’m grateful for the relationships I’ve made and the experiences I’ve been fortunate enough to have. I look forward to working with students, staff and the community to further promote the excellence that Minnetonka consistently represents.”

Friend has had a storied career in girls hockey, having played for the NWHL on the Minnesota Whitecaps from 2016-2019, in the EWHL on the DEC Salzburg Eagles from 2015-2016 and in the WCHA from 2011-2015. Playing Division I hockey at St. Cloud State, she was named a WCHA Scholar Athlete three times and was assistant captain and Team MVP. Friend, an alumnus of Minnetonka High School, played for the Skippers from 2007-2011, and as a senior captain, she led the Skippers to their first State Girls Hockey Championship in 2011 and was named AP Player of the Year and Ms. Goalie her senior year. She was also named all-state, all-state academic and all-metro that year, among other accolades. 

Friend earned her bachelor’s degree in mass communications—broadcast journalism and in recreation and sports management from St. Cloud State University, and she holds an MBA from St. Thomas. She is a 2011 graduate of Minnetonka High School.