Art is my Weapon

Nikki McComb

Nikki McComb’s public safety campaign titled #ENOUGH uses art as a catalyst for change and social disruption. Taking on the unsolvable problem of illegal firearms, McComb uses photographs and video to reach people from the street level to the legislative arena and to help provide communities an outlet where they feel safe enough to seek help, empowered enough to give help, provoked enough to work harder to unify, and unified enough to make change collectively through art. For eighteen years, McComb has applied her artistic interests and skills to working relentlessly in North Minneapolis and surrounding communities in youth and family achievement. In addition to being an art educator, she is the Executive Director of Art Is My Weapon, an organization whereby local artists select decommissioned guns to then create new work for display, an effort modeled after Jonathan Ferarra’s “Guns in the Hands of Artist’s”. McComb is the first ever CURA Evictions project resident artist who developed “The Moving Walls of Minneapolis” exhibition in partnership with CURA. McComb is also the assigned artist to the ReCast YPAR partnership with North News and the City of Minneapolis. In 2017 she was the recipient of The Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship, a 2016 recipient of a Micro Grant for photography and a 2014 and 2015 recipient of several community leadership awards in the arts. McComb has executed 8 Art is My Weapon exhibitions since 2017 and is currently preparing for exhibitions in 2021 in the Cargill Library Gallery and The Gordon Parks Metropolitan University Gallery.

Nikki recently developed and implemented the “Gardens of Honor” project in North Minneapolis to create a public space for peace and healing for victims and families of gun violence. More about the project:

The gardens of honor project facilitated a partnership with the city of Minneapolis, The Minneapolis Foundation, and community locations where young people who are at risk of violence or have been involved in violence primarily gun violence that worked together to create change.

Led by Art is my Weapon and a contracted construction company, master gardener, and trauma-informed care specialists, we built two beautiful community gardens where The Minneapolis Bench Project benches have found their final resting homes.

The benches are living among an arrangement of up to 40 beautiful flowers and plants the outer fence surrounding the garden of honor will be a platform for people to honor loved ones lost to Any sort of violence gun violence suicide domestic violence. The benches inside the garden will be another place to put locks of honor to honor loved ones lost to gun violence.

– Joan Vorderburggen, Nominator

City of Lakeville

Justin Miller

Justin Miller, the administrator for the City of Lakeville, has always been an exceptional leader, but his actions during the last several months of the pandemic reaffirm his steadfast commitment to our community. Justin is an everyday hero that ensures the staff in the city are safe and secure and the citizens of Lakeville continue to be at the forefront of any decision making.

As City Administrator, Justin has worked with city staff, the Council, and local businesses to help our community navigate the  impacts of the pandemic on our city.  In fact, the city staff has worked countless hours under Justin’s leadership to continue to operate at an exceptional level. Justin and the city staff deserve considerable accolades for their efforts over the last year.

– Luke Hellier, Nominator

Public Health Law Center

Amanda Karls

Amanda Karls is an attorney at the Public Health Law Center in St. Paul, Minnesota where she works on food justice issues, including at federal, state and local government policy levels. She uses that expertise to support food policy advocates around the country, including in the Twin Cities. She has lead research teams to create several resources related to equitable municipal food policy and has presented to national audiences on related local government topics. Among those efforts, Amanda recently spearheaded an initiative to elevate local policy tools for hunger relief and food access during COVID-19 as part of a national project sponsored by the USDA.

Amanda has also lent her policy expertise to a variety of public service and non-profit organizations in appointed, elected and volunteer capacities and has significant board leadership experience. In 2016 she was appointed as a commissioner on St. Paul and Ramsey County’s Food & Nutrition Commission. She is a steering member of a non-partisan organization dedicated to improving open, inclusive and representative local government. Amanda is also a founder of an online community forum aimed at increasing inclusive citizen engagement in St. Paul. She has volunteered on several local campaigns and has served in leadership on her community’s district council.

– Andrew Rorvig, Nominator

Care Resource Connection

Amy Lucht

Amy does phenomenal work to connect residents to resources. Imagine you’re a senior citizen who fell in their home, doesn’t want to go to the hospital, but doesn’t know what to do next. Amy and her team can connect folks with resources they may not be aware even exist. We have critical gaps in our system to support individuals and get them the information, organizations, and services they need and CRC (Care Resource Connection) is doing phenomenal work to coordinate these pieces.

Especially during COVID, CRC has gone above and beyond to provide stability, service, and care to those most at risk.

Jordan Area Community Council

Cathy Spann

Nominated by Willie Pearl Evans:

Cathy Spann illustrates servant leadership in her work. Cathy works to assure that North Minneapolis families’ voices are heard. She works to create safer neighborhoods by elevating community members to take actionable steps. Cathy brings community voices, public safety leaders, and local officials together to create community solutions specific to the Northside.

This summer, Cathy prioritized youth and community healing by offering a communal space where folks were able to connect with their faith and spirituality. This event was in the heart of the Northside. Folks connected with spiritual leaders to unpack the heavy load after the tragic death of George Floyd, providing a space for Black folks, who are emotional and mental drained from being black and living in Minnesota

The mental and emotional stability of Black Minnesotans is another priority that Cathy incorporates in her work. Cathy understands that substance use disorder and mental health affects the Black community in greater proportion. Cathy is knowledgeable that individuals involved with the criminal justice system and those with lived experience have a vital role in creating a healthier and safer Northside. Through contracted work, Cathy provides opportunities for those most impacted by an issue to work on creating solutions for a healthier Northside.

Biography:

Cathy Spann is a longtime resident of North Minneapolis with over 25 years in the nonprofit field, including such organizations as Phyllis Wheatley Community Center, The Jeremiah Program and NorthPoint Health and Wellness Center. She is the mother of two adult sons that she gives credit to for always supporting her. They have shown her the meaning of unconditional love. She has a granddaughter and grandson that stole her heart the moment they were born. She has had the opportunity to work, consult and volunteer in a variety of public and social service organizations that have afforded her some exceptional development skills in strong leadership and management. Throughout her career history, she has intensively worked with a diverse range of multicultural organizations, constituencies and stakeholders in collaborating efforts for a common goal.

Ms. Spann possesses an outstanding track record for her ability to provide project management oversight which include, effectively documenting and communicating project plans, prioritizing and carefully monitoring work progress and successfully achieving project milestones and expected results. She is a visionary and a change agent, many people that encounter her describe her as being bubbly, energetic, kind hearted, possesses a smile that will light up a room and yet she is a force to be reckoned with.

Metropolitan Council

Peter Lindstrom

Peter has served his community in various way, including as a city council member and  as mayor, during an especially challenging time of the philander Castile shooting. Notwithstanding the emotionally charged situation, Peter’s leadership led to the creation of a citizens committee the made meaningful recommendations for the establishment of needed reforms.

– John Lindstrom, Nominator

Saint Paul Public Schools

Hannah Chan

Hannah is a critical mentor for youth in Saint Paul Public Schools. This past summer Hannah led programming to quickly pivot to offer students the opportunity to earn wages, engage in career oriented certification programs, and went above and beyond to individualize the experience for students and provide career and college counseling during a very tumultuous time for many.

In the words of one student, “This summer, I was introduced to an opportunity through Ms. Hannah Chan to complete a series of modules, including an OSHA General Certification, and earn a stipend at the end. This was at a time when I was just starting to think about how I was going to pay for college this fall, so I jumped at the opportunity because I knew that it would not only be a beneficial certification for me to have, but it would help me to pay for my classes. The certification program ended up being a really amazing opportunity. The greatest thing about it was that it connected me to Ms. Chan, who has been an incredible resource for me over the past couple of months. She has introduced me to internship opportunities and ways I can earn money to help pay for college, and she has actually been an advisor to me as I’m getting ready to leave for college.”

– Kristen Rosenberger, Nominator

TRIN Collective

Trinity Vang

This person is an everyday leader because she actively assumes roles and responsibilities to better her community for the greater good. Although being busy putting herself through school, she is constantly engaged with both University related affairs and advocacy and work in the Hmong community. 

She has done so much. First through her organization TRIN Collective she has organized second-hand clothing sales to provide nice clothes at lower costs and curb fashion waste. Also with the TRIN Collective she conducted resource drives over the summer–by collecting money and goods she was able to distribute food, toiletries and other basic necessities to those in need during the civil unrest this summer. As we have returned to campus and school life Trinity is still advocating and educating people across the University of Minnesota on many levels: she has worked with several Hmong student groups on campus; conducted professional development seminars; uplifted voices of other students using her larger platform; and most importantly been a great friend and hard working student. 

In summary, Trinity’s engagement has a wide breadth and touches the lives of so many. Her advocacy is based in equity, justice and education and spans so much of her life (fashion, food, culture, education, etc.,). She is truly a person to be on the look for for her future engagement and surely a young leader that deserves spotlighting.

– Ethan Culver, Nominator

Learn more and support:

• VIIVNCAUS UMN-TC
• Asian Women United of MN
• TRIN Collective

Project Mezinichigejig

Adrienne Benjamin

Nominated by Joan Vorderburggen:

Adrienne is an exceptional artist who weaves her rich indigenous culture into contemporary work with rich community engagement and education as a focus. 

Adrienne is a single mother of two children, one who is special needs, and yet she is constantly creating new and innovative ways to leverage art, native tradition, and educational opportunities for her community. When the pandemic was first happening, Adrienne and her mother set to task to sew hundreds upon hundreds of cloth masks and donating to areas hardest hit in the native community. Adrienne unsurprisingly began designing masks simultaneously that were embellished with traditional beading and accoutrement going on to win a national contest for mask design. She is a sought after speaker and advisor, leads workshops to teach traditional jingle dress making, and a creative and inspiring influencer on her social media channels.

Biography:

Adrienne M. Benjamin (She/Her/Hers) is an Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) artist from the Chiminising community, a part of the Mille Lacs Reservation. She grew up in Isle, Minnesota. Adrienne considers herself a multi-disciplinary artist who creates different cultural embedded crafts with contemporary and traditional flair. Including but not limited to, Textile Arts, Writing, Design, Acrylic, Woodworking, Watercolor, and Poetry. Her main focus is creating current, socially relevant, and culturally significant work that intersects with Anishinaabe values, history, and lifeways. She is most recognized however for her jingle dress making and her work has been most recently featured in the “Misizaaga’iganing onjibaamagad bawaajige-omajigooday — The Dream Dress Comes From Mille Lacs,” exhibit at Great River Arts, the “Ziibaaska’iganigooday – The Jingle Dress at 100” exhibit and “The Jingle Dress Tradition” a MInnesota TPT/PBS documentary. She has given cultural educational talks about the Mille Lacs jingle dress story at many schools around state in hopes of bridging understanding about the Ojibwe culture.

Adrienne is passionate about and vibrantly advocates for social justice and equity initiatives in the arts and education systems. Adrienne is an accomplished arts administrator, having created successful arts based youth initiatives within her tribe; the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. Adrienne is also an avid art collector, supporting Indigneous and other POC artists in the United States and beyond. 

African Career, Education and Resource (ACER)

Nelima Sitati Munene

Nelima Setati is Executive Director of African Career, Education and Resource (ACER) which is located in Brooklyn Park. At ACER Nelima and her team are addressing issues of displacement and helping residents stay in their homes during the pandemic. They are a critical part of the NW suburban landscape responding to community needs and ensuring representation, power, and benefits to the growing BIPOC majority residents of the NW suburbs of Brooklyn Park and Brooklyn Center.

– Terri Thao, Nominator

Saint Paul Promise Neighborhood & Education Partnerships Coalition

MK Nguyen

MK Nguyen fosters, supports, and mentors a generation of parents and core caregivers in their leadership and advocacy journeys. MK works with community members to promote civic engagement and demystify the advocacy process. MK’s work is centered in the needs of children and families. She approaches this work with creativity, enthusiasm, and tenacity. Because of her, countless parents and core caregivers have become advocates for themselves, their families, and their communities.

MK works directly with parents in the Saint Paul Promise Neighborhood. She also empowers organizers across the state through the Education Partnerships Coalition. These organizers use the Saint Paul Promise Neighborhood model to support the leadership of parents and core caregivers in Austin, Northfield, North Minneapolis, Red Wing, Rochester, and Saint Cloud. This effort is collectively known as Voice Influencing Better Education Systems (“VIBES”).

Through MK’s work, parents and core caregivers have become voters, advocated for their families at the state and local level, and even run for elected office. By supporting parents and caregivers in their advocacy journey, MK is helping to create a new generation of political leadership. These leaders are using their lived experiences to promote solutions that will eliminate Minnesota’s worst-in-the-nation opportunity gaps.

At the Saint Paul Promise Neighborhood, MK leads the Parent Council. The Parent Council is a group of parents and core caregivers who meet regularly to advocate for their families. The Council collectively develops a Promise Agenda of key issues they work on. MK provides this group with structure, support, and a connection to the resources needed to achieve Promise Agenda goals. She also helps parents and core caregivers directly lobby elected officials and execute community advocacy efforts.

With the Education Partnerships Coalition’s VIBES work, MK leads monthly workshops to support organizers in communities across the state. These organizers are focused on developing the advocacy and leadership skills of parents and core caregivers in their communities. This year, MK is also spearheading a fellowship program for parents and caregivers who have already demonstrated a strong commitment to advocacy. These fellows are receiving intensive training and support to strengthen their skills, with the hope that they will be able to develop the leadership skills of their fellow parents and core caregivers.

– MK Nguyen

The Office of Governor Tim Walz

Taylor Mills

Taylor is a committed servant of the citizens of Minnesota and works tirelessly on a daily basis for the betterment of those she serves and leads. As the manager of Constituent Services and Public Engagement for the MN Governor’s Office, working with her second Administration (Both Governors’ Dayton and Walz), Taylor gives and gives each day, working behind the scenes to ensure that Minnesotans are heard and represented. She is empathetic, kind, genuine, and truly committed to ensuring that all Minnesotans have a voice. She passionately leads and works alongside her team, often providing emotional support as they work to support Minnesotans who are reaching out to the Governor’s office while often at their lowest or neediest moments. She brightens any room she enters and holds the hearts of all she encounters, in her own. Her position, while a job she has been educated and trained to hold, is more than a job. Her civil commitment is her calling and Minnesota deserves to know about this unsung hero.

In Taylor’s position, she leads a team who work to respond to Minnesotans’ who reach out to the Governor’s Office. Often the callers or emails are laden with cries for someone to listen, to hear them, to genuinely care. Taylor ensures through her leadership and mentoring that people receive that care. And while she or her team can’t always give everyone what they might be asking, she makes certain that her team responds with empathy and respect. In addition, she makes certain that the cares and needs of constituents are carried forth to other members of the senior staff. She is a beacon of those she serves and consistently works 15 hour days, all days of the week, to ensure that the work is being attended to and Minnesotans are being represented and heard. And knowing how exhaustive the work of her team can be, she also makes certain to check in with and support their needs and emotional well-being as well. And while I am her mom and couldn’t already be more proud of all the accomplishments Taylor has made, I also have a unique opportunity to witness, on a daily basis, the weight that her dedication can take on her own well-being. And yet, she carries on, behind the scenes, doing what she knows is just and must be done.

– Lisa Mills, Nominator

Jordan City Council

Amanda Schuh

Dr. Amanda Schuh is the epitome of a local leader, defined by an uncommon sense of service and professionalism.  In addition to serving as faculty at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing, Dr. Schuh serves on the Jordan city council and as Director of Nursing at Lorenz Clinic.  She is supremely civically active and integrates her identity as a doctorally-prepared psychiatric nurse into all facets of her work.  For example, she is a tireless voice of public health at the local level.  She also serves as the president of the Minnesota Chapter of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, an essential role within the mental health community at a time of extreme need.

Despite keeping an inordinately busy schedule, Dr. Schuh is known by her peers as a model of service to others at the local level.  At a time of frayed societal nerves and ever-diminishing civility, Dr. Schuh brings a certain level-headedness to her work on the Jordan City Council and consistently invites citizens to be active participants in the democratic process.  In sharing links to council meeting livestreams, voter information, and the like, she effectively demystifies civic participation.  In my eyes, this is nothing short of heroic given the socially tumultuous backdrop.

– Chad Lorenz, Nominator

Racial Equity and Community Engagement Reponse Team (RECERT) and Planning Functional Team (PFT)

When the pandemic hit in mid-March and in response to the murder of Mr. George Floyd, staff across the county and at all levels of the organization coalesced and built a team to support the incident management team.  Over the course of three months, they worked seven days a week and across two shift twice a day to create (1) a Racial Equity and Community Engagement Response Team (RECERT), (2) a Food Security and Basic Needs Team, (3) a Homeless and Housing Stability Team, and (4) redesigned the entire county’s services so that we prioritize our residents and ensure that they have equitable access county services even in the midst of a pandemic.

As a result of these teams being created above, they have accomplished the following to impact community:

• RECERT was one of the leading jurisdictions across the U.S. to ask MHD to disaggregate COVID-19 data by race
• RECERT has coordinated “A Mask for All Event” to ensure that everyone, particularly our BIPOC community, has access to a mask
• The food security and basic needs team worked to contract with community to ensure that residents have access and resources to food if they are homebound and when businesses were destroyed after the death of Mr. George Floyd
• The homeless team of incident management worked to place nearly 300 residents in hotels and safe shelter to social distance resulting in no known deaths among our homeless residents
• The service delivery worked hard to ensure continuity of county operations during the pandemic and the opening of five service centers across the county where residents can access one-stop county services while maintaining health, safety and security for our community.

– Elizabeth Tolzmann, Nominator

Greater Mankato Diversity Council

Bukata Hayes

Nominated by Keri Johnson:

Bukata Hayes has developed and facilitated racial equity training and engagement opportunities in the Mankato Public Schools District, St. Peter School District, North Mankato and Mankato Police Departments, and various businesses and nonprofits throughout the Greater Mankato area for the past several years. He is also a founding member of the Mankato NAACP chapter and organizer for Mankato Juneteenth event for the past 3 years. He is incredible at fostering relationships in “tough to crack” areas or sectors in order to advance racial justice efforts in the Greater Mankato area. He definitely does not get the public recognition he deserves for the transformative, positive work he’s accomplished.

Here are a few examples:

• Established a community journaling initiative in 2016 called “Write on Race.” The most recent prompt topic was COVID-19 and its disproportionate impact on people of color. https://www.mankatodiversity.org/write-on-race.html
• Organized and facilitated a virtual forum that included state legislators and the Mankato Public Safety Director on racial justice and police accountability in June. 
• He also organized a march for Juneteenth this year and included faith leaders and law enforcement. Several Mankato officers marched with us and attended the rally afterward. Social distancing and mask use were encouraged for a safe outdoor event.
• Sponsored and worked with a committee to create a 4 part virtual series on policing in our local communities. He used his established relationships to invite all stakeholders to the conversation. City leaders from St. Peter, Mankato and North Mankato are also presenting as a part of the series. 

Biography:

The most important thing about Bukata is that he is the son of Dia Damani and Karen Hayes, husband to Lisa and father to Damani, Jalen, Zavier, and Zuri. In addition to this, he has served as the Executive Director of the Greater Mankato Diversity Council, a non-profit, focused on diversity, inclusion and equity in Southern Minnesota since September, 2006. In March 2020, he co-authored a book titled, WRITE on RACE to be RIGHT on RACE Resource Journaling Guide which is a self-study on race highlighting its many impacts on our communities. He also co-hosts a local radio show and podcast called DEI: Engaged Exchanges which discusses issues with diversity, equity and inclusion with local and statewide leaders.

Wells Fargo

Drinal Foster

Drinal has been a driving force facilitating dialogue, learning, and healing in the community since the murder of George Floyd. Drinal created and led a team within Wells Fargo Minnesota called “Minnesota Listens” where Drinal facilitates virtual forums for people to share their emotions to help create a path to healing. The program also held monthly virtual panels with team members to create dialogue to learn across difference. Her sessions has touched thousands of Wells Fargo team members in Minnesota and across the country.

The “Minnesota Listens” initiative along with her deep community engagement has helped advance the work of equity and inclusion in Minneapolis. Drinal has spoken at the Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce Equity Summit and was part of a panel recently hosted by the Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce. Drinal’s passion for equity work has helped advanced those around her on their D&I Journey.

– Jim Mulrooney, Nominator

Biography:

Drinal Foster is a Vice President and Sr. Business Support Manager at Wells Fargo. 

Here she leads a new Center of Excellence of administrative support partners that enables over 700 business leaders to more effectively manage their diverse businesses and drive transformation at the company.  This group is dedicated to delivering world-class support with an operational excellence mindset. 

A 25-year Wells Fargo veteran, Foster started her financial services career at the company as a teller in 1995. Throughout her career, she has held a variety of HR and business leadership positions before assuming her current assignment.

Most recently, she led Treasury Management’s customer education program, directing a global team of training professionals to deliver outstanding customer training experiences to over 20,000 commercial banking customers annually.

Foster is a member of the Wells Fargo Twin Cities Contribution Council with responsibility for awarding $7.6 million annually in charitable gifts to local non-profits; previously held the position of chair for the Wells Fargo Minnesota Diversity & Inclusion Council; and is an active member in the community. She mentors high school students with Girls Taking Action™ at Patrick Henry High School in North Minneapolis and champions the BE MSP (BIPOC focused) initiative under the Make It. MSP. charter.  She’s currently serves on the board of directors for the Cookie Cart (a non-profit bakery & youth employment program), the Minnesota Black Chamber of Commerce and the Salvation Army Twin Cities.

Foster is the founding member of Twin Cities Black Affinity Network Development Day (TCBANDD) which is a collaborative of cross-sector Employee Resource Group (ERG) leaders from other major corporations committed to professional development and networking.  She’s also a member of the Executive Women’s Council Committee with the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Last year, Foster was selected for the Minnesota Young American Leader Program by the Itasca Project in partnership with Harvard Business School & the University of Minnesota.   Also in 2019, she was celebrated as a Humanitarian Award Honoree from Wells Fargo for outstanding dedication and community service across the Twin Cities.  Foster received Wells Fargo’s coveted Diversity Champion Award for her unwavering commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.  She is a three-time Wells Fargo Sales & Service award winner (the top 3% of all company employees).

Foster holds a degree in Organizational Leadership and Communication from Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, Minnesota. She is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), has credentials as a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and is a Certified Professional (SHRM-CP).

A native of Seattle, Washington, Foster currently resides in Minneapolis. She enjoys traveling, interior design, and the arts.

The Coffee Hag

Jenn Melby-Kelley

She is so brave and has thoughtfully initiated some really tough discussions and decisions on the Council in the past year. She also owns a small business, The Coffee Hag, and has modeled safe practices and precautions for the entire business community. Her business has been the most inclusive gathering place in town for over a decade, and is a safe haven for LGBTQ folks in our community. She is a major contributor to making Pridefest a success each year and regularly participates in racial justice efforts in the community. She is an excellent candidate for this honor. 

– Keri Johnson, Nominator

Samantha Pree-Gonzalez

For her work in response to the uprising as a street medic and her work helping with encampments and sanctuaries in South Minneapolis – particularly those focused keeping women safely housed. Samantha’s commitment to community is extensive – first as a veteran, candidate for public office (Minneapolis City Council Ward 3) in 2017, and staff at several local non-profit organizations.

– Terri Thao, Nominator

Let's DO Something

Jen Rosenbaum

Nominated by Libby Stegger:

In Fall 2020, Jen began mobilizing friends and family around the country to get active in the election. She calls the initiative Let’s DO Something. She asked people to mobilize small teams that would take action for 2 hours per month every month through November 2020. Her grassroots approach activated hundreds of people who otherwise are not actively engaged in the civic process. We are everyday citizens with a lot of demands on our time. Jen’s persistent, positive message reminded us that even with an hour, we can be involved in the democratic process.

Jen has mobilized over 200 people on nearly 30 teams. Together we have volunteered over 5,000 hours toward turning out the vote. Jen’s Let’s DO Something teams wrote nearly 20,000 personal letters to unlikely voters through the Vote Forward Campaign. She launched an online tool to help people make a voting plan, and hundreds of Americans have used it to think through their personal plan to vote.

Biography:

Jen Rosenbaum is a mom, market researcher, and — as of the past year — a community organizer. Jen currently works for American Public Media as an Audience Insights Manager, where she works to help the organization better understand current and potential listeners, supporting APMG’s Audiences-First culture. Prior to that role Jen worked for Nielsen, using insights and analytics to help clients in the Consumer Packaged Goods space identify and pursue growth opportunities. Jen graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Anthropology & Communication. In her free time, Jen helps others take civic action through Let’s DO Something!, a group she started to empower everyday people to shift some of the time they spend talking into concrete action. Originally from New Jersey, Jen now lives in Southwest Minneapolis with her husband Sam and 2 kids, Ava (5) & Mia (2).

Hennepin County Office to End Homelessness

David Hewitt

I have worked full time in housing and homelessness for nearly 20 years now in various capacities and state official, nonprofit leader in Twin Cities and New York, and policy advocate and technical assistance provider on the boards of the National Council of State Housing Agencies and National Alliance to End Homelessness. David is one of the most knowledgeable, compassionate, no-nonsense, effective, self-effacing, hard working leaders in this field. And he and with his deft leadership Hennepin County and the City of Minneapolis have undertaken a tremendous response to homelessness since the COVID-19 pandemic. As this pandemic took hold, I and so many other were quite frankly fearful of what would happen. David convened, cajoled, supported providers, got County and City staff and elected leaders on the same page, and was a fierce advocate for a more aggressive state response. This includes managing a terrible situation with the encampments that emerged and worsened in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd, and he brought needed attention to racial disparities in homelessness. David knows how to “get everyone in on the act” and still get action.

– Tim Marx, Nominator

Carly and Zach Duckworth

Zach and Carly devote their free time to an array of impressive types of service. Their selflessness is an amazing representative of what civic leadership looks like. They are being nominated together because, while Zach is often seen as the community leader, his wife Carly, is the enabling support system that allows their business & family to operate. Their willingness to put themselves in danger & sacrifice their time and resources in order to help those in their community or state is remarkable.

Zach and Carly own a small business that employees a few individuals. Zach serves as the chair of the local school board, volunteers as a Lakeville Firefighter, is a leader in the Army National Guard and recently completed a success bid for MN State Senate. Not only do they serve as great examples for service in Lakeville, they invite those around them to participate in volunteer activities and charity fundraisers hosted by their business. In a time when partisanship is at its worst, Zach campaigned in a positive and respectful manner. Zach and Carly’s focus is so strongly so set on using their energy for good; which often means making time to listen, provide thoughtful and honest response to residents, and employ empathy to find common ground.

– Josi Hellier, Nominator

A Mother's Love Initiative

Lisa Clemons

Mrs. Clemons is a tireless advocate for her community with a strong focus on violence prevention and trauma responses to families and victims of gun violence. She is the founder of “A Mother’s Love” an initiative that delivers boots on the ground care and services to community.

Clemons works in community day in and day out. During the start of the COVID pandemic she and her team coordinated a food drive in the parking lot of Cub Foods in North MPLS that served up to 400 families per day. She is a vocal advocate for gun violence prevention and documents the names and ages of every victim of gun violence in her community sharing back the gravity of the situation so it cannot be ignored. She has strong opinions and encourages dialogue about ways the community interacts with MPD as well as her expectations of elected officials. She is a trusted and treasured leader in the community.

– Joan Vorderbruggen, Nominator

Hennepin Theatre Trust

Joan Vorderbruggen

Joan is passionate about her community, specifically about the role of artists and their ability to bring visibility to complex challenges the community is facing and to bridge differences through the power of creativity and public art. Joan volunteers hundreds of hours each year serving multiple and diverse nonprofit organizations in leadership roles. I can’t begin to list all of her volunteer work, but to give you a sense of range, she is chair of the Minneapolis Art Commission, a board member of Harbor Light Center and for her birthday, she volunteered with a college student group to organize a drive for feminine care products. She was also recently certified as an artist coach by National Arts Strategies (for which she coached artists locally, nationally and internationally) and she has gone on to apply those skills to youth and community groups. The “every day” part of Joan’s leadership that I want to highlight. Joan is also a primary caretaker for a parent with terminal cancer and regularly cooks and distributes food and home-canned goods to friends and elders weekly. She is not on a mission to solve problems, as on a path of nurturing her community toward change. That is the particular part of leadership that is often downplayed in traditional constructs about where power comes from, what it looks like and who can wield it best.

Joan works for Hennepin Theatre Trust as their director of Hennepin Theatre District Engagement. The title change is simply a recognition of her role in life and the scope of her vision. In her time at the Trust (under various titles), she has engaged hundreds of BIPOC, emerging and nontraditional artists with paid opportunities to make work for storefronts and public spaces along Hennepin Avenue. She is nothing if not adaptable. At the onset of the pandemic, Joan quickly leveraged her professional relationships with Clear Channel to launch a digital billboard program commissioning artists to create work that honored frontline workers with images of encouragement and community. With the killing of George Floyd, Joan worked with her colleagues to extend the opportunity throughout the summer and include social justice images that engaged more than 40 artists. Throughout the summer and into the fall, this work was viewable in 15 cities and 6 counties across the metro area.

But her adaptation and community gathering isn’t something she does for the attention it gets. At the same time, as she had to remake her programs at work, she also leveraged her nursing skills to develop a system of co-cleaning for apartment buildings and “re-entry” routines for her own apartment building that she then documented and shared for people living in multifamily housing units. Because she is always concerned about disproportional impacts, she went on to make apartment cleaning kits and distributed these to elders in the community and donated funds to community groups representing the hardest-hit communities.

– Karen Quiroz, Nominator

Greater Twin Cities United Way

Acooa Lee Ellis

Acooa is a passionate strong community builder. She has a track record of ingenuity and works tirelessly to unleash human potential. She is a community-minded connector, actively engaging fellow residents to work together in new ways. She is a model for how individuals can become an active, engaged citizen in their community. She connects people to opportunities and promotes inclusion and equity– ensuring ALL people (especially marginalized groups) have access to economic and social well-being. Her work has centered around bringing people together to solve complex problems. She centers her work on the belief that all problems, even the seemingly intractable ones like income inequality, racial and gender inequities, the housing crisis, education gaps – are solvable.

Acooa directs United Way’s work in grantmaking, coalition engagement, systems change, public policy and the agency’s 2-1-1 resource helpline. A champion for equity, she has lobbied in multiple states and worked at the local level to advance critical business and civic objectives. Acooa recently co-chaired MinneMinds, a coalition of organizations and thought leaders from across the state that prioritized investment in the education of Minnesota’s most vulnerable learners.

– Sharon Kennedy Vickers, Nominator

Youth Leadership Initiative

Nou Yang

Nou leads with passion, purpose, authenticity and commitment. She is thoughtful, inclusive, empathetic and an amazing talent, blending head and heart as she does her work. Nou is always attentive to bringing others along with her, elevating their voices and building their capacity as she does so. She lifts others up and creates opportunities for them to lead. She is a collaborative worker, shares power with others, builds strong relationships, and respects the perspective of community to accomplish collective visions and goals. Nou is incredibly responsible and hard-working. She does whatever it takes to bring aspirations to fruition. Nou inspires others with her dedication, her humility, and genuineness. Recently, following the Wilder Foundation’s decision to close its Youth Leadership Initiative (YLI) program due to financial constraints, Nou immediately began strategizing about how to continue its vital work. She knew the impact the program had on young people, especially those from BIPOC communities, and grieved at the thought of those who would not have such an opportunity in the future if the program were to end. She refused to accept that YLI could not be saved. So she mobilized the YLI community and together they networked with partners, petitioned the Wilder Foundation Board of Directors to be accountable and assist in the transition of YLI, and initiated a YLI Transition Community Council to revive and reestablish YLI. This community of volunteers embarked on an amazing journey in June, which has led to hope and dignity during a time when discouragement and resentment could have prevailed.

In these very daunting circumstances for YLI – the program’s closure by Wilder, the pandemic and necessary virtual communication, and economic stressors putting other partners and organizations in financial distress – with Nou’s guidance and inspiration, the YLI community has mobilized and moved forward. The community formed a YLI Transition Community Council, a collective of caring individuals consisting of 10 former YLI youth participants, mentors, alumni, volunteers and staff, who have accomplished a great deal since the Council formed in June. The group has created a vision for the future, developed a preliminary strategic plan, identified a fiscal sponsor*, submitted grants and received preliminary recommendation for funding at one foundation, retained pro bono legal council, begun procedures to incorporate and file for 501c3 status, networked with potential partners, established a relationship with the new CEO at the Wilder Foundation to receive cooperation and assistance for transitioning YLI, established six committees to conduct the work, submitted a proposal for the Council on Nonprofits conference, and has recently engaged 14 additional YLI alumni to establish a youth mentor group to help envision and reestablish YLI.

Nou’s background is as youth development professional, consultant and advocate for youth equity. Her life’s work has been creating space where whiteness is decentralized, and where youth of color are encouraged to show up as themselves, share and teach others about their cultures and histories, build friendships across cultures, care about each other and foster a desire for solidarity. She was the Director of Wilder’s Youth Leadership Initiative (YLI) for 14 years in charge of management, supervision, fundraising, strategy, program coordination and innovation. Prior to that she worked at Girl Scouts as Manager of Special Initiatives focused on underserved communities, and at Model Cities as a Crisis Youth Worker. She has mentored and impacted over 1,000 high school youth across St. Paul. She has been creating a movement of multicultural community-based youth leaders that had not previously existed. Nou has also provided consultation to many community groups on youth leadership, quality programming, equitable youth work and culturally responsive youth work impacting over 5,000 individuals.

– Sally Brown, Nominator

Elder Voice Family Advocates

Kay Bromelkamp

Kay is a tireless volunteer with Elder Voice Family Advocates and those in need. She took a horrendous experience of abuse of her mother in an assisted living facility in Minneapolis and became an early founder of Elder Voice. She is a quiet powerhouse of energy acting as our treasurer and incredible fundraiser with her extensive network of friends and associates. Her ethical compass is impressive and her kind heart makes her endeared by all that know and work with her. She never says no and will go out her way to make sure that a meal gets delivered to someone in need, TV donations are delivered to those living in isolation during this pandemic and list goes on.

It is Kay’s leadership that has helped generate enthusiasm for the work of Elder Voice. She has  organized rallies at the state capitol and other events, testified at Legislative hearings, help those trying to keep their loved one safe and well cared for, delivering TVs, radios and other donated items to long-term care facilities with residents that can afford these entertainment resources that most of us take for granted.

– Kris Sundberg, Nominator

Students United

Tom Anderson

Tom is an effective leader, great communicator, and wonderful listener. He gets things done. He does advocacy work for college students with Students United, which is dedicated to elevating student voices and advocating for lower tuition, textbook affordability, and reducing barriers to educational access and opportunity. He has done great work on Longfellow Community council, held leadership roles in SD63, and an MPS advisory committee focused on increasing equitable access to educational opportunity for all Mpls kids.

As the co-chair of the Neighborhood Development and Transportation Committee for the Longfellow Community Council, he facilitated neighborhood conversations with developers and elected officials on neighborhood housing and development, and he continues the work of elevating community voices as LCC begins the process of creating equitable housing policies that promote integration and sustainable development.

– Josh Pauly, Nominator

Vital Aging Network

Sally Brown

Sally Brown has been a volunteer leader for decades, working with Wilder Foundation youth leadership programs and Vital Aging Network programs for older adults.  But during Covid, I have been impressed with her commitment to making these programs work for youth and seniors in a new way by developing online versions of programs that address the way the world has changed since March 2020.  She does this work on a daily basis, as a volunteer, always giving back stipends or salaries to the organization so they can continue their work and mission.  Sally is innovative, always upbeat, strongly committed to living her values, giving of her time and energy to the people she serves and the people she works with and has a wealth of understanding to share with the world.

During Covid, Sally has taken a program called Aging with Gusto that she developed with others for the Vital Aging Network many years ago, and rewrote the entire program to address aging and age discrimination in light of Covid AND she learned how to create ZOOM content in a way that is not only interesting to look at, is directed toward Covid-related experiences our elders are facing such as isolation and loneliness.  It’s an incredible amount of work both in content and delivery.   She personifies creativity and innovation and, to use a “too-used” term these days, the ability to “pivot” when the world called for it.   She is now facilitating these classes online with great success.  Of course she would rather be doing these classes in person, but Sally will get it done, not matter how she has to do it.

– Mia Bremer, Nominator

YMCA Red Wing

Mike Melstad

Tireless civic volunteer in our area –Sheldon Theatre Board, Every Hand Joined Education Cooperative, etc. He’s raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for nonprofits…probably over the 2-3million mark. Most importantly, he has a caring heart for kids and community and always strives to solve community needs together with other organizations and partnerships.

– Janie Farrar

Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension

Biiftuu Ibrahim Adam

Biiftuu consistently advocates for those who are marginalized or structurally disenfranchised, from the viewpoint of the community. She brings her whole self into every single interaction, with incredible openness and a genuine care for the humanity in others. Biiftuu’s accomplishments are impressive at any age, and is made more notable because she is in her twenties. This is important because she demonstrates that mission, values, leadership, and vision are possible at all ages, and sets an important example for our younger community members.

• Organizing/Activism – Thanks to Biiftuu’s persistence and passion, she consistently creates new pathways for young people, women, and people of color to see themselves in the story of politics in new and transformative ways.
• Systems Change – As Vice Chair of Public Safety at Hennepin, I know personally they types of leaders needed to transform outcomes for some of our most vulnerable residents. Biiftuu is exactly the type of trusted leader and advocate our systems need. In her current role as Victim, Family and Community Relations Coordinator for the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension she is the first person ever to serve in this Statewide capacity. She is a strong and emerging leader in her field and in State government. Investing in Biiftuu is a contribution to diversifying leadership across the State.
• Multi-Sector Collaboration and Solutions – She is dedicated to expanding opportunities for folks to lead collaboratively across sectors and serves as the Chapter Co-Director of New Leaders Council-Twin Cities. She is thoughtful and prepared in her approach, and is committed to her own professional development as well as others.

– Irene Fernando, Nominator

Sanitize the Cities, Hands Up Guns Down

Chauntyll Allen

Chauntyll Allen has had a long history of activism prior to her election to the St. Paul School Board in 2019. This past summer, in response to COVID, she helped start Sanitize the Cities to provide free masks and hand sanitizer to youth and BIPOC communities at public places. She was also key to leading several rallies in response to the spring uprising and murder of George Floyd – including food distribution events that I volunteered at. She is part of the Hands Up Guns Down initiative working to curb gun violence in the Twin Cities. She is a proud St. Paul resident.

– Terri Thao, Nominator

Environmental Initiative

Erin Niehoff

Erin leads with integrity, and is a highly effective project manager, facilitator, program designer, and relationship builder. She is incredibly disciplined, is committed to her own self-awareness work, understanding her racialized identity and the implications of and oppression caused by whiteness and white dominant culture, and she engages in continuous learning and growth.

In her professional role as a Project Manager with Environmental Initiative, Erin leads projects and partnerships designed to improve social equity and environmental health. She has a specific passion for and expertise in water issues and has been an integral leader in our agricultural partnerships focused on improving water quality. Erin also leads the design and development of Minnesota’s Sourcewater Protection Collaborative, an effort funded by the Minnesota Department of Health that we collaborated with Citizens League on through statewide listening sessions held in 2019.

– Ellen Gibson, Nominator

American Indian OIC

Joe Hobot

Joe has been involved in every aspect of community since he started teaching at Takoda Prep.  As President of American Indian OIC, he has been focused on job skills training and placement but also serves on multiple other boards that touch on every aspect and need of the community.

In a tough tough year, Joe stepped up as a positive forward focused leader.  The Franklin corridor has struggled with homeless encampments, rioting, deep need through the pandemic and crime.  Joe has been a constant source of courage and boundless energy.

– Amy Koch, Nominator