Heidi was raised Roman Catholic in Windom, Minnesota, a small prairie town built on agriculture. She was nurtured by lakes, wind, and wide-open spaces, and spent most of her life in Minnesota, with various exploratory relocations in Switzerland; London; New York City; Kents Hill, Maine; Des Moines, Iowa; and Platteville, Wisconsin. She graduated from Carleton College, received a masters degree in teaching at Columbia University Teachers College, and eventually earned a law degree from the University of Minnesota.
On the way to establishing myself as a lawyer, I encountered both my husband Joel Mintzer and Judaism. Always a spiritual seeker, I found my home with the Jewish people. My Hebrew name is Chava bat Avraham v’Sarah: Eve the lifegiver, daughter of our patriarch Abraham and our matriarchal Sarah.
(Bio from summer 1999)