Conference Speakers

MacArthur Antigua is the founder and principal of Massive Creativity, an organization that facilitates spaces and experiences to cultivate the artistry and genius of individuals, organizations and communities. Past clients have included Numen Development (Houston, TX), OneStar Foundation (Austin, TX), Memorial Hermann Hospital (Fort Bend, TX), Local Support Initiatives Corporation (New York, NY) and the Alliance for Children and Families (Milwaukee, WI)

Kate Barr is executive director of Nonprofits Assistance Fund, whose mission is to foster community development and vitality by building financially healthy nonprofit organizations. Kate has led the organization’s growth as a premier resource for training, strategic financial counsel, and financing for nonprofit organizations. Kate was formerly a Senior Vice President at Riverside Bank. With her unique insight and experience, she is a popular speaker, trainer, and writer on nonprofit management and financial issues. Kate has a Master’s degree from Hamline University and is currently an adjunct faculty member. She serves on the boards of directors of several nonprofits.

Jeanne Bell, MNA is executive director of CompassPoint Nonprofit Services---one of the country’s leading providers of training and consulting services to community-based organizations. She is the co-author of Financial Leadership for Nonprofit Executives: Guiding Your Organization to Long Term Success (Wilder). Jeanne serves on the Advisory Boards of the Institute for Nonprofit Organization Management at the University of San Francisco and The Nonprofit Quarterly.

Steve Boland is executive director of the Greater Frogtown Community Development Corporation, where he focuses on combining community needs with economic viability in business and housing. Steve’s background includes work for Congressman Bruce Vento, the Saint Paul Neighborhood Network, Minnesota Technology, the Minnesota Housing Partnership, and the Summit-University Planning Council. Steve is currently a member of the Board of Directors for the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, and is an alumnus of the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities and the James Shannon Leadership Institute of the Wilder Foundation.

Hudie Broughton is the Member Engagement Director for The LEAD Project. During the day, Hudie is a Senior Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch. In the nonprofit sector, Hudie is personally committed to causes that benefit the arts, AIDS services, and housing. In that role, he serves as the President of Clare Housing's Board of Directors.

R. Jane Brown is the former executive director of Second Harvest Heartland and past President of the Minnesota High Tech Association. She also previously worked in the administration of former Governor Carlson. She currently serves on the boards of HealthPartners and the HealthPartners Research Foundation.

Jeff Corn holds a B.A. degree in political science from the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom. He currently works for the Center on Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA). Previously, he spent three years as the community development coordinator for the Longfellow Community Council, a neighborhood group in Minneapolis. He has also worked as the aide for Doré Mead, a Minneapolis City Council Member, and in the City of Minneapolis Intergovernmental Relations Department. He is a candidate for the Master of Public Affairs Program (MPA) at the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs.

Gary DeCramer has served as a state senator representing the southwestern region of Minnesota, as state director of USDA Rural Development, principal planning analyst for Hennepin County’s Office of Planning and Development, senior fellow in the Humphrey Institute's State and Local Policy Program and the University of Minnesota's Center for Transportation Studies, and interim president of Southwest State University in Marshall, Minnesota. He is a board member for Project Harvest Hope, an organization dedicated to values-based economic and agricultural development in the villages of the Transylvanian region of Romania. Gary is the director of the Humphrey Institute's mid-career Master of Public Affairs program. He teaches in that program and in the University's leadership minor. He holds a M.A. in English from the University of Oklahoma and a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of St. Thomas.

James Delaney is a board member of The LEAD Project and vice president and relationship manager of the Institutional Health Savings Account group at U.S. Bank.

Kris Fredson is the deputy chief of staff for St. Paul's Mayor Chris Coleman.

Mark French is the board chair of Rainbow Families.

Nicole Garst, program coordinator at the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, works with educatinal programming, marketing and is co-facilitator for MCN's 2009 Strategic Connector Nonprofit Leadership Institute. She was previously a reference librarian, editor and public radio DJ, and has worked in the nonprofit sector for organizations seeking to end violence against women and reform the criminal justice system. Nicole holds a B.A. in English from Colorado College and sits on the board of the Twin Cities Young Nonprofit Professionals Network.

Jennifer Godinez is associate director of the Minnesota Minority Education Partnership (MMEP) and director of the Minnesota College Access Network (MCAN). Previously, she was executive director of La Escuelita, a founding board member of Achieve!Minneapolis, the Latino Economic Development Center, and the Latino Scholarship Fund of Minnesota. Her education policy and nonprofit work has earned her awards from local community groups such as the Hispanic Business Chamber, the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, and this year she is a recipient of the German Marshall Fund Fellowship and will be visiting education and policy leaders in seven European countries in the Fall of 2008.


Cathy Gustafson is the director of the Hamline’s Master’s of Nonprofit Management program and related nonprofit community initiatives in its newly formed School of Business. She has extensive experience working with nonprofit clients in areas of strategic planning, human resources, executive search and leadership support. Previously, she served as a consultant with Cincinnatus, marketing and related communications positions with 3M Company, Control Data and Emerson Electric. Cathy holds a B.A. from the University of Minnesota School of Journalism, a Master’s degree of Public Administration and Doctoral degree from Hamline University.

Christine Hammes has more than 13 years’ experience in organization and leadership development consulting with nonprofits throughout Minnesota and nationally. She came to MAP from The Milestone Group, LLP, where she was a founding partner and consultant for both the private and public sectors. Christine has a broad knowledge of trends in business, having spent her first career of 16 years in management at Xerox, Bell + Howell, and Gale Research International. She holds a BA from Hamilton College and has completed graduate work in business and education. Christine volunteers in a variety of community settings and has served on a number of boards including Walker West Music Academy in St. Paul and Children’s Development Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Jean Hammink has over 25 years experience working in leadership positions in the nonprofit, government, and corporate sectors including directing three nonprofits organizations and leading local, state and national initiatives. Since founding the consulting firm insideoutcomes in 2004, Jean has worked with close to 500 people to improve results "from the inside out" through emotional intelligence (EI) coaching, training and consulting. Jean has a MPA from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, has completed several training programs in emotional intelligence and is certified as a Myers Briggs Type Indicator administrator.

Matt Hemsley is the president of The LEAD Project and also a consultant at McKinsey & Company.

Ernie Johnson is the executive director of the Sabathani Community Center.

Justin Johnson is staff at the Minnesota AIDS Project. He also serves on the board of the Twin Cities Young Nonprofit Professionals Network.

Kate Kelsch - bio coming soonis a Leadership Consultant at the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation coordinating the Neighborhood Leadership Programs, an initiative to provide grassroots community members with knowledge, skills, and connections for effective community action. Prior to joining the Wilder Foundation, Kelsch was the New Tactics in Human Rights project manager at The Center for Victims of Torture. She has over 15 years experience empowering people to participate in their communities, building collaboration across countries and cultures, and facilitating the sharing of ideas and experiences to build more powerful community action.

Sean Kershaw had been a member of the Citizens League Board since 1996, and in 2003 became the president of the organization. Previously, Sean was a deputy director for the City of Saint Paul’s Department of Planning and Economic Development (PED), where he chaired then-Mayor Norm Coleman’s e-Government initiative and coordinated Mayor Coleman’s information technology, charter school, and education initiatives. Prior to that, he was planning coordinator for the Public Housing Authority in Omaha, Nebraska.

Jay Kiedrowski is a senior fellow in the Public and Nonprofit Leadership Center at the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. Previously, he was the Minnesota Commissioner of Finance, Minneapolis Budget Director, and a Minnesota Senate researcher. He is currently Treasurer of the Guthrie Theater and holds B.S.M.E., M.A. and Ed.D. degrees.

Frances Kunreuther directs the Building Movement Project and is also a senior fellow at the Research Center for Leadership and Action at NYU. She has written numerous articles and is co-author of From the Ground Up: Grassroots Organizations Making Social Change (Cornell, 2006) and the forthcoming, Working Across Generations: Defining the Future of Nonprofit Leadership (Jossey Bass, Fall 2008). Frances was a fellow at the Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations at Harvard University for five years after heading the Hetrick-Martin Institute for lesbian and gay youth. She has worked with immigrants, homeless families, domestic violence and sexual assault survivors, and substance users during her thirty years in the nonprofit sector.

Anna Lloyd is the executive director of the Center for Integrative Leadership at the University of Minnesota, where she manages the center’s non-academic activities and supporting the center’s academic activities. She was previously president of TheLloydGroup, president and executive director of The Committee of 200 (C200), and had her own public affairs firm. Anna has served in leadership roles for a number of nonprofit organizations, including Ms. Foundation for Women, The New York Aids Coalition, the Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility, and many others. She holds a master’s degree in urban affairs and public policy from Hunter College in New York City and a bachelor’s degree in urban affairs from Boston University.

Zeeda Magnuson is the associate director of Hands On Twin Cities where she oversees programming and trainings. She conducts customized workshops and teaches volunteer management classes for the University of St. Thomas and for Hamline University as well as nonprofit and corporate groups. Zeeda previously owned a consulting business, Education Strategies, Inc., and was director of Best Prep, a nonprofit serving K-12 students and teachers. Zeeda is the 2006 recipient of the Minnesota Association for Volunteer Administration’s “Excellence in Leadership Award.”

Carlos Mariani Rosa is executive director of the Minnesota Minority Education Partnership, and is a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives, representing St. Paul district 65B, and was recently named chair of the E-12 Education Policy Committee. He is a member of the Democratic Farmer-Labor Party (DFL), and has focused his efforts on issues affecting urban and minority communities including education, public transit, housing and economic development. In 1993, he received the Legislator of the Year Award from the Minnesota Alliance for Progressive Action, and was also recognized by the Jobs Now Coalition, receiving their “Courage of Conscience Award” for work on behalf of low-income immigrant communities.

Ruth McCambridge is editor in chief of the Nonprofit Quarterly, a national journal of nonprofit management and leadership. Her background includes 35 years of experience in nonprofits, primarily in organizations that mix grassroots community work with policy change. Beginning in the late 1990s McCambridge spent a decade at the Boston Foundation developing and implementing its diverse capacity building programs. She has spoken and published extensively on nonprofit management and governance.

Renee McGivern has worked in Twin Cities nonprofits for over 25 years. During that time, she's been development, communications and executive directors, raised $32 million, worked with some 1,000 volunteers, and interacted with dozens of editors and reporters. Her experience is grounded in by a B.A. in Journalism and an M.A. in Education with a concentration in training and performance improvement. Renee has survived two major organizational crises as a staff person and triumphed over another as an interim director. She founded Spark Plug Consulting in March of this year to focus on igniting member learning and connection to boost association value.

As Project Director for the Kellogg Action Lab, Ron McKinley facilitates connections between nonprofits and capacity building resources in an effort to build strength throughout the nonprofit/philanthropic sector. In his career, Ron has served as executive director of the National Network of Grantmakers, director of the Wilder Center for Communities, vice president of The Saint Paul Companies, Inc Foundation, founding director of The Minnesota Minority Education Partnership, senior program officer for the Minneapolis Foundation, and as president of the Minneapolis Planning Commission.

Roger Meyer is the lead consultant for Roger Meyer Consulting, Inc. Since 1993, Roger has worked with a variety of partnerships, non-profits, government entities and community groups as they go through transition. Through a facilitative leadership style, he builds consensus and keeps organizations and partnerships moving through difficult issues. Roger holds a B.A. in Speech Communication from the University of Minnesota, has received a fellowship to study community involvement across the United States, and has received recognition for his work to improve his St. Paul neighborhood.

Mai Moua received a doctorate in leadership studies from Gonzaga University. She has presented her research on leadership to an internationally diverse audience consisting of leadership scholars and academics, executives and directors, practitioners, and students on a national and international level including the Middle East, Europe, and Canada. She consults in the areas of leadership development and design, program evaluation and research, and organizational development. She has held leadership and management positions with several nonprofit organizations in Minnesota and Washington.

Heidi Neff Christianson is a partner at Moore, Costello & Hart, P.L.L.P. where she counsels nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations. She is a 1995 Magna Cum Laude graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School. She served as an assistant attorney general in the Charities Division of the Minnesota Attorney General's Office from 1996 through 2001.

Uri Neren is founder of Generate, and has run small businesses, taught leadership skills, and led nonprofit development departments in the areas of healthcare, international development, conservation, policy, education, and media. As a Hubert H. Humphrey Institute Policy Fellow, he worked to create a state jobs training program for Minnesota’s energy sector. Uri received a B.S. in International Relations and Biology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is currently completing the Executive MBA at the Carlson School of Management. He is a cofounder and board member of The LEAD Project.

Charlie Oakes is executive director of West Central Industries in Willmar and Hutchinson, as well as a board member at large of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits. He has served 10 years on a public school board, 7 years on a Housing & Redevelopment Agency, 2 years on his local Economic Development Agency, and is currently serving on the Willmar City Planning Commission. He is active in state trade associations, is the past president of the MN Developmental Achievement Center Association and the current president elect of the MN Association of Community Rehabilitation Organizations. Charlie has over 30 years experience as a nonprofit manager.



Jessie Ostlund is the public relations director for The LEAD Project and senior account executive at Himle Horner, Inc.

Anita Patel is the Director of Racial Justice & Public Policy for the YWCA of Minneapolis. She is an experienced circle facilitation trainer and is skilled in circle facilitation, conflict resolution, and Mindful Facilitation techniques. Anita received her Masters in Public Policy from the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute and a B.S. in Psychology and Theology from Valparaiso University. She is a Trustee for the Ripley Memorial Foundation. Inc., a Board member of the Minnesota Women's Consortium and a member of the Board of Directors for WATCH.

Jon Pratt has served as executive director for the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits since helping found the organization in 1987. He is public policy committee co- chair of the National Council of Nonprofit Associations, a contributing editor of the Nonprofit Quarterly, and has been recognized several times by The Nonprofit Times as one of the 50 most influential nonprofit leaders in the United States. Prior to his work at MCN, Jon worked in nonprofit organizations as an attorney, lobbyist and director. Pratt has a law degree from Antioch School of Law, Washington, D.C., and a Masters in public administration from Harvard University.

Abby Riskin is the assistant director of Rainbow Families.

Mark Ritchie serves as Minnesota's Secretary of State, the state's chief elections officer. Mark previously worked in the administration of Minnesota's Governor Rudy Perpich in the Department of Agriculture, responsible for addressing the economic crisis facing family farmer and rural communities. Mark served for twenty years as the president of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), a Minnesota-based public research center working with businesses, churches, farm organizations, and other civic groups to foster long-term economic and environmental sustainability in Greater Minnesota.

Paul Robinson is the senior leadership consultant for the Shannon Institute. He joined the Wilder Center for Communities staff after working the last two years as an independent consultant in both the quarterly and monthly programs. Previously, he served as the Spiritual Care Director for Catholic Charities for six years tending to the spiritual needs of the poor in Saint Paul and Minneapolis. His combined experience in business, ministry, and administration spans 20 years. Paul holds a B.S. degree in finance from Eastern Illinois University and a Master of Divinity from McCormick Theological Seminary.

Jodi Sandfort's research, teaching, and practice at the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs focus on improving the implementation of social policy, particularly those policies designed to support low-income children and their families. As a result, she works with and studies the networks of public, private, and philanthropic organizations and leaders that come together to develop and deliver social programs. Her current research and practice projects include examinations of nonprofit organizational finances, strategic philanthropic investment, and management innovation and organizational effectiveness within human service organizations. Jodi is also a senior fellow at the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, where she develops programming for their Leadership Development initiative. Jodi received a Ph.D. in political science and social work from the University of Michigan. She holds a Master's degree in social work from the University of Michigan and a B.A. from Vassar College.

Victoria Saunders is an arts management consultant in San Diego who specializes in leadership development and arts education research and assessment. She founded the first professional and leadership development program for young arts administrators in San Diego-Emerging Leaders of Arts and Culture while on staff at the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture. She received her M.A. in Arts Education, Community Cultural Services, from the University of Oregon and is a certified personal coach.

Damon Shoholm is a Leadership Consultant with the Youth Leadership Initiative program, providing program development and curriculum design, facilitation, and training to multicultural youth in the Saint Paul East Metro area. He was previously an educator in the Minneapolis School District and as Co-Director of a project based charter school in Saint Paul.He recently completed course work for a Master’s degree in Leadership and will be working to apply concepts and methodologies to strengthen both Wilder leadership programming and also the communities that Wilder serves.

Laura Smidzik is the executive director of Project 515, a focused initiative working to ensure that same sex couples and their families have equal rights and considerations under Minnesota Law. Previously, served as executive director of Rainbow Families. She received her Masters in Educational Policy and Administration from the University of Minnesota and spent over ten years working in the area of career development and internships at Macalester College and Hamline University. Laura had the honor of being a part of the first MN Council of Nonprofits Senior Managers Leadership Institute in 2007.

Melissa Stone is the Gross Family Professor of Nonprofit Management and an Associate Professor of Public Affairs and Planning at the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. Stone directs the Institute's Public and Nonprofit Leadership Center. Her teaching and research focuses on governance and strategic management of nonprofit organizations, government-nonprofit relationships, and cross-sector partnerships as policy implementation tools. Stone has published widely on these topics, sits on the editorial board of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly and the Advisory Board of Nonprofit Management and Leadership and holds a Ph.D. from Yale University.


Terry Straub is the program coordinator for the Hennepin County Master Gardeners at the University of Minnesota Extension.

Linda Tacke, president of Leadership Tactics, holds a M.B.A. from the University of South Dakota and a B.A. cum laude from Loras College. She spent ten years in corporate finance before focusing on nonprofit leadership. Laura has served with numerous organizations in management positions, including Turning Point and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Minneapolis, among others. Linda serves as an adjunct professor at the University of St. Thomas.

Rosetta Thurman is an emerging nonprofit leader of color working and living in the Washington, DC area. She has been working in the nonprofit community for six years with extensive training and experience in fundraising, human resources, financial management, writing and communications, strategic planning, and training for nonprofit managers and staff. She is currently the Director of Development and Special Programs at the Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington and the Principal Consultant at Thurman Consulting, working with nonprofits to position their operations for long-term sustainability. Rosetta holds a Master's Degree in Nonprofit Management, is an active member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, and serves on two nonprofit boards – DC Central Kitchen and the DC Creative Writing Workshop.

Barbara Tuckner has been Principal of Tuckner Consulting, Inc. since 1985. As an organization development consultant, she has worked with hundreds of companies, organizations and schools on issues related to leadership, strategy planning, performance, and, teaming. She lives in St. Paul.

Bao Vang is the leadership program coordinator at the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits. She has over 10 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, including Lao Hmong Community, Inc., in Detroit, MI and the Hmong American Partnership. Bao is an active member of Asian American Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy – MN Chapter, Hmong Women’s Giving Circle, and the Capital Campaign Committee for the Asian Pacific Cultural Center.  She helped found and start the Hmong Student Organization at Michigan State University.

Nicole Weiler, Free Store director at St. Stephen's Human Services in South Minneapolis, recruits and trains out-of-work program participants to gain the skills and mindset necessary to succeed in a livable wage position. Active in the community, Nicole passionately volunteers much of her time to improving the transportation situation in Minneapolis, focusing mainly on pedestrian and bicycling accessibility and safety. Nicole sits on the board for the Twin Cities Chapter of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network.

Vicki Wunsch serves as a board member of Rainbow Families.

Nou Yang is a Leadership Consultant with the Youth Leadership Initiative program, providing technical support to youth mentors and interns, designing curriculum and coordinating program activities for multicultural youth in the Saint Paul, East Metro area. Yang has ten years experience working with diverse youth and families in various capacities. She has delivered and managed leadership programs for girls, engaged in community cultivation, mentored and co-facilitated social support groups to Southeast Asian girls, provided technical support to youth serving organizations, and delivered crisis intervention services to families and vulnerable adults.