Executive Director, Somali Youth and Family Development Center

Fatoun Ali is a dynamic leader, entrepreneur, and community advocate. She is the Founder and Executive Director of the Somali Youth and Family Development Center, an organization dedicated to empowering Somali youth and families through education, mentorship, and community support.

In addition to her nonprofit work, Fatoun is the owner of Hayat Properties, a successful real estate business that reflects her entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to building generational wealth within her community.

Fatoun is also an accomplished author, mentor, and coach, inspiring individuals to achieve their personal and professional goals. Her work focuses on fostering resilience, leadership, and a sense of purpose in those she mentors. Through her initiatives, she continues to make a profound impact on the lives of many, creating opportunities for growth and success.

Director, Center for Policy Research and Community Engagement, St. Cloud State University

King Banaian is a professor of economics and director of the Center for Policy Research and Community Engagement at St. Cloud State University. He has co-authored the St. Cloud Quarterly Business Report since 2004. A former university administrator and state representative from St. Cloud, he holds the Ph.D. in economics from the Claremont Graduate School.  He has authored 2 books and over 50 articles discussing monetary policy and political economy. He serves as president of the St. Cloud Economic Development Authority, a member of Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board and the St. Cloud Regional Airport Authority.

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Granite Partners

Rick is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Granite Partners, shaping vision and strategy. In prior roles, Rick co-founded Venture Allies, was in general management at Bauerly Companies, and worked for Deloitte & Touche. A graduate of Saint John's University, Rick also holds an MBA and MPA from Harvard University. In the community, Rick helped build the Anderson Center, a nonprofit dedicated to management and leadership development, and serves on its board. He also serves as co-chair on the Community Advisory Board for St. Cloud State University, and is a prior board member for CentraCare Health and Initiative Foundation. He was an incorporator of the Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation and is a United Way Leader in Giving. On a personal note,

Rick enjoys time with family, nature and travel, and triathlons with friends.

Executive Director for Faith and Learning, Concordia College

Dr. Michael Chan joined the Concordia College community in June 2022 as the executive director for faith and learning. Prior to that, he was associate professor of Old Testament at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. He joined Luther Seminary after completing his Ph.D. at Emory University and a year of research and teaching at the University of Helsinki. He is a graduate of Luther Seminary (M.A. in biblical theology) and Pacific Lutheran University (B.A. in elementary education). Dr. Chan provides leadership and support for the Campus Ministry team; the Dovre Center for Faith and Learning; and the Lorentzsen Center for Faith and Work.

President of Minnesota Public Radio and Senior Vice President, American Public Media Group

Duchesne Drew is Senior Vice President at American Public Media Group and President of Minnesota Public Radio. In this role, he leads the teams that produce MPR News, The Current, APM Reports and YourClassical. Before joining American Public Media Group, Duchesne led the Bush Foundation’s leadership programs, community innovation and communication teams and built networks across the region as its Community Network vice president.

Prior to his role at Bush Foundation, Duchesne was managing editor of operations at the Minnesota daily newspaper the Star Tribune, where he began as a summer intern and rose to one of the most senior roles in the newsroom. In 2021, he was inducted into the Hall of Achievement at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and was named in 2022 and 2024 to The Root 100, an annual list of the most influential Black Americans in the fields of arts, community, business, entertainment, media and politics.

Duchesne serves on the Board of Directors for the McKnight Foundation and is an alumni and member of the Columbia University Board of Trustees.

Advocacy Director, National Association of Evangelicals

Steven Eng, NAE advocacy director, works with evangelical leaders, pastors, nonprofit leaders and others to use their influence to promote the common good, rooted in the NAE resource, “For the Health of the Nation.” An ordained pastor in the Evangelical Covenant Church, Eng has served churches in the Pacific Northwest and in Alexandria, Willmar and Rochester, Minnesota. In recent years he has spoken at over 150 events around the country, including at Christian universities and in Washington, D.C., and also trains advocates, and meets with lawmakers on Capitol Hill. A graduate of Wayzata High School, Eng received a degree in political science from St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN and a Master of Divinity degree from North Park Theological Seminary, Chicago.

Principal of Momentum Advocacy

Amy was the first woman to serve as Majority Leader in the Minnesota Senate. She served from 2005 to 2013 and led the Republican caucus into the majority in 2010, flipping 16 seats as Elections Chair. Amy has a deep background in clean energy and municipal affairs, having served on the Senate Energy and Transportation Committees and led the Senate Economic Development Committee. Since her Senate tenure, Amy has worked in political consulting and crisis communications. She is a frequent political analyst recognized for her center-right perspective, including regular appearances on PBS's Almanac. Nationally, she has worked on banking, international trade, green steel, veteran support for smart foreign policy, rail safety and agriculture. Amy has served as Chair of the Conservative Energy Forum and on the Minnesota Police Chiefs Foundation board.

A former Russian linguist for the U.S. Air Force and NSA, Amy holds an MBA and teaches at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs.

Traverse County Resident | VP of Workforce - Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber

Jane Vangsness Frisch, Ph.D., serves as Vice President of Workforce at the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber of Commerce, where she leads regional workforce strategy, employer partnerships, and talent initiatives. She is also an Affiliate Graduate Faculty member at North Dakota State University. A former higher education leader, Jane brings experience in student success, community engagement, and systems change. She is an Aspen Presidential Fellow and U.S. Chamber Foundation Business Leads Fellow, and she holds three degrees from NDSU, including her Ph.D. Jane lives in the “middle of everywhere” near Dumont, Minnesota, with her husband, Tom, a fourth-generation farmer and their dog Aspen

President and CEO, Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation

Benya Kraus calls home both Waseca, Minnesota – where her family has farmed for six generations – and Bangkok, Thailand. Since 2025, she serves as the President and CEO of Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF). Previously, Benya served as Network Advancement Director at Resource Rural, a national philanthropic fund with the mission of unlocking public and private capital for rural and tribal communities. Benya began her career as a social entrepreneur, where she co-founded Lead For America, a national nonprofit that supports emerging leaders in returning and reinvesting in their hometowns. She holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business with concentrations in finance and entrepreneurship, and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Tufts University with a B.A. in international relations.

Executive Director, MiningMinnesota

As the Executive Director of MiningMinnesota, Julie Lucas leads a coalition of community, labor, and industry leaders who advocate for responsible production of mineral resources in Minnesota. Julie previously served as the Environmental Manager of Hibbing Taconite Company and the Director of Water Resources for Twin Metals Minnesota. She attended the University of Minnesota-Duluth (UMD) and has a B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and an M.S. in Water Resources Science.

President, Transform Minnesota

A native of east-central Minnesota, now living in Minneapolis with his wife and children, Carl leads the evangelical network in Minnesota, helping Christian leaders engage complex issues with biblical perspective, and serves on the boards of Transform Minnesota’s three affiliate organizations providing compassion and mercy ministry: Arrive Ministries, Damascus Way Reentry Center, and New Life Family Services. In addition he serves on the Executive Committee of the National Association of Evangelicals, and on the Leadership Team of Mill City Church in NE Minneapolis.

Director of Community Growth, City of Willlmar

J. Pablo is the Director of Community of Growth for the City of Willmar, He brings ample experience addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion work and excellent knowledge about the Willmar area and Minnesota. Before working for the City of Willmar, Pablo was the Director of Diversity Equity and Inclusion for the Minnesota Council on Foundations. Pablo’s networking and leadership with many state-wide BIPOC organizations are examples of his passion and commitment to Welcoming and Belonging work. Pablo holds a master’s in divinity from Luther Seminary. Title: Director of Community Growth for the City of Willmar Pronouns: he/his/El

Founder and President Emeritus, Center for the American Experiment

Mitch Pearlstein is Founder and President Emeritus of Center of the American Experiment. Before his 1990 return to the Twin Cities, Dr. Pearlstein served in the U.S. Department of Education during the Reagan and (first) Bush administrations, and immediately prior to that as an editorial writer for the St. Paul Pioneer Press. He earned his Ph.D. in educational administration, with an emphasis on higher education policy, at the University of Minnesota, and did his undergraduate work in political science at Binghamton University. In 2006, the College of Education and Human Development at the U of M named him one of 100 “Distinguished Alumni” from the college’s first 100 years.

Executive Director, Good Trouble

Under Jose’s leadership, Good Trouble has worked to modernize the principles and practices of nonviolent organizing while building a growing network of more than 2,000+ youth and community members across Minnesota. The organization has convened over 150 youth-led small-group discussions and has forged partnerships with every major public high school in North Minneapolis, as well as with Saint Paul Public Schools, to modernize youth nonviolent organizing as a unifying and daily practice.

Jenna Ray is a Métis-Anishinaabekwe leader, fundraiser, and executive with more than 20 years of experience advancing mission-driven organizations through strategic leadership, inclusive philanthropy, community engagement, and organizational growth. She serves as Executive Director and CEO of GiveMN, where she leads efforts to inspire generosity and expand charitable giving across Minnesota and beyond.

Appointed in 2025 as only the third Executive Director in GiveMN’s history, Jenna has played a key role in the organization’s recent growth and impact. Since joining GiveMN in 2022, she has helped lead record-breaking fundraising campaigns, including the most successful Give to the Max Day in history, which raised more than $37 million for nonprofits statewide. She has also championed initiatives that increase philanthropic access and visibility for rural, Indigenous, LGBTQ+, and women- and girl-centered organizations.

An enrolled member of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana, Jenna brings a leadership philosophy grounded in abundance, relationship-building, and community care.

Executive Director, Minnesota Justice Research Center

Justin Terrell is a community leader with a record of executing successful issue campaigns and is an expert in Criminal Justice and Democracy reform. Justin leads MNJRC’s efforts to build a balanced and rigorous research program aimed at equipping Minnesotans with information and tools needed to transform the punitive criminal legal system.

Senior Rabbi, Temple Israel

Rabbi Marcia A. Zimmerman has served as senior rabbi of Temple Israel in Minneapolis since 2001. She was the congregation’s first female rabbi and the first woman in the United States to lead a synagogue of this size. Rabbi Zimmerman earned her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Macalester College and was ordained at Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion. A passionate advocate on issues affecting Minnesota and the nation, she embodies Temple Israel’s guiding principle: “Our house shall be a house of prayer for all peoples.” She is deeply committed to fostering inclusive programming, education, and worship for people of all backgrounds and identities.