---
title: "Tierra Encantada Appoints Jeremy Alinder as Chief Financial Officer and Lauren Halgerson as Chief Operating Officer"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/66c9fcb1-7348-412f-ac13-e10d24f9c4ce
source: "Franchising.com"
original_url: https://www.franchising.com/news/20240815_tierra_encantada_appoints_jeremy_alinder_as_chief_financial_officer_and_lau.html
category: "Childcare & early learning"
industry: "Education & Childcare"
segment: "Childcare & early learning"
topics: ["People"]
published: 2024-08-15T12:00:00.000Z
modified: 2026-10-31T18:40:13.826Z
image: https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1507679799987-c73779587ccf?w=1600&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop
---

# Tierra Encantada Appoints Jeremy Alinder as Chief Financial Officer and Lauren Halgerson as Chief Operating Officer

**TL;DR:** Tierra Encantada has appointed Jeremy Alinder as Chief Financial Officer and Lauren Halgerson as Chief Operating Officer, following a private equity investment from Susquehanna Growth Equity. The appointments aim to support the company's growth and innovation.

*originally published in Franchising.com on 2024-08-15. [Read the original](https://www.franchising.com/news/20240815_tierra_encantada_appoints_jeremy_alinder_as_chief_financial_officer_and_lau.html).*

## Story

Minneapolis, MN - Tierra Encantada is pleased to announce the appointment of Jeremy Alinder as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Lauren Halgerson as Chief Operating Officer (COO). These strategic additions to the executive team underscore Tierra Encantada's commitment to growth and innovation, following a landmark private equity investment from Susquehanna Growth Equity. "We are thrilled to welcome Jeremy and Lauren to Tierra Encantada," said CEO and founder, Kristen Denzer.

Jeremy Alinder, who joins Tierra Encantada with over 25 years of financial leadership experience, will spearhead the company's financial strategy during this pivotal period of expansion. Mr. Alinder previously led finance at Goodier as the Managing Director of Blue Ops Partners where he facilitated expanding operating margins.

As the Chief Financial Officer at Ulteig, he strengthened the employee ownership culture and significantly increased their enterprise value. His impressive career includes executing growth and acquisition strategies through executive roles at Fluence Corporation, Pentair and various Private Equity firms. “My mission this year has been to build a world-class leadership team, and Jeremy is an exceptional financial leader that has proven experience fostering positive culture while driving transformational results,” Denzer shared.

“I am excited to have Jeremy's partnership as we continue scaling the brand."

Lauren Halgerson brings a wealth of expertise to Tierra Encantada, having driven innovation and operational excellence at some of the nation's largest and fastest growing brands. Her impressive career includes developing and launching a new restaurant venture, private label product development and expansion to locations, and creating the operational infrastructure to scale an emerging franchisor. "Lauren's profound expertise, drive, and enthusiasm will be an asset for Tierra as we enter this next stage of growth, and I'm thrilled to welcome such a high caliber leader to our team," said Denzer.

## Entities

- Franchising.com (publication)
- private equity (topic)
- executive appointment (topic)
- Education (sector)
- growth strategy (topic)
- Tierra Encantada (company)
- Kristen Denzer (person)
- Susquehanna Growth Equity (investor)
- Susquehanna Growth Equity investment in Tierra Encantada (deal)
- Jeremy Alinder (person)
- Lauren Halgerson (person)

---
Originally reported by Franchising.com (https://www.franchising.com/news/20240815_tierra_encantada_appoints_jeremy_alinder_as_chief_financial_officer_and_lau.html). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/66c9fcb1-7348-412f-ac13-e10d24f9c4ce).