Co-sponsored by the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits and MAP for Nonprofits

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES

Kathleen Alme recently joined the Technology Team at MAP for Nonprofits providing technology and database planning and technological support to MAP's nonprofit clients. Kathleen has over 20 years of nonprofit management experience in a variety of settings, including 10 years as the associate director of the West Seventh Community Center. She is very familiar with the data collection and reporting needs of nonprofits and enjoys helping nonprofits utilize technology in ways that help them improve their client services and be more efficient and effective in communicating with clients, donors, funders and other stakeholders. Kathleen is a graduate of the University of Minnesota. She has participated on several technology planning and focus groups through the United Way and other forums.

Kristin Batson has over 15 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. She currently leads the State of Minnesota’s Office of Grants Management, which is focused on standardizing grant-making processes across state agencies and providing access to information about state grant opportunities. Prior to this, Batson was the Director of Organizational Development at the McKnight Foundation of Minneapolis and the Executive Director of the Minnesota Newspaper Foundation.

Chris Bennington has more than 12 years experience managing and growing IT departments within rapidly expanding companies. He has the skills and expertise to help guide your small- and medium-sized organization's technology strategy so that your systems start producing a return on your investment.

Rick Birmingham has been working with local nonprofit organizations to find better tools to achieve their missions since 1999. Rick’s work includes assisting organizations to plan and then implement technology including both network and database systems. Consulting for a nonprofit organization that serves other nonprofits has given Rick a unique perspective in helping organizations track donors, grants, clients and other stakeholders better. Rick is the vice president of the board of KFAI Radio. Rick is also a member of the Minneapolis Foundation’s MN State Network Fund (MSNet) Steering Committee. Rick is a former member of the City of Minneapolis Digital Inclusion Task Force and served as the vice president of the board of Genesis 2 for Families.

Norah Olson Bluvshtein provides client service in employment litigation as well as advice. Norah has experience representing employers in discrimination and retaliation litigation, whistleblower actions, FMLA cases, and enforcement of non-competition agreements. Norah also counsels and trains employers on a wide range of employment issues. Norah drafts employee handbooks, employment agreements (including non-competition and confidentiality agreements) and separation and release agreements.

Krista Boston is an attorney and was admitted to the Minnesota State Bar in 1994. She has worked for over 15 years within the policy and legislative arena for the state of Minnesota. Her work includes Minnesota’s nationally recognized and award winning www.minnesotahelp.info Web site. She currently holds the position of Director of Consumer Assistance Programs for the Minnesota Board on Aging and Aging and Adult Services Division of the Minnesota Department of Human Services.

Lee Buckley was appointed by Governor Tim Pawlenty in November of 2005 to develop a closer connection between the state government and faith and community organizations by increasing the access to existing funding resources, reducing barriers to delivering services and promoting best practices. Lee was a director of labor relations at Northwest Airlines prior to her appointment. Prior to joining Northwest Airlines, Lee was employed for over 16 years with CNA Insurance Companies in Chicago, Illinois and worked in a number of management, project leadership and consulting positions with a focus on customer satisfaction, new business development, process improvement, and business process redesign. Lee was a participant in Leadership America (a prestigious women’s leadership development program) and a Menttium mentee. She is a graduate of the Chicago Institute of Technology and has attended the University of Illinois at Chicago and Wayne State University in Detroit.

Dan Cramer is the co-founder of grassoots solutions, a consulting firm that specializes in grassroots advocacy, political field consulting, training, targeting and evaluation. Dan has developed and led grassroots trainings and planning sessions for clients and conferences across the country. He specializes in working with organizations, coalitions, and associations to expand their grassroots capacity, build powerful and permanent grassroots infrastructures and achieve concrete victories. In recent years, Dan has worked with clients including ClearWay, the Brainerd Foundation, National Public Radio, Education Minnesota, the Lance Armstrong Foundation, the American Heart Association, McKnight Foundation, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, National Voice, the Sierra Club and the University of Minnesota.

Carlo Cuesta is the managing partner for Creation In Common, which specializes in strategic communications, fundraising and organizational development for nonprofits, foundations, and government agencies. Carlo has led strategic marketing and branding engagements for Pillsbury United Communities, Care Providers of Minnesota, Lyngblomsten, Resources for Child Caring, Plains Art Museum, Sabes JCC, The Saint Paul Foundation, Sidney Health Center and Illusion Theater. He is the author of several articles on nonprofit branding as well as the co-author of the McKnight Foundation commissioned report – Bright Stars: Charting the Impact of Art on Greater Minnesota.

Michael Dean is the founder of Tipping Point Strategies, a public affairs firm that specializes in online communication and advocacy. Tipping Point Strategies provides counsel to clients in the emerging areas of online communication, advocacy and marketing. In previously jobs, Michael helped build a successful online advocacy program to pass the Gopher Stadium legislation, build public support for the 2006 MVST Transportation Amendment, and help reframe the public debate on the Minnesota state-wide smoking ban.

David Erickson is director of e-Strategy at Tunheim Partners. Prior to that, he was the founder/president of e-strategy.com, a full service Internet marketing firm based in St. Paul. David blogs about Internet marketing at e-strategyblog.com.

Peter Fleck is the IT Manager for the University of Minnesota Extension Center for Family Development where he champions collaborative web tools like wikis, social bookmarking, podcasting, and blogs and works on distance learning efforts. He is also a member of the Digital Inclusion Fund Advisory Committee which provides grants to help digital inclusion in Minneapolis and he sat on the Digital Inclusion Coalition which drafted the original community benefits agreement for the Minneapolis wireless system.

Brian Hanf is a consultant with over 5 years of database management and targeting experience. Since 2002 has helped over 100 organizations in North America use database’s to target individuals or groups. Brian Hanf’s company Trail Blazer Campaign Services provides database software solutions that helps Non-Profits and political organizations identify and understand how to use there database to move to new levels of success.

Steve Hanson is the principal consultant for Cruiskeen Consulting LLC, an Internet consulting company based in Wisconsin. Cruiskeen Consulting LLC provides Web and application development services to the nonprofit and small business sectors.

Graham Hartley is the Director of Programs for MIGIZI Communications, Inc, where hs has been since 1995.
Graham has been successful in building partnerships with schools, educational organizations and other nonprofit programs. A former teacher, he has spent the last ten years designing and delivering professional development workshops, locally and nationally for teachers, school administrators and non-profit agencies to improve the incorporation of technology into their work. He is actively involved in the education and nonprofit community as a school board member for Minnesota Transitions Charter School, board president for Bolder Options and a member of the Council of Advisors for Tolerance Minnesota.

Jeremy Iggers recently ended a 20+ year career with the Minneapolis Star Tribune to become executive director of the Twin Cities Media Alliance, a nonprofit organization that brings together media professionals and engaged citizens to improve the quality, diversity and accountability of local media. TCMA publishes the Twin Cities Daily Planet, www.tcdailyplanet.net, a local news site that highlights the best of the neighborhood and community press, as well as original reporting by citizen journalists. TCMA also offers citizen journalism classes and media skills workshops, and holds public forums on media issues. Jeremy has a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Minnesota; his doctoral thesis on the ethics of journalism was published as Good News, Bad News: Journalism Ethics and the Public Interest (Westview Press, 1998).

Lori L. Jacobwith is a consultant with 20 years of professional fundraising and training experience. Since 2001 she has assisted hundreds of organizations in North America collectively raise more than $60 million from individual donors. Lori’s Sustainable Strategies workshops help people identify, understand and overcome their fears about fundraising and move to new levels of effectiveness. Lori is gifted in her ability to help organizations and individuals succinctly share their message and mission. She has a B.A. in political science and speech communication from the University of Minnesota and is trained through The Fund Raising School at Indiana University.

Beth Kanter is a trainer, blogger, and consultant to nonprofits and individuals in effective use of social media. Her expertise is how to use new Web tools (blogging, tagging, wikis, photo sharing, video blogging, screencasting, social networking sites, virtual worlds, etc.) to support nonprofits. She has worked on projects that include: training, curriculum development, research, and evaluation. She is an experienced coach to "digital immigrants" in the personal mastery of these tools. Beth is a professional blogger and writes about the use of social media tools in the nonprofit sector for social change.

K. Darby Laing is a graphic artist with 14 years of experience and is the principal designer of LAINGdesign (www.laingdesign.com). Darby's focus is mindful, targeted, communication strategies with straightforward, clean design solutions. She is excels in partnering with her clients to design creative solutions for web sites, communication plans, and identity systems. Her clients include non-profit organizations and small to medium sized businesses.

A college dropout turned IT manager at a design firm during the dot-com boom, Aaron Landry now is a prolific blogger and interactive media junkie. After seeing the rise and fall of dot-com era businesses and having worked with portions of a few international and numerous local startups, Aaron now works with both new and established companies and nonprofits on engaging audiences online. Aaron reads and participates on over 500 blogs, most of them local. He is also a private pilot, photographer, pianist and music head and still manages to keep his IT manager job.

Jennifer Larson is a freelance graphic designer/communications specialist for nonprofits and small businesses. She has over 15 years experience in communications - from children's book editor to nonprofit community outreach. Jennifer is very familiar with the many hats a nonprofit employee often wears - she wore many of them in her years working at small nonprofits.

Patrick Lilja has a strong record providing clients with the tools they need to maintain and enhance their reputations and promote their messages to key audiences amidst the volume of information on the Internet. Patrick fuses his extensive knowledge of Internet communications and online media relations with his experience in more traditional PR approaches, to ensure clients receive a comprehensive and unified public relations or public affairs package.

Dan McCreary is a data integration consultant with over 25 years experience. He has assisted the CriMNet, the Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota Department of Revenue with integration projects involving hundreds of computer systems. He is a frequent speaker at Semantic Web and XML conferences and has recently published articles for IBM and DevX. Dan also participates in several Open Source projects involving XML technologies. His current project is lowering integration costs for Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. His Web site is http://www.danmccreary.com.

Since December 2004, Molly Moilanen has served as a program manager in ClearWay Minnesota’s Intervention Department. In this position, Molly is responsible for facilitating grant-making processes and managing multiple QUITPLAN® Centers and grants to local communities working to pass, implement and defend smoke-free policies. Molly was ClearWay Minnesota’s staff lead on the design and implementation of the targeting project. Prior to her work at ClearWay Minnesota, Molly was a program officer with ServeMinnesota where she worked with Minnesota’s AmeriCorps programs. From 1997-2000, Molly served as a legislative assistant to Sen. Steve Kelley.

Mark Panger has more than 25 years experience as a software developer and trainer. His database applications have supported the non-profit community, Hurricane Katrina efforts in Houston, small businesses, Fortune 500 corporations and political campaigns. Mark is talented in making the complex technology concepts simple to understand and implement. Mark is keenly aware of the constraints of small nonprofit staffs with limited technology knowledge and his mission is to leverage the use of data to make one person seem like a staff of many.

Sam Richter, CEO of SBR Worldwide, is a nationally sought-after speaker on topics ranging from online searching to effective selling to value-based leadership. He is a published author and has been featured in hundreds of publications, television programs, and radio shows. Sam has more than 20 years experience creating and managing award-winning programs for some of the world’s most famous brands. For six years, he was president of the James J. Hill Reference Library and helped transform the nonprofit local library into a national business resource, helping millions of entrepreneurs access the information to live their dreams.

Holly Ross spends her time combing through all the technology fads and listening to the Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN) community to line up the Webinars, conferences, and research that will help members use technology to make the world a better place. Prior to coming to NTEN, Holly worked with TechRocks, home of ebase and an innovator in the nonprofit technology assistance field. As a consultant with TechRocks, Holly's expertise was utilizing technology tools to facilitate and amplify traditional organizing - from using databases to better manage members and activists to creating opportunities to engage constituents on the Internet. Holly also worked as an organizer with the California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG), where she received a good grounding in organizing principles.

For over 30 years, Bob Schmitt has worked with state agencies, nonprofits, and small businesses creating marketing materials and information graphics. Through his company, Laughing Waters Studio, he has worked to strengthen organizations' identity one project at a time and to extend existing organizations' graphic identity. Examples of Bob's work can be found at www.laughingwatersstudio.com. Bob has over 40 years experience presenting workshops and training to small and large audiences.

Catherine Settanni is founder and executive director of Digital Access (www.digitalaccess.org) and The Community Technology Empowerment Project (www.technologypower.org). Both are Minnesota projects helping to bridge the digital divide through support of community-based technology initiatives. In addition, Catherine oversees her own Web development firm (Settanni+Company, Inc.) and currently serves on the advisory board for the Center for Strategic Information Technology and Security within the Minnesota State Colleges and University System (MNSCU). Catherine recently chaired the City of Minneapolis “Digital Inclusion Task Force” in conjunction with the Wireless Minneapolis initiative, and is now managing the City’s first iteration of the Community and Neighborhood Portal.

Nate Solas is the webmaster at the Walker Art Center where he is responsible for the back-end programming of the walkerart.org websites, mnartists.org, as well as database design and administration. He has been programming web and business applications for over a decade, often with small startups on the forefront of technology. His interests at the Walker include using technology as an interpretive tool for museum patrons. Nate received a BS in Computer Science and a BA in Theater from Colorado State University.

Teresa Thompson is a litigator. She has defended claims of retaliation, sexual harassment, wrongful termination, discrimination (age, disability, gender and race), defamation and FLSA, FMLA and whistleblower violations. Teresa’s practice also focuses on litigation involving non-compete agreements, anti-solicitation agreements and confidential information. In addition to her litigation practice, Teresa also counsels businesses on litigation prevention - focusing on policy development, employee training, general human resource issues, and compliance with state and federal employment and labor laws.

Mary Turck is the editor of the Twin Cities Daily Planet (www.tcdailyplanet.net), and former editor of the award-winning Connection to the Americas and AMERICAS.ORG. She is also a recovering attorney and the author of many books for young people (and a few for adults), mostly focusing on historical and social issues. Her career in journalism began when she was in high school, writing a weekly column for the Litchfield Independent Review. The column began with a multi-part investigative journalism series on the county school system, which she still considers among her best work. She has taught citizen journalism workshops, including "Media Skills for Non-Profits.”

Anne Ulseth is an independent public relations consultant with more than 25 years of experience in strategic communications planning, media relations and civic engagement. Since opening AQUA Public Relations in 1987, she has worked with a wide variety of nonprofit organizations, including a public participation program for the design of the New Minneapolis Central Library.

Sally Wakefield works for 1000 Friends of Minnesota, a nonprofit dedicated to utilizing GIS to address the important connections between our development patterns, the health of our communities and the environment. Sally is very interested in how organizations work together for the greater good. She currently represents nonprofit interests as a member of the MetroGIS Coordinating Committee, sits on the Minnesota Governor’s Council on Geographic Information and currently chairs the Mn GIS/LIS Consortium. She is excited about the future for geospatial technology and the increased public appetite for, and understanding of, spatial data and how geographic information is supporting more informed decisions.

Mary Anne Welch is the Communications Manager of Project for Pride in Living, a 30-year old Twin Cities nonprofit serving low-income families and individuals. There, she provides strategic communication planning and support to five divisions, manages special projects, and media relations, and oversees the agency brand and message. She also plays an instrumental role in the agency's internal communications. She has worked as arts editor and as a contributing writer for a number of magazines and newspapers, including the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

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