The Minnesota Rising 2012 Un/Conference: Leveraging Expansive Leadership for Our Minnesota will be held on Saturday, September 22, 2012 from 10:00AM – 4:30PM at DLR Group offices in Minneapolis, MN. Hosted by and for emerging leaders, the Un/Conference will engage emerging leaders across Minnesota in an energizing day of innovative learning and dialogue, skill-building, and network-building with their peers!
Minnesota Rising is pleased to highlight this year's Un/Conference breakout session presenters, which feature the best of what emerging leaders and their groups have to offer as the rising generation considers the skills, relationships, and questions we need to move our state forward!
11:00am Meaningful Engagement in Social Change – Choosing and Getting Involved with a Nonprofit
What issues are important to you? Knowing that it is difficult to be involved in everything, how do you prioritize? Why do nonprofits want you? How do you get “involved” and what does this look like? This panel discussion will address these questions – panelists include those who are either managing or members of young professionals nonprofit groups.
Lynette Dumalag has been involved with the nonprofit community since 2009. She is Partnership Director and sits on the board of TORCH Community, a nonprofit dedicated to connecting young professionals with nonprofit communities. Lynette is also involved with Aeon, a nonprofit affordable housing developer in the Twin cities. She serves on the Connect Leadership Team (Aeon’s young professionals group) and sits on Aeon’s governing board of directors. Lynette is an Associate at Nelson, Tietz & Hoye, Inc., a Twin Cities based commercial real estate consulting firm.
Katie Imholte has a true passion for developing emerging talent of the Twin Cities and serves as the Executive Director of TORCH Community, on the DRIVE Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce Board, and is the Chair for the Leadership Committee of the MNCPA’s Young Professionals Group. She cherishes her time with her “Little” through the Big Brothers Big Sister program and is able to pair her love for travel her interest in volunteering through organizations such as Common Hope and Global Volunteers where she volunteers in India and Guatemala. Katie is a Recruiting Manager with Sálo Search, LLC where she helps her clients find senior-level accounting and finance professionals in the Twin Cities. She makes matches that enable companies to be more successful and people be more fulfilled.
A love of building community has driven Katie Tharp to volunteer with a number of nonprofits and young professional groups, including Casa de Esperanza, Fourth Generation, Torch, and the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network (YNPN). She also helped plan the Minnesota Rising Un/Conference in 2011 and 2012. Katie lives in Minneapolis and enjoys exploring the city by bicycle. Katie is the Foundation Relations & Special Initiatives Manager with Greater Twin Cities United Way, where she manages the organization’s centennial anniversary campaign. Previously, she was a fundraiser with Clean Water Action, an environmental nonprofit.
Stephanie Payne is the Annual Fund Director at Jeremiah Program and has been with the organization since 2007. She is also the founder of Jeremiah Program’s young professionals group, propel. Propel is dedicated to furthering the mission of Jeremiah Program by providing opportunities for young professionals to connect with their peers, embrace leadership opportunities and serve the organization and the community. While Stephanie’s primary responsibility is fundraising, she is passionate about engaging and building lasting relationships with the dedicated and passionate young professionals in our community.
11:00am Strengths-Based LeadershipRealize what energizes you most, and understand how to make your natural gifts and talents a part of your every day. Join us for a quick overview of identifying strengths, and activities that will help you define and leverage your leadership skills at work, home, and in the community. Connect with others to understand how people play different roles, and can collaborate to make an even bigger impact, in an energizing way!
Tanya Schmitt works for Students Today Leaders Forever (STLF), a youth serving nonprofit based in MInneapolis with a mission of revealing leadership through service, relationships, and action. As Program Core at STLF, she helps to organize Pay It Forward Tours and facilitates leadership training for students across the country. In addition to her work at STLF, Tanya loves coffee, traveling, board games, youth serving organizations, leadership models/theories, happiness, and everything Minneapolis.
Jean Nitchals is a proven leader in driving increased performance using strengths-based training. Jean has over eight years experience in a variety of industries in both the for- and non-profit sectors to foster a culture built on the importance of individual strengths. She works with individuals and teams, as well as partnering with companies to develop and implement strengths-based strategies. Jean is also an Independent Consultant for The Marcus Buckingham Company. Her certifications through TMBC include: StandOut in Practice and Strong Manager trainer, and a Certified StandOut Coach through the Marcus Buckingham Company. Jean holds an advanced Leadership certification through St. Catherine University, was a finalist for the Ventana Business Performance Management award in 2007, Certified facilitator for Innovation GamesÒ and is currently enrolled in the Graduate Certification for Creativity and Change Leadership program through International Center for Creative Studies through Buffalo State University.
11:00am Mentorship and the Emerging ProfessionalHow can mentorship support emerging leaders in building a better future for Minnesota? Join your peers in exploring this question as well as some expert panelists, in addition to discussing just what mentoring is and how it can bolster the growth of an emerging leader. Together we’ll investigate the possibilities of mentoring and explore just how mentoring can support emerging Minnesotans across the state.
Desirée (Des) Culpitt is the Program Director for the Community Technology Empowerment Project (CTEP). CTEP is an AmeriCorps Program of the Saint Paul Neighborhood Network and is a Metro wide program focusing on bridging the digital divide through technology curriculum for new Americans, low income communities and persons with disabilities. Culpitt conducts intense professional development and technology related trainings for 30 CTEP members and their site supervisors. Beyond training, Culpitt administers the evaluation of programming and annual grant reporting for funders and partners. Culpitt graduated from the University of Minnesota-Humphrey School of Public Affairs with her Masters of Public Policy. Undergraduate work was conducted at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse with degrees in Public Administration and Political Science. // Email me:desiree.culpitt@gmail.com | Call me: 763.607.5787 | Tweet me: @dculpitt | Connect with me:http://www.linkedin.com/in/dculpitt
Julia Quanrud is the Urban Manager of the Minnesota Reading and Math Corps at Minnesota Education Corps. Minnesota Reading and Math Corps engages well over 1,000 AmeriCorps members across Minnesota in a strategic effort to help Minnesota students read by grade three and become proficient in alegebra by grade eight. Quanrud leads a team of four program staff in supporting nearly 400 Minnesota Reading and Math Corps tutors serving in schools and daycare centers in Saint Paul and Minneapolis. She graduated from Macalester College in Saint Paul in 2009 and spent two years serving in AmeriCorps prior to joining the Minnesota Reading and Math Corps team. She also volunteers as a member of Fourth Generation and served on the Minnesota Rising Cascading Conversations Advance Team. // Email me: jlquanrud@gmail.com | Connect with me: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jquanrud
11:00am Getting Your Idea Off the Ground!As young professionals, our greatest contribution is often the fresh eyes with which we approach barriers, and the creative ideas we devise to solve them. However, what we don’t always know how to do is get key stakeholders on board, secure funding, and facilitate successful collaborations in order to get those ideas off the ground. Alison will share lessons learned to help you avoid some common pitfalls and facilitate group work that will help prepare you to set your next great idea in motion. The role social media can play in your initiatives will also be discussed.
Alison Anderson Holland is an interdisciplinary artist and educator seeking to connect the dots across disciplines for audiences and learners of all ages and backgrounds. She spearheaded an innovative project, called Health Careers and Math (or HCM), in which the Johnson Center for Simulation at Pine Technical College, in collaboration with the Healthcare Alliance and Subject Matter Experts from Mora Public Schools, developed computer games that provide students with healthcare career exploration while practicing the math skill development needed to be successful in them. Alison enjoys finding new ways to engage students with interdisciplinary initiatives – especially when they mix education and the fine arts. Visit her online at alisonandersonholland.com or follower her on twitter @andersonholland.
2:00pm From Hero to Host: Leading in Complexity
Our generation is being called upon to take leadership around many emergent, highly complex challenges – challenges that are beyond the resources or knowledge of a single organization, sector, or individual to address. These complex challenges demand an equally complex response. How can we step into the messiness of collective, boundary-defying action around complex problems? Attendees will be introduced to multiple Art of Hosting frameworks that bring clarity in the face of complexity, including the 4-fold path, the cynefin framework, the chaordic path, and divergence/convergence.
Leah Lundquist is Program Manager with the UMN Center for Integrative Leadership and is currently serving as national liaison for the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of the Twin Cities (YNPN-TC). Prior to this position, she developed the organizational capacity of nonprofit and foundations through positions at Northwest Area Foundation, Fieldstone Alliance, and the Women’s Funding Network. She has a B.A. in biology and English from Luther College and a Master of Public Policy degree from the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs.
Rinal Ray is a staff attorney with the Minnesota Justice Foundation at William Mitchell College of Law, works on pro bono development at the Minnesota State Bar Association, and is currently serving as board chair for the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of the Twin Cities (YNPN-TC). A former project coordinator at the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, she worked on the Nonprofit Legal Handbook and the Charitable Tax Exemption Campaign. Rinal is a former AmeriCorps member with College Possible. She has a B.A. in international studies and political science from Macalester College and a law degree from William Mitchell College of Law.
2:00pm Interpersonal Solutions – Communication Through ImprovAside from hermits, interpersonal communication is the cornerstone of any organization, campaign, or event. Experience how improvisational theater can add pep to your meetings and keep you from becoming a hermit. Attendees will learn and demonstrate improv tools and techniques. Be prepared to participate and step out of your comfort zone, or if you’re a hermit, out of your cave.
Brandon Boat and Tane Danger are the founders of The Theater of Public Policy and are currently Artists in Residence at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. They’ve been performing improv for over 10 years all over the state and have backgrounds in the non-profit sector. When collaborating on projects, Brandon brews his own beer and Tane sometimes drinks it.
2:00pm Professional Success is as Easy as P.I.E.
This comprehensive session will teach you the secrets that many successful professionals employ to develop and exhibit leadership skills that drive productivity and create value to obtain significant promotions and avoid getting stuck in a dead-end job. Learn how the sweetest dessert can lead to the sweetest professional results!
Al Coleman, Jr. is a highly-awarded lawyer, professor and writer living near St. Paul, Minnesota. A devoted mentor to a multitude of exceptional emerging leaders in business, law, government, non-profits, the arts and science throughout the country. His book “Secrets to Success: The Definitive Career Development Guide for New and First Generation Professionals” candidly shares principles of personal, professional and financial success with tomorrow’s leaders.
2:00pm So, You Want that Promotion? How to Use Management Theory for SuccessYou want to have your boss’s job one day soon, eh? What do you know about managing and motivating teams? Come to this interactive breakout session to learn about the organizational and management theory that shapes your work environment and how you can use that information to be a better leader. Walk away with a deeper understanding of factors influencing the success of your company, your team, and yourself.
Sarah Townsend Morris recently joined Impact Strategies Group, a Twin Cities consulting firm focused on developing sustainable solutions to societal problems, as Business Manager & Project Consultant. She has five years of academic and professional experience in the nonprofit sector, which includes a Masters of Public Administration from Indiana University. Her interests lie in nonprofit management best practices, cross-sector collaborations, and social entrepreneurship strategies. Sarah’s professional experience includes work for Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Central Indiana, Charity Navigator, Social Venture Partners Minnesota, Bilingual Education for Central America, and the Center for Nonprofit Management in Nashville, Tennessee. Sarah is a native Nashvillian and holds a Bachelor of Arts from Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee.
, the Citizens League Emerging Leaders Committee for sponsoring the after party, and our media sponsors: Haberman, Medica, Padilla Speer Beardsley, The Social Wendy Group, Thomson Reuters, and Weber Shandwick. 
Kim Borton is the Director of Programs at the Women's Foundation of Minnesota. Borton provides the strategic leadership and implementation for the grantmaking, capacity-building and evaluation work of the foundation, which includes the Social Change Fund, girlsBEST (girls Building Economic Success Together) Fund, A FUTURE: Minnesota Girls Are Not For Sale, and donor-centered grantmaking.
human manages all aspects of career services for the Humphrey School and collaborates with student services, alumni relations, development, and many other partners to serve our students from first contact to graduation and beyond. Over the last 25 years, she and her team have built a wide range of programs, services, and events to support students and alumni in developing their public service careers. Those include a popular mentor program, a course in career development, substantial career resources on the website, on-campus employer visits and career fairs, and a career exploration of Washington, D.C., as well as individual career counseling services. She developed her own work in career counseling after getting graduate degrees in political science, with a focus on comparative policy and public policy, and teaching in a community college.
