You're Invited | Minnesota Rising Fail Lab: Failing Into the Future

Minnesota Rising Fail Lab: Failing Into the Future Minnesota Rising Saturday, May 4, 2013 from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM (CDT) Saint Paul, MN Minnesota Rising Fail Lab: Failing Into the Future "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." -Thomas Edison The Minnesota Rising Fail Lab: Failing Into the Future will be held on Saturday, May 4, 2013 from 1:00PM – 5:00PM at Rondo Community Outreach Library in Saint Paul, MN. Hosted by and for emerging leaders, the Fail Lab is the first in a series of learning labs focused on key collaborative leadership competencies that Minnesota Rising is organizing over the course of the next two years. We invite you to join us at this highly interactive event as we spend time redefining and drawing value from failure, actively practice failing in small and safe ways, sharing and exploring stories of past failure, and considering how we can leverage the individual and collective lessons in failure for improving the future of Minnesota and our communities! "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." -Winston Churchill Saturday, May 4, 2013 12:15PM Cascading Conversations Cafe (Optional Pre-Session)12:30PM Registration + Networking01:00PM Fail Lab Welcome + Setting the Stage 01:30PM "Bouncing Back from Rejection" Keynote: Maureen Ramirez + Allison Wagstrom  02:15PM Snack Break02:30PM Fail Station Rotations03:30PM FailSafe World Cafe04:30PM Closing Session 05:00PM Happy Hour (Optional) "Bouncing Back from Failure" Let's face it: rejections, setbacks, failures and missteps are all part of being a leader. What we often frame initially as our greatest moments of shame, struggle, or disappointment end up being some of our most important learning moments for our life's work and personal development. This is a discussion of how to deal with these setbacks and strategies for viewing these challenges as opportunities for growth. Maureen Ramirez Prior to joining Growth & Justice as the Policy & Research Director, Maureen was the executive director of the CapitolRiver Council, the downtown neighborhood planning council for the city of St. Paul. She is a member of the University of Minnesota Board of Regents and chair of their Education Policy and Planning Committee where she has worked extensively on policies to reduce the attainment gap for communities of color. She attended Marquette University where she received a bachelor’s degree in writing-intensive English and Spanish and holds a master's degree in advocacy and political leadership from the University of Minnesota Duluth. Ramirez is well versed in the broad range of public policy issues facing Minnesota and is a former Growth & Justice board member and Steering Committee Member for our Smart InvestmentsSM in Minnesota’s Students initiative. Allison Wagstrom A Loan Officer at Nonprofits Assistance Fund, Allison is responsible for assisting nonprofits during the loan application, review process, and throughout the lifecycle of the loan. Previously, Allison served as the Associate Director of the League of Women Voters Minnesota and Operations Director for Faith’s Lodge. Prior to her work in the nonprofit sector, she obtained a B.A. at DePauw University, served as a loan underwriter/processor for Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, and was a member of Teach for America. Passionate about motivating women to achieve their leadership potential, Allison serves on the board of directors for Gender Justice, and is the director and lead trainer for the LOTT Fellowship Program.