Somali Youth and Family Development Center

Fatoun Ali

Nominated by Libby Stegger: 

In addition to her work in real estate, student & family educational access, and raising 4 amazing kids, Fatoun leads a grassroots nonprofit, the Somali Youth and Family Development Center (SOMFAM). Through SOMFAM, she supports families — girls and women especially — of East African descent to build their health, wellness, and stability. She does this through building social capital, offering straining and group conversations around healthy relationships, self care, and community resources. With her generous heart and story of personal resilience, she connects with women and families of all ages to strengthen individuals and create community to thrive.

Biography:

Fatoun Ali landed on American soil in 1998 as a native of Somalia and a survivor of a Kenyan refugee camp. She was married, uneducated and pregnant with a child who eventually died at 4 months from muscular dystrophy. Regardless of these challenges, Fatoun had a strong desire to create a better life for her family and her community, and has devoted her work since the death of her child to caring for and empowering immigrant families.

Like the millions of immigrants who came before her, Fatoun knew that her path to achieving success would come through education and hard work. In the ensuing 20 years she has learned English, earned an associate of arts degree, pursued entrepreneurial endeavors, operated a home health care agency, and started a non-profit organization.

Now a single mom raising four children, Fatoun wears many “hijabs.” She is the executive director of the Somali Youth and Family Development Center, a realtor, a financial educator, a small business owner and a mentor to young girls, always focused on empowering Somali refugees and immigrants to make a better life in Minnesota.

Most importantly, Fatoun serves as a bridge between the vibrant culture of her native land and the America she now embraces as her home. She works with educators, social workers, housing agencies, non-profits, and community members to teach Somali culture, and history, particularly the traumas associated with being refugees from a war-torn country, unsure of who they are and where they belong in the world. Fatoun strives every day to make forward progress on her vision of nurturing and building a vibrant, healthy, prosperous and safe Somali community in Minnesota.

Saint Paul Community-First Public Safety Commission

Sami Banat

Nominated by Paul Schadewald: 

Sami Banat, an undergraduate student at Macalester College, is an exemplary civic leader. As a first-year student, he was appointed by St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter to St. Paul’s Community-First Public Safety Commission to help rethink the city’s emergency response and create new models for public safety. For five months, he was an active participant in the biweekly meetings. It is extraordinary for a first-year student to participate in such an important civic role, and even more impressive was his collaborative leadership style. Dr. Suzanne Rivera, President of Macalester College, noted that “he showed extraordinary leadership, both as a Town Hall facilitator and as the organizer of a follow-on effort to propose an end to pre-textual traffic stops. He’s incredibly humble about his role, which was significant and all the more remarkable because of his relative youth on the Commission.”

In addition to his extraordinary work with the Community-First Public Safety Commission, Sami Banat has been active in political engagement and issues of educational access and equity. He was elected as a delegate the Democratic National Convention at the age of 17 and served as the Minnesota State Coordinator for “Rock the Vote.” He also serves on the Board of Directors for Breakthrough Twin Cities, a nonprofit that serves underresourced students.

His academic advisor in the Political Science department, Dr. Patrick Schmidt writes, “We have seen in the media how youth around the world are leading in so many areas, but they aren’t just ‘elsewhere,’ they’re close to home, too. And in Sami Banat, we see that the leadership of youth doesn’t come merely from a naive partisanship, but from remarkable insights into what it takes to build strong communities. Although selected as a member of several boards, including Breakthrough Twin Cities and the Roseville Area Schools Foundations, it is really in organizing and communication where Sami leads, leading several campaigns and helping to get others involved around issues of voting, civic engagement, and education. Academically, as a sophomore at Macalester College, it should be no surprise to hear that Sami is majoring in Political Science, but a second major in Classics (emphasizing Arabic) comes from the heart and speaks to the depth that he brings to civic life. ” We think that Sami Banat is an inspiring example of a leader in civic and community life.

Biography:

Sami Banat is an organizer, a student, a proud Saint Paulite, and a major Minnesota United fan. First getting involved in organizing at his middle school, he has continued to be engaged in contributing to building a better community over the years. From working on political campaigns nationally and locally, to organizing to advance important issues within Saint Paul, he continues to learn from and be impacted by everything our community offers. In Fall of 2020, Sami was nominated to Saint Paul’s Community First Public Safety Commission by Mayor Melvin Carter. As his first experience working on public policy in the government sector, he was able to learn much from his fellow commissioners, while organizing and eventually passing a recommendation to the Mayor’s office to end the use of pre-textual traffic stops in the City of Saint Paul, a policy now actively being implemented in Saint Paul and across Ramsey County. He considers the experience serving on this commission as paramount in learning about governance and policy work. Sami began his sophomore year at Macalester College this fall and is studying Political Science and Classics. He looks forward to continuing to learn from his peers, educators, and community, this year and forward.

First Call for Help

Cre Larson

Nominated anonymously:

She has grown our local 211 agency (First Call for Help) many fold in recent years, she’s an amazing advocate for individuals and families who struggle and is tireless in her work to connect them with resources to help their situation … she has created a safe house recently, which is Native spirituality inspired, recognizing that many ppl struggling in our area are Native. She’s one of the few social service leaders in our county who has actual relationships with Leech Lake Tribal members. 

She’s modest, smart, strategic, tireless, inspiring, your typical resourceful, rural nonprofit leader.

Biography:

Cre Larson’s passions include the development of services and service networks for adults with severe and persistent mental illness in the greater Itasca County area. She has dedicated 9 years to the enhancement and promotion of the Mental Health Clubhouse Model of Kielser House, a worldwide recovery model for adults with mental illness. She is passionate about health services for Leech Lake Band members and has dedicated 9 years to the development of healthcare programs and suicide intervention strategies for this reservation. She has also been a member of the Itasca County MH Crisis Response team since its inception in 1999 and involved in the implementation of community suicide interventions.

Cre is passionate about her Executive Director role at First Call for Help and the growth of resourcing and the suicide intervention model of this agency. FCFH is now the suicide intervention and crisis line call center for 47 counties in MN including the MN Farmers Crisis Line and the National Suicide Prevention Line.  She takes pride in her rural northern MN home and in the innovative services that has been developed there to meet the MH and Chemical health needs of residents. She is passionate about writing, donating grant writing skills and time to smaller Non-profits or community organizations regarding inclusivity and MH Programs, and have published Mental IIlness and Recovery articles in the national advocacy magazine “Open Mind.” Her personal motto is: “we deal with difficult every day, impossible just takes a little longer!” 

Oluwatobi Oluwagbemi

Nominated by Maragret Mowaiye:

They have worked on the Governor’s young women’s cabinet. They have written several articles for the cities. They have contributed to the twin cities by taking leadership programs. They have taken so many classes on leadership so that they can be a better leader. They will continue to work hard so that others that come after them can thrive. They have also worked in policy and worked hard to change policies with Minnesota.

Biography:

Oluwatobi Oluwagbemi is a woman with an extensive educational background. She earned her bachelor’s degree, graduating with honors from both her department and the institution. She attended St. Cloud State University, with a focus in international relations, political science, women and gender studies. She was a member of Pi Sigma Alpha while in college. She also earned several awards including most involved, community builder award and one of hundred most outstanding leaders. Oluwatobi has experience in teaching younger students, campaign work, retail marketing, writing, research, government, and communications. Currently, she is passionate about criminal justice, social justice, writing, people’s equality, representation of young women in politics, Black Lives Matter, advocacy, governments, community building and leadership development.

Oluwatobi has a deep love for learning about people’s cultures and wants to change the world with her words, superpowers, ideas, and skills. In her personal life, she is a self-care and self-love enthusiast. She loves people just as they are, believes that people are good, and they are working towards being more knowledgeable and wants to build herself so that she can help others shine. She is an asset and contribution to whatever space she finds herself.

She wants to continue building networks and learn more about changing policies and processes to impact systems and institutions, making life better for marginalized people.

Oluwatobi has been part of Capitol Pathways, Community Equity Program, Boards and Commission Leadership Institute and Evolve leadership program. She is part of the National Young Women’s Advisory Council and the National Agenda for Black Girls Steering Committee. She is an alumna of the Young Women’s Cabinet chosen by the Governor of Minnesota.

Oluwatobi is interested in running for City Council and wants to support her city by helping them make decisions that affect everyone. She is passionate about seeing people of color represented in politics, political process and political decisions. She is currently interested in a masters degree that will allow her to continue to learn about International Organizations and Foreign Policy. She is also writing her own book and wants to write short stories to publish soon. Oluwatobi loves to listen to afrobeats and loves improv, she is interested in modelling and acting. She also gives presentations on

Young Women Run(YWR) 101, Leadership skills for Life(LSL) 101, Girls in Leadership (GIL) 101,Working in Nonprofits(WIN) 101 and Entrepreneurship (ENT) 101. Finally Oluwatobi loves to make people happy and is able to do so with her witty sense of humour.  

ROAR194

Nkechi Gillman

Nominated by Latisha R Moening:

Nkechi has gone above and beyond to work in our community as an advocate for racial equity. She co-founded ROAR 194 (Residents Organizing Against Racism) with Katie Ruberto and continues to work in the community to educate and advocate on the topic showing up to school board meetings and working to grow the roar community.

Biography:

Nkechi is a federal immigration attorney who has worked extensively with battered spouses and victims of domestic violence locally and nationwide. She has spent the last 10 years zealously and tirelessly advocating for immigrant women, men and children survivors of abuse. This work is centered around starting with securing their legal permanent status in the U.S to help uplift, empower and liberate them to independence.

She moved to Saint Paul over 13 years ago from Washington D.C to attend law school at Mitchell Hamline School of Law (formerly Hamline University School of Law) where she met her husband of 10 years. At Hamline, she formed a multicultural and charity committee putting on the law school’s first multicultural expo to showcase the richness in our diversity and raise money for Project Homeless Connect in Minneapolis. She has received numerous awards and recognitions, including The Chief Michael Davis Scholarship by the Minnesota Association for Black Lawyers and The John Wesley Leadership and Service Award in recognition of her to her community. She has also donated her time and expertise to the Tubman Family Alliance representing battered women seeking orders for protection.

In 2020, in the wake of our country’s racial reckoning, she co-founded the ROAR194 chapter (Residents Organizing Against Racism) in District 194. ROAR194 is a grassroots initiative of parents and community members committed to fighting for equity, inclusion, and racial justice in our schools and community. She has been pivotal and instrumental in organizing and galvanizing a community to engage in conversations which have led to noticeable change. Nkechi is passionate about driving change and inspiring others to act with intention, because our actions and inactions have an inevitable ripple effect on others.

Nkechi strongly believes in the power of the human connection and engaging authentically, because only when we bring our true and unadulterated selves to the conversation are we able to be vulnerable and reach across to break down walls and find a common ground. She is an unapologetic fashion enthusiast, health and fitness advocate, and mom of 3 beautiful boys. 

MacRostie Art Center

Katie Marshall

Nominated anonymously:

Katie Marshall is the ED of the local art center MacRostie. She lost half of her staff but continued monthly new exhibits with rural artists online instead. Her work with kids, writing grants to help artists get funding, acting as a one-stop-shop for supporting artists in making a living is truly inspiring.

Biography:

Katie Marshall is the executive director at MacRostie Art Center in Grand Rapids, MN. She has served in this role for ten years, and was recently recognized for her arts advocacy work in the community and on behalf of individual artists with the 2019 Maddie Simons Award from the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council.

Project Restore Minnesota

Elijah Norris-Holliday

Nominated by Tytiana Reid:

Elijah is an everyday hero and community leader based on the many lives he has touched within the state of Minnesota. Last year during the pandemic he seen a need, and he quickly jumped to action to ensure that young people, families, and local communities had what they needed in order to thrive. He started a non profit that has done great work as well, from providing feedback to counties to passing out laptops for young people who needed them in order to be successful in business and or school.

He is a young person who has consistently inspired those around him. His passion, dedication, and love for the community runs deep. His organization has been able to create change that many have fought for years to implement, and this has all happened in a short period of time. The young people are drawn to him, and he knows how to speak to all around him, and not talk to at them.

Biography:

Elijah Norris-Holliday; currently serves as the founder and CEO for Project Restore Minnesota, a private nonprofit social enterprise serving young adults ages 18-24 residing in the twin cities. Our organization dedicates its resources to the empowerment, development, and advancement of ADOS young adults and those impacted by the criminal system. We provide professional development training, personal development workshops, job connection, and mentorship to our clients. We accomplish our mission through strategic partnerships with employers and community-based organizations that connect youth with jobs and opportunities that promote and sustain their development. Elijah has a bachelor’s degree from Winona State University in public administration and political science and a Master of Arts degree in Public Administration specializing in public budgeting and finance from Minnesota State University Mankato. Elijah has built successful partnerships with public servants and private sector leaders to advance efforts to empower the ADOS community.

Braver Angels

Bill Doherty

Nominated by Lisa Wagor

Bob co-founded an organization called Braver Angels that encourages people with different points of view to talk to one another and gives them the skills to do so. His work started in Minnesota but has spread nationwide and has even reached the halls of Congress. Bob is helping countless Minnesotans bridge divides and ultimately build a healthier democracy.

Bill is a Professor and Director of the Minnesota Couples on the Brink Project in the Department of Family Social Science at the University of Minnesota. Bill combines a background in family therapy and community engagement.

Biography: 

Bill Doherty is a family therapist and Professor in the Department of Family Social Science at the University of Minnesota where he directs The Citizen Professional Center, which does community engagement projects on health care and on divisive issues such as the relationship between Police and the Black Community. 

Following the 2016 U.S. Presidential election, he co-founded Braver Angels, a citizen initiative bringing conservatives and liberals together to counteract political polarization and restore the fraying social fabric in American society.  Bill designed Braver Angels workshops that have been conducted over a thousand times across the country. He has personally conducted depolarization workshops for Minnesota legislators, Minnesota County Commissioners, and Members of Congress and their staffs.

Among Bill’s awards is the University of Minnesota’s Outstanding Community Service Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Family Therapy Academy. In this work he applies principles of family therapy to bring community members together across stark differences.

Mankato Area Public Schools

Ayan Musse

Nominated by Jessica O’Brien:

I have known Ayan for over a decade in our collective equity work in the Mankato community where she has served in many personal and professional capacities to support building bridges of understanding among racially-diverse, multicultural, and cross-sector stakeholders.  

Ayan has been a leader behind the scenes among the Somali community and the Greater Mankato area. Her community involvement has been consistent for many years with her leadership and/or engagement in many local and statewide initiatives including:

• Member of grassroots Somali leadership group Linking For Good to build bridges among the Somali community and the greater Mankato community.
• Board member of Emerging Entrepreneur Board (Appointed by Governor Mark Dayton)
• Executive Board Member of Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota (LSS)
• Board Member of Feeding Our Communities Partners (FOCP)
• Programming Chair for Feeding Our Communities Partners (FOCP)
• School Facilitator of Promoting Respect Workshops (PRW) through Mankato Diversity Council
• Planning Committee of Mankato Area Cross Cultural Connections (MACCC)
• Core Leadership Team Member, Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE)
• Member of Mankato Area Public School Independent School District Search Committee
• Chair and Co-founder of Mankato East High School Family Engagement Group at ISD 77
• Graduate of The Tapestry Project Leadership Program
• Participant in the Leadership in Ethnically Diverse Communities program (LEDC) Mankato Cohort
• Graduate of the Elizabeth Kearney Women’s Leadership Program at YWCA

Ayan is the person that always says “yes” when there is a community project need and she works incredibly hard on behalf of the entire Mankato community. She is a very dedicated community steward, a bridge builder, and an active equity champion. She has never received any recognition for her service and I believe this would be the perfect opportunity to publicly highlight her contributions to the Mankato community.

In addition to all her community work, Ayan has worked at the YWCA as the Walking in Two Worlds Program Manager where she has led cultural competency trainings for cross-sector stakeholders, and assisted refugee newcomers in accessing local resources.

She has also worked for the Greater Mankato Diversity Council as a Diversity and Inclusion Specialist where she served as a trainer to businesses and cross-sector groups on Implicit Bias and Cultural Competency, and was the lead for the Mankato community’s Juneteenth Celebration event.

Additionally, Ayan has provided a national service during her time as a professional certified Somali-English interpreter for the FBI and the Minnesota Judicial Branch court system.

Biography:

Ayan Musse is a mother and daughter. Ayan was born in East Africa (Somalia) and grew up in Egypt. In 1997, she came to the United States as a refugee. She has lived the refugee experience, leaving Somalia at the age of 13. Due to her life experiences, she understands the importance of building an all-inclusive community where everyone feels welcome. She has called Mankato her home since 2002 and is very involved in the community. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling the world and dancing. Ayan is a licensed school social worker with Mankato Area Public Schools, she is an advocate by heart and committed to improve the quality of life for all individuals, by implementing system-wide change through the pursuit of social justice.

Dhaqan and Debate

Zakariya Abdullahi

Nominated by Ben Gerber:

Zak knows how to give back to his community and those around him, something I am incredibly thankful to him for. Zak has brought me into his sphere of influence, and invited me to engage with young Somali High School students looking to network with professionals in fields they were interested in through a program called Dhaqan & Debate he was involved with. This program is designed for Somali students in high school to help restore their sense of agency and self-empowerment, and bridge the deficit in knowledge about the systems and politics that affects them, through a debate-centered program. Zak also impresses upon his friends and other community members the importance of networking and building relationships within his own direct community and beyond.

Zak understands the importance of diversity of thought. Zak is not only wise beyond his years; he uses his unbounding energy and enthusiasm to learn about the world in a way that continues to challenge his mind. This is one of the things that has fed our lasting mentorship. For example, Zak’s experience with the Jewish National Fund on a trip to Israel as a young Somali Muslim student leader. Zak genuinely seeks out people and experiences that are different or that will challenge him, and his enthusiasm for it is infectious. Zak brought me in to speak to a college class about my approach to conservatism, which caused discomfort with some of his classmates. However, Zak saw the importance of hearing different viewpoints.

Biography:

Zakariya Abdullahi is a first year Master’s student at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs. He is passionate about international education development and using education as a tool in post-conflict peace building. He is the founder of Dhaqan and Debate which is a program created for high school Somali students aimed at building cultural capital, civic engagement, and argumentation and advocacy skills. He believes that international and local development are tied and that what we do in Minnesota is relevant in cities around the world.

**Fun fact: Zak is also a Capitol Pathways alum!

Bellis

Jenny Eldredge

Nominated by Cameron Potts:

Jenny is the driving force behind Bellis, an adoption awareness organization that has in the last few years begun to focus on providing support to the birth mothers who have been forgotten in the adoption process. In 2021, she has spearheaded a new program that is providing support to women who have lost custody through the court system. Twice a week, Bellis hosts support groups to provide a safe place for women to share their stories and work through their grief, the first of its kind program anywhere in the country. There is a critical need in the court system to provide support and counseling for mothers who have experienced termination of parental rights, and Bellis is stepping up to make that happen, all through their non-profit work.

Jenny is an amazing leader and mother. She gives of herself constantly and is passionate about being a national leader in providing a safe place for everyone involved in the adoption process to share their stories, their struggles and their passions.

Biography:

Jenny Eldredge is changing the way the community sees and supports individuals whose lives have been touched by adoption and foster care. As executive director of Bellis, a 38-year-old Minnesota nonprofit, Jenny is responsible for strategic visioning, operations, and fundraising. Under her leadership, Bellis has increased its budget by 250 percent, designed a meaningful framework to support more than 100 volunteers, and secured grants to fund innovative work benefiting the adoption and foster care community. Specifically, Bellis developed the Stronger Together Model, which offers peer-based emotional support to address the unique and often unrecognized grief of birth mothers (women whose children are parented by others). 

As an adoptive mother, Jenny joined Bellis’ board of directors in 2004 to help raise awareness, compassion, and sensitivity for those whose lives are touched by adoption, whether by choice or circumstance. This passion to serve has resulted in deep emotional healing and amplifying the stories of adoption and foster care.

Throughout her life, Jenny has demonstrated a blend of leadership, servanthood and mentorship that makes others take note and strive for advancement in our communities. Jenny has led a team at the Minnesota Dental Association in launching a free dental care program, which served more than 50,000 children in her 13 years as the program’s coordinator. She has held numerous roles on boards and committees of her faith community over the past 25 years. She is an active member of St. Katharine Drexel Catholic Church in Ramsey, Minn.

A graduate of the University of North Dakota with a B.A. in journalism, Jenny also holds a Masters of Theological Studies degree from the University of Dallas.

Girls on the Run Minnesota

Mary Uran

Nominated by Kate Bancks:

Mary is the co-founder and Executive Director of Girls On The Run Minnesota (GOTRM). GOTRM is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a world where every girl knows and activates her limitless potential and is free to boldly pursue her dreams. What Mary started as a small, volunteer-led start-up serving 24 girls in its first season in the Spring of 2012 has been ignited into a rapidly-growing grassroots movement spanning the state with plans to serve more than 3,000 girls at over 100 sites during the 2021-2022 school year. Girls on the Run Twin Cities became Girls on the Run Minnesota in July 2021.

Mary has always been a shining star but it has never been about the personal glory for her. She’s always worked tirelessly on behalf of others in the public service sector and nonprofits. Mary is a role model for myself and countless others, a longtime friend and the perfect recipient for this award.

Biography:

Mary Uran is the executive director and co-founder of Girls on the Run Minnesota (GOTR), a non-profit that empowers girls to know and activate their limitless potential and boldly pursue their dreams. GOTR is an innovative afterschool program that sits at the crossroads of youth development and sport. In a world of competitive youth sports, it focuses on building a mastery climate and life skills at the same time (gratitude, community service, self worth, using your voice).

She holds a master of arts degree in Public Health Nutrition from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health and is an alumna of the College of Saint Benedict where in 2016 she was honored with the Decade Award. Prior to serving as Director, Mary worked for the Network for Public Health Law in Saint Paul, and the National Association of Attorneys General in Washington D.C. She lives in Saint Paul with her husband and three children, was a founding board member of Minnesota Public Radio’s Generation Listen, and a current board member of the National CMV Foundation and the Brave Like Gabe Foundation.

Move Minnesota

Sam Rockwell

Nominated by Sarah Harris:

Sam Rockwell is a relentless advocate for climate justice, pursuing the creation and implementation of policies that create a more equitable city and state. While his professional work speaks to his commitment to protecting and preserving the planet, his entire life is oriented toward finding options for people and policymakers to change mindsets, behavior, and knowledge to address climate change through individual and collective action.

In his time as the President of the Minneapolis Planning Commission, he reviewed proposed developments, pushed developers to make hard changes to create housing and retail spaces that meet climate goals, provide more dignified and sustainable housing, and include more options for people to travel to, from, and through Minneapolis. He authored and passed 13 climate protection amendments as part of the Minneapolis 2040 plan, an unprecedented piece of municipal legislation and ruled on over 100 land use applications. Most importantly, he took this citizen volunteer role seriously, devoting himself fully to this critical decision-making body for the city. As a member of the University of Minnesota Foundation Real Estate Advisors, Sam fostered public-private partnerships to develop a sustainable area surrounding the University of Minnesota’s campus with thriving residential and business facilities, including student makerspaces, business innovation labs, and interactive green spaces. As an instructor, he works with undergraduate students to inspire innovative future planners and policymakers with a course he created for the Urban Students undergraduate program called “Politics, Law, and Design of Urban Mobility.” Students shared with him that they were not learning about inclusive, sustainable, and innovative urban design principles and options in any other classes. While not an elected official himself, Sam continually supports candidates and city council members, county commissioners, and state senators and representatives through prompting their development of inclusive and critical climate legislation. He authors op-eds, letters, facilitates presentations, and writes reports to encourage others to share their perspectives and voices. People seek out his opinions and ideas when they are doing advocacy work. As a volunteer with the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition (now “Our Streets-Minneapolis”) he talked with people as they walked around downtown Minneapolis and gathered 500 letters to support the building of the Washington Avenue cycle track – the first protected bike lane in the city! He is tireless, passionate, empathetic, and unyielding. Addressing climate change through public works, development, and transportation planning is not very visible work; it doesn’t attract the attention that it warrants. But Sam has seen the impact that adjusting our built environment can have, and he’s quietly and continually been working on it for over a decade. Our city, county, and state owe him a huge thank you not only for the ways he has impacted our health and safety, but for the positive changes he’s creating for the benefit of future generations. All of these activities are very personal to Sam’s belief system. Sam’s passion presents in a uniquely inquisitive and inclusive way with high-integrity as he seeks to engage disparate voices on these challenging topics. I cannot recommend Sam highly enough as a community champion.

Biography:

Sam is executive director of Move Minnesota, a transit policy and advocacy organization. He also serves as adjunct faculty at the University of Minnesota. Sam’s transportation and land use background spans organizing and policy and includes work with the University of Minnesota Foundation Real Estate Advisors, the New York City Council, Columbia University’s Earth Institute, the World Wildlife Fund, Transportation Alternatives, the Environmental Tax Policy Institute, and service as President of the Minneapolis Planning Coalition. Sam has also worked as a musician, handyman, and delivery tricycle driver. Sam holds a JD, magna cum laude, from Vermont Law School and lives in Minneapolis with his wife Molly and their three very energetic kids.

Minneapolis Foundation

Patrice Relerford

Nominated by Chanda Smith Baker:

Patrice Relerford is a champion for education equity who, in her role as the Minneapolis Foundation’s Senior Director of Impact and Collective Giving, has worked tirelessly to empower students, equip, and support school leaders, and incorporate best-practices research into our community’s efforts to ensure that all Minnesota children have access to an excellent education. She is the driving force behind the Minneapolis Foundation’s Reimagine Education strategy, a collaborative initiative launched in 2019 that transforms research into collective action to make our schools better for each and every child.

As part of this work, she has facilitated the Foundation’s engagement with hundreds of students, parents, community members, school leaders, and researchers to better understand what is working—and what isn’t. In the past year, she has led the development and launch of new guidelines for the Foundation’s education grantmaking, which are designed to elevate student and community voices, provide opportunities for educators to build their understanding of race and equity, and advocate for policies that will address systemic barriers to racial equity in Minnesota’s education system. Patrice has worked closely with Black, Indigenous, and people of color organizations such as Youth Lens 360 and Forbes Solutions LLC to amplify student perspectives through initiatives such as the 2019 All Metro Student Conference. She has also fueled Minneapolis Foundation investments in a variety of stakeholder convenings on K-12 issues, including a Fall 2020 Education Roundtable convened by Gov. Walz that influenced his Due North Education Plan. Patrice is also proud to partner with the University of Minnesota’s Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement and the Joyce Foundation to launch Minnesota’s first statewide principal survey later this year following a process that included stakeholder engagement with Minnesota teachers, parents, students, and administrators.

Biography:

Patrice Relerford joined the Minneapolis Foundation in 2015 and directs its Reimagine Education and Collective Giving strategies. Patrice served as a grant writer and fundraiser for People Serving People homeless shelter in Minneapolis prior to joining the Foundation. She previously worked as a K-12 education reporter for the Star Tribune and as a workplace fundraiser for the United Way of Metro Chicago. Patrice earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Illinois-Chicago. Patrice is a proud first-generation college graduate who credits her parents (Charlotte and Wesley), brother (Renard), close friends, mentors, afterschool jobs, internships, and public-school teachers for her career success.

Project Legacy

John & Karen Edmonds

Nominated by Betsy Singer:

Karen and John lead Project Legacy. They take kids of color into their home, get them off the street and provide supports that break cycles of generational poverty, addiction, homelessness, abuse and sexual exploitation or involvement in the commercial sex industry. In 2006 they started a “wraparound” support that helps cover tuition assistance for higher education. And this is just the tip of the iceberg of all they do. They’re a phenomenal couple making extraordinary differences in this community that has monumental ripple effects throughout our state and nation through the lives they touch.

Biography:

John Edmonds has over 40 years of experience in non-profit and government agencies as a social worker, supervisor, administrator, and educator. He is intimately involved at the state and the county level in the issue of disparities and disproportionality affecting the BIPOC population and specifically African American descendants of slaves.  Locally, John has keen insights on the plight of its invisible immigrants: native born African Americans who have migrated to Rochester from urban areas in other parts of the country. John was instrumental in the establishment of the DIG (Diversity, and Inclusion Council) in Olmsted County’s Health, Housing and Human Services Division. The charge of the DIG Council has been to advance the issue of diversity, equity and inclusion in all aspects and at all levels of the organization.

John has taught undergraduate and graduate social work courses at New York University, the State University of NY, Winona State University, and the University of Minnesota.

Karen Light Edmonds has been an advocate and mentor for disenfranchised and street-involved youth for over 30 years. The cornerstone of her work is intensive street work and mentoring which includes unrelenting outreach, high expectations, and unconditional love. In 2008 Karen offered a free Yoga class to 5 fifth grade girls who were referred by their school counselors. Word spread quickly among Rochester young people who were homeless, gang-affiliated, or from gang-affiliated families and living in poverty. Soon Karen was involved with more than 200 children and young people, ages 4-21. Those young people were the seeds of Project Legacy as we know it today. To date, 35 BIPOC youth who have experienced homelessness, generational poverty, refugee camps and incarceration have earned degrees, with thirteen more on-track to graduate this year.  Karen has worked in education and non-profits for more than thirty years.

The Link

Beth Holger

Nominated by Mitchell Walstad:

Beth works tirelessly to ensure stable, comfortable housing for dozens of homeless and at risk youth through The Link. Beyond this, she advocates fiercely at the legislature to ensure funding for youth homeless focused nonprofits around the state, and leads an advocacy alliance of other nonprofits to achieve this goal. She does all of this with grace, kindness, and love at the front of her heart. Beth and I are not close, but she has made a world of impact on how I view policymaking and advocacy. 

Beth is one of the kindest and most dedicated people I have ever met. She is so humble and focused solely on the need of the youth she serves. While she works in the nonprofit section, she is truly a public servant and I cannot sing high enough praises about her.

Biography:

Beth Holger is the CEO for The Link, a nonprofit in Minneapolis that provides housing and services for youth and young families experiencing homelessness; emergency shelter, housing and supportive services for sex trafficked youth and juvenile justice programs. Prior to this position she worked with street outreach, shelter and housing as well as a position within the MN. DHS as their Homeless Youth Services Coordinator. She coached track and field and cross country for 14 years at Kennedy High School. She received the Mcknight-Binger Award in Human Services in 2005, Ain Dah Yung Center’s Native Ally of the Year Award in 2012 and a Bush Leadership Fellow for the Safe Harbor Law/No Wrong Door Response in 2011. Holger has research published in the Journals of Adolescent Health and Child Sexual Abuse. Holger has a B.A. and M.A. from Hamline University.

She also holds an Executive Leadership Certificate from Harvard University.

Civic Caucus

T Williams

Nominated by Janis Clay:

Theatrice (“T”) Williams, MSW, is an independent consultant; former executive director of Phyllis Wheatley Community Center and, more recently, its interim executive director; former Minneapolis School Board member; former senior research associate at Rainbow Research, Inc.; and former Minnesota Ombudsman for Corrections. Williams has taught courses at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs and at Augsburg College.

Williams specializes in questions of social and distributive justice, with particular emphasis on community economic development and education issues affecting minority populations. He has been the principal investigator on Rainbow Research evaluations of several local community-based organizations and has conducted program and organizational assessments at the national level. For six years, Williams was evaluation consultant and technical assistance provider to 10 local community-based organizations

Biography:

Theartrice (“T”) Williams, MSW. Independent consultant, former Interim Executive Director Phyllis Wheatley Community Center, Minneapolis School Board member and former Senior Research Associate at Rainbow Research, Inc. specializes in questions of social and distributive justice, with particular emphasis on community economic development and education issues affecting minority populations. Mr. Williams has been the principal investigator on Rainbow Research evaluations of several local community-based organizations and has conducted program and organizational assessments at the national level.

Locally, Williams led a team that conducted an assessment of The City, Inc. in which he facilitated a self-reflection process among staff and key stakeholders, resulting in a report on ways to improve program effectiveness. Williams conducted focus group interviews and developed guidelines communities of color could use to respond to the Department of Corrections (DOC) Community Preservation Unit’s funding opportunities. In addition, Williams provided consultation to the DOC’s Community Preservation Unit’s Capacity Building Small Grants Program for Communities of Color. Williams work with the DOC resulted in a “How to Get Started” handbook on planning community-based restorative justice programs. The handbook was distributed in several communities of color and translated into 7 different languages. Williams was a member of Rainbow Research team that conducted a Diversity Study of The American Cancer Society’s Eastern Division. In that study Williams supervised the direct administration of surveys to 400 Cancer Society employees.

He has been team leader in assessing three educational project initiatives, developing an inclusiveness self-assessment tool for the United Way to assist it and its member agencies measure their progress toward becoming more racially and culturally inclusive organizations, assessing the Saint Paul Foundation’s Anti-racism Funding Initiative and designing a framework for strategic planning for a local community radio station.

For six years Williams was evaluation consultant and technical assistance provider to 10 local community-based organizations funded by the Minnesota Health Department’s Eliminating Health Disparities Initiative.

Williams has taught courses at the Humphrey Institute: Role of the Minority Community in Shaping Educational Reform Policy; Impact of Race on Social Policy Issues. Courses at Augsburg College included: Social Work Practice: Community Organization and Social Policy; Social Work Program Administration and Policy Development and Field Practice; Topics in U.S. History: Minneapolis Urban Crises.

Currently Williams is active with and on the Board of the Civic Caucus and is completing a Minnesota Historical Society supported history project that focuses on how Minneapolis and Minnesota responded to the Urban Crisis of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Grand Rapids City Council

Tasha Connelly

Nominated anonymously:

Serves on the City Council, serves our local schools as a counselor in ISD318. Youngest mom with two small kids to run for and be elected to the local city council. 

Biography:

Tasha Connelly was elected to the Grand Rapids City Council in November 2016 and re-elected in 2020. She currently serves on the Grand Rapids Economic Development Authority (GREDA), the City/County Cooperative Board and most recently, the Human Rights Commission. Tasha has served on the Greenway Joint Recreation Association Board, the Grand Rapids Park and Recreation Board and the Range Association of Municipalities and Schools (RAMS). Tasha graduated from Grand Rapids High School and attended Itasca Community College. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Magna Cum Laude, and a Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy, Summa Cum Laude. Tasha is an alumni of the Blandin Leadership Program and is an Itasca County Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) trainer. She is also a member of the Philanthropic Educational Opportunities for Women, Chapter FV. Tasha is employed by ISD #318 as a Student Support Specialist. Tasha and her husband, Dan, have been married for 17 years, and together they have two sons. In her spare time, Tasha enjoys reading, playing piano, cross-country and downhill skiing and cycling the City’s over 50 miles of trail systems with her children. Her favorite pastime is spending time anywhere outdoors with her husband and sons.

Ramsey County

Prince-Andre Corbett

Nominated by Elizabeth Tolzmann and Jolie Wood:

Mr. Prince Corbett is one of three Racial and Health Equity Administrator (RHEA) with Ramsey County, an organization that oversees nearly 4000 employees and budget of $750M a year. As a RHEA, he helps deconstruct racism and to transforms systems, policies, practices, and structures to advance racial equity in Ramsey County.

Prince Corbett is a change maker, transformative leader, talented townhall and community forum moderator, and a colleague that lives and breathes the vision and mission of Ramsey County and models our core values of People, Integrity, Community, Leadership, and Equity. When the pandemic hit last year and in response to the murder of Mr. George Floyd, he led community and staff across the county and at all levels of the organization to support the incident management team in creating a (1) 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. In addition to his leadership role beyond the pandemic, he has moderated several hot topic townhalls and community forums on homelessness, public safety, community budgeting, Black Excellence employee resources group, and many more community and staff development sessions. He works above and beyond putting in long hours, days, weeks, and evenings in service of being a public servant to Ramsey County. His unique background, inspirational story of redemption, and lived experience bring a systems impacted lens to all the work systematic, structural and policy work in Ramsey County.

Biography:

For Prince Corbett, working as a racial and health equity administrator for Ramsey County is more than just a job, it’s a passion.

Often, he says he’ll work 60 or more hours a week, and said sometimes his significant other will have to just pull him away from his laptop.

Through community town halls, an Equity Action Circle composed of 15 local leaders and a thorough examination of the county’s hiring and contracting policies, Prince is tasked with deconstructing racism present in policies and practices within the county.

Although born in Dayton, Ohio, Corbett said he grew up in Minneapolis and experienced homelessness for years. At age 14, he began working to support himself and his family, and was eventually kicked out of school in 10th grade for missing too many classes to work, despite passing all of his courses.

At 19 he stopped working to earn his high school diploma, but at age 20 was sleeping in his car, sometimes only able to afford to eat once a day. Out of desperation, Corbett said he robbed a business and was arrested, where he was later charged, in addition to another robbery he said did not commit.

While in prison, Corbett said he had a “complete turn around,” where he became a GED tutor and earned 32 college credits while serving his time. After completing a job training program, he was hired as an employment guidance counselor before he took on his current administrative role in 2019.

“In order to advance racial equity, you really have to have the community there,” Corbett said. “Our government was built for the people, and it really should be built with the people. So as decisions are being made, it’s bringing community into those conversations and then having systems that actually implement what community wants.”

Planting People Growing Justice Leadership Institute

Dr. Artika Tyner

Nominated by Simone Gbolo:

Dr. Tyner founded Planting People Growing Justice Leadership Institute in order to inspire the next generation of civic leaders and change agents. Through her nonprofit leadership and social justice advocacy, she is working to address the literacy gap and promote diversity in books.

She saw the problem of mass incarceration for far too long. Part of the solution was addressing literacy. This is critically important when 1 in 4 American children are not reading at grade level. If you are not reading at grade level by 4th grade, you are 4x more likely to drop out of school. Based upon research, we also know that if you drop out of school you are 3.5x more likely to be arrested in your lifetime. This relates directly to her work as a civil rights attorney because there are far too many instances when her clients learned how to read in prison. 

America is evolving into a rich multicultural landscape, however, the challenge that is right in front of us is the lack of diversity in books. You are more likely to find a book on the cover with a Black bear or Black dog than seeing a cover with a Black girl or Black boy. Dr. Tyner reminds us of the importance of creating both mirrors and windows for children. Mirrors where young people of color can see a reflection of themselves in the books that they read because we know representation matters. It increases that likelihood and interest, and passion around reading hence helping to bridge the literacy gap. By creating diverse books, she is creating windows for all children to see each other more clearly and embrace their cultural differences & help to build cultural bridges.

Biography: 

Dr. Artika R. Tyner is a passionate educator, lawyer, author, sought after speaker, and advocate for justice. She is committed to training students to serve as social engineers who create new inroads to justice and freedom. In recognition of her leadership and service, she is the recipient of more than two dozen awards that include: Women in Business, American Small Business Champion, International Educator Citizen, and American Bar Association Difference Makers.

She has been featured in a variety of media outlets. She is a prolific, award-winning author of adult and children’s books that includes: Amazing Africa: A to Z and The Inclusive Leader: Taking Intentional Action for Justice and Equity. She serves as a global citizen by supporting education, entrepreneurship, and women’s leadership initiatives in Africa. Dr. Tyner is the founder of Planting People Growing Justice Leadership Institute, a nonprofit organization committed to promoting reading and diversity in books.

Lakeville Chamber of Commerce

Shanen Corlett

Nominated by Luke Hellier:

This team of exceptional individuals set aside their normal lives for an entire year to work day and night to access every resource available to help the Lakeville business community survive and thrive during the pandemic. Without their work, I’m not sure our city would have been able to bounce back as quickly as we have.

Majority in the Middle

Shannon Watson

Nominated by Lisa Wagor:

Shannon is a thought leader in promoting bipartisan collaboration and civic engagement. She sees issues clearly and is the kind of person to take action when she sees a problem. In 2020, Shannon created and launched Majority in the Middle, an organization dedicated to promoting civil discourse and creating a space for people to come together to do that. She is strengthening the civic culture of Minnesota and creating a more accessible democracy.

Shannon is a collaborative leader, bringing people with a variety of backgrounds into her work.

Biography:

Shannon Watson is the founder and Executive Director of Majority in the Middle. She also currently serves as Vice President of Public Affairs for the St. Paul Area Chamber, where she leads public policy, lobbying, campaign, strategic communications and media relations. Prior to the Chamber she worked for U.S. Bank, the Minnesota Senate, and the National Conference of State Legislatures. Shannon has 20+ years of experience in the political arena, working on local and statewide races on both sides of the aisle in Kansas, Colorado and Minnesota. An op-ed writer and lover of twitter, Shannon has a bachelor’s degree in English, Theatre and Psychology from Wichita State University; a basters in Advocacy and Political Leadership from the University of Minnesota-Duluth; and was a 2020-21 Policy Fellow at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs.

Itasca County

Kelly Chandler

Nominated by Annie Olson-Reiners:

Kelly Chandler, the Itasca County Public Health director is a ROCK STAR. She has been tireless throughout the entire pandemic, she coordinated vaccinations for all of the front line workers in our county, she has worked closely with nursing home directors and assisted living owners and operators. In the think of things, she took calls and responded to emails almost 24 hours a day. She absolutely deserves an award.

Biography:

Kelly is the Public Health Division Manager for Itasca County. She has lived and worked in Itasca County throughout her nursing career. She graduated from the College of St. Scholastica with her BS in Nursing in 1997 and her MA in Nursing in 2010, with an emphasis in mental health for children and families. Kelly has spent the majority of her career in Itasca County Public Health, beginning in 2000. Her work began in the area of family home visiting, shifted to jail nursing, adult health assessment, prior to entering into a supervisory role in 2011 and her current role as division manager in 2013. Kelly most enjoys engaging with a variety of organizations and sectors in the community to foster collaborative efforts to improve a community’s health. She is passionate about the importance of creating environments at the family and community level to promote positive mental and physical health. Kelly lives in Itasca County with her husband and 3 children.

City of Lakeville

Kati Bachmayer

Nominated by Luke Hellier:

Kati is part of a team of exceptional individuals who set aside their normal lives for an entire year, to work day and night to access every resource available to help the Lakeville business community survive and thrive during the pandemic. Without this team’s amazing work, I’m not sure our city would have been able to bounce back as quickly as we have.

Biography: 

Kati Bachmayer began working for the City of Lakeville in 2017 as Economic Development Specialist and was promoted in 2020 to Economic Development Coordinator. In her work for the City, Ms. Bachmayer promotes and markets Lakeville for economic development, works closely with existing businesses in the community to meet their needs, distributes a monthly business newsletter and actively supports the Lakeville Area Chamber of Commerce’s workforce development initiative called Lakeville Works. During the pandemic, Ms. Bachmayer helped to administer three Small Business Emergency Grant Program rounds to assist Lakeville businesses struggling due to COVID-19 and shared additional federal and state business assistance information through COVID-19 Special Edition newsletters. Ms. Bachmayer is also an active member of EDAM (Economic Development Association of Minnesota), currently serving as 2nd Vice President and board liaison to the Emerging Professionals Committee. Ms. Bachmayer completed her undergraduate work at the University of South Dakota and earned her Master of Arts degree in Strategic Leadership from Bethel University.   

Youthprise

Matt Norris

Nominated by Noah Jordan:

Matt Norris is not only an everyday hero/community leader but a great leader in general. Matt is someone who leads calmly and by example. As the Director of Policy for Youthprise, he is always working to find ways to engage with you; including, his work guiding a group of young people (Bridgemakers) to sue the state of Minnesota while fighting for youth unemployment. He was a champion, and in turn, those youth plaintiffs were able to unlock over $30M in pandemic unemployment assistance AND overturn the 1932 state law preventing them from getting unemployment benefits to begin with. 

Biography:

Matt Norris is the Policy Director & Director of Minnesota Afterschool Advance at Youthprise.  During his time at Youthprise, he has grown Minnesota Afterschool Advance to serve over 1,100 students from 213 cities in 2020 while shipping over 1,300 Chromebooks to help students with distance learning.  He also guided Youthprise’s successful lawsuit against the State of Minnesota to secure unemployment benefits for high school students and coordinated the legislative campaign to permanently repeal this discriminatory state law that dated back to 1939.

Matt launched his interest in activities and advocacy for youth while he was a teenager in Brooklyn Park, where he spearheaded the effort to create the city’s youth engagement initiative, now known as the Brooklyn Bridge Alliance for Youth. As a student at the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management, Matt co-founded a nonprofit organization for youth and was honored as a White House Campus Champions of Change finalist in 2012.  Prior to joining Youthprise, Matt worked at AchieveMpls serving as the Manager of Employer Engagement for STEP-UP Achieve, where he managed the program’s relationships with approximately 160 companies and organizations who hire over 700 high-school interns annually through the program.

Matt has also helped promote social entrepreneurship in Minnesota by serving as an advisor to Venn Foundation. He was a drafter of the Minnesota Benefit Corporation Act and worked to secure the legislation’s passage at the State Capitol. At Fredrikson & Byron, P.A., he helped establish the law firm’s Social Entrepreneurship Practice Group and worked with over a dozen of the state’s first benefit corporations—businesses that legally commit to pursuing a social purpose in addition to profit.

Matt interned in Washington, D.C. for U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar and the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. He holds a J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School and is a licensed attorney in the State of Minnesota.

Fredrikson & Byron, P.A.

Pam Wandzel

Nominated by Kelly Griffith:

Pam is very humble about her impact on the community, but those who work with her describe her as passionate, compassionate and committed. As director of pro bono and community service, Pam works toward Fredrikson & Byron’s goal of meeting its commitment to the Pro Bono Institute’s Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge by providing a minimum of 3 percent of the firm’s billable work to low-income individuals and the organizations that serve them.

She recognizes the impact of building strong, vibrant relationships, and she has the ability to connect the right people to the right cause. According to the five community leaders who contributed to this nomination, Pam has the ability to work with lawyers and staff to uncover their passions, and with nonprofits and community organizations to understand their needs, and the ability to bring these diverse entities together.

During the past 25 years, Pam has worked on countless community projects, including feeding people who are homeless, working in community gardens, rehabbing homes through Rebuilding Together Twin Cities and more.

Attorney Steve Quam, a member of Fredrikson and Byron’s Board of Directors, has worked with Pam for 25 years. “Pam’s compassion for and commitment to the people of our community are truly remarkable. For almost 25 years she has worked tirelessly to establish connections between our firm, our corporate partners, and the community. Pam has made a difference in countless people’s lives. We are lucky to have her at the firm, and lucky to have her as a member of our community.”

However, a good example of a specific project that has had a positive impact on the community is her work last spring and summer to set up a series of free legal clinics at (the) Midtown Global Market in South Minneapolis gave impacted businesses immediate access to free legal advice, which was essential to putting them on a firm path to reopening. Read more in the Star Tribune article, “New legal clinic aims to offer free help to Lake Street businesses hurt by riots.”

KSTP featured the legal clinic in its story, “‘Pop-up’ legal clinic helps businesses damaged after riots, looting.” https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/oM-bCVOJmrTzW5g2UGzGS8/

Biography:

Pam is Fredrikson & Byron’s Director of Pro Bono & Community Service.

Pam began work at Fredrikson & Byron in 1993, when she was hired as a staff recruiter in the Human Resources Department. She became a litigation paralegal in 1995 and the firm’s first pro bono coordinator in 1997. Pam managed both positions until 2006, when she became the firm’s full-time Pro Bono & Community Service Coordinator.

As Director of Pro Bono & Community Service, Pam works to ensure that Fredrikson & Byron meets its commitment to the Pro Bono Institute’s Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge by providing a minimum of 3% of our billable work to low-income individuals and the organizations that serve them.

Minneapolis Foundation

Russell Betts

Nominated by Chanda Smith Baker:

A Philanthropic Advisor at the Minneapolis Foundation since 2016, Russell Betts is passionate about helping donors bring their charitable dreams to life, strengthening our community in countless ways. He is a strong advocate for racial and economic justice, and in the past few years has played a critical role advising several Minnesota-based companies as they evolve their philanthropy to invest more deeply in equity issues, both locally and statewide. In particular, his efforts have led to increased corporate investment in education equity, facilitating grantmaking to increase teacher diversity and better equip all teachers to eliminate racial bias from classrooms. Through his extensive work on the Restore-Rebuild-Reimagine Fund at the Minneapolis Foundation, he is also helping our community recover from the destruction that followed the murder of George Floyd, mustering resources to assist small businesses along Lake Street, West Broadway in Minneapolis, and University Avenue in St. Paul. In addition, Russell is active in a number of community organizations, including Omicron Boulé (Scholarship Chair), Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., the Minnesota Twins Community Fund (Program Committee), the Minnesota Council on Foundations (Diversity and Inclusion Committee), AFP Minnesota Mentor, and the Sanneh Foundation (Events Committee).

Biography:

Russell has more than 20 years of experience in fundraising and alumni relations at major research universities.  At the Minneapolis Foundation, he focuses on serving the charitable needs of corporate executives, their families, and the companies they lead.  Russell came to the Foundation in 2016 from the University of Minnesota Foundation, where he served from 2013 to 2016 as a development officer for the university’s Department of Medicine.  Prior to that, he spent a decade at the University of Wisconsin Foundation, where he served as director of development covering the Southern United States, then athletics, and eventually the Law School.  He began his career as the director of diversity and assistant field representative for the Wisconsin Alumni Association.  He holds a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Fairview Range

Jean MacDonnell

Nominated anonymously:

Jean is the CEO of Grand Itasca Hospital and Clinic. She has had to manage staff and community COVID responses in an incredibly difficult environment, political divisions over mask mandates and literally demonstrations against our health system.  Plus, during the Pandemic, Fairview asked her to also be the interim CEO of a large clinic on the Iron Range in Hibbing.

Biography:

Jean MacDonell has been the President and CEO at Grand Itasca since 2019 and became the President and CEO of Fairview Range in June of 2021. Jean has 23 years of experience in health care, 14 of which have been at Grand Itasca. She graduated from Grand Rapid High School, attended the College of St. Scholastica for her Bachelor of Science in Health Information Management, and received her Master of Business Administration from the University of St. Thomas.

Second Harvest North Central Food Bank

Susan Estee

Nominated anonymously:

Has served the local food bank for decades. Visionary. Served on MCN’s board for years. Has expanded the reach of foodshelves to hyper-rural areas and reservations.

Biography:

Susan Estee is the Executive Director of Second Harvest North Central Food Bank in Grand Rapids, the Feeding America member food bank serving north central Minnesota.  Sue has been in this position for 21 years, oversees a $2+million operating budget, 15 employees and over 500 volunteers. Prior to Second Harvest, Sue worked in the agriculture and construction industries and owed her own small business.  Sue currently serves as a trustee of BenefitsMN, has served on the board of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, the Itasca Economic Development Committee, Grand Rapids Chamber and Hunger Solutions Minnesota, and a Feeding America national task force. Sue is a 2004 graduate of the Blandin Community Leadership Program.

Sue is a native of North Dakota and a graduate of North Dakota State University.  She has been married to her husband Jeff for 44 years and they have a daughter, Lexi.  Sue is an avid gardener and cook.  They spend time on their sailboat in the Apostle Islands every summer.

League of Women Voters - Minnesota

Nick Harper

Nominated by Grace Riley:

In his Twitter bio, Nick describes himself as an “anxious, jealous guardian of democracy.” As a lawyer, he has a deep understanding of the law and the layers of government. His skill is in translating that highly technical understanding to plain language that helps voters. Most recently, he wrote about the public safety question on the ballot this fall in Minneapolis. He also went above and beyond during the 2020 election with the LWVMN voter guide, trying to cover 7000+ races in MN and giving an explanation of the smaller, uncontested races so people could learn about all the lines on their ballot.

Biography:

Nick works as the Civic Engagement Director for the League of Women Voters of Minnesota. He leads state advocacy initiatives in both legislation and litigation and provides over 30 local chapters, 2,400 members, and countless volunteers with guidance on nonpartisan voter engagement.  

In addition to his job, Nick volunteers to teach a free Civic Engagement 101 class through the St. Paul Public School Community Education program. He describes himself as loving law, policy, and process, but hating politics. He’s always happy to help everyday people understand how to leverage their power within our political systems.

His policy interests cover all aspects of political activity and civic engagement, including legislative process, money in politics, voting rights, redistricting, and other election law. He holds a B.A. in political science from Gustavus Adolphus College and a J.D. with public service honors from the University of Iowa College of Law. He is also a licensed attorney in Minnesota.

Outside of law and policy, Nick enjoys reading fantasy literature, trying new cheeses (and enjoying old favorites, like triple cream Brie), and watching Bob’s Burgers.

Lakeville Chamber of Commerce

Krista Jech

Nominated by Luke Hellier:

This team of exceptional individuals set aside their normal lives for an entire year to work day and night to access every resource available to help the Lakeville business community survive and thrive during the pandemic. Without their work, I’m not sure our city would have been able to bounce back as quickly as we have.

Biography:

Krista Jech, President of the Lakeville Area Chamber of Commerce, has nearly 25 years of sales, marketing, event and project management experience. She spent 15 of those years in the print media industry, working for both the Star Tribune and ECM Publishers. She also served as an account manager for KSTP-TV and Channel 45, Hubbard Broadcasting stations, before joining the Lakeville Area Chamber staff in October of 2018.  As the Chamber President, she partners with, and works on behalf of, the business community on advocacy and access, marketing, workforce development and connections to a variety of resources.

A Burnsville High School graduate, and resident of Lakeville for over 14 years, Jech has many connections in the Lakeville community and greater Dakota County. Her passion for the Chamber world began in her role as Director of Specialty Publications for ECM Publishers, where she partnered with over 20 chambers of commerce in Minnesota and western Wisconsin to produce their custom annual publications, including the Lakeville Chamber’s annual membership directory and inDemand magazine. Prior to joining the Chamber staff in 2018, she was an active volunteer for the Chamber – on both the Landscape & Home/Consumer Showcase Expo and Fall Gala committees.  She is a Lakeville Rotarian, a Pan-O-Prog board member since 2013, and currently serves on the Dakota Scott Workforce Board Business Services Committee, Dakota County Technical College Business Management Advisory Committee, and The Open Door Food Pantry Development Committee.

Jech has a degree in journalism, with an emphasis on advertising, from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire.  She and her husband, Jory, a teacher for 23 years, have two boys currently attending Lakeville North High School.

Jennifer Eldredge

Nominated by Cameron Potts:

Jenny is the driving force behind Bellis, an adoption awareness organization that has in the last few years begun to focus on providing support to the birth mothers who have been forgotten in the adoption process. In 2021, she has spearheaded a new program that is providing support to women who have lost custody through the court system. These women have had legal issues that have led to a forced loss of custody, and they receive no counseling or support to manage the unimaginable loss of their children due to the choices they have met. Once a week, Bellis hosts support groups to provide a safe place for women to share their stories and work through their grief, the first of its kind program anywhere in the country. There is a critical need in the court system to provide support and counseling for these women and Bellis is stepping up to make that happen, all through their non-profit work. Jenny is the driving force behind this and other retreats for birth mothers to share their stories and to find common language for adoption. She has also created in-school programs where birth and adoptive parents, and adopted people go in and share their stories to create more awareness of the amazing adoptive stories.

Jenny is an amazing leader and mother. She gives of herself constantly and is passionate about being a national leader in providing a safe place for everyone involved in the adoption process to share their stories, their struggles and their passions.

Biography:

Jenny Eldredge is changing the way the community sees and supports individuals whose lives have been touched by adoption and foster care. As executive director of Bellis, a 38-year-old Minnesota nonprofit, Jenny is responsible for strategic visioning, operations, and fundraising. Under her leadership, Bellis has increased its budget by 250 percent, designed a meaningful framework to support more than 100 volunteers, and secured grants to fund innovative work benefiting the adoption and foster care community. Specifically, Bellis developed the Stronger Together Model, which offers peer-based emotional support to address the unique and often unrecognized grief of birth mothers (women whose children are parented by others). 

As an adoptive mother, Jenny joined Bellis’ board of directors in 2004 to help raise awareness, compassion, and sensitivity for those whose lives are touched by adoption, whether by choice or circumstance. This passion to serve has resulted in deep emotional healing and amplifying the stories of adoption and foster care.

Throughout her life, Jenny has demonstrated a blend of leadership, servanthood and mentorship that makes others take note and strive for advancement in our communities. Jenny has led a team at the Minnesota Dental Association in launching a free dental care program, which served more than 50,000 children in her 13 years as the program’s coordinator. She has held numerous roles on boards and committees of her faith community over the past 25 years. She is an active member of St. Katharine Drexel Catholic Church in Ramsey, Minn.

A graduate of the University of North Dakota with a B.A. in journalism, Jenny also holds a Masters of Theological Studies degree from the University of Dallas.

Civic Source

Wendy Helgeson

Nominated by Becky Smith:

Wendy is a community connector. I met her thorough Leadership Twin Cities. Wendy created the first and planned, facilitated and executed Inter-City Leadership Visit (ICLV) for 20 years. Both the Vikings and Twins credit ICLV for their new stadiums. The Itasca Project and Greater MSP were created because of ICLV trips. Bringing people together and helping them make real connections is a true gift that Wendy has!

The Twin Cities is better because of people like Wendy.

Biography:

Wendy Blethen Helgeson (She/Her/Hers) has over 25 years of experience working in creating cross-sector collaboration in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul region.  The initiative Wendy created, plus the established civic-focused programming she ran for the Minneapolis Chamber always includes connecting people and organizations in a strategic way creating partnerships for the nonprofit sector, Fortune 500 executives, small business owners and elected officials Her primary focus of work is building community coalitions using events and programs with a civic focus. She is an expert at creating public/private partnerships and pairing organizations for mutually beneficial objectives. She is a partner for all projects needing a leader from conception to implementation. Wendy has a proven ability to develop and maintain long-term professional relationships and deliver extraordinary customer service.

While at the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce, as Vice President Membership Development, Wendy oversaw the Leadership Twin Cities Program, the Keystone Program and all volunteer committees. 

Wendy was part of the initial team that researched and created the first ever “InterCity Leadership Visit” (ICLV) hosted by both the Minneapolis and Saint Paul Chambers of Commerce. After developing and running the ICLV and her colleague Ellen Watters created their consulting firm “Civic Source”. Civic Source continued to research, plan, create agenda, manage all logistics of air travel, hotel and all food/beverage for all 20 of the InterCity Leadership Visit trips to various communities across the county. 

Civic Source also created and facilitated the “Partnership Program” which was hosted by Chambers of Commerce and Meet Minneapolis.  This community orientation was designed to support professionals of color with their transition to living in the MSP community. 

Wendy partnered with the Citizens League in the creation and facilitation of two “Generation Now Leadership Visits” modeled after the successful ICLV – these trips to Milwaukee WI and Fargo ND gave “emerging leaders” their own study mission experience to create sustainable cross-sector relationships for our leaders of tomorrow.

Wendy has established relationships with leaders in the public and private sector, elected and appointed officials, and non-profit executives throughout Minneapolis-Saint Paul, and other metropolitan areas nationwide.

Lakeville Convention & Visitors Bureau

Jeanne Hutter

Nominated by Luke Hellier:

Jeanne is part of a team of exceptional individuals who set aside their normal lives for an entire year, to work day and night to access every resource available to help the Lakeville business community survive and thrive during the pandemic. Without this team’s amazing work, I’m not sure our city would have been able to bounce back as quickly as we have.

Biography:

Jeanne Hutter is the Director of the Lakeville Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) and Vice President of the Lakeville Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism. Working for the organizations for 20 years, she creatively markets the Lakeville community, attracting visitors and groups resulting in economic impact to local businesses. Jeanne Hutter also develops and manages programs and organizes initiatives that benefit local businesses including Weddings of Lakeville, LakevilleRestaurants.com, multi-community marketing co-ops, and social media influencer programs. Her skills include connecting businesses and rallying them around common goals.

When Minneapolis hosted Super Bowl LII, Jeanne organized an State of MN award-winning media event for Lakeville, where 30 local business donated $10,000 in-kind contributions for a program that resulted in national advertising estimated at $1.6 million. Jeanne Hutter is dedicated to the livelihood of the Lakeville business community. She has served on community boards including the Lakeville Arts Center, Lakeville’s Pan-O-Prog (largest festival), City of Lakeville’s Envision Lakeville, and non-profit fundraisers including 360’s Communities Lewis House golf fundraiser, and numerous sports and community fundraisers. Jeanne recently developed Plateful Of Love, a program that took place during the holidays to help hospitality employees that had job/hour loss due to Covid. The development of LakevilleRestaurants.com also during the pandemic, resulted in a grant funded marketing campaign, website and communications efforts to encourage safe and protected options for food service.