Nonprofit Leadership Institute
Faculty and Trainers
Strengthening Nonprofits and Communities

FACULTY

Jon Pratt has worked in nonprofit organizations as attorney/lobbyist for an environmental organization (Minnesota Public Interest Research Group), regional director for an alternative foundation (the Youth Project), and as director for a coalition formed by nonprofits to reform corporate and foundation philanthropy (the Philanthropy Project). In 1982 he was campaign manager for a candidate for Minnesota State Auditor, Paul Wellstone. In 1987 Jon became director of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, an association of 1500 organizations that sponsors research, training, lobbying and negotiated discounts to strengthen Minnesota's nonprofit sector. Jon is a Contributing Editor of the Nonprofit Quarterly, a national journal based in Boston, and has been recognized several times by The Nonprofit Times as one of the 50 most influential nonprofit leaders in the United States. Jon has a law degree from Antioch School of Law, Washington, D.C., and a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard University.

Jodi Sandfort is an Associate Professor at the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. Jodi’s research, teaching, and practice focus on improving the implementation of social policy, particularly those policies designed to support low-income children and their families. At the Institute, she teaches courses in public and nonprofit management, government-nonprofit relationships, and child & family policy. Most recently, Jodi was the director of the Children’s & Families program at the McKnight Foundation in Minneapolis, where she managed a portfolio of $20 million in annual giving and a team of eight professional staff. She has also worked as an Assistant Professor of Public Administration at the Maxwell School at Syracuse University and a Research Associate at the Center for Policy Research. Jodi received her Ph.D. in 1997 from the University of Michigan in Political Science and Social Work. She also holds a master’s degree in social work from the University of Michigan and a B.A. from Vassar College.

TRAINERS

Marcia Avner is Public Policy Director with the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits. Her work includes advocacy training and education and lobbying on issues that are important to nonprofits and the people they serve. Avner teaches at the Center on Advocacy and Political Leadership at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and at the Master of Arts in Nonprofit Management program at Hamline University in St. Paul, MN. Prior to her work with MCN, Avner served as Communications Director for U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone, Deputy Mayor to St. Paul, Executive Director of The Minnesota Project, Assistant Commissioner of Energy for the State of Minnesota, and Legislative Director with the Minnesota Public Interest Research Group. Avner has a BA from Carnegie Mellon University and a MA from the University of Arkansas.

Jeannie Fox, Deputy Public Policy Director at the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, spent over a decade working in nonprofit and government direct service organizations.  In her current role at MCN, Jeannie is responsible for direct and grassroots lobbying and advocacy efforts, is a frequent speaker and trainer to various nonprofits increasing their capacity to do advocacy and civic engagement work, and is furthering MCN’s policy goals by establishing six regional policy cabinets in strategic geographical areas around the state of Minnesota.  Jeannie has a B.A. degree from South Dakota State University, a Masters degree in Agency Counseling from the University of North Texas, and a Mini-MBA for Nonprofit Organizations from the University of St. Thomas.

Jean Hammink has over 30 years experience working in leadership positions in the nonprofit, government, and corporate sectors including directing three nonprofit organizations and serving on numerous board of directors. In 2004, Jean co-founded insideoutcomes to invest in the leaders (including board members, executive directors, and manager) and emerging leaders who work in organizations to improve results "from the inside out" through emotional intelligence (EI) coaching and training. Jean has a M.P.A. from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, where she studied leadership with Ronald Heifetz, (Leadership on the Line, 2002 and Leadership Without Easy Answers, 1994). In addition she has completed training in emotional intelligence through the Institute for Health and Human Potential and the HayGroup, and is certified through the International Gestalt Coaching Program.

Melissa Middleton Stone, associate professor, specializes in nonprofit management. She has researched the effects of state contracting on United Way agencies, intra- and interorganizational governance, and the politics of planning in nonprofit organizations. She is an associate editor of Nonprofit Management and Leadership and frequently writes on nonprofit management issues for scholarly journals. Stone came to the Humphrey Institute from the Boston University School of Management where she taught management policy and developed core curriculum. She also has served as associate director of the Yale Program on Nonprofit Organizations, supervising budgets and administration of research grants and publications. She has a doctorate in organizational behavior from Yale University.

Lupe Serrano is Executive Director of Casa de Esperanza, a Latina agency, focused in Latino communities and dealing with issues of domestic violence. In 1999, with the implementation of Casa de Esperanza’s strategic plan as a starting point, Lupe has lead the agency through an organizational transformation focused on mission - mobilizing Latinas and Latino communities to end domestic violence. Today, Casa de Esperanza is a vibrant, innovative, responsive agency based in the realities of Latino communities.

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 is co-chair of the Capital Campaign Committee for the Asian Pacific Cultural Center.  She helped found and start the Hmong Student Organization at Michigan State University.

To apply for the Nonprofit Leadership Institute, complete the application and return it to the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits - 2314 University Ave. W., Suite 20, St. Paul Minnesota, 55114; or fax it to 651-642-1517. 

For more information about MCN's Leadership Institute or other leadership programs, contact Bao Vang, MCN’s leadership program coordinator, at 651-642-1904, ext. 245 or bao@mncn.org. 

MCN's Nonprofit Leadership Institute
For Senior Managers
For Strategic Connectors
Application and Scholarship Information
Faculty and Trainers
FAQs