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* Event Planning & Management
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* Overview
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* General Inquiry
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A CONVERSATION WITH ALEXA AND CHATGPT – COMMUNICATING WITH AI

Apr 3, 2023 | 0 comments

CONVERSATION WITH ALEXA AND CHATGPT – COMMUNICATING WITH AI

With Alan Shark, Vice President Public Sector Engagement and Executive Director
CompTIA Public Technology Institute

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Stacy Kaiser- MNIT SOC Supervisor

Stacy has amassed more than two decades of technology experience working for
Minnesota, its’ counties, and private companies. She spent more than eight years
leading and improving technology for local Minnesota government before taking on
a leadership role within the state’s judicial branch. Stacy currently manages
the State of Minnesota’s Security Operations Center (SOC) overseeing the state’s
efforts to improve Cybersecurity monitoring, and incident management.

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About Gorham Palmer

Gorham Palmer – Distinguished Designer – IBM.

Gorham is an IBM Distinguished Designer leading IBM’s UX practice in North
America. For over 25 years, he has been fusing systems thinking with design
craft to solve big, challenging, ambiguous problems. He draws on his experience
as an illustrator, designer, and design thinker in creative services and
customer experience consulting to deliver customer experience strategy, creative
and brand strategy, conceptual problem-solving, organizational design
transformation, and compelling creative execution in both traditional and
digital media.

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About Stephanie Ahles

Stephanie Ahles – Trainer and Facilitator – HueLife.

With great heart and wisdom, Stephanie leads the development and delivery of
HueLife training and curriculum. She is dedicated to a deep comprehension of the
methods and the highest quality standards. She is a co-creator and trainer of
HUE Methods, a certified ToP trainer and facilitator, a certified Scrum Master,
and an accredited Lumina Practitioner. Stephanie has more than 20 years of
experience in county government. She specializes in leadership and
organizational development, changes and project management, and strategic
planning. She has an MA in Public Administration and a BA in Psychology and
Social Work.

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About Kim Wee

Kim Wee – Webmaster and Digital Accessibility Coordinator – Minnesota IT
Services partnering with Education

Kim is the Accessibility Coordinator and Webmaster for Minnesota IT Services
partnering with Education and is a Certified Professional in Web Accessibility
(CPWA). She has over 20 years of web experience in design, development, and
administration with a focus on web accessibility.

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About Julie Baker

Julie Baker – IT Strategic Analyst – Hennepin County

Julie Baker is an IT Strategic Analyst as a member of the IT Strategic Planning
team. Julie joined Hennepin County in 2014 as a business analyst, in 2017 she
assumed the role of IT Consulting Specialist, and in 2020 became an IT Strategic
Analyst.

Julie is currently responsible for IT Strategic planning working alongside her
peers who support strategic messaging, strategic measures, and business
architecture as well as county IT leadership and many others across the
organization.

Julie was responsible and provided oversight of the 2019-2020 IT strategic plan
as well as the current 2021 IT Strategic Plan. She stays actively engaged with
the strategies, strategy teams, and sponsors associated with the strategic plan.

Julie embraces continuous improvement and besides overseeing the current
strategic plan is already beginning to formulate the next planning cycle and
further maturing IT strategic planning for the county.

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Golden GOVIT 2022 Collaboration WINNER: The Digital Experience Model

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Hennepin County was already laying a digital
experience foundation across three areas: 1) aligning digital experience work
with county core values and priorities, 2) prioritizing digital accessibility,
and 3) shifting to Agile and User Experience principles. The pandemic
accelerated how quickly the county need to respond to serve residents in an
entirely new way without infrastructure to support it. The Office of Digital
Experience was created to coordinate work across the organization to address
residents’ digital needs with the goal to provide a consistently positive,
accessible, and equitable digital service experience. The Office of Digital
Experience accelerates the digital transformation of resident experiences by
standardizing, prioritizing, and streamlining the rapid release of in-demand
applications, websites, and tools, while centering the user every step of the
way.

This model joins key partners in the business, the IT community, and
communication and engagement together to deliver coordinated digital service
that provide residents a consistently positive, accessible, and equitable
experience. There are approximately 15-20 newly created positions to research,
design, and implement new ways of coordinating digital work with an eye on
equity and centering the resident voice. Hennepin County leverages its existing
workforce by creating opportunities for temporary assignments, for up to 24
months, for current employees who have an interest in helping shape the future
of creating an accessible and consistently positive Digital Experience for
residents. Partner teams in the model operate within three separate departments,
jointly collaborating in service of all business lines.

This structure enables appropriately resourced teams to focus on the core
functions of digital experience, user experience, website communications, and
web infrastructure to maintain and expand what the county’s digital service
portfolio can provide to residents. The investment in the county’s digital
services for all community members complements the Office of Broadband and
Digital Inclusion’s work to eliminate the digital divide, too. Together these
efforts create more opportunity for digital equity and engagement for Hennepin
County residents.

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Golden GOVIT 2022 Innovation WINNER: Digital Service Automation

At the beginning of the pandemic, The Resident Real Estate Services division of
Hennepin County quickly implemented a chat service off the Hennepin.us website
as service centers closed. As in-person county services began to re-open, chat
service continued to remain popular averaging over 500 chats a month. According
to survey feedback, residents really like the ability to gain quick answers to
their questions without having to come in person or wait on hold over the phone.
Unfortunately, the quick vendor solution didn’t offer the capabilities and
scalability that was needed to continue with the service. Additionally, many
questions asked in chat had answers readily available on the Hennepin County
website. The project established goals to both respond to simple resident
questions through a chat bot allowing more time for Service Center agents to
respond to more complex needs of residents. By keeping the scope of the project
narrow, the chat service could be developed quickly and then adapted for use
across other business areas while continuing to grow the volume of responses
available from the chat bot.

To address usability, the project started by analyzing the previous years’ worth
of transcripts, over 10,000 chats, to identify the topics and questions most
asked by residents. From there, the field of responses were narrowed down to the
fourteen most needed by residents and clear enough to be provided by a chat bot.
The responses were then reviewed for plain language and readability by the User
Experience team. A UX Designer from the team recognized that there were no
standards for chat UI, so they created a guide to help developers in their
initial design. Developers quickly built a prototype to put before stakeholders.
Business owners were able to use resident questions from chat transcripts to
validate and train the AI responses from the chat bot. A UX review refined the
final product to create a chat flow that clearly indicated when the resident was
chatting with a bot and when the chat was with a live person.

The early availability of the prototype allowed for an accessibility review,
something the Enterprise IT developers had never experienced. This identified
many barriers for use by screen reader and allowed time to repair before moving
the chat service to production. This early action kept Hennepin County in
regulatory compliance and trained developers on accessibility needs to
incorporate in future work. Finally, the project incorporated an equity review
throughout the project. First, a field was added to the current chat service for
residents to voluntarily provide a zip code. Then, the zip code data was mapped
to the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI), identifying the needs of most
vulnerable communities based on their chat requests. Finally, zip code and SVI
were integrated into the chat service to prioritize those community needs and
mitigate unintended impacts. The new chat service is designed to scale across
the organization, meet the growing needs of Hennepin County residents, and
prioritize the most vulnerable populations in the community.

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Golden GOVIT 2022 Service WINNER: Veteran Application Tracking System

The Minnesota Department of Veteran Affairs Claims and Field Operations, assists
Minnesota Veterans, their dependents, and survivors with State and Federal
benefits and services. Prior to the start of this project, our division was
operating on four separate systems. MDVA’s Deputy Commissioner sought out to
change that and envisioned creating a system where MDVA’s multiple divisions had
one shared system for application submittals, case management, application
processing, award grants, information sharing, data collection and reporting of
our Veteran’s benefits and services. This project comprised of cross functional
teams from multiple Agencies and Divisions within MDVA. Some of these included
Minnesota IT services (MNIT), MDVA Higher Education Veterans Programs and MDVA
Programs and Services.

The business manager ensured that all stories met the scope of the project and
prioritized accordingly. The business analyst and scrum master ensured the
developers were aware of the requirements. We had daily scheduled “stand ups” to
verify tasks were being completed, resolve blockers, and clarify any
requirements. The process was smooth, effective, and provided the business with
a product that met all expectations and functions properly. Starting with the
staff planning sessions in October 2019 and through the projected final release
in November 2022 the process was completed in an agile, two-week SCRUM
environment. The two-week process is called a sprint which consisted of,
bi-weekly planning sessions, weekly backlog reviews, daily updates, and reviews.

Shortly after the beginning of this project, the need for this system increased
dramatically with the United States Department of Veteran Affairs (USDVA)
initiative to go paperless and the effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic. These two
events took away the ability for Veterans, County Workers and MDVA employees to
meet in person and to physically submit applications/documents to each other and
to the USDVA, during a time when MN Veterans needed assistance the most. As a
result of the VATS Claims Project MN Veterans, MDVA’s Field Operations and
Minnesota’s 87 County Veteran Service Offices can securely upload applications
to MDVA’s Claims Offices and MDVA’s Benefits Division. MDVA Claims staff were
able to continue their mission remotely, throughout the pandemic without
interrupting the services they provide to our MN Veterans and stakeholders. MDVA
claims staff were able to change their workflow to a paperless operation. The
VATS Claims project now allows MDVA Claims to be on one shared system remotely
which includes functionality such as: secured claims processing, form
generation, case management, data sharing, reporting, and API’s which allow
secure direct submittal of applications/documents to the USDVA and status
updates from the USDVA. VATS Claims also has an enhanced County Upload Portal in
beta testing currently with an expected release to all MN counties in November
2022. The VATS Claims Portal allows County Veteran Service Offices to securely
submit applications/documents to MDVA’s Claims offices and State Soldiers
Assistance Program. The portal also allows MDVA to share data, case management
information, and upload statuses for MDVA & USDVA to the County Users.

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Golden GOVIT 2022 Individual Leadership WINNER: Lisa Meredith

Lisa Meredith has been the Executive Director for Minnesota County Computer
Cooperative (MnCCC) for 20 years. MnCCC is a joint powers organization, working
with counties and other local government entities to provide software solutions.
Lisa has the leadership ability that makes the people around her thrive. She has
a special skill of being able to understand the strengths of individuals and
assist them in using those strengths for the betterment of the whole
organization or project.

Lisa works tirelessly and through her actions she has propelled MnCCC to new
heights. She is the driving force in finding innovative, cost-effective software
and technology solutions. Her efforts have transformed the landscape of public
services. For example, recently Lisa was instrumental in two new software
contracts that saved counties across Minnesota tens of thousands of dollars. In
one project it was her initiative to get election software contracts in place
for election equipment. In another project she assembled a group dedicated to
Human Resources. With Lisa’s leadership this group went out for bid for payroll
software, which is already saving counties on significant fees. Eventually that
solution be offered to a wider local government audience.

Under Lisa’s leadership, MnCCC has grown to 13 user groups and continues to grow
and meet county and other local government needs. Lisa balances an incredible
workload. Along with hundreds of meetings with all levels of county leadership,
she still makes the workplace a fun environment that encourages staff to achieve
a very high level of work output. Lisa has a strong commitment to bringing
people and agencies together to work collaboratively. She truly believes and has
proven a lot more can be done together rather than apart. Her work doesn’t stop
there. Lisa’s motto is “to embrace the audacious acts that incite positive
change” and it is evident in her work using ToP Facilitation to help other
organizations solve problems. As a true champion of innovation and collaboration
to improve service, Lisa Meredith is so deserving of the Golden GOVIT Award.

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Golden GOVIT 2022 Individual Leadership Finalist: Megan Seeds

Megan Evans Seeds is the Chief Digital Officer for Hennepin County. She is a
true public servant at heart and is passionate about the user experience of
residents who engage with the county online.

Megan has been an influential leader in the digital services space for years,
beginning by effectively managing county websites to most recently creating the
Digital Experience model at the county. This model is a collaboration between
multiple teams from multiple departments including IT, Communications, and the
newly formed Office of Digital Experience (ODX), the core of the model, which
she leads with an impressive balance of wisdom and curiosity. With Megan’s
leadership, the Office of Digital Experience has launched or is set to launch
new digital products, services, and resources:
• Hennepin County Resident Services Chatbot
• Hennepin County Web Standards
• Hennepin County Climate Action website
• The Hennepin County Digital Accessibility Policy
• The Hennepin County User Experience Community of Practice

These are just a recent sampling of the outcomes from Megan’s vision, strategy,
and leadership. Megan has unquestionably been instrumental in the advancement of
Hennepin County’s service to residents. She has been a force for change and
dedicated to improving digital services for residents throughout her career. She
continues to inspire and motivate her team and organization and is worthy of
recognition with the GovIT Individual Leadership Award for 2022.

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Golden GOVIT 2022 Individual Leadership Finalist: Michelle Heisler

As we have seen nationwide, the pandemic brought many new challenges for
workforces, including how employees work and collaborate in a hybrid
environment. This was no different for Hennepin County’s employees and it
quickly became apparent that spaces needed to be created to offer accommodations
for these new work scenarios. Michelle Heisler, who serves as the Enterprise
Strategic Solutions Manager within the IT department at Hennepin County, led the
effort to develop and implement a strategic IT solution, in response to the new
hybrid workforce. At the very beginning of the pandemic Michelle’s preparation
and work with Microsoft on setting up Teams enabled all county employees to
seamlessly transition from an in-office work environment to literally overnight
having Teams rolled out to all county employees. The next challenge then became
what will things look like in the physical space of our buildings as employees
started to prepare to return to the office. The focus of this project was to
create an energetic feature rich environment that embodies the Hennepin County
culture of innovation and to leverage the Microsoft Teams Rooms technologies
along with providing a modern upbeat environment. Hennepin County’s Core Values
include: Continuous Improvement, Customer Service, Diversity and Inclusion,
Employee Engagement, and Workforce Development, all of which were vital
frameworks to consider for the Collaborative Work Center project to be
successful. Michelle’s leadership style truly and wholly exemplifies Hennepin
County’s Core Values in every sense and are at the center everything she sets
out to accomplish. To best portray Michelle’s leadership competency and further
support why she is so deserving of this award, here are some thoughts and
contributions from some of the project team members…

• Michelle collaborated effectively and respectfully across all county
departments to achieve shared goals.

• She connects with organizations and contacts outside of the county and has
even brought other organizations’ best practices to our conversations, so that
we could decide what could be replicated or adapted to improve our spaces.

• Michelle focused on direction from county leaders and considered employee’s
past experiences to inform strategic service planning and was creative and
persistent in solving what were often challenging problems

• Michelle’s willingness to openly share and to listen to other’s ideas were
very much appreciated.

As the project sponsor, Michelle provided support and guidance to help the
project team overcome new and challenging hurdles. Supply chain issues,
provisioning new equipment, and figuring out how to support these new devices
all fell under Michelle’s leadership and relied on her expertise to get us where
we are today. Michelle championed the concept of collaborative workspaces in
challenging times and her commitment to making things better in a more
innovative environment has enabled Hennepin County to set ourselves as true
leaders in this space. It is truly an honor to have Michelle as part of our
organization, leading the path for our future!

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Golden GOVIT 2022 Service Finalist: WashingtonCountyOR.gov Website Redesign

Washington County is located on the western edge of Portland, Oregon. It covers
over 700 square miles of land and has a 600,000 service population who live
across urban, suburban, and rural areas. With unique online needs increasing for
each area, the County knew it was time to replace its public website with a
digital gateway to a variety of services and information. The IT team and the
Office of Equity, Inclusion & Community Engagement partnered with an outside
consultant (Interpersonal Frequency) to help them understand the issues on their
website, invest in community engagement, and translate that knowledge into a new
user experience. They took a holistic look at what their communities were
intending to do on the site and the obstacles in their way. Washington County
and Interpersonal Frequency gathered quantitative and qualitative data about how
citizens used the site, their pain points, etc.

Focus groups were completed with live translation services in their native
languages for four key community groups: the Housing and Supportive Service
Network, the Western Regional Emergency Task Force, the Vision Action Network,
and the Latino Professionals in Government. Some fascinating feedback included
how needed information was usually on the site, but it was challenging or
overwhelming to locate, even through search. In situations like a mental health
crisis, there was no time to attempt to dig through departments for contact
information or locations for vital services. Additionally, touchpoints were too
small for mobile and tablet users, especially in the navigation menus. The lack
of accessibility features made groups wonder who the prioritized population was
on the site. It was also very difficult to find Spanish versions of the content
— it was clear that Spanish users wanted to engage, but had no tools to do so.

Washington County and its consultant took that data and began designing a user
experience that listened to these users. First, they created streamlined
navigation and wayfinding with a simplified structure. This included clearly
prioritized updates and hierarchy to guide users to key tasks and timely
information. Then they created task-based and action-focused items like a
prominent “How-Do-I” style menu on the homepage to speed up access to key items
across the site. The user experience also broke down departmental silos so users
didn’t need to understand the County’s structure to find services. The new
design adhered to brand standards, but reflected a clean and organized new look
with broad appeal. This design also accounted for a variety of screen sizes for
a seamless new mobile experience that is easier to use, while aiming for
improved performance and accessibility overall. It provides options for
translation and multi-language support, with some content manually translated
for accuracy. Throughout the process, the teams returned to these community
groups and completed usability testing. Doing so kept the community engaged and
helped them feel invested in the results. As advocates for the new website, they
interact with it more often and actively share it with their colleagues.

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Golden GOVIT 2022 Service Finalist: Workforce One eSignature

Imagine being a single parent who was recently laid off from your 10+ year job
due to downsizing. Your skills are outdated, and you’ve had difficulty obtaining
employment that will pay the rent and feed your family. You apply for the
Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) and are eligible to receive the
maximum of $1,305 in cash and food benefits each month. While rent, utilities,
and two growing children cost significantly more, you’ll be able to avoid
eviction for at least two months.

You begin working with an MFIP Employment Services (ES) Counselor, who explains
that they can help with a resume, interviewing skills, funding for training, and
help with your job search. After taking a short class to get a certificate and
updating your resume, you finally land a job offer that will allow you to
support your family without public assistance. Before you start the new job, you
need funding for childcare until you can get a couple of paychecks and catch up
on rent. Your ES Counselor explains that you need to sign an update to your
Employment Plan so you can get childcare benefits approved. Before eSignature in
WF1, there were few options to sign the document – all of which cost precious
time and money.

Where you live in Greater MN, public transportation is not available. If you
don’t have a car, you need to wait for the paperwork to be mailed to you, sign
it, then mail it back to your counselor, which could take upwards of a month of
more. You fear that your future employer will not be able to accommodate
delaying your start date if it takes that long to get childcare. If you have a
car, another option would be to drive to the Counselor’s office 45 minutes away,
but that would cost $20 in gas. If you have internet and a printer, the document
could be sent from your counselor via encrypted email, printed out (if you can
afford ink at $30/cartridge), then faxed or scanned back to the counselor.

With the implementation of eSignature functionality in October 2022, your
Counselor can send you the document for signature via email. You can open the
document on your smartphone, tablet, or computer, sign and submit it within
minutes. You can proceed with childcare arrangements and confirm your job start
date with your new employer. It’s that simple. While eSignature functionality in
WF1 has been a long-term plan, the pandemic expedited its development. The WF1
Team consulted with subject matter experts (SMEs) to gather requirements,
verified security and validity of signed documents, and worked with a vendor.
Gathering requirements from providers and program administrators allowed the WF1
Team to customize functionality so that it is available for over 2,000 staff and
100,000 customers. This enhancement is already changing the service delivery
method to a more human-centered and accessible design, removing barriers for
Minnesotans who are most in need.

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Golden GOVIT 2022 Innovation Finalist: Collaborative work centers for remote and
hybrid staff

In 2020, County Administrator David Hough asked 6,000 of the county’s staff to
work remotely to prevent the spread of Covid-19. To continue county services,
staff had to reimagine service delivery. One of the highest priorities for IT
was to imagine new ways to support a hybrid workforce. County Administration
created three worker profiles for staff: onsite, hybrid, or remote. Onsite
workers were asked to work primarily or entirely at county facilities. Hybrid
workers were asked to divide their time between remote and onsite work. Remote
workers were asked to work primarily or entirely offsite.

Pre-pandemic, county buildings were divided into cubical or office spaces for
departments – generally by floor or area. With new worker profiles, facilities
would need to be transformed into places that hybrid or remote workers could
temporarily use. IT partnered with the Facility Services Department to create
new collaborative work centers. IT volunteered their 18 floor at the Hennepin
County Government Center in downtown Minneapolis as a pilot.

After significant planning, the team decided to create four different types of
work zones. The first type is focus zones, which had technology staff would find
in a cubicle pre-pandemic. The next type is a collaboration zone, which include
conference rooms for both in-person and hybrid meetings. Next are community
zones, which are informal places where staff can talk between meetings. Lastly,
resource zones that include general office supplies and printers. Most of these
spaces are equipped with Microsoft Teams Room technology. For meeting rooms,
this includes a door scheduling panel to tell which rooms are booked, or the
option to book in the moment. They also include equipment for hybrid meetings.
Community zones include Teams phones and A/V equipment for impromptu meetings.

When the pilot was complete, the project team worked with communications teams
to announce the new space. This campaign included newsletter stories about
topics including information about the types of work zones, guidance on shared
space work etiquette, instructions on booking rooms, and reminders on items
required for entry. Shortly after the opening of the 18 floor collaborative work
center, Hennepin County opened a second space at the Ridgedale Regional Service
Center – about 20 minutes away from the government center downtown. More
collaborative work centers continue to be built and/or technology supplied in
facilities around the county.

Today, staff can choose between six locations for temporary work. IT and
facilities will continue to work together on future collaborative work centers.
The partnership between Facility Services and IT to create collaborative work
centers for Hennepin County staff has been very successful. The collaborative
work centers are an innovative way to integrate technology – like Microsoft
Teams Rooms – into workspaces for staff. Other groups in Minnesota are asking
Hennepin County for tours of these spaces to replicate the experience for this
staff, including the Minnesota Department of Education, the Minnesota court
systems, the state’s IT department, and the City of Minneapolis’s CIO.

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Golden GOVIT 2022 Collaboration Finalist: Veteran Post 9/11 Service Bonus

The Post-9/11 Service Bonus project was developed using Agile principles to
enable the team to meet project objectives in the extremely short application
release target of nine weeks. MNIT and MDVA project team members, began project
initiation immediately after the Omnibus Veterans and Military Affairs bill was
signed in early May 2022. Key stakeholders included, Veterans, County partners,
and agency clients. Business requirements were captured and prioritized by the
MDVA Product Owner in partnership with the project team. The project team’s
requirement gathering efforts resulted in objectives that included the ability
for Veterans or their families to easily submit an online application and
supporting documentation, ability for Veterans to view the status of their
application, ability for MDVA staff to review and process applications,
integration, and automation of Veteran payments with the State’s financial
system, and delivery of monitoring analytics and reports for management control.
State of Minnesota IT security best practices were an integral part of all
phases of the project to mitigate and reduce application security risk and
vulnerabilities.

The project team also captured project risks and corresponding mitigation plans
during the project planning phase. A key risk identified during project
initiation was the need for additional QA resources to meet the application
testing requirements. The risk mitigation task involved a re-prioritization of
MDVA work that resulted in additional QA resources being assigned to the
project.

Application development was executed in two-week sprints where each story was
developed to meet a specific acceptance criteria. Each story was also
functionally tested within the sprint and defects were fixed immediately to
ensure quality. Each two-week sprint included a sprint review with stakeholders
to allow application features and functionality input to be provided or
confirmed. User acceptance testing (UAT) was coordinated within the project once
the key application functionality was developed. UAT spanned approximately half
of the project development timeframe to allow business partners a hands-on
opportunity to use the application, test features and provide feedback and
input. The Post 9/11 Service Bonus application was successfully released on July
7, 2022.

The resulting application has provided Veterans, MDVA and county partners with
one of the nation’s first service bonus applications. The solution provides a
secure application for Veterans to apply for, and MDVA to administrate the Post
9/11 Service Bonus program which is sustainable and paperless through the
payment process. As of October 28, 16,800 applications have been approved and
$17.7M in payments have been dispersed to Veterans or their beneficiaries
through the Post 9/11 Service Bonus application. A key component of the success
of the project was the high level of partnership and collaboration between the
MDVA and MNIT project team members. Despite the challenges of the project’s
short timeframe and high importance, the project team members met their shared
objectives through dedication, hard work and open and clear communication. The
resulting project success is a significant benefit to the Veterans of the State
of Minnesota.

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Who is Jon Eichten, Deputy Commissioner, Minnesota IT Services?

Jon Eichten serves as MNIT’s Deputy Commissioner. In his role, Jon oversees
MNIT’s state agency-based Chief Business Technology Officers as well as MNIT’s
business operations functions, ensuring executive branch agency technology needs
are met in alignment with MNIT’s mission, vision, and strategic priorities. Jon
previously served as MNIT’s Government Relations Director, where he oversaw MNIT
policy and budget proposal development, and inter-agency and legislative
affairs. Before joining MNIT, Eichten worked for the Minnesota Senate.

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Spaceships

Hello! Test test test

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About Mary Frantz

Mary Frantz is the founder, CEO and Managing Partner of Enterprise Knowledge
Partners, LLC (EKP) based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Mary has nearly 30 years of experience in technology and security. Fifteen years
were spent in executive leadership roles in Fortune 150 corporations. She has
accumulated extensive international experience and has managed the technical
design and build of many global systems. She is a hands-on industry and
court-vetted expert in cybersecurity, data breach, cloud-based service models,
enterprise architecture, breach remediation and cyber forensics.

She has led advanced ethical hacking (red teams), security assessments and has
managed multiple cyber incident response investigations across the globe. Mary
is also plaintiff’s technical expert in the Equifax, Yahoo, Facebook, and many
other breaches and cyber incidents.

Mary graduated from Northern Illinois University with a quadruple major: a B.A.
in Math / Statistics, a B.A. in Foreign Language (Spanish, French), a B.S. in
International Relations and a B.S. in Information Systems/Operations
Management. She received an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago with an
emphasis in International Business and Finance, and a Masters’ in Computer
Science Engineering from Georgia Tech. She holds various active and non-active
certifications in systems auditing, ethical hacking, penetration testing,
forensics, engineering and architecture.

Mary is a keynote speaker, author and industry expert. She is a passionate
advocate for women entrepreneurs in STEM. She is a mentor and volunteer for
women and minorities in business and technology, a Board Officer for the
Minnesota Academy of Science, and a board member on the Minneapolis Cyber
Summit. Mary is currently serving as an elected School Board Director for
District 719.

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About Kevin Ford

Kevin Ford started as the CISO of North Dakota in November of 2019. His
previous role was CISO of CyberGRX in Denver, CO, one of the top cybersecurity
start-ups in the nation, where he was responsible for expanding cybersecurity,
privacy and risk management capabilities to protect the security information of
over fifty thousand organizations, including Fortune 100 clients, from growing,
global online threats. He previously served in senior consulting roles for
Deloitte where he advised the U.S. Congress, the U.S. Indian Health Service,
local governments, and multiple private sector customers on cyber-risk
management initiatives and digital privacy. Kevin also served as a member of
the NIST Cybersecurity Framework development team and served as a cyber-risk
manager for NASA.

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About Stacy Kaiser

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About Brian Johnson

Brian Johnson is the president of 7 Minute Security, which specializes in
security assessments, penetration testing and training. He is especially
passionate about teaching others about security and hosts a weekly blog/podcast
to help consumers and businesses strengthen their security posture. When he
isn’t camped out behind a keyboard, he enjoys outdoor activities with his
family, as well as singing and playing guitar in an acoustic duo.

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About Jason Rist

Jason has 20+ years of IT, Engineering, Support, and Testing experience. By
asking difficult questions, he looks to find solutions to complex problems for
customers.

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About Bryan Behrenshausen

Dr. Bryan Behrenshausen is a community architect in the Open-Source Program
Office at Red Hat, where he develops learning and enablement materials that
teach others about the power and potential of open-source. He also is a lead
architect of the Open Organization project and community.

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Who is Dr. Verna Price?

Dr. Verna Cornelia Price is an internationally known human potential expert who
specializes in personal power, cross-cultural communications, facilitating
racism conversations. employee engagement, leadership and managing change.

As the CEO of The Power of People Consulting Group™, a leadership and management
consulting firm, Dr. Verna consults with diverse audiences spanning from
corporations, government agencies, not-for profits, K-16 educators and
universities with clients in the United States, Europe, The Caribbean, Central
American, Africa and China. Dr. Verna has founded multiple organizations in the
USA including an Undergraduate Leadership Academic Minor at the University of
Minnesota, The Power of People Leadership Institute, Girls in Action™(renamed
Girls Taking Action) and Boys of Hope™.

In 2020, Dr. Verna created and hosted a radio talk show in partnership WCCO
Radio called In the Room Where it Happened: Racism Conversations that Matter to
ALL of Us. In 2020, Dr. Verna was named one of the Top 100 People to Know in
2021 by Twin Cities Business Magazine. In 2017, Dr. Verna received the Founders
Award from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities for her role in cofounding
the Undergraduate Leadership Academic Minor, now the largest of its kind in the
world. In 2013, Dr. Verna was named an Everyday Hero by EBONY Magazine and
received the MN LINKS Emerald Award. In 2010, Dr. Verna was named Entrepreneur
of the Year by the Black MBAs and Pioneer of the Year by Women Venture.

Dr. Verna is a best selling author of three books, The Power of People: Four
Kinds of People Who Can Change Your Life ( also published in Spanish), The
Silent Cry: Dealing with Subtracters in Work and Life , and Change Your Life in
30 Days. Dr. Verna received her Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota.

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Who is Nancy Lyons?

Nancy, CEO and co-founder of Clockwork, is an outspoken advocate for making work
better. More inclusive, flexible, and adaptable. No one does great work if
they’re worried or if they can’t bring their whole self to work. And she learned
this the hard way: by having terrible jobs and not fitting in. Things many of us
can relate to. But how do we create workspaces like that?

It’s on us: leaders, employees, teams. People. We all have to take
responsibility for creating cultures and spaces that actually work for humans,
with all their complexities, nuances, and intricacies. And in doing so, we will
make better products, better experiences, and have better work lives.

Are you ready for a work revolution? She is.

Her first book was Interactive Project Management: Pixels, People, and Process,
a human-centered approach to producing digital products. Her current book, Work
Like a Boss: A kick-in-the-pants Guide to Finding (and Using) your Power at
Work, is the little book everyone needs to remember the actions, attitudes, and
attributes that will make work better, for individuals and everyone around them.

Justin Femrite Headshot

About Justin Femrite, Public Works Director & Chief Engineer

Justin Femrite is the Public Works Director and Chief Engineer for the City of
Elk River. In this role he is responsible for the administrative and
professional work planning activities of the City’s engineering, wastewater,
stormwater and maintenance divisions. He provides the direction for long term
planning, design, construction, inspection and maintenance of public drainage,
sanitary sewer, park, trail and roadway systems in the City. He further helps
develop the department’s long term vision and participates at all levels of
government to assure the department’s ability to be run efficiently and
effectively.

About Avish Parashar, Author & Speaker

Avish grew up in “exotic” Poughkeepsie, NY and now makes his home in
Philadelphia, PA. Though he performed all through high-school, he decided to
stop performing when he went to college to “focus on his studies” (his parents
were very proud of this decision).

That resolve lasted only a few months, as the first time he saw an improv comedy
show he fell in love (his parents were slightly less proud). One week later he
auditioned for the campus improv group, got in, and the rest is history. After
graduating, he started Polywumpus Improv Comedy, which performed regularly in
and around Philadelphia for seven years. Avish closed up Polywumpus to focus on
the speaking and training side of the business – using improv comedy as a tool
to teach valuable business skills such as creativity, innovation, and
adaptability.

Weaving together humorous stories, jokes, audience interaction, and improv
comedy games, Avish keeps the audience engaged while imparting a key lesson:
Planning is Important, but Improvising is Essential! No matter how well you
plan, things will go wrong, surprises will arise, and the Universe will throw
you a curveball. Your success and sanity are directly related to how you respond
these challenges. By the end of one of Avish’s presentations you will have key
tools to flow with all that life throws at you. Avish has spoken to the very
creative (actors and directors), the very un-creative (accountants), the very
casual (college students), and the very business-like (sales professionals). The
end result is always the same – smiles, laughs, and a new way of looking at life
and business.

Avish is the author of “Improvise to Success!” and the Amazon best-selling, “Say
‘Yes, And!'” (And yes, his parents are once again very proud.)

Tim Walz is Minnesota’s 41st Governor. His career has been defined by public
service, from serving our country in the military to serving our students as a
high-school teacher and football coach to serving our state in Congress.

Born in a small town in rural Nebraska, Tim’s parents instilled in him the
values that guide his commitment to common good and selfless service. Soon after
his high school graduation, Tim enlisted in the Army National Guard. Tim
attended Chadron State College, where he graduated with a social science degree
in 1989. Harvard University offered Tim an opportunity to gain a new perspective
on global education by teaching in the People’s Republic of China from 1989-90,
where he joined of one of the first government-approved groups of American
teachers to work in Chinese high schools. Upon his return from China to
Nebraska, Tim served full time in the Army National Guard, and accepted a
teaching and coaching position. More importantly, he met his wife, Gwen Whipple,
who was teaching at the same school.

Tim and Gwen Walz moved to Mankato in 1996, where they began working at Mankato
West High School. In addition to teaching social studies, Tim helped coach the
Mankato West football team that won the school’s first state championship. After
24 years in the Army National Guard, Command Sergeant Major Walz retired from
the 1-125th Field Artillery Battalion in 2005.

Tim won his first election to the United States House of Representatives in
2006, and was re-elected for another 5 terms serving Minnesota’s First
Congressional District. In addition to his work on the Farm Bill, the Lewis &
Clark Regional Water System, Minnesota Highway 14, and the Minnesota State
Veterans Cemetery in Preston (MN), Tim introduced the STOCK Act, a bill that
sought to limit congressional insider trading. On March 22, 2012, the STOCK Act
passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate.

After years of living in Mankato, Tim and Gwen moved to St. Paul with their two
children, Hope and Gus, and their rescue pets, Scout and Afton.

Tarek Tomes serves as the Commissioner of Minnesota IT Services (MNIT) and the
State of Minnesota’s Chief Information Officer (CIO), leading state efforts to
provide the best possible IT solutions and customer service to the people of
Minnesota and our business partners.

As a recognized industry leader, Tomes brings over 25 years of experience in
managing technology innovation across diverse industries, both in national,
international, and public and private sector operations. Throughout his career,
he has facilitated data-driven decision making, implemented many critical
enterprise projects, and improved workforce diversity and inclusion.

Before becoming Commissioner, Tomes served as the Chief Innovation Officer and
former Chief Information Officer at the City of St. Paul, where he was
responsible for managing ongoing process improvements, supporting human-centered
design, and increasing the overall effectiveness of city services and resources.
While in St. Paul, Tomes facilitated a digital transformation at the city level,
pioneering the use of mobile applications to improve resident opportunities.
This work allowed the city to leverage deep data insights while promoting and
supporting equitable service delivery. During his time as St. Paul’s Chief
Information Officer, Tomes oversaw the launch of St. Paul’s Open Information
Portal, which serves to promote and encourage innovative uses of data and
transparency in government services.

Tomes’ prior work experience also includes six years as an Assistant
Commissioner of Minnesota IT Services, where he created several nation-leading
Information Technology sourcing agreements for 33,000+ user utility services
statewide – including the first cloud-based public sector statewide service
offering in the nation. While Tomes was serving in this role, Minnesota became
the first state in the country to manage all Information Technology through
service level agreements, a model that was recognized with a national award.
Before joining state service, Tomes spent 13 years working for British Telecom.

About Dr. Archelle Georgiou, Chief Health Officer, Starkey Hearing Technologies

Dr. Archelle Georgiou is the Chief Health Officer for Starkey Hearing
Technologies, a global hearing technology company headquartered in Eden Prairie,
Minnesota. She is responsible for the company’s commitment to improve
individuals’ overall wellness and quality of life through products that deliver
better hearing. She develops and maintains strategic relationships within the
medical community, oversees the Healthable features embedded in the company’s
hearing aids, and brings hearing health to the forefront of overall health.

Dr. Georgiou’s extensive healthcare background includes experience as a
physician, business executive, advisor, author and speaker. She was Chief
Medical Officer of United Healthcare between 1996 and 2007 where she eliminated
unproductive policies within the healthcare system and designed systems to
coordinate care delivery. From 2008 to 2010, Dr. Georgiou served as a senior
fellow in the Center for Health Transformation, a bipartisan think-tank
established by former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich. Since 2008, Dr.
Georgiou has been a strategic advisor to a diverse group of companies who are
dedicated to cultivating cross-industry collaboration and patient-centric care.
She serves as an adjunct faculty member and Executive in Residence at the
University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management.

Archelle serves on the Board of Directors and is Chair-Elect at Children’s
Hospital and Clinics of Minnesota; she is also on the Board for CaringBridge.
For all the above and more, Dr. Georgiou received the Champion Award among
Minnesota Business Healthcare Leaders in 2014 and was recognized “an individual
who has focused their efforts to elevate the profile/status of the state’s
health care industry.”

One of Dr. Georgiou’s greatest passions is using the media to educate consumers.
As a medical expert, she has covered over 1,500 medical topics during her weekly
segments on KSTP-TV. As an innovator on consumerism and health reform, she has
been asked to speak at the White House, the World Bank and the Surgeon Generals
of the Army, Navy and Air Force. She has also appeared on FOX Business Network,
CNN, Good Morning America, and Katie’s Take with Katie Couric. In 2009, she was
the medical correspondent for a Blue Zones international expedition to Ikaria,
Greece, where she worked with National Geographic researcher Dan Buettner to
explore the underlying explanations for the island population’s longevity.

Based on her interactions with viewers, Dr. Georgiou developed the CARES Model,
a five-step approach that consumers can use to make healthcare decisions, and in
February 2017, published her first book, Health Care Choices: 5 Steps to Getting
the Medical Care You Want and Need (Rowman & Littlefield).

Dr. Georgiou graduated from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and was
board-certified in Internal Medicine. She lives in Wayzata, Minnesota and enjoys
spending her time with her husband, three girls and diva-like dog, Isabella.

About Dennis Zuzek, Sr. Vice President and Chief Technology Officer,
HealthPartners

Dennis Zuzek is Sr. Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for
HealthPartners in Minneapolis, Minnesota. HealthPartners, the largest
consumer-governed nonprofit health care organization in the nation, delivers
care and provides health insurance coverage across the upper Midwest.

Dennis is the leader of Information Services & Technology, which provides
infrastructure, applications and data management services to support
HealthPartners health plan serving 1.8M members, a care delivery system serving
1.2M patients and a workforce of 28,000 colleagues.

The department collaborates closely with business partners across the
organization to:

* Advise, evaluate and recommend advanced technology investments that support
HealthPartners future growth
* Develop and manage applications for organization-wide care delivery, health
plan and system services for patients, members, purchasers, providers and
employees
* Manage an information technology backbone to support analytics, consumer
engagement, and operations
* Operate a reliable and secure on-premise and cloud infrastructure

Dennis has served as a technology leader at HealthPartners for six years. In
January 2021 he was appointed to his new role as CTO. During his tenure, he
oversaw the growth of health plan technology, including web & mobile and
numerous applications. Previously, he held several vice president and director
positions in network management, clinical analytics, clinical systems
development and data management at UnitedHealth Group and Allina Health.

Dennis has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota and a master’s
degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

About Meyrick Vaz, Vice President – Strategic Market Partnerships,
UnitedHealthcare

Meyrick Vaz leads strategic market partnerships within the UnitedHealthcare
(UHC) Office of the CIO. In this role, he closely tracks emerging trends and
developments in healthcare, while scouting for innovation that aligns with UHC’s
business agenda. He is responsible for identifying, evaluating, piloting,
scaling up, and rolling out new, untested ideas and approaches that could
improve patient experience and increase provider satisfaction. He is currently
focused on the application of blockchain in healthcare including UHC’s work with
the Synaptic Health Alliance. Meyrick has more than 28 years of business
technology leadership experience in industries like healthcare, financial
services, retail, information services, and consulting.

About Scott Feinberg, MPH, Senior Client Executive – Healthcare, Amazon

Scott Feinberg has over 20 years’ experience working in healthcare technology
and has a deep understanding of the entire healthcare ecosystem. As a leader,
Scott has spent time working on some of the most up-and-coming Telehealth
solutions, cloud technologies, and digital transformation. while not losing
sight of the importance of direct patient care.

Today, Scott currently works at Amazon, supporting some of the largest
non-profit healthcare providers in the country. Before Amazon, Scott held
leadership roles at UnitedHealth Group, Cisco, Infor, and Dell.

As a Minnesota HIMSS board member, Mr. Feinberg also holds a CPHIMS Certified
Professional in Healthcare Information and Management Systems from HIMSS. Scott
is a featured speaker and podcaster on technology. Scott graduated from the
University of Minnesota and later earned a mini masters in eCommerce from St.
Thomas.

ABOUT TRESSA SPRINGMANN

Tressa Springmann has been Chief Information Officer for LifeBridge Health since
2012. Further she has had responsibility as Senior Vice President over
Performance Improvement including the organization’s Lean transformation work
(prior) and currently over the systems HIM function. LifeBridge Health, a $2B
in revenue not for profit system, consists of Sinai Hospital, Northwest
Hospital, Carroll Hospital, Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center and Hospital, and
its subsidiaries and affiliated units, with nearly 10,000 employees and a vast
physician network, LifeBridge Health provides patients with a continuum of care
as a partner for lifelong health. As one of the largest and most comprehensive
providers of health-related services to the people of Maryland, LifeBridge
Health has the technology, skills and expertise of an academic system with the
warmth and personal attention of a community continuum of care.

Tressa is chairman of the technology committee for CRISP, Maryland’s State
Health Information Exchange (HIE), and a member of the Premier Member Technology
Committee (MTIC).

She is also currently on The Healthcare Management Program Advisory Board for
Towson University and is an adjunct professor at Mount St Mary’s University
previously teaching Healthcare Information Technology as part of their Masters
in Healthcare Administration (MHA) program.

She is the Past President of Maryland HIMSS (MDHIMSS), is a certified
professional in Health Information Systems Management (CPHIMSS) and has attained
her certification as a Healthcare CIO. (CHCIO). Tressa has served multiple
years on the AHA ‘Most Wired’ Selection Committee, was a question writer for
both the CPHIMSS and CHCIO exams. She has been on the program planning
committee for multiple CHIME forums and is currently active on the CHIME
membership committee and recent CHIME Foundation feedback sessions. She has
regularly attended CHIME Forums and various educational events including
participation in many vendor focus group sessions. She holds her Masters from
The Johns Hopkins University and her BA in Biology from St. Mary’s College of
Maryland.

Prior to joining LifeBridge Health, Tressa Springmann served as Vice President
and Chief Information Officer (CIO) for Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC)
of Towson, Maryland, which includes a 300 bed acute hospital, an employed and
community physician organization and the region’s largest hospice provider. Ms.
Springmann has also held information technology positions at Integrated Health
Services (IHS), Georgetown University Hospital, Dimensions Healthcare System,
CMC Occupational Health, Pharmacia Diagnostics, Electronic Data Systems (EDS)
and The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Tressa recently received her Wine Production Certificate from Penn State.

ABOUT CYNTHIA PERAZZO

Cynthia is a solutions-oriented healthcare strategist and innovator. She leads
AVIA’s Center for Consumerism which is focused on identifying and building
strategies to improve access, experience and consumer relationships that can
result in growth and consumer loyalty. As the leader of AVIA’s team in the
West, Cynthia assures that AVIA member health systems are achieving the greatest
value from adoption of digital solutions. She and her team work with members to
deeply understand their strategy and market dynamics and identify and implement
innovative technologies to address critical organizational needs. Cynthia
believes collaboration is the key to success for any organization seeking to
successfully implement significant change.

Before joining AVIA, Cynthia served as the Senior Vice President of Strategy &
Business Development at Hoag Health, a regional health system in Newport Beach,
California. Cynthia lead organizational strategic planning and business
development in support of Hoag’s mission to provide the highest quality health
care services to the communities of Orange County and beyond. Before joining,
Hoag she served as Vice President of Corporate Development for Premier, Inc., a
national alliance of health systems. Cynthia led Premier’s strategic growth
into the United Kingdom and developed the business plan and first contract with
the National Health Service for a hospital pay for performance program based on
Premier’s CMS Hospital Quality Improvement Demonstration project.

Entrepreneurial in nature, Cynthia co-founded and served as VP of Business
Development for nTrusted, Inc., a consumer focused, health-related software
company in San Diego. Cynthia also worked with a new venture developing
innovative, point-of-care clinical information systems, leading business
development, sales and marketing.

Cynthia holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the Harvard
Business School and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in Finance
from the University of Texas at Austin.

ABOUT EDWARD W. MARX

Ed has served as the CIO for University Hospitals Health Systems, Texas Health
Resources, NYC Health + Hospitals and the Cleveland Clinic. At every
organization, Ed helped lead mobile strategies, analytics, and digital
transformation to drive superior clinical and business outcomes.

Author of ‘Voices of Innovation: Fulfilling the Promise of Information
Technology in Healthcare’ (2019), ‘Extraordinary Tales from a Rather Ordinary
Guy’ (2014), and ‘Scenes From an Early Morning Run’ (2019), Ed’s latest release,
‘Healthcare Digital Transformation: How Consumerism, Technology, and Pandemic
are Accelerating the Future” is the #1 Amazon Best Seller in the Healthcare
Innovation category. An avid athlete, Ed is a heart attack survivor, cancer
survivor, and member of TeamUSA Duathlon.

ABOUT CRIS ROSS

Christopher Ross is currently the Chief Information Officer of Mayo Clinic.
Prior to that, he was Executive Vice President and General Manager of the
Clinical Interoperability business for Surescripts. He has 28 years of diverse
experience in healthcare, information technology and government. He serves on
the Health and Human Services Health IT Standards Committee, the Markle
Foundation Connecting for Health Steering Committee, and previously served on
the Patient Centered Primary Care Collaborative and the CDC’s National
Biosurveillance Advisory Subcommittee. Before Surescripts, Cris most recently
was Executive Vice President for Product and Information Services and Chief
Information Officer for CVS/MinuteClinic, the pioneer and leader in retail-based
healthcare. Cris holds a BS degree in Economics from the University of Minnesota
and an MBA from the Yale School of Management. He serves on the Boards of
Directors of the Walk-In Counseling Center and Central Presbyterian Church.

About Jennifer Lundblad, Ph.D., M.B.A., President & CEO, Stratis Health

Jennifer P. Lundblad, PhD, MBA is President and CEO of Stratis Health, an
independent non-profit organization that leads collaboration and innovation to
improve health. Dr. Lundblad has an extensive background in leadership,
organization development, and program management in both non-profit and
education settings. She has a BA in speech communication and economics from
Macalester College, an MBA in public and non-profit management from Boston
University, and a PhD in education with a focus on training and organization
development from the University of Minnesota. Her dissertation research was
“Teamwork and Safety Climates in Small Rural Hospitals,” and she has published
articles in peer reviewed journals on topics related to health quality and
organizational change. Dr. Lundblad is a member of the national RUPRI (Rural
Policy Research Institute) Health Panel and serves on various other national and
local boards and in committee leadership positions. She has an adjunct assistant
professor appointment at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.

About Jan Malcolm, Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Health

Commissioner Malcolm was appointed in January 2018 as commissioner for the
Minnesota Department of Health. Ms. Malcolm is responsible for directing the
work of the Minnesota Department of Health. MDH is the state’s lead public
health agency, responsible for protecting, maintaining and improving the health
of all Minnesotans. The department has approximately 1,400 employees in the
Twin Cities area and seven offices in Greater Minnesota. Professional
Background: Prior to being appointed commissioner, Jan Malcolm was an adjunct
faculty member at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, where she
co-directed a national research and leadership development program funded by the
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Earlier she also helped develop initiatives to
strengthen the nation’s public health system as a senior program officer at the
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Commissioner Malcolm previously served as CEO of
the Courage Center and as President of the Courage Kenny Foundation following
the merger of Courage Center and the Sister Kenny Rehabilitation Institute. She
has also worked as Vice President of Public Affairs and Philanthropy at Allina
Health. From 1999 to 2003, Ms. Malcolm served as Commissioner of the Minnesota
Department of Health. Throughout her career, she has been active in state and
national health care, public health associations, and government commissions on
health care access and quality. Educational Background Jan Malcolm is a graduate
of Dartmouth College. Honorary Doctor of Laws from U of M School of Public
Health

Malcolm previously served as CEO of the Courage Center and as President of the
Courage Kenny Foundation following the merger of Courage Center and the Sister
Kenny Rehabilitation Institute. She has also worked as Vice President of Public
Affairs and Philanthropy at Allina Health. From 1999 to 2003, Malcolm served as
Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Health. Throughout her career,
Malcolm has been active in state and national health care, public health
associations, and government commissions on health care access and quality.

About Bobbie McAdam, Vice President, Enterprise Program Services, Medica

Bobbie McAdam has held positions in direct patient care settings, technology
companies and health plans throughout her career in the health care industry.
Her experience includes managing healthcare EDI initiatives related to provider
outreach and education, application/portal development, IT infrastructure
services, health care data standards and data integration, translation and
exchange. She currently holds accountability for a multi-disciplinary team
focused on vendor and contract management, finance and enterprise strategic
project investment governance. Bobbie possesses a Bachelor of Science degree in
Medical Record Administration from Bowling Green State University.

About Renee Frauendienst, RN, PHN, BSN, Retired Public Health Director, Stearns
County; current Vice-Chair, St. Cloud Hospital Board

Renee Frauendienst is recently retired from Stearns County as the Public Health
Director. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing from the College of St.
Benedict and has a Certification in Performance Improvement from the University
of Minnesota, School of Public Health. During her 33 years as a leader in
Public Health, she was known for her expertise in innovation, policy
development, performance improvement, emergency preparedness and community
engagement, which earned her several awards including the Jim Parker Leadership
Award and the Barbara O’Grady Award. In her retirement, she has started her own
consulting business where she focuses on assisting governmental entities with
performance improvement projects with a particular focus on public health and
human services. She has a particular interest in the role of nurses in
impacting health equity and building a culture of health in their community.
She currently serves as the vice-chair for Stratis Health Board, the vice-chair
for the St. Cloud Hospital Board and is the current president for the Minnesota
Center for Nursing.

About Deepti Pandita, MD, Chief Health Information Officer, Hennepin Healthcare

Deepti Pandita MD is the chief Health Information officer at Hennepin Healthcare
in Minneapolis, MN, a safety net academic medical center and also a Level one
Adult and Pediatric Trauma center. Dr. Pandita is Board Certified in Internal
Medicine and in Clinical Informatics. She is also Program Director of the
Clinical Informatics Fellowship at Hennepin Healthcare. She received her Medical
Degree from Christian Medical College, Vellore, India and did her residency
training at university of North Dakota

Dr. Pandita is active with the American Medical Informatics Association and
American college of Physicians leading several state and National committees.
She is also on the board for Minnesota doctors for Health Equity and Board
member of the Healthcare Executive Forum. Deepti has a passion for using
innovation and technology to improve care delivery for the underserved and
marginalized populations. She started a telemedicine program that delivers
substance abuse treatment to incarcerated patients at the Hennepin county jail
and is working to create health equity in the space of Telemedicine for all
underserved populations during the Pandemic and beyond.

About Jennifer Fritz, MPH, Director, Center for Health Information Policy and
Transformation, Minnesota Department of Health

Jennifer Fritz is the Director of the Office of Health Information Technology at
the Minnesota Department of Health. She is responsible for the direction of
Minnesota e-Health programs, including the Minnesota e-Health Initiative,
Administrative Uniformity, Minnesota’s Health Information Exchange Oversight
Program, and activities related to privacy and security, health informatics and
data standards. Prior to this role, Jennifer served as Deputy Director of the
Office of Health Information Technology and various other roles at the Minnesota
Department of Health. Jennifer has received a Bachelor of Science and Master of
Public Health degrees from the University of Minnesota.

About Rahshana Price-Isuk, MD, Director of Clinical Services, Northpoint Health
& Wellness Center

Medical Degree: MD, University of Maryland, Baltimore

Residency Training: University Of MN Family Medicine Redisency-North
Memorial/Broadway Family Medicine Clinic.

Philosophy of Care: As a Minneapolis native, Dr. Price-Isuk is passionate about
service to the Minneapolis community. She grew up in both North and Northeast
Minneapolis, attending Northeast Junior High School and graduating from North
Community High School. After finishing medical school Dr. Isuk returned to her
community and attended Family Medicine residency training at the University of
Minnesota Broadway Clinic and North Memorial Medical Center. Dr. Isuk has a
passion for health education. She desires to teach patients how to take
ownership of their wellness. Her goal is to empower people and communities to
take control of their health and well-being in addition to teaching providers
how to provide culturally competent, equitable healthcare services. Dr. Isuk
looks at each visit as an opportunity for learning for both provider and
patient. Clinical

Interests and Experience: Dr. Isuk enjoys her specialty of Ambulatory Family
Medicine and has been Board Certified for 15 years. She provides comprehensive
care for persons starting at birth through end of life care. She takes
particular interest in the adolescent population and loves assisting them in
addressing their health and social needs and leading them toward finding life’s
purpose.

Other Interests: Public Speaking, Mentoring, Cooking, Singing, Cycling/Power
Walking, Playing with my kids! Favorite TV show is “The Voice.”

About Pleasant Radford Jr. MBA, Health Equity Officer, UCare

Mr. Radford is a multidisciplinary health care professional who uses his
experience in health care business management, public health, and community
engagement to help build an equitable, affordable, culturally competent health
care system for all. Formerly, Radford was Principal Evaluator at Blue Cross and
Blue Shield of Minnesota, where he directed the evaluation of healthy eating,
physical activity and commercial tobacco prevention projects across the state of
Minnesota, and worked with key community and corporate stakeholders in public
policy, population health and consumer experience to improve health outcomes for
members experiencing health inequities. Prior to his position at Blue Cross,
Radford was a consultant at UnitedHealth Group. He also worked at Mayo Clinic,
University of Chicago, Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health and served in the
Peace Corps. As Health Equity Officer at UCare, Radford will work across the
organization to align clinical, community and provider health equity
initiatives. UCare Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Julia
Joseph-Di Caprio, M.D. said, “Pleasant brings enormous depth of experience and
passion to this new role at UCare. We are excited to have him lead this
important work creating opportunities for all of our members to have equitable
access to health care and a good quality of life, which is difficult for so many
UCare members because of their race or economic circumstance.” Radford serves on
the Board of the Guthrie Corporate Council and previously was a Board member of
Nice Ride Minnesota. He holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the
University of St. Thomas (Minneapolis, MN) and a Bachelor of Science (BS) in
Psychology and Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Spanish from the University of Illinois
(Champaign, IL). Radford and his wife, Toni, live in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

About Paul Kleeberg, MD, FAAFP, FHIMSS, Retired family physician and former
Regional Medical Director, Aledade

Dr. Kleeberg is a retired family physician and experienced in assisting
physicians and clinic leadership to achieve their goals in value-based care. His
most recent accomplishment has been Regional Medical director with Aledade where
all his ACOs reduced the cost and increased the quality of care while more than
half had achieved shared saving checks.

Among his other accomplishments have been serving as the Chief Medical
Informatics Officer for Stratis Health, Medical Director for Clinical Decision
Support at HealthEast Care System and for Allina Health. He has been Board
Chair for HIMSS (The Health Information Management Systems Society), led the
meaningful use committee for the Office of National Coordinator for Health
Information Technology, and clinical lead for the team implementing the Epic
Ambulatory System at Alina. He started his medical practice providing the full
spectrum of family medicine in a small independent practice St Peter Minnesota
and later he worked in a suburban ambulatory practice in Ramsey MN, part of the
Allina Health system, using the ambulatory EHR he had helped design.

Dr. Kleeberg comes with vast experience in value-based care and the
implementation of technologies, including telehealth, to improve provider
workflows, care quality, cost savings and the patient experience of care.

ABOUT MICKY TRIPATHI

Micky Tripathi is the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology at
the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where he leads the formulation
of the federal health IT strategy and coordinates federal health IT policies,
standards, programs, and investments.

Mr. Tripathi has over 20 years of experience across the health IT landscape. He
most recently served as Chief Alliance Officer for Arcadia, a health care data
and software company focused on population health management and value-based
care, the project manager of the Argonaut Project, an industry collaboration to
accelerate the adoption of FHIR, and a board member of HL7, the Sequoia Project,
the CommonWell Health Alliance, and the CARIN Alliance.

Mr. Tripathi served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the
Massachusetts eHealth Collaborative (MAeHC), a non-profit health IT advisory and
clinical data analytics company. He was also the founding President and CEO of
the Indiana Health Information Exchange, a statewide HIE partnered with the
Regenstrief Institute, an Executive Advisor to investment firm LRVHealth, and a
Fellow at the Berkman-Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard
University.

He holds a PhD in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, a Master of Public Policy from Harvard University, and an AB in
political science from Vassar College. Prior to receiving his PhD, he was a
Presidential Management Fellow and a senior operations research analyst in the
Office of the Secretary of Defense in Washington, DC, for which he received the
Secretary of Defense Meritorious Civilian Service Medal.

Jim Hall is an innovative, high-achieving Senior IT Leader with over twenty
years’ experience in IT Leadership. Jim believes in developing the next
generation of IT Leadership, to help IT organizations better respond to the
changing technology landscape.

After serving more than eight years as Chief Information Officer in government
and higher education, Jim founded Hallmentum to empower IT Leaders to drive
meaningful change through hands-on training, workshops, and coaching.

Jim is a featured speaker on IT Leadership and Technology Innovation at
conferences including Government IT Symposium, SINC Midwest IT Forum,
International Institute of Business Analysis, Premier CIO Forum, Minnesota
e-Learning Summit, CIC CIO TechForum, and UBTech.

Jim is a published author on IT Leadership, and is the author of Coaching
Buttons, a collection of essays about leadership and vision in information
technology: how to be a leader, how to lead through change, how to do strategic
planning. Jim has also contributed chapters to several other books on IT
Leadership, including The Open Organization Leaders Manual (2nd Edition), The
Open Organization Workbook, and Cultivating Change in the Academy.

Jim contributes feature articles about IT Leadership and Technology Innovation
in magazines and journals including Government CIO Outlook, CIO Review,
University Business, OpenSource, Linux Journal, and The Open Organization book
series. Jim has also been interviewed and cited as an expert on IT Leadership
and Technology Innovation for publications including The Forecast by Nutanix,
Government CIO Outlook, University Business Magazine, and MinnPost.

ABOUT DEAN BOORMAN
Account Manager of Strategic Accounts with H.B. Fuller, Owner of Minnesota
Management Consulting, LLC and CFO of No Rush Hour Productions, LLC. 30 years in
Project Program and Portfolio Management, MBA, PMP®, LSSGB, ITIL, and CSM®.

ABOUT LISA BROWN
Director Program Management at Surescripts with 30+ years of project, program,
portfolio and PMO management across multiple industries and organizational
sizes. A proven professional with a consistent track record of implementing
solutions to address business, technical and strategic challenges within complex
organizations.

ABOUT RICK RIETOW
Associate Partner at Project Consulting Group. 30+ years in Project, Program,
Portfolio Management and leading PMOs. Built, matured, or scaled PMO’s in 10+
companies from mid-size to fortune 100. MBA, PMP®, Lean Six Sigma MBB.

ABOUT JOE PERZEL
Sr. Portfolio Manager with Surescripts, owner of JPerzel Inc & CEO of No Rush
Hour Productions, LLC. 40+ years in Project Program and Portfolio Management,
PMP®.

ABOUT GEORGE S. HAWKINS, ESQ.

George Hawkins launched his innovation-focused enterprises Moonshot Missions
after stepping down as CEO of DC Water, where he served for eleven years.
George helps agencies identify and adopt strategies to deliver better service
and lower cost.

George transformed DC Water into an innovative enterprise while tripling its
investment in clean water. DC Water’s innovations ranged from Green
Infrastructure to a $500 million investment in clean energy. DC Water issued
the first century bond, first environmental impact bond, and spearheaded
programs to support low-income customers and provide for local workforce
development.

George serves on the National Infrastructure Advisory Council, which advises the
White House. George is an advisor to Xylem, Inc. and serves on the Board of the
North American Electric Reliability Corporation. George has served as a Senior
Lecturer at Princeton University and an Executive in Residence for American
University.

Mr. Hawkins also served as Director of the DC Department of the Environment and
served as Director of non-profit organizations and held positions with the USEPA
and the firm Ropes & Gray.

George is a popular speaker on water and environmental issues. He has been the
recipient of many awards, including the AWWA’s Fuller Award, Governing
Magazine’s Public Official of the Year in 2015, WEF Public Official of the Year
in 2016, and the Water Leader of the Year Prize in 2017. DC Water was awarded
the US Water Prize in 2016.

He graduated from Princeton University (Summa Cum Laude) and from Harvard Law
School (Cum Laude).

ABOUT DR. UMAIR SHAH

Umair Shah, MD, MPH, was appointed Secretary of Health by Governor Jay Inslee on
December 21, 2020. Prior to this, Dr. Shah served as Executive Director and
Local Health Authority for Harris County Public Health (HCPH) – the nationally
accredited county public health agency for the nation’s third largest county
with 4.7 million people.

Dr. Shah earned his BA (philosophy) from Vanderbilt University; his MD from the
University of Toledo Health Science Center; and completed an Internal Medicine
Residency, Primary Care/General Medicine Fellowship, and MPH (management), at
the University of Texas Health Science Center. He also completed an
international health policy internship at World Health Organization headquarters
in Switzerland.

Upon completing training, Dr. Shah began a distinguished career as an emergency
department physician at Houston’s Michael DeBakey VA Medical Center. He started
his formal public health journey as Chief Medical Officer at Galveston County’s
Health District before joining HCPH to oversee its clinical health system and
infectious disease portfolio. Under his leadership, HCPH has won numerous
national awards including recognition as Local Health Department of the Year
from the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) in
2016.

Dr. Shah currently holds numerous leadership positions with respected entities
like the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; U.S. Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention; Trust for America’s Health; Network for
Public Health Law; and Texas Medical Association. He previously served as
president of NACCHO (and its Texas affiliate) representing the nation’s nearly
3,000 local health departments.

Over his career, Dr. Shah has been a clinician, an innovator, an educator, and a
leader in health.

Maurice Ashley made history in 1999 when he became the first African-American
chess grandmaster. He is a three-time national championship coach, author of
Chess for Success: Using an Old Game to Build New Strengths in Children and
Teens, Chess commentator, iPhone app designer, puzzle inventor, and motivational
speaker.

Maurice is well known for providing dynamic live tournament coverage of
world-class chess competitions and matches. His high-energy, unapologetic, and
irreverent commentary combines Brooklyn street smarts with professional
ESPN-style sports analysis. He has covered every class of elite event, including
the World Chess Championships, the US Chess Championships, the Grand Chess Tour,
and the legendary “man vs. machine” matches between Garry Kasparov and IBM’s
Deep Blue.

Traveling the world as an ardent spokesperson for the many character-building
effects of chess, Maurice shares how chess principles and strategies can be
applied to improve business practices and assist with personal growth. Maurice
also acts as a master of ceremonies and inspirational speaker at business
conferences and high-class chess events.

Maurice has received multiple community service awards from city governments,
universities, and community groups for his work. In recognition of his immense
contribution to the game, he was inducted into the US Chess Hall of Fame in 2016
and the Brooklyn Technical High School Hall of Fame in 2018.

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About Janel Anderson

Dr. Janel Anderson is the founder of Working Conversations, LLC and holds a PhD
in organizational communication from Purdue University where she wrote her
dissertation on virtual teams 20 years ago. Part professor, part coach, part
comedian, she offers practical strategies that can be implemented immediately.

Twitter: @janelanderson
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janelanderson

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About Hayley Cohen

Hayley Cohen is an Executive Security Advisor and Threat Gamification Engineer
for IBM Security Command, and is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She leads
companies, intelligence agencies and governments through simulated
cyber-attacks, and builds one-of-a-kind scenarios for custom client experiences.

Aside from sharing best practices from a business perspective, Hayley also
demonstrates hacking techniques and tools to provide insight into how threat
actors conduct attacks.

Prior to joining IBM Security Command, Hayley was a software engineer for
various IBM Security teams, where she worked with leading technologists to
develop world class security products. Hayley holds a B.S. in Computer Science
from the Tufts University School of Engineering and a Credential of Readiness
from Harvard Business School Online.

Hayley is currently pursuing an M.S in Cybersecurity Policy and Governance from
Boston College.

Hayley has run simulations and demonstrations for business and technical leaders
around the world. Her recent engagements include FS-ISAC Americas Virtual
Summit, IBM Security Master Skills Munich, Massachusetts Digital Government
Summit and Minnesota Government IT Symposium.

Twitter: @HayleyBCohen
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hayleybcohen

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About John Nerge

John Nerge is the GIS Coordinator for the City of Brooklyn Park. John works will
all city departments, empowering their business decisions with spatial and data
analysis, cartography, and storytelling. To achieve this, he uses human centered
decision to fit the app to the audience, not the other way around.

Twitter: @GISJohnMN
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnnerge/

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About Thomas Fisher

Thomas Fisher is professor, director of the Minnesota Design Center, and Dayton
Hudson Chair in Urban Design in the College of Design at the University of
Minnesota.

Fisher served for 19 years as a dean at the University of Minnesota and became
the director of the Minnesota Design Center in 2015. His research has focused on
sustainable architecture, design ethics, and community-based service design.

Recognized in 2005 as the fifth most published writer about architecture in the
United States, Fisher has written 9 books, over 50 book chapters or
introductions, and over 400 articles in professional journals and major
publications. Named a top-25 design educator four times by Design Intelligence,
he has lectured at 36 universities and over 150 professional and public
meetings. He has written extensively about architectural design, practice, and
ethics. His latest book, Designing our Way to a Better World (Minnesota) came
out in 2016.

Mandy Froehlich passionately encourages educators to create innovative change in
their classrooms. A former Director of Innovation and Technology, technology
integrator, and teacher, she has experience at many levels of the organizational
structure. Her interest lies in reinvigorating and re-engaging teachers back
into their profession, as well as what’s needed to support teachers in their
pursuit of innovative and divergent thinking and teaching. She consults
internationally with school districts and post-secondary institutions in the
effective use of technology to support great teaching, mental health support for
educators, and how to create organizational change. Her first book, The Fire
Within: Lessons from Defeat that have ignited a passion for learning, discusses
mental health awareness for teachers. Her second book, Divergent EDU, is based
on an organizational structure she developed to support teachers in innovative
and divergent thinking. Her third book, Reignite the Flames, is based on
educator engagement and mental health. And check out here newly released book,
The Educator’s Matchbook, a weekly guide for educators looking to reignite their
love of teaching.

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About Mark Lanterman

Mark Lanterman is the Chief Technology Officer of Computer Forensic Services.
Before entering the private sector, Mark was a member of the U.S. Secret Service
Electronic Crimes Taskforce.
Mark has 28 years of security and forensic experience and has testified in over
2000 cases.

Mark is faculty for the Federal Judicial Center in Washington, D.C., the
National Judicial College in Reno, Nevada, the University of Minnesota and the
Mitchell Hamline Law School. Mark is a professor in the cybersecurity program at
the St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Mark has provided training in digital evidence, computer forensics and cyber
security to the United States Supreme Court. He has also presented to the 8th
and 11th Circuit Federal Judicial Conferences as well as numerous State and
Federal Judicial Conferences across the United States.

Mark completed his postgrad studies in cybersecurity at Harvard University and
is certified as a Seized Computer Evidence Recovery Specialist (SCERS) by the
Department of Homeland Security.

Mark is a member of the Minnesota Lawyers Professional Responsibility Board and
serves as Chairman of its Opinions Committee.

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About Angela Maldonado

In her role as Partner, Angela oversees work in 3 states and leads the
leadership development practices team for TNTP. In her role, she works with
state departments, philanthropic organizations and foundations, CMOs and
districts on a range of work that includes leadership development, talent
diversification, access to high quality academics and implementation, and
authentic community engagement. In her work at TNTP Angela has led principal
preparation programs in Philadelphia and Kansas City and supported districts in
designing comprehensive talent management and human capital strategies.

Prior to her work at TNTP, she supported district staff and principals in Prince
George’s County with the implementation of a new teacher evaluation system.
Prior to her work there, she joined education as a Teach For America corps
member in Philadelphia, where she taught middle school English in the district,
leading her students to significant gains on city wide tests. During
this time, she was featured on NBC’s Education Nation as an exemplary model of
teaching. Following her teaching experience, Angela joined Teach For America
staff as a Manager of Teacher Leadership Development, coaching first and second
year teachers throughout Philadelphia, reaching more than 2000 students via the
teachers she coached. In 2015, Angela was named to Forbes 30 Under 30 list
of influential educators. Angela completed her Bachelor of Science in Finance at
Penn State University and holds a Masters from the University of Pennsylvania
Graduate School of Education.

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About Brian Johnson

Brian Johnson is the president of 7 Minute Security, which specializes in
security assessments, penetration testing and training. He is especially
passionate about teaching others about security and hosts a weekly podcast to
help consumers and businesses strengthen their security posture. When he isn’t
camped out behind a keyboard, he enjoys outdoor activities with his family, as
well as singing and playing guitar in an acoustic duo.

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About Lynette Crane

Lynette Crane, corporate trainer, coach, international speaker, and author, has
had 40 years of experience in helping people address stress under many different
challenging circumstances, including economic chaos and natural disasters as
well as personal crises.

She was a pioneer in 1978 when she created the first college course on The
Psychology of Stress, then went on to do organizational training for such
institutions as Pacific Bell Telephone Company (during their divestiture from
AT&T), San Francisco Veterans’ Affairs, San Francisco Airport, and more. Her
training has additionally impacted companies such as Hewlett Packard, Target,
and a hot of others over her 40 years of experience.

Recognizing the old stress management techniques were not delivering what was
needed in the modern era, she turned to latest in neuroscience and quantum
physics to create a unique scientifically-validated program in which
participants can gain the tools to deal successfully with the losses and
disruptions of our pandemic by learning, easily and quickly, how to prepare for,
recover from and adapt in the face of adversity.

Seen on The Ellen Show and NBC Nightly News, educator, speaker, and author
Michael Bonner is an energizing voice in education. Michael has presented to
more than 200 education conferences, school district meetings and leadership
development audiences across the U.S. & Canada to share his “lessons learned”
from teaching in a Title I school with children that experience high levels of
trauma and adverse situations.

Mr. Bonner’s candid, enthusiastic seminars challenge listeners to create
diverse, inclusive education plans “where students can see themselves within the
lessons and assessments” as a means to increase student success rates. He
empowers his audiences to build genuine relationships with their students
because “you can’t demand a withdrawal from someone you have never invested in.”

Administrators and educators alike leave Mr. Bonner’s presence ready to make an
impact that affects eternity. He is consistently seen as a visionary leader who
strives to create a positive mindset among all of his students. His students
come to class each day with diverse backgrounds, strengths, needs, and
challenges. Therefore, he identifies strategies to ensure their growth socially,
emotionally, academically, and psychologically. Due to his educational approach,
students leave more hopeful, challenged, inspired, and forever a part of
Bonnerville.

Today, Mr. Bonner lives in Atlanta, Ga. where he is beginning a new educational
journey as a fourth and sixth grade English teacher at the famed Ron Clark
Academy!

Glen has been in education for over 20 years and he currently works as an
instructional coach in Sauk Rapids, Minnesota. Glen was previously a Spanish
teacher. Glen is well known by the Schoology community as a Gamification expert,
Schoology Ambassador, and he was the 2016-2017 Schoology Educator of the Year.
He is the co-host of OnEducation Podcast whose goal is to have honest
conversations about teachers, teaching and everything in between.

Co-convener Stratis Health is proud to provide continuing medical education
credit for physicians and advanced practice professionals for the MN HIMSS and
Minnesota e-Health Initiative Conference, through their CME accreditation by the
Minnesota Medical Association.

Physician Continuing Medical Education (CME) AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential
Areas and Policies of the Minnesota Medical Association (MMA) through the joint
sponsorship of Stratis Health and the MN HIMSS and Minnesota e-Health Initiative
Conference. Stratis Health is accredited by the MMA to provide continuing
medical education for physicians.

Stratis Health designates this activity for 7 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.
Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their
participation in the activity.

CME certificates will be emailed after completion of these steps:

1. An online evaluation survey will be emailed after the conference.
2. Complete the survey, indicate only those keynotes/sessions you attended.
3. Electronically sign and submit the survey.
4. A CME certificate will be emailed to you from Stratis Health.

Speaker and Planning Committee Disclosure: To comply with MMA Standards for
Commercial Support, Stratis Health requires presenters to disclose the existence
of any significant financial interest or other relationships with companies
whose products or services are related to the subject matter of the
presentation. Each presenter will submit a signed disclosure form prior to the
conference. No presenter or planning committee member involved with the MN HIMSS
and Minnesota e-Health Initiative Conference will have a financial relationship
that could be perceived as a real or apparent conflict of interest in the
context of their presentation; nor will any speaker discuss research or
unlabeled uses of commercial products.

Continuing Education and Contact Hours for Nurses
The University of Minnesota School of Nursing, Office of Practice, Partnerships
and Professional Development, is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing
education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on
Accreditation. The MN HIMSS and Minnesota e-Health Initiative Conference is
designed to meet the Minnesota Board of Nursing requirements for continuing
education. It is the responsibility of the individual nurse to determine if the
course fulfills that requirement.

Continuing Education Credits and Contact Hours for Other Health Professionals
The MN HIMSS and Minnesota e-Health Initiative Conference may meet continuing
education requirements for your focus. Attendees will receive a certificate of
attendance following completion of a post-conference online evaluation survey.
It is the responsibility of the individual to determine if the course fulfills
that requirement.

Amanda VanDerHeyden, Ph.D., is a private consultant and researcher who has
directed and evaluated numerous school-wide intervention and reform efforts.
Amanda is founder of Spring Math (www.springmath.com), a web-based comprehensive
mathematics RtI system covering numeracy to algebra, which is widely used in the
U.S. and has shown strong gains in math achievement. Her work has been featured
on “Education News Parents Can Use” on PBS and The Learning Channel.

Dr. VanDerHeyden has held faculty positions at Louisiana State University Health
Sciences Center and University of California at Santa Barbara. She is President
of Education Research & Consulting, Inc. in Fairhope. Dr. VanDerHeyden serves as
scientific advisor to TIES and the Center on Innovations in Learning. She has
served as a guest or standing panel member for NIH, IES at the U.S. Department
of Education and on numerous boards including the RTI Advisory Board for the
National Center for Learning Disabilities and SEDL, one of 10 regional
laboratories funded by the U.S. Department of Education since merged with the
American Institutes for Research). Dr. VanDerHeyden has published more than 100
scholarly articles and chapters, 7 books, and has given keynote addresses to
state school psychology associations and state departments of education in 32
states and Singapore. She is co- author of the Evidence-Based Mathematics
Innovation Configuration for the National Comprehensive Center for Teacher
Quality at Vanderbilt University and now the Collaboration for Effective
Education Development, Accountability, and Reform at University of Florida. Her
most recent book (Kovaleski, VanDerHeyden, & Shapiro—The RTI Approach to
Evaluating Learning Disabilities) was featured at a forum for policymakers
hosted by the National Center for Learning Disabilities as a best-practice guide
for identifying and serving children with Learning Disabilities in October of
2013 in New York, NY. She actively conducts research focused on improving
learning outcomes for students and her scholarly work has been recognized in the
form of article of the year awards in 2007 from Journal of School Psychology and
2016 from Journal of Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, the Lightner
Witmer Early Career Contributions Award from Division 16 (School Psychology) of
the American Psychological Association, and her 2012 induction into the
150-member Society for the Study of School Psychology. Amanda believes that most
academic failure is preventable and that all children can learn when provided
with the right instruction.

Ruth Lynfield is State Epidemiologist and Medical Director at Minnesota Dept of
Health. She joined MDH as a medical epidemiologist in 1997. She has investigated
and responded to outbreaks, developed surveillance systems, and conducted public
health research, evaluation and planning. She has served on a number of federal
advisory committees including the National Vaccine Advisory Committee, the FDA
Vaccine and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee and chairs the CDC
Board of Scientific Counselors for the Deputy Director for Infectious Diseases.
She is an Adjunct Professor of Medicine and of Epidemiology and Community Health
at the University of Minnesota.

Elissa Hansen, President & CEC at Northspan

Elissa Hansen invests her time creatively advancing others’ capabilities.
Recently, she has facilitated strategic planning processes for numerous public,
private, and nonprofit organizations in the Upper Midwest. She also spearheaded
the creation of the Minnesota Opportunity Collaborative and has worked to expand
and enhance Northspan’s programs. She leads Northspan with over 20 years of
experience in business and economic development across Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Karl Schuettler, Research Director & Consultant at Northspan

Karl Schuettler manages the Northland Connection program, provides support
services to local communities, and researches and analyzes economic trends. In
the past year, Karl’s work has included numerous economic analyses, reports on
business visit programs, and staffing support for several regional partnerships.
He holds a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University and a master’s degree in
urban and regional planning from the University of Minnesota.

Terri Thao

Terri Thao is passionate about building power with community. She is currently a
program director at Nexus Community Partners, a non-profit community building
intermediary where she runs the Boards and Commissions Leadership Institute
(BCLI). Terri has spent most of her professional career in the fields of
community economic development, community building, leadership development, and
philanthropy. She also teaches classes on leadership and advocacy at
Metropolitan State University. She serves on the boards of the F.R. Bigelow
Foundation, Minnesota Housing and Voices for Racial Justice. She obtained her
Bachelors’ and Masters’ degrees from the University of Minnesota. She lives with
her family on the East Side of St. Paul and loves to read in her spare time.

Dannielle Lewis
Dannielle Lewis is a senior manager in the tax practice, focused on serving
clients in the construction and real estate industry. She leads Wipfli’s team of
Qualified Opportunity Zone specialists and is a frequent speaker on this topic.
She also advises clients on complex tax transactions involving partnership
interest exchanges or business sales. Dannielle stays up to date on the
ever-changing tax laws and recognizes opportunities for new and potential
clients to help save and structure their funds. She leverages her proactive
planning and advising to ensure clients reach their goals and are successful.

SEVENTEEN. THAT’S HOW MANY YEARS JANA HAS WORKED AS A JOURNALIST FOR KARE 11
NEWS HERE IN MINNEAPOLIS – IT IS ALSO THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME SHE HAS SPENT
WONDERING IF SHE COULD EVER REALLY BE THAT MUCH NEEDED ADDITION TO THE NOW
DEFUNCT DESTINY’S CHILD. BUT SHE’S FOR SURE GONNA NAME HER FIRST CHILD,
DESTINY, JUST TO GET REMOTELY CLOSE TO THAT BRAND.

OTHER TIDBITS. SHE IS FROM A TOWN YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF BUT IT’S A 40 MINUTE
DRIVE FROM ST. LOUIS. SHE ONCE SOLD HER TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY GIFT FROM KARE 11
TO AN EX SO SHE COULD BUY A PAIR OF AIR JORDAN’S.

JANA GRADUATED FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA A VERY LONG TIME AGO AND
HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR A PERSISTENT JOURNALISM PROFESSOR WOULD HAVE SPENT HER ADULT
LIFE DRIVING THE WIENERMOBILE. JANA HAS WON 6 REGIONAL EMMY AWARDS. YOU CAN SEE
JANA WEEKNIGHTS ON BREAKING THE NEWS, KARE 11, AT 6:30 PM.

Close
Research Scientist

Jacob seeks to strengthen communities’ resilience by promoting the use of data
and careful analysis. At Wilder, he generates and curates content for the
Minnesota Compass website and manages a portfolio of related research projects.
He brings experience in research, geospatial analysis, writing, and outreach
from previous positions at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, the Center
for Urban and Regional Affairs, and the Institute for Agriculture and Trade
Policy, among others.

He holds a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from the Hubert H.
Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota and a
bachelor’s degree in English from James Madison University in Virginia.

Outside of work, he enjoys bicycling around the Twin Cities and getting lost in
the woods as he forages for mushrooms. In his opinion, a perfect day would
somehow combine the two.

Kathlene Campbell is the Dean of Education at the University of St. Thomas where
she oversees the departments of educational leadership, special education, and
teacher education as well as the charter school authorizing unit. Dr. Campbell’s
multifaceted experience as a classroom teacher, community college and state
college professor, state college interim dean, university instructor and
supervisor, and non-profit consultant have shaped all of her strategic and
scholarly pursuits. She holds a B.A. in Elementary Education and M.Ed. in Early
Childhood Intervention and Family Studies from the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill, and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from The University of
Texas at Austin.

Michael Baran, PhD is a Senior Partner and Digital Solutions Lead at inQUEST
Consulting. He has been working with organizations for almost 20 years, helping
support their diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. By training, he has a
doctorate in cultural anthropology and cognitive psychology, studying questions
like: how do we all develop unconscious biases? And what are the subtle ways
that cultures include some people and exclude others?

Michael has taught courses at Harvard University and the University of Michigan.
He has lead projects aiming to reduce racial disparities in education, health,
housing, and criminal justice at the FrameWorks Institute and at the American
Institutes of Research.

He is also the coauthor of the recently launched book Subtle Acts of Exclusion:
How to Understand, Identify, and Stop Microaggressions, cited in Forbes as one
of the “11 Books To Read If You Want To Be A More Inclusive Leader.”

Andy Zimney is a Principal Advisor and Team Performance Coach at Employe
Strategies, Inc.—a boutique firm in Minneapolis that partners with leaders to
create highly effective work cultures. He has two decades of experience in the
conference room as an organizational executive and on the stage as a profession
improviser. Andy has lead learning seminars and coached teams from a wide
variety of industries across the country to help them adapt to change and
support more innovative cultures. Andy spends the rest of his time with his wife
and 3 fantastic children in St. Paul, MN.

Jessica O. Matthews is the Founder & CEO of Uncharted Power, an award-winning,
full-service power and data infrastructure company. The Company’s proprietary
suite of technologies enables it to build, own and operate decentralized power
infrastructure for communities with various applications for edge colocation,
power, and sensing. Developing technologies in energy generation, transmission
and storage, the Company also has mastered harnessing kinetic energy, enabling
it to engineer consumer products for Fortune 500 companies in the U.S. and
various international governments. The Company was founded by Jessica when she
was only 22 years old.

Jessica was invited by President Barack Obama to the White House to represent
small companies for the signing of the America Invents Act in 2012. In 2016, she
raised the second-largest Series A ever raised by a black female founder in
history and was selected to ring the NASDAQ opening ceremony bell, representing
all Forbes 30 Under 30 alumna.

Jessica’s research and career centers around the intersection of disruptive
technology, renewable energy, human behavior, and the psychology of
self-actualization. A dual citizen of Nigeria & the U.S., Jessica has a degree
in Psychology and Economics from Harvard University, an MBA from Harvard
Business School, and is listed on over 10 patents and patents pending—including
her first invention of the SOCCKET, an energy generating soccer ball, at the age
of 19. Her list of accolades includes Fortune’s Most Promising Women
Entrepreneurs, Forbes 30 under 30 list, Inc Magazine 30 under 30, and Harvard
University Scientist of the Year.

Close
Minnesota State Demographer

Susan Brower is the Minnesota State Demographer and directs the MN State
Demographic Center. Susan became the State Demographer in February 2012. In that
capacity, she travels the state talking with Minnesotans about the new social
and economic realities that are brought about by recent demographic shifts.
Susan’s work applies an understanding of demographic trends to changes in a
range of areas including the state’s economy and workforce, education, health,
immigration and rural population changes.

Susan joined the State Demographic Center after working as a researcher on the
Minnesota Compass project at Wilder Research in St. Paul. Prior to that, she
worked at the Population Studies Center at the University of Michigan.

Susan earned her Ph.D. in sociology at the University of Michigan, specializing
in demography and family sociology. She also holds a master’s degree in public
policy from Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.

For media or other inquiries, please contact Susan
at susan.brower@state.mn.us (preferred) or 651-201-2472. Download a high
resolution photo of Susan. Note: If you would like Susan to present at an event,
please email her with your request.

Kori Land, Attorney at LeVander, Gillen & Miller, P.A.

Korine Land is a shareholder at LeVander, Gillen & Miller, located in South St.
Paul, Minnesota. She is the City Attorney for the cities of West St. Paul,
Stillwater, Cottage Grove, Randolph and Hampton. Ms. Land is the Chair of her
Firm’s Municipal Practice Group, a past president of the Minnesota City
Attorneys’ Association and a frequent speaker for the League of Minnesota Cities
on various municipal matters. She graduated from Augustana University and
Mitchell-Hamline College of Law.

Molly Just, Senior Planner at WSB

Molly has nearly 20 years of experience in local and regional government, as
well as in the private sector. While her experience includes long-range planning
and current planning, Molly finds planning nirvana when helping to solve
problems. She finds that the answers are often hiding in plain sight – in the
zoning ordinance or comprehensive plan. Molly’s planning career started in the
Washington, DC area, then moved to Maine, and finally to Minnesota in 2015;
attracted by the evident quality of life. Molly lives in Minneapolis with her
husband, son, and pets. In her free time, Molly is always trying to carve out
time to walk the lakes with her dog or strengthen her yoga practice.

Erin Perdu, Director of Community Planning & Economic Development at WSB

Erin Perdu, AICP, is the Community Planning and Economic Development Director
for WSB in Minneapolis. She has been a practicing planner for over 20 years,
working primarily in the upper-Midwest and Texas. Her career spans both the
public and private sectors, including a 12-year stint at the helm of the
consulting firm she founded, ENP & Associates. Erin’s passions include
long-range planning, community engagement, and bringing national best practices
to communities of all sizes. She holds a Bachelor of Science from Stanford
University (Earth Systems) and Master of Science (Natural Resources) and Master
of Urban Planning degrees from the University of Michigan.

Mike Couri, Attorney at Couri & Ruppe, P.L.L.P.

Michael C. Couri is a partner with Couri & Ruppe. Mr. Couri received his
Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Illinois State University in 1985.
He then received his Certified Public Accountant certificate and Juris Doctorate
from the University of Illinois in 1988. He was admitted to the Illinois Bar in
1988 and the Minnesota Bar in 1991. Mr. Couri has been continuously engaged in
the practice of Municipal Law in Minnesota since 1991. He has been the City
Attorney for the City of Albertville since 1992, the City of St. Augusta since
2000, and the City of Rockford since 2002. He has also represented a number of
Townships since his entry into the practice of Municipal Law in 1991. Mr. Couri
has attended City and Township sponsored continuing legal education seminars
annually since 1991 and has periodically spoken on Municipal issues before City
and Township organizations.

Phil Carlson, Associate at Stantec

Phil Carlson has practiced as a planning consultant in the region for more than
forty years, assisting dozens of cities with comprehensive plans, neighborhood
studies, urban design guidelines, zoning codes, and planning advice. He has
designed residential, commercial, industrial, and mixed use developments, and
wrote one of the first form-based codes in Minnesota. He has taught planning and
zoning to city staff and leaders for over thirty years and is frequently called
as an expert witness in land use and zoning cases.

CLOSE
Senior Demographer

Megan Dayton is a Senior Demographer at Minnesota’s State Demographic Center.
Since 2012, she has been responsible for preparing demographic projections for
the State of Minnesota, 13 Economic Development Regions, and 87 counties.
Serving in this role, Megan is Minnesota’s state representative to the
Federal-State Cooperative Program for Population Projections (FSCPP) with the
U.S. Census Bureau. Megan’s work involves the creation of school district
estimates upon request for intercensal levy cycle funding and providing data
analysis for state agencies, councils, and legislators.

Megan’s research interests include improving upon existing data modeling
techniques used for state and sub-state areas, as well as social stratification
and more general demographic trends related to fertility, mortality, and
migration patterns. Megan has hands-on knowledge of social and economic
realities brought about by recent demographic shifts. Her work engages an
attentive approach to relating current demographic trends with the resulting
likelihoods.

Megan holds a master’s degree in applied demography from the Center for
Demography and Population Health at the Florida State University.

Contact Megan at megan.dayton@state.mn.us (preferred) or 651-201-2461. Download
a high resolution photo of Megan. Note: If you would like Megan to present at an
event, please email her with your request.

COVID-19 and the Transforming Learning Summit

The Transforming Learning Summit is proceeding with safety as a top priority.
Our planning committee closely follows the CDC guidelines, local and state
public health authorities and US State Department/Federal Government rules
related to the COVID-19 virus. We recognize the situation is fluid and changing
daily. We’ve instituted the following policy that only applies to COVID-19
related cancellations:

» 100% of attendee and sponsor/exhibitor registration fees will be refunded if a
company has instituted travel restrictions for its employees that is effective
during the dates of the Summit, and an attendee or sponsor/exhibitor cannot
attend the event. Cancellation must be communicated by email to gts@fusionlp.org
accompanied by the company proof of policy. Refunds will not be issued for
cancellations before July 15, 2020.

» 100% of registration fees will be refunded if cancellation of the event is
mandated by local health authorities

GTS Educational Events is actively exploring Digital Conferencing tools and the
potential benefits that sponsors and exhibitors would receive, in the event that
the in-person event is canceled. We will ensure sponsors and exhibitors receive
comparable or even enhanced benefits associated with a captive digital audience.
We welcome your ideas and input.

COVID-19 and the Government IT Symposium

The Government IT Symposium is proceeding with safety as a top priority. Our
planning closely follows the CDC guidelines, local and state public health
authorities and US State Department/Federal Government rules related to the
COVID-19 virus. We recognize the situation is fluid and changing daily. We’ve
instituted the following policy that only applies to COVID-19 related
cancellations:

» 100% of attendee and sponsor/exhibitor registration fees will be refunded if a
company has instituted travel restrictions for its employees that is effective
during the dates of the Conference, and an attendee or sponsor/exhibitor cannot
attend the event. Cancellation must be communicated by email to gts@fusionlp.org
after November 16, 2020, accompanied by the company proof of policy. Refunds
will not be issued for cancellations before November 16, 2020.

» 100% of registration fees will be refunded if cancellation of the event is
mandated by local health authorities

MADHULIKA GAUR, BUSINESS AND QUALITY ANALYSIS SUPERVISOR FOR MINNESOTA IT
SERVICES AT MINNESOTA MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET (MMB), HAS OVER FIFTEEN YEARS OF
EXPERIENCE IN MULTIPLE ASPECTS OF CRITICAL SOFTWARE SYSTEMS AND CUSTOM
APPLICATIONS, INCLUDING EXPERIENCE IN AUTOMATION, FUNCTIONAL, PERFORMANCE
TESTING. MADHULIKA CURRENTLY MANAGES BUSINESS ANALYSTS TEAM AND QA TEAMS WORKING
ON VARIETY OF FUNCTIONAL, ACCESSIBILITY, AUTOMATION AND PERFORMANCE TESTING
EFFORTS.

Darin Richardson is the Claims Manager of the League of Minnesota Cities
Insurance Trust (LMCIT), working in this capacity since January 2014. Darin
currently oversees both the property casualty and the workers’ compensation
claims staff at the LMCIT. Prior to becoming the Claims Manager, Darin spent
twenty-three years as a property casualty claims professional dedicated to the
LMCIT while working for Berkley Risk Administrators and GAB.

B. J. is the Risk and Homeland Security Manager for Dakota County. B.J. is
responsible for the oversite of several programs at the County including: health
and safety, insurance and claims, continuity of operations planning, emergency
management and implementation of enterprise risk management. Dakota County
began actively pursuing cyber insurance coverage in 2018. The County has
leveraged its relationship with AIG insurance to help develop a comprehensive
framework to mitigate, respond and recover from cyber security events.

Ryan Donovan has been in the insurance industry for 15+ years as a commercial
P&C, Group Health, and Life insurance producer. In his current role, Ryan
serves as the Manager of the Insurance and Risk Management department for
Sourcewell.

Annie is a broker in Aon’s Professional Risk Solutions Team located in Chicago,
and has been with Aon since 2012. She works with organizations across all
industries and sizes in assessing Errors & Omissions, Network Security and
Privacy, and Media Risks.

Sean Sweeney is Senior Director & Chief Security Advisor, Americas, in
Microsoft’s Cybersecurity Solutions Group. In this role, he is primarily
responsible for aligning and mobilizing his team of Cybersecurity Advisors and
Architects across the U.S., Canada, and Latin America to deliver thought
leadership and deep customer engagement. He is also responsible for regularly
engaging with the security industry through public speaking, standards
development, and advanced research, as well as providing strategic direction on
products and services, and advising customer CxOs on security and compliance
issues.

Prior to joining Microsoft, Sean served as a Chief Information Security Officer
of the University of Pittsburgh, principal and co-founder of a Pittsburgh-based
eDiscovery startup, Chief Information Officer for a national law firm based in
Pittsburgh, and Litigation Support Applications Manager for the U.S. Department
of Justice in Washington, D.C.

A frequent author and speaker on security and compliance, Sean is also a
steadfast champion of cybersecurity workforce development. Originally from
Northern Virginia, and an avid boater; Sean has resided in Pittsburgh, PA for
the last 13 years.

John Israel currently manages the State of Minnesota’s Security Operations
Center (SOC) and Enterprise Forensics teams overseeing the state’s efforts to
improve cybersecurity monitoring, incident detection, and incident
investigations. This role includes building and maintaining key cyber resources
related to security monitoring and cybersecurity analysis for Minnesota
government – including direct roles partnering with the Minnesota Secretary of
State, Minnesota Fusion Center, and Minnesota county IT teams.

Robert Biestman is the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Cyber Mission
Center Sector Outreach Lead. His role is to build customer relationships with
critical infrastructure cyber leaders with the goal of securing the nation’s
critical infrastructure by furthering DHS’ understanding of cyber activity
targeting U.S. critical infrastructure and delivering valuable intelligence back
to sectors so they can better defend against cyber threats facing the Homeland.
Mr. Biestman provides cyber leaders a direct contact into the intelligence
community and facilitates information sharing, joint analysis partnerships, and
in-depth cyber threat briefings.

Prior to his role as Sector Outreach Lead, he worked as a financial sector
technical cyber threat analyst for the DHS Cyber Mission Center, and in addition
has worked as a homeland security legislative advisor for the U.S. House of
Representatives. Mr. Biestman graduated from the University of California, Santa
Barbara with a degree in Business Economics and received his Master’s Degree in
Cyber Leadership from National Defense University’s College of Information and
Cyberspace.

David Maeda is the Director of Elections for the Minnesota Secretary of State’s
Office. David’s team interfaces directly with election officials in every
Minnesota county.

Terry is a Senior Engineer with Collier IT where he works to ensure clients are
successful with database, big data, and cloud initiatives. Terry has 30 years
of software development and implementation experience as a developer, architect,
support, and sales team member. He brings extensive experience in enterprise
software design, development, consulting, training, and sales with both
government and commercial clients. Prior to joining Collier IT, Terry was a
Solution Architect at Cloudera and a Principal Systems Engineer at Oracle.

Scott is a Director of Product Management for GraalVM at Oracle. He has over 25
years experience in the industry as a developer and product manager. Scott
joined Oracle in 2003 as a developer and was one of the architects of
SecureFiles in the Oracle Database. In 2011, Scott joined the Oracle Solaris
Kernel team as an engineering manager and took over product management for
Oracle Solaris in 2013. Scott has been working with the GraalVM team for the
last 2+ years.

Brian is the Chief Technology Officer at Collier IT. He has over 36 years in the
Information Technology field starting in the US Navy in 1981. Although
proficient in many technologies his passion has been in the Operating
Environment, Engineered Systems, Data Center grade servers, Big Data/Hadoop, and
storage, and now Cloud Computing and the associated MSP aspects. He has been
teaching for Sun Microsystems / Oracle since 2000. Brian actively writes a blog
and provides formal presentations on various Oracle and related technology
topics. @Snatchbrain Brian presents at a number of technology gatherings and is
currently focused in Cloud connectivity, Docker in the Cloud, Hadoop, and Data
Analytics in the Cloud. Brian is an Oracle Ace Director for Engineered Systems /
Solaris and was recently awarded the 2018 Oracle Excellence Award: Leadership in
Infrastructure Transformation.

Jason Moldan is a Solutions Architect with Amazon Web Services where he works to
ensure customers are successful on their cloud journey. Jason has over 20 years
if IT experience and prior to joining Amazon, he was the Technical Architect for
the University of St. Thomas where he developed and led the universities cloud
initiative.

TAREK TOMES

Commissioner and Chief Information Officer

Tomes received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland and
attended Graduate School for Business Management at Boston University.

MARK LANTERMAN IS THE CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER OF COMPUTER FORENSIC SERVICES.
MARK IS A CURRENT MEMBER OF THE U.S. SECRET SERVICE ELECTRONIC CRIMES TASKFORCE.
MARK HAS 28 YEARS OF SECURITY AND FORENSIC EXPERIENCE AND HAS TESTIFIED IN OVER
2000 CASES.
HE IS FACULTY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA, THE UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS
SCHOOL OF LAW, MITCHELL HAMLINE LAW SCHOOL, THE NATIONAL JUDICIAL COLLEGE IN
RENO, NEVADA AND THE FEDERAL JUDICIAL CENTER IN WASHINGTON, DC. MARK IS A MEMBER
OF THE MINNESOTA LAWYERS PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY BOARD.
MARK PROVIDES REGULAR COMMENTARY ON NATIONAL PRINT AND BROADCAST MEDIA.

AS MNIT’S STRATEGIC PLANNING DIRECTOR KIRSTEN BRINGS TOGETHER STAKEHOLDERS FROM
ACROSS THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH TO DEVELOP, IMPLEMENT, AND EVALUATE MNIT’S STRATEGIC
PLAN. SHE ENGAGES WITH BREADTH AND DEPTH IN HER WORK SO THAT STAKEHOLDERS – FROM
SENIOR LEADERSHIP TO CUSTOMERS TO FRONT LINE STAFF – HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO
SHAPE THE AGENCY’S PATH. SHE HAS MASTER’S DEGREES IN PUBLIC HEALTH AND PUBLIC
POLICY AND HAS A BACKGROUND IN PROGRAM EVALUATION.

COMING SOON!

DAN WORKS WITH THE DHS COMMISSIONER TEAM AND OTHER SENIOR LEADERS TO COORDINATE
AN AGENCY-WIDE APPROACH TO STRATEGIC PLANNING, LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT, CHANGE
MANAGEMENT, AND ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS. HE EARNED A MASTER’S IN HUMAN
RESOURCE AND CHANGE LEADERSHIP (CONCENTRATION IN ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT) AND A
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION IN LEADERSHIP (CONCENTRATION IN PUBLIC POLICY) FROM THE
UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS.

DUY NGUYEN– QUALITY ASSURANCE ANALYST FOR MINNESOTA IT SERVICES AT MINNESOTA
MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET (MMB). HE PERFORMS ACCESSIBILITY TESTING WITH MANUAL AND
ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY TOOLS TO ENSURE THAT MMB’S DIGITAL SYSTEMS ARE USABLE BY
PEOPLE WITH OR WITHOUT DISABILITIES AND THAT THE MINNESOTA ACCESSIBILITY
STANDARDS ARE MAINTAINED.

MIKE MAHURIN IS AN EXPERIENCED SECURITY SOLUTIONS ARCHITECT AT CONVERGEONE. HE
HAS BEEN IN THE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY FIELD FOR 20 YEARS WITH 18 OF THOSE
FOCUSED-ON ENTERPRISE INFORMATION SECURITY FOR THE GOVERNMENT, MANUFACTURING,
AND FINANCIAL SERVICES SECTORS. HE CURRENTLY SUPPORTS ADVANCED SECURITY
CONSULTING SERVICES ACROSS THE UNITED STATE WITH CONVERGEONE.

WASHINGTON COUNTY INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY COLLABORATION AND DATA INTEGRATION
MANAGER. I HAVE A DEGREE IN COMPUTER SCIENCE FROM AUGUSTANA UNIVERSITY, SIOUX
FALLS, SD. I STARTED MY CAREER AS A DEVELOPER FOR PRIVATE BUSINESS. MY HUSBAND
AND I MOVED TO STILLWATER AND I WAS HIRED BY WASHINGTON COUNTY AS A DATA
PROCESSING COORDINATOR. I TRANSITIONED INTO APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT AND BUSINESS
ANALYST FOR SEVERAL YEARS, THEN A SENIOR LEAD. I HAVE BEEN IN THE IT MANAGER
ROLE FOR THE COLLABORATION AND DATA INTEGRATION DIVISION FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS.

EARL CARTER HAS ALWAYS HAD A PASSION FOR SOLVING PUZZLES AND UNDERSTANDING HOW
THINGS OPERATE. MR CARTER QUICKLY LEARNED THAT IDENTIFYING SECURITY WEAKNESSES
IS JUST LIKE SOLVING PUZZLES. OVER 20 YEARS AGO, HE WAS INTRODUCED TO NETWORK
SECURITY WHEN HE ACCEPTED A POSITION AT THE AIRFORCE INFORMATION WARFARE CENTER
IN SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS. IN 1998, MR CARTER STARTING WORKING CISCO AND BECAME ONE
OF THE FOUNDING MEMBERS ON THE SECURITY TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT TEAM (STAT). AFTER
SPENDING 15 YEARS IDENTIFYING NEW SECURITY THREATS AND ASSISTING PRODUCT TEAMS
IN HARDENING THEIR DEVICES AND SOFTWARE TO MITIGATE THOSE IDENTIFIED SECURITY
THREATS, MR CARTER BECAME A THREAT RESEARCHER FOR CISCO TALOS. NOW HE SPENDS HIS
TIME HUNTING FOR NEW THREATS AGAINST LIVE CUSTOMER NETWORKS BY EXAMINING VARIOUS
INTELLIGENCE FEEDS AND DATA SOURCES. AMONG MR CARTER’S SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS
TO CISCO ARE MULTIPLE SECURITY PATENTS AND AUTHORING THREE CISCO PRESS SECURITY
BOOKS.

DAN IS A CO-FOUNDER OF LIFESCALE ANALYTICS. AS THE CHIEF INSIGHT OFFICER, HE
OVERSEES ALL ASPECTS OF DELIVERING SERVICES AND RESULTS FOR CLIENTS. DAN BEGAN
HIS CAREER IN APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT AND HAS MANAGED AND DIRECTED DEVELOPMENT
ORGANIZATIONS CONSISTING OF UP TO 100 PEOPLE. HE HAS 27 YEARS OF IT LEADERSHIP
AND CONSULTING EXPERIENCE AND HAS IMPLEMENTED SUCCESSFUL IT PRACTICES IN DATA
SECURITY, BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE, DATA ARCHITECTURE, AGILE IT MANAGEMENT AND
ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTURE.
DAN’S EXPERIENCE WITH IMPLEMENTING STRATEGIC TECHNOLOGY SPANS A VARIETY OF
VERTICAL SEGMENTS INCLUDING THE LIFE SCIENCES, INSURANCE, BANKING, DATABASE
MARKETING, MORTGAGE AND MEDICAL INDUSTRIES. DAN HAS SERVED IN TECHNOLOGY
LEADERSHIP POSITIONS WITH UNUM LIFE, CARLSON COMPANIES, WELLS FARGO AND GMAC-RFC
AND HE HAS PROVIDED STRATEGIC IT CONSULTING SERVICES TO MANY NOTABLE
ORGANIZATIONS INCLUDING THE FEDERAL RESERVE BANK, SYNGENTA SEEDS, NATIONAL
MARROW DONOR PROGRAM/BE THE MATCH, BAYER CROPSCIENCE AND DUKE CLINICAL RESEARCH
INSTITUTE.
DAN EARNED A BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS FROM THE
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA AND A MASTER’S DEGREE IN GEOGRAPHY AND COMPUTER SCIENCE
FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA.

MIKE BEDDOW IS THE IBM HYBRID CLOUD AND ANALYTICS SOLUTIONS LEADER FOR THE
PUBLIC SECTOR AND HEALTHCARE INDUSTRIES. MIKE GRADUATED FROM LEHIGH UNIVERSITY
WITH A DUAL MAJOR IN COMPUTER SCIENCE ENGINEERING AND BUSINESS. HE HAS TECHNICAL
EXPERIENCE SOLVING COMPLEX BUSINESS CHALLENGES LEVERAGING A VARIETY OF IBM AND
OPEN SOURCE SOLUTIONS. MIKE FOCUSES ON ADVISING CLIENTS AT VARIOUS STAGES OF
THEIR CLOUD AND AI JOURNEY.

Jacob seeks to improve community vitality by promoting the use of data and
community indicators to better understand trends in different quality-of-life
measures. At Wilder, he generates and curates content for the Minnesota Compass
website and manages a portfolio of related research projects. He brings
experience in research, geospatial analysis, writing, and outreach from previous
positions at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, the Center for Urban and
Regional Affairs, and the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, among
others.

Outside of work, he enjoys bicycling around the Twin Cities and getting lost in
the woods as he forages for mushrooms. In his opinion, a perfect day would
somehow combine the two.

Jacob is also a contributor to the Minnesota Compass blog:

Ellen serves as a research scientist for Minnesota Compass where she tracks
indicators for the project which provides community-level trends for Minnesota
residents. Ellen analyzes community-level data trends by working collaboratively
with Minnesota organizations to identify data indicators that are relevant to
their everyday work.

Before joining Wilder Research, Ellen worked for the University of Iowa’s Center
for Evaluation and Assessment and University of Minnesota’s Office of Community
Engagement for Health conducting research and evaluation related to education,
health, and social services. She has worked with community-based organizations,
state and local government, and higher education institutions for the past 15
years to develop indicators that support informed decision-making.

Ellen holds dual master’s degrees in public health and public policy from the
University of Washington and a bachelor’s degree in English from Grinnell
College.

Ellen enjoys cooking for her family, visiting the mountains in her native home
of Montana, and reading a good book.

SHAWN KAMMERUD IS THE CHIEF INFORMATION SECURITY OFFICER \ IT DIRECTOR AT
MINNESOTA IT SERVICES PARTNERING WITH MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. HE IS A
NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED HEALTHCARE TECHNOLOGY LEADER THAT IS A CATALYST FOR
SECURITY WHILE KNOWING HOW TO BALANCE USABILITY.
KAMMERUD HAS A MHA, B.S. IN HEALTHCARE ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT WITH AN
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SPECIALIZATION FROM COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY AND AN
ASSOCIATE’S DEGREE IN COMPUTER SCIENCE FROM WITC NEW RICHMOND.

Joseph Pugh is an Operations and Development Systems Supervisor with MNIT
partnering with Minnesota Department of Health. He has over 25 years of IT
experience in development and his career includes mainframe, client server, fat
client servlets and now “the cloud”. His perspective and experience aligns with
a significant number of development and operational government staff that will
be tasked with this important transition.

Joseph has a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Statistics from Miami
University in Oxford Ohio.

BRENDA GABRIEL PAUL THE DIRECTOR OF IT PROJECTS AND APPLICATIONS FOR MNIT
PARTNERING WITH THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. BRENDA HAS OVER 25 YEARS OF
IT EXPERIENCE; SHE HAS SEEN MANY INFRASTRUCTURE AND APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT
CHANGES THROUGHOUT HER CAREER.
BRENDA IS A CERTIFIED INFORMATION SYSTEMS SECURITY PROFESSIONAL (CISSP) HOLDING
MASTERS OF SCIENCE IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, ASSURANCE AND SECURITY FROM
CAPELLA UNIVERSITY, AND A BA IN FINANCE AND COMPUTER SCIENCE FROM COLLEGE OF ST.
CATHERINE.
BRENDA GABRIEL PAUL THE DIRECTOR OF IT PROJECTS AND APPLICATIONS FOR MNIT
PARTNERING WITH THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. BRENDA HAS OVER 25 YEARS OF
IT EXPERIENCE; SHE HAS SEEN MANY INFRASTRUCTURE AND APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT
CHANGES THROUGHOUT HER CAREER.
BRENDA IS A CERTIFIED INFORMATION SYSTEMS SECURITY PROFESSIONAL (CISSP) HOLDING
MASTERS OF SCIENCE IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, ASSURANCE AND SECURITY FROM
CAPELLA UNIVERSITY, AND A BA IN FINANCE AND COMPUTER SCIENCE FROM COLLEGE OF ST.
CATHERINE.

ANDREW WILL-HOLMBERG IS THE CLOUD OPERATIONS SUPERVISOR AT MINNESOTA IT SERVICES
PARTNERING WITH THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. HE HAS OVER A DECADE OF
PUBLIC AND PRIVATE CLOUD EXPERIENCE. PRIOR TO JOINING MNIT, HE WAS A BUSINESS
OWNER AND DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS OVERSEEING TEAMS RESPONSIBLE FOR CLOUD
OPERATIONS FOR CLIENTS RANGING FROM TECH STARTUPS TO FORTUNE 100 COMPANIES.

GAIL TOUSSAINT, CBAP, HAS A WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE AS A BUSINESS ANALYSIS OVER
MANY YEARS IN BOTH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR ORGANIZATIONS. GAIL ATTAINED IIBA
CERTIFIED BUSINESS ANALYST PROFESSIONAL (CBAP) CERTIFICATION IN 2008. SHE SERVED
FOUR YEARS ON THE IIBA BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR THE MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL CHAPTER

MEL IS THE CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER AT THE LEAGUE OF MINNESOTA CITIES WHERE SHE
OVERSEES THE LEAGUE’S INTERNAL TECHNOLOGY SERVICES AND ASSISTS MINNESOTA CITIES
WITH THEIR TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVES. PRIOR TO THE LEAGUE, MEL WORKED IN TECHNOLOGY
LEADERSHIP ROLES IN BOTH MUNICIPAL AND COUNTY GOVERNMENT.

KEN IS THE STATEWIDE DISABILITY PROGRAMS COORDINATOR FOR MNDOT. HE HAS EXPERTISE
IN APPLYING THE AMERICAN’S WITH DISABILITIES ACT, WITH EMPHASIS IN THE
APPLICATION OF EMPLOYMENT-RELATED ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING ACCESS TO DIGITAL
CONTENT. KEN IS BLIND AND USES A SCREEN READER.

JENNIE DELISI IS THE ACCESSIBILITY ANALYST IN THE STATE OF MINNESOTA’S OFFICE OF
ACCESSIBILITY. SHE IS AN INVITED EXPERT ON THE W3C’S COGNITIVE AND LEARNING
DISABILITIES ACCESSIBILITY TASK FORCE, A CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL IN WEB
ACCESSIBILITY (CPWA), AND MEMBER OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
ACCESSIBILITY PROFESSIONALS’ COMPETENCIES DEVELOPMENT AND RECOMMENDATION
COMMITTEE.IO.

PETER HAS BEEN HELPING GOVERNMENT AGENCIES SECURELY ACCOMPLISH THEIR MISSIONS
WITH A FOCUS ON MITIGATING CYBERTHREATS FOR OVER 30 YEARS.
PETER HELPS THE BROADER IT COMMUNITY UNDERSTAND THE VERY LATEST CYBER
CAPABILITIES AND RISK MITIGATION METHODS TO EFFECTIVELY ADDRESS CYBER THREATS.
HIS HAS A UNIQUE COMBINATION OF A TECHNICAL BACKGROUND AND A PASSION TO CLEARLY
CONVEY HIGH-TECH TOPICS TO AUDIENCES OF ALL LEVELS. HE WORKS WITH NIST AND THE
NATIONAL CYBERSECURITY CENTER OF EXCELLENCE (NCCOE) AND HAS CONTRIBUTED THEIR
1800-SERIES SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS.
WITH A DEGREE IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING FROM DUKE UNIVERSITY, PETER HAS HELD
LEADERSHIP POSITIONS AT HEWLETT-PACKARD, AT&T AND PANASONIC.

ANDY ZIMNEY IS A SENIOR CULTURE AND ADVISOR AND TEAM PERFORMANCE COACH AT
EMPLOYEE STRATEGIES, INC.—A BOUTIQUE FIRM IN MINNEAPOLIS THAT PARTNERS WITH
LEADERS TO CREATE HIGHLY EFFECTIVE WORK CULTURES. FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS, ANDY
HAS LEAD LEARNING SEMINARS AND COACHED TEAMS FROM A WIDE VARIETY OF INDUSTRIES,
INCLUDING GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, ALL OVER THE COUNTRY TO HELP THEM CREATE MORE
PRODUCTIVE, INNOVATIVE, AND MEANINGFUL WORK.

DAVID ANDREWS HAS OVER 39 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE WORKING IN THE ASSISTIVE
TECHNOLOGY, WEB ACCESSIBILITY AND ACCESS TO INFORMATION FIELDS. HE IS CHIEF
TECHNOLOGY OFFICER OF MINNESOTA STATE SERVICES FOR THE BLIND WHERE HE HAS WORKED
FOR THE PAST 25 YEARS. IN THIS POSITION HE SUPERVISES SSB’S ENGINEERING UNIT,
AND WORKS ON A VARIETY OF ACCESSIBILITY AND TECHNOLOGY-RELATED ISSUES WITH SSB
AND DEED STAFF AS WELL AS OTHER STATE AGENCIES AND SSB PARTNERS. HE WAS A PART
OF THE GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO WORKED TOGETHER ON WEB AND SOFTWARE ACCESSIBILITY
ISSUES, WHOSE WORK ULTIMATELY LED TO THE PASSAGE OF ACCESSIBILITY LEGISLATION IN
MINNESOTA IN 2009. WHILE AT SSB HE HAS ALSO DIRECTED ITS COMMUNICATION CENTER
AND ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY UNIT. PRIOR TO COMING TO MINNESOTA HE WORKED FOR THE
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND, NFB, AS THE FIRST DIRECTOR OF THE
INTERNATIONAL BRAILLE AND TECHNOLOGY CENTER. THE IBTC IS THE WORLD’S LARGEST
DEMONSTRATION AND EVALUATION CENTER FOR ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY USED BY BLIND
PERSONS. ANDREWS CONTINUES TO WORK FOR THE NFB AS A CONTRACTOR, ADMINISTERING A
SYSTEM THAT SUPPORTS OVER 350 INTERNET MAILING LISTS, AND OVER 40 WEB SITES USED
BY NFB AFFILIATES, CHAPTERS, AND DIVISIONS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY. ANDREWS HAS A
MASTER’S DEGREE IN BROADCAST MANAGEMENT AND HAS ALSO WORKED FOR A VARIETY OF
RADIO READING SERVICES AND TELEPHONE-ACCESSED DIAL-UP NEWSPAPER READING
SERVICES.

KEN IS AN EXPERIENCED SECURITY AND AUDIT PROFESSIONAL WITH A STRONG
UNDERSTANDING OF COMPLEX COMPUTING ENVIRONMENTS, SECURITY FRAMEWORKS,
LEGISLATIVE AND REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS AND ACCEPTED PRACTICES WITH SECURITY
SOLUTIONS. HAVING PRESENTED TO STATE, REGIONAL AND NATIONAL WORKSHOPS, AND
CONFERENCES; KEN OFFERS A HIGHLY RATED PRESENTATION STYLE.
A FOUNDING MEMBER AND PAST PRESIDENT OF WESTERN WISCONSIN INFRAGARD CHAPTER,
PAST PRESIDENT OF ISSA-MILWAUKEE (INTERNATIONAL SYSTEMS SECURITY ASSOCIATION),
PAST PRESIDENT AND FOUNDING MEMBER OF ISSA-MADISON, PAST CHAIRMAN MATC MILWAUKEE
SECURITY SPECIALIST CURRICULUM ADVISORY COMMITTEE, PAST MEMBER OF HERZING
UNIVERSITY’S DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY DEGREE PROGRAM, ISACA (INFORMATION
SYSTEMS AUDIT AND CONTROL ASSOCIATION) AND MEMBER WESTERN WISCONSIN ASSOCIATION
OF COMPUTER CRIME INVESTIGATORS (WWACCI).
KEN HAS SECURITY INFORMATION PUBLISHED IN SEVERAL BOOKS AND TRADE MAGAZINES. AS
DIRECTOR IT SERVICES FOR FIPCO® A SUBSIDIARY OF THE WISCONSIN BANKERS
ASSOCIATION; KEN HAS COORDINATED AND PERFORMED INFORMATION SECURITY/IT AUDITS
AND RISK ASSESSMENTS IN OVER 100 FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS IN THE PAST FEW YEARS.
IF YOU’D LIKE TO CONTACT KEN, HE CAN BE REACHED VIA EMAIL AT;
KSHAURETTE@FIPCO.COM.

RENEE HEINBUCH, CURRENTLY THE WASHINGTON COUNTY INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DIRECTOR
FOR THE PAST 2.5 YEARS WITH 25 YEARS OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY EXPERIENCE IN THE
PRIVATE SECTOR INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING COMPANIES, BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD OF MN,
US BANK, LAND O’LAKES AND 3M. SHE IS PARTICIPATING ON THE GOVERNOR’S BLUE RIBBON
COMMITTEE AND CHAIRING THE CYBERSECURITY SUB-COMMITTEE.

DAVID HAS WORKED ON TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS FOR SOCIAL PROGRAMS FOR OVER 12 YEARS,
AND IS CURRENTLY THE LEAD OFFERING MANAGER FOR THE IBM SOCIAL PROGRAM MANAGEMENT
PLATFORM. IN THIS ROLE, DAVID SEEKS TO UNDERSTAND THE NEEDS OF ORGANIZATIONS
MANAGING HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES PROGRAMS, AND TRANSLATE THOSE REQUIREMENTS
INTO GENERIC, REUSABLE SOFTWARE COMPONENTS FOR THE PLATFORM THAT CAN HELP
DELIVER IMPROVED OUTCOMES FOR VULNERABLE POPULATIONS WORLDWIDE.

A SPECIALIZED QUALITY ASSURANCE ANALYST WHO USES WCAG 2.0 GUIDELINES TO CREATE
TEST CASES’ EXPECTATIONS. USING QA BEST PRACTICES AND ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY
TOOLS, SHE EXECUTES ACCESSIBILITY TESTS, REPORTS VIOLATIONS, RETESTS, AND
ENSURES OUR ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY END USERS CAN SUCCESSFULLY ACCESS AND USE STATE
PRODUCTS.

EAQAT’S AUTOMATION ENGINEER WHOSE TALENTS CREATED THE ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY TOOL
(AST) THAT PRODUCES A SYSTEM-GENERATED REPORT SHOWING SCANNED SCREENSHOTS OF
EACH PAGE WITH VIOLATIONS, EXPLANATION OF THE WCAG 2.0 GUIDELINES THAT WEREN’T
MET, AND POSSIBLE RESOLUTIONS THAT ASSIST THE TECHNICAL TEAM.

DAMIEN IS A SR. SOLUTIONS ARCHITECT FOR PUBLIC SECTOR AT RED HAT. WORKED AS LEAD
DEVELOPER, DEV MANAGER AND ENTERPRISE ARCHITECT IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS
FOR 20 YEARS. HAVING WORKED ON PROJECTS FROM DESKTOP-BASED WIDGETS TO MAJOR
MULTI-TIERED APPLICATIONS WITH WEB API’S, HE DEVELOPED AN ACUMEN FOR APPLICATION
ARCHITECTURE. CURRENT FOCUS IS ON CONTAINERIZATION; DATA CENTER MODERNIZATION &
THE ROAD TO DEVOPS. PRESENTING THE EVOLUTION OF IT AND PROGRESSION TO
CONTAINERIZATION.

VARSHA CHETLUR IS THE SOCIAL PROGRAM DATA AND ANALYTICS OFFERING MANAGER FOR
GOVERNMENT HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES WITH IBM WATSON HEALTH. VARSHA FOCUSES ON
DEVELOPING ANALYTICS THAT HELP SOCIAL PROGRAM AGENCIES MEET THEIR REPORTING
NEEDS. SHE ENJOYS WORKING WITH CLIENTS, UNDERSTANDING MARKET NEEDS AND
DEVELOPING INNOVATIVE OFFERINGS ADDRESSING CLIENT CHALLENGES.

PHILLIP YEICH IS THE DIRECTOR, EMERGING SOLUTIONS FOR THE OFFICE OF THE CTO AT
CONVERGEONE. FOR THE PAST 18 YEARS, PHILLIP HAS BEEN INVOLVED WITH INNOVATION IN
THE SOFTWARE ARENA IN THE FINANCIAL SERVICES, PHARMACEUTICAL, FEDERAL & STATE
GOVERNMENT AND BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE INDUSTRIES ON BEHALF OF NUMEROUS FORTUNE
500 COMPANIES. PHILLIP HAS SPECIALIZED IN VALIDATING IDEAS & CONCEPTS THROUGH
THE SOFTWARE LIFECYCLE TO REALIZE FULL MONETIZATION.
TODAY, PHILLIP IS RESPONSIBLE FOR DRIVING CONVERGEONE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS TO MARKET ENSURING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION AND PROVIDING AN
EXCEPTIONAL CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE.
PHILLIP HOLDS A B.A. FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SAN ANTONIO, AND A MBA FROM
BELLEVUE UNIVERSITY, OMAHA NEBRASKA.

MIKKI DESQUE IS THE STRATEGIC SURVEY & EVALUATION COORDINATOR FOR THE MINNESOTA
DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES. PREVIOUSLY, MIKKI SPENT 14 YEARS MANAGING THE
METROPOLITAN STATE UNIVERSITY PSYCHOLOGY LAB AND, PRIOR TO THAT, SUPERVISED THE
WILDER RESEARCH SURVEY CENTER. SHE IS ALSO AN EXPERIENCED DATA ANALYST, DATABASE
ADMINISTRATOR AND PROJECT MANAGER.

KAREN LEADS THE DEVELOPERS AND SUPPORT SPECIALISTS THAT DELIVER TEAMS,
SHAREPOINT, FORMS, POWER BI, AND OTHER COLLABORATION/PRODUCTIVITY TOOLS WITHIN
OFFICE 365. HER TEAM DEVELOPS THE PROCESSES AND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES NECESSARY
TO KEEP OFFICE 365 RUNNING SMOOTHLY FOR OVER 35,000 USERS.

JILL LEADS THE CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGEMENT (CSM) AREA OF MNIT ENTERPRISE
SERVICES. CSM INCLUDES BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT, SERVICE PORTFOLIO
MANAGEMENT AND EXPERIENCE IT. THE FOCUS OF CSM IS TO ENSURE MNIT SERVICES MEET
THE IT NEEDS OF THE STATE AGENCIES, BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS WE SERVE. JILL HAS
BEEN WITH THE STATE OF MN FOR 20 YEARS THIS YEAR, STARTING WITH THE DEPARTMENT
OF HUMAN SERVICES PRIOR TO JOINING THE MNIT TEAM.

TED IS AN APPLICATION ARCHITECT FOR MNIT SERVICES. AT WORK HE PARTICIPATES IN
AND LEADS TEAMS THAT IMPLEMENT ENTERPRISE-LEVEL IT SOLUTIONS, SERVICES, AND
PLATFORMS. OUTSIDE WORK HE COACHES ULTIMATE FRISBEE, WALKS, RIDES, JUGGLES,
TRAVELS, READS, AND HELPS WITH HIS SONS’ BOY SCOUT TROOP.

WENDY AND A SMALL GROUP OF COLLEAGUES AT THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES WERE
THE FIRST AMONG THE MINNESOTA EXECUTIVE BRANCH TO IMPLEMENT SHAREPOINT WHEN IT
WAS RELEASED TO MARKET IN 2001. OVER THE YEARS WENDY HAS MAINTAINED A DIRECT
CONNECTION WITH SHAREPOINT AND PASSION FOR ENABLING COLLABORATION AND
TRANSFORMING THE WAY PEOPLE WORK. TODAY WENDY LEADS THE MNIT ENTERPRISE O365
TEAMS RESPONSIBLE FOR DEVELOPING, DEPLOYING, AND SUPPORTING TOOLS LIKE
SHAREPOINT AND TEAMS.

IRENE IS THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS COUNSEL AT THE LEAGUE OF MINNESOTA
CITIES, WHERE SHE ADVOCATES ON BEHALF OF CITIES AT THE STATE LEGISLATURE AND
SERVES AS LEGAL COUNSEL FOR THE LOBBYING DEPARTMENT.

JENNIFER IS THE DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENT RELATIONS AT RAMSEY COUNTY WHERE HER
RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE LEADING STAFF AND WORKING WITH EXTERNAL PARTNERS TO
DEVELOP AND ADVANCE RAMSEY’S LEGISLATIVE PLATFORMS AT THE STATE AND FEDERAL
LEVEL.

SUSIE CROWELL IS A BUSINESS ANALYST WITH MNIT PARTNERING WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF
EMPLOYMENT AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ON THE WORKFORCE ONE APPLICATION. PRIOR TO
WORKING AT MNIT, SHE WAS A CONSULTANT IN THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS FOR OVER
20 YEARS.

JENKINS NELSEN IS AN INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED DIVERSITY CONSULTANT, TRAINER,
PLANNER, RESEARCHER, LECTURER. CO-PRESIDENT, THE DIVERSITY INSTITUTE, INC.;
ADJUNCT PROFESSOR, CONSULTANT FOR LUTHER SEMINARY. CORPORATE CLIENTS INCLUDE
UNITEDHEALTH GROUP, THE ST. PAUL COMPANIES, THE FEDERAL RESERVE BANK, THE MAYO
CLINIC AND CHILDREN’S HOSPITALS. SHE IS CO-FOUNDER, INTER-RACE, A DIVERSITY
THINK TANK AT AUGSBURG COLLEGE.

Corey Blommel has 20 years of IT experience that stretches across several
fields. Currently, Corey is a security instructor at Anoka Ramsey Community
College, and manages the Cybersecurity, Computer Networking and Computer Science
academic programs. Corey is also a community faculty member at Metropolitan
State University, and an instructor at the MNCyber Cyber Range.

Corey holds a Bachelors degree in IT management from Concordia University and
Masters degrees in MIS from Metropolitan State University. When not teaching,
Corey continues to work as an IT consultant.

KARIE IS A HUELIFE FACILITATOR AND TRAINER. PREVIOUSLY, SHE WAS THE DIRECTOR FOR
ALLIES FOR SUBSTANCE ABUSE PREVENTION COALITION (A.S.A.P.). WHILE AT A.S.A.P.,
SHE FACILITATED A COUNTYWIDE COALITION OF VOLUNTEERS TO ASSESS, PLAN, AND
IMPLEMENT ENVIRONMENTAL STRATEGIES TO CHANGE THE CULTURE AROUND UNDERAGE DRUG
AND ALCOHOL ABUSE. BY USING THE ACTION PLANNING AND ACCELERATED ACTION PLANNING
METHODS, KARIE LED THE COALITION TO SUCCESSFULLY PASS ORDINANCES AND POLICIES
THAT HAVE CREATED SUSTAINABILITY IN THEIR EFFORTS.

STEPHANIE IS THE CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER (COO), CONSULTANT, FACILITATOR AND
TRAINER AT HUELIFE, AN ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND FACILITATION COMPANY THAT
FOCUSES ON HUMAN UNDERSTANDING AND ENGAGEMENT AS A STRATEGY FOR CHANGE. SHE IS
DEDICATED TO HELPING ORGANIZATIONS ALIGN ACTIVITIES WITH MISSION AND VALUES,
STRENGTHEN PROCESSES AND INCREASE ENGAGEMENT BY BUILDING A CULTURE OF
INNOVATION, EQUITY AND EMPOWERMENT. HER UNIQUE ABILITY TO MOTIVATE AND INSPIRE
GROUPS THROUGH PARTICIPATORY PROCESSES CONSISTENTLY DELIVERS GREAT RESULTS. SHE
HAS 20 PLUS YEARS OF LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT AS WELL AS
EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE WORKING WITH FOR PROFIT AND NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS.
SHE SPECIALIZES IN LEADERSHIP AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, CHANGE AND PROJECT
MANAGEMENT, AND STRATEGIC PLANNING.

STEPHANIE IS A TECHNOLOGY OF PARTICIPATION (TOP®) CERTIFIED FACILITATOR AND
MENTOR TRAINER. SHE HAS A BACCALAUREATE DEGREE IN PSYCHOLOGY AND SOCIAL WORK
FROM PACIFIC LUTHERAN UNIVERSITY IN TACOMA WASHINGTON AND A MASTER’S DEGREE IN
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION FROM HAMLINE UNIVERSITY IN ST. PAUL MINNESOTA.

ROBERT PARTNERS WITH PUBLIC SECTOR ENTITIES ACROSS THE US TO PROVIDE THOUGHT
LEADERSHIP AND MARKET LEADING EXPERTISE IN ADDITION TO CONDUCTING KEYNOTE
PRESENTATIONS, STRATEGY WORKSHOPS AND CONSULTING ENGAGEMENTS ALONG WITH DRIVING
PROGRAMMATIC INITIATIVES ACROSS BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY DOMAINS.

KRIS LEADS THE EXPERIENCE IT PROGRAM WHERE SHE WORKS TO IMPROVE USER EXPERIENCE
FOR 35,000 STATE EMPLOYEES. PRIOR TO THIS, AS INNOVATION ANALYST FOR MNIT’S
INNOVATION PROGRAM AND TECH CONNECTIONS INITIATIVE MANAGER FOR THE MINNESOTA
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, SHE HELPED DRIVE IT INNOVATION TO FOSTER
COLLABORATION AND GREATER PRODUCTIVITY.

SHAWN RILEY WAS BORN TO A BROKEN AND ABUSIVE HOME. SHAWN OVERCAME THE CHALLENGES
OF HIS YOUTH AND ADOPTED A GROWTH MINDSET AND “WE CAN MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER
PLACE” ATTITUDE. AT THE AGE OF 16 HE STARTED A TECHNOLOGY COMPANY. LATER IN HIS
CAREER HE ENTERED THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND WORKED AS A THOUGHT LEADER FOR
COMPANIES LIKE IBM AND THE MAYO CLINIC. HIS CAREER HAS INCLUDED MASSIVE CHANGE
AND TRANSFORMATION INITIATIVES SPANNING MULTI BILLION-DOLLAR ORGANIZATIONS. IN
2017 SHAWN WAS APPOINTED BY GOVERNOR DOUG BURGUM TO LEAD THE STATE OF NORTH
DAKOTA’S TECHNOLOGY SERVICES AS THE CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER. HE IS ALWAYS
LOOKING TO CONNECT WITH OTHERS WHO HAVE A “WE CAN CHANGE THE WORLD” ATTITUDE AS
HE STRIVES TO BE A SERVANT LEADER AND IMPROVE LIVES, EMPOWER PEOPLE, AND INSPIRE
SUCCESS.

BRAD MORSE HAS 10 YEARS’ EXPERIENCE WORKING IN STATE GOVERNMENT, AND IS
CURRENTLY THE PROGRAM MANAGER AT MN. DLI OVERSEEING THE DELIVERY OF THE WORKERS’
COMPENSATION MODERATION PROJECT. BEFORE THIS ROLE, BRAD WAS THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR
OF THE WORKERS’ COMPENSATION DIVISION AT THE UT. LABOR COMMISSION, WHERE HE
OVERSAW THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DEPARTMENTS EDI CLAIMS REPORTING SYSTEM, AND
ONLINE WAIVER APPLICATION PROGRAM.

RAVI SUBRAMANIAM IS THE U.S. PUBLIC MARKETS LEADER FOR BLOCKCHAIN AT IBM. IN HIS
ROLE, HE SHARES INFORMATION ABOUT IBM’S BLOCKCHAIN OFFERINGS AND SOLUTIONS WITH
CUSTOMERS AND PROSPECTS AND CONSULTS WITH CLIENTS ON THEIR BLOCKCHAIN SOLUTION
REQUIREMENTS. IN A LONG AND DISTINGUISHED TECHNOLOGY CONSULTING CAREER OF MORE
THAN 20 YEARS, HE HAS WORKED WITH CLIENTS ON BOTH THEIR TECHNOLOGY STRATEGY
PLANNING AND ROADMAP REQUIREMENTS AS WELL AS LARGE BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION
IMPLEMENTATION PROJECTS.

KRISTINA’S DEEP EXPERTISE IN BOTH HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT AND OPERATIONS LENDS A
UNIQUE HUMAN-CENTERED AND SERVICE-ORIENTED PERSPECTIVE TO HER CONSULTING AND
DESIGN WORK WITH CLIENTS IN HEALTHCARE, FINANCIAL SERVICES, MANUFACTURING, AND
GOVERNMENT. SHE IS PASSIONATE ABOUT DELIVERING THE EXPERIENCE HER CLIENTS EXPECT
AND WANT, AND HELPS THEM DO THE SAME FOR THEIR CUSTOMERS. IN ADDITION TO HER
ROLE AT AZUL SEVEN, KRISTINA SERVES AS AN INDUSTRY CONSULTANT AT THE UNIVERSITY
OF MINNESOTA COLLEGE OF DESIGN.

ROHIT SAXENA CURRENTLY SUPERVISES IT STAFF OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH (EH)
DIVISION AT MDH TO ENSURE SERVICE DELIVERY MEETS THE NEEDS OF THE DIVISION.
RECENTLY, ROHIT OVERSAW HIS TEAM IN MIGRATING APPLICATIONS TO THE CLOUD. HE IS
PART OF THE ARCHITECTURE TEAM IN DEVELOPING EH’S CLOUD BASED ARCHITECTURE
APPLICATIONS.

BREE BASHAM HAS 20 YEARS IN THE BRAND AND MARKETING SPACE AT AGENCIES LARGE AND
SMALL IN CHARLOTTE, NEW YORK, AND LOS ANGELES. AS CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF CAPTECH’S
CX GROUP, HER TEAM IS FOCUSED ON DRIVING STRATEGIC APPROACHES FOR
ENTERPRISE-LEVEL BUSINESS, BRAND, AND MARKETING OBJECTIVES. HER TEAM OF UI AND
UX DESIGNERS CREATE CUSTOMER-CENTERED PRODUCTS THAT BRIDGE PHYSICAL AND DIGITAL
EXPERIENCES, MAKING THE JOURNEY THROUGH A PRODUCT OR SERVICE AS SEAMLESS AS
POSSIBLE.

JACQUELYNN MOL SLETTEN IS A FINANCIAL AID ADMINISTRATOR WITH THE MINNESOTA
OFFICE OF HIGHER EDUCATION. JACQUELYNN ADMINISTERS THE DUAL TRAINING GRANT ALONG
WITH SEVERAL OTHER FINANCIAL AID PROGRAMS. SHE RECEIVED HER GRADUATE DEGREE FROM
BETHEL UNIVERSITY AND HAS NEARLY 10 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN WORKING WITH
FINANCIAL AID.

JOANN IS A LEAD WEB ACCESSIBILITY TESTER AND TRAINER WITH MN.IT SERVICES. SHE
HAS OVER TWENTY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE WORKING ON GOVERNMENT IT PROJECTS. JOANN IS
A RECIPIENT OF THE 2015 PROJECT OPPORTUNITY AWARD AND A MEMBER OF THE WORKFORCE
ONE REWRITE TEAM THAT RECEIVED THE 2015 NASCIO – INFORMATION COMMUNICATIONS
TECHNOLOGY INNOVATIONS AWARD.

LEA DOOLEY, MNIT SERVICES. LEA DOOLEY IS THE DIGITAL ACCESSIBILITY COORDINATOR
FROM THE USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN TEAM AT THE MINNESOTA IT SERVICES PARTNERING
WITH HUMAN SERVICES AND MNSURE. LEA IS A CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL IN ACCESSIBILITY
CORE COMPETENCIES (CPACC).

LOLLY LIJEWSKI IS THE DIGITAL ACCESSIBILITY COORDINATOR AT THE MINNESOTA
DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES. SHE HAS OVER THIRTY-NINE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN
ADVOCACY, ACCESSIBILITY, AND SERVICE DELIVERY ON BEHALF OF THE DISABILITY
COMMUNITY. SHE IS A CERTIFIED JAWS TESTER OF HUNDREDS OF DOCUMENTS, WEB SITES
AND APPLICATIONS FOR DIGITAL ACCESSIBILITY AND USABILITY DESIGN. SHE DEVELOPED
AND TEACHES A JAWS SCREEN READER COURSE AND HAS BEEN A SCREEN READER USER FOR
MORE THAN 43 YEARS.

Kristy Dalton is the CEO of Government Social Media LLC and executive director
of the Government Social Media Organization. She has been called on as an
industry influencer and her unique background includes serving as a delegate at
a NATO social media summit in Sarajevo, advising government agencies on digital
strategy and delivering keynotes on social media and tech innovation all across
the United States. Kristy has authored several social media courses for the
LinkedIn Learning platform and pens a regular social media column in Government
Technology Magazine. She founded the nation’s first social media conference for
U.S. city, county and state agencies, the Government Social Media Conference.

COMING SOON.

Chris Dancy is touted as “the Most Connected Man on Earth,” and the world is
watching those connections carefully. For 25 years, Dancy has served in
leadership within the technology and healthcare industries, specializing in the
intersection of the two. Chris entered the public dialog concerning digital
health as the media started to focus on wearable technology. He earned his
moniker by utilizing up to 700 sensors, devices, applications, and services to
track, analyze, and optimize his life–from his calorie intake to his spiritual
well-being. This quantification enables him to see the connections of otherwise
invisible data, resulting in dramatic upgrades to his health, productivity, and
quality of life.

A noted keynote speaker and executive workshop retreat facilitator, Chris guides
organizations and audiences on a journey–a disruptive, breathtaking journey–into
the future of computing, when behavior becomes the ultimate interface. As a
author his digital wellness journey will transform how we look at the technology
of our lives.

JIM HALL IS AN INNOVATIVE, HIGH-ACHIEVING SENIOR IT LEADER WITH OVER TWENTY
YEARS’ EXPERIENCE IN IT LEADERSHIP. JIM BELIEVES IN DEVELOPING THE NEXT
GENERATION OF IT LEADERSHIP, TO HELP IT ORGANIZATIONS BETTER RESPOND TO THE
CHANGING TECHNOLOGY LANDSCAPE.

AFTER SERVING MORE THAN EIGHT YEARS AS CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER IN GOVERNMENT
AND HIGHER EDUCATION, JIM FOUNDED IT MENTOR GROUP TO PROVIDE COACHING, ADVISING,
AND MENTORING TO CIOS AND IT DIRECTORS, LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT TRAINING TO
EMERGING IT LEADERS, AND ESSENTIAL MANAGEMENT TRAINING TO NEW MANAGERS AND
SUPERVISORS.

JIM IS A FEATURED SPEAKER ON IT LEADERSHIP AND TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION AT
CONFERENCES AND VENUES INCLUDING GOVERNMENT IT SYMPOSIUM, SINC MIDWEST IT FORUM,
INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF BUSINESS ANALYSIS, PREMIER CIO FORUM, MINNESOTA
E-LEARNING SUMMIT, CIC CIO TECHFORUM, AND UBTECH.

JIM IS A PUBLISHED AUTHOR ON IT LEADERSHIP, AND HAS WRITTEN COACHING BUTTONS, A
COLLECTION OF ESSAYS ABOUT LEADERSHIP AND VISION IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: HOW
TO BE A LEADER, HOW TO LEAD THROUGH CHANGE, HOW TO DO STRATEGIC PLANNING. JIM
HAS ALSO CONTRIBUTED CHAPTERS TO SEVERAL PROFESSIONALLY PUBLISHED BOOKS ON IT
LEADERSHIP, INCLUDING THE OPEN ORGANIZATION LEADERS MANUAL (2ND ED.), THE OPEN
ORGANIZATION WORKBOOK, AND CULTIVATING CHANGE.

JIM REGULARLY CONTRIBUTES FEATURE ARTICLES ABOUT IT LEADERSHIP AND TECHNOLOGY
INNOVATION IN MAGAZINES AND JOURNALS INCLUDING GOVERNMENT CIO OUTLOOK, CIO
REVIEW, UNIVERSITY BUSINESS, AND THE OPEN ORGANIZATION. JIM HAS ALSO BEEN
INTERVIEWED AS AN EXPERT ON IT LEADERSHIP AND TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION FOR
PUBLICATIONS INCLUDING UNIVERSITY BUSINESS MAGAZINE, AND MINNPOST.

JIM HAS A MASTER’S DEGREE IN SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION FROM THE
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA, AND A BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN PHYSICS FROM THE UNIVERSITY
OF WISCONSIN-RIVER FALLS.

RICHARD MATSON-DALEY HAS SPENT HIS CAREER AT THE INTERSECTION OF MISSION AND
TECHNOLOGY, WITH APPROXIMATELY 15 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN THE NONPROFIT, HIGHER
EDUCATION AND GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY SECTORS.HE IS A STRONGER BELIEVER IN
COLLABORATION, CONVERSATION AND PARTICIPATORY LEADERSHIP, AND DRAWS FROM A
NUMBER OF FRAMEWORKS IN HIS WORK, INCLUDING THE ART OF HOSTING AND HARVESTING
CONVERSATIONS THAT MATTER AND HUMAN CENTERED DESIGN.

ABBY IS A PRINCIPAL AT AZUL SEVEN, WHERE SHE WORKS CLOSELY WITH NONPROFIT,
HEALTHCARE, FINANCIAL SERVICES, EDUCATION, AND GOVERNMENT CLIENTS TO
UNDERSTAND BUSINESS CHALLENGES, UNCOVER USER NEEDS, GUIDE STRATEGY, AND ACHIEVE
STRONG, SUCCESSFUL OUTCOMES. SHE SERVES AS A TRUSTED ADVOCATE FOR AZUL SEVEN’S
CLIENTS
AND A CHAMPION FOR THE POWER OF HUMAN-CENTERED DESIGN TO INFLUENCE LASTING
CHANGE.

A BORN PUBLIC SPEAKER AND TRAINER, KIT WELCHLIN BEGAN PUBLIC SPEAKING AT THE AGE
OF 9 IN 4-H. BY 16, HE WAS ORGANIZING AND FACILITATING PRESENTATIONS ON
LEADERSHIP, CITIZENSHIP, COMMUNITY SERVICE AND MOTIVATION FOR THE 4-H AND FUTURE
FARMERS OF AMERICA.
KIT WELCHLIN PURCHASED HIS FIRST MANUFACTURING COMPANY AT AGE 21, AND BY 26 WAS
CEO AND CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF THREE MANUFACTURING COMPANIES IN THREE STATES.
HE’S BEEN AN INSTRUCTOR WITH THE MINNESOTA STATE COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES,
WHERE HE HAS BEEN REPEATEDLY NOMINATED OUTSTANDING FACULTY. HE IS A PROFESSIONAL
MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL SPEAKERS ASSOCIATION.
KIT HAS A B.S. DEGREE IN SPEECH COMMUNICATION, BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION AND
POLITICAL SCIENCE. HE EARNED AN M.A. DEGREE IN SPEECH COMMUNICATION AND BUSINESS
ADMINISTRATION.
IN 2014, KIT WAS INDUCTED INTO THE MINNESOTA SPEAKERS ASSOCIATION HALL OF FAME.
HE HAS DELIVERED MORE THAN 3,000 SPEECHES AND SEMINARS TO MORE THAN 500,000
PEOPLE OVER THE PAST 26 YEARS.

Prior to its acquisition by ConvergeOne, Craig worked for AOS for 10 years as a
Design Architect and Systems Consultant in Omaha, NE. As a Design Architect,
Craig meets with clients to understand the business needs for technology (such
as SD-WAN, Security, etc), create topology designs, PowerPoint proposals, and
Statements of Work for professional services teams to implement the solution. He
supports multiple accounts throughout Nebraska, Iowa, and the Dakotas and covers
technology solutions including Route/Switch, Security, Wireless, Data Center,
and Unified Communications.

DESI KLIMESH IS AN E-RYT 1500+ HOURS (EXPERIENCED, REGISTERED YOGA TEACHER).
DESI HAS SHARED WITH, AND EDUCATED OTHERS ABOUT THE PRACTICE, AND BENEFITS OF
YOGA, ON THE MAT, AND OFF OF THE YOGA MAT. RESIDING IN ROSEAU, MN,
DESI WELCOMES ALL, TO HER YOGA TREE YOGA STUDIO, BELIEVING YOGA IS FOR
EVERYBODY, AND IS FOR EVERY BODY.
DESI’S 20 YEARS OF TEACHING AND EDUCATING OTHERS ABOUT THE PRACTICE OF YOGA
INCLUDE, KIDS YOGA, ADULTS, PRE-NATAL YOGA, CHAIR YOGA, MINDFULNESS, AND
MEDITATION.
DESI SHARES THE YOGA PRACTICE LOCALLY AS WELL AS INTERNATIONALLY, LEADING
WOMEN’S CIRCLES OF YOGA AND SELF DISCOVERY IN UBUD, BALI.

JAY IS MINNESOTA’S FIRST CHIEF INFORMATION ACCESSIBILITY OFFICER, OR CIAO. HE
LEADS THE OFFICE OF ACCESSIBILITY WHICH WORKS WITH MINNESOTA STATE AGENCIES TO
DEVELOP POLICIES AND IMPLEMENT PROCESSES AND BEST PRACTICES THAT HELPS ENSURE
THAT DIGITAL GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS AND SERVICES ARE ACCESSIBLE AND USABLE FOR
ALL.

JENNIFER WELLS, STATE BRIDGE INSPECTION ENGINEER, MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF
TRANSPORTATION – BRIDGE OFFICE HAS BEEN AN ENGINEER WITH MNDOT FOR THE PAST 18
YEARS, THE LAST 13 IN FRACTURE CRITICAL BRIDGE INSPECTION AND 5 YEARS IN BRIDGE
DESIGN AND BRIDGE STANDARDS. JENNIFER HAS A BSCE FROM MICHIGAN TECH UNIVERSITY
AND AN MSCE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA. SHE IS A LICENSED CIVIL ENGINEER,
NBIS TEAM LEADER, FAA CERTIFIED SMALL UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEM PILOT, AND LEAD
INVESTIGATOR ON MNDOT DRONE RESEARCH FOR BRIDGES. THE MNDOT BRIDGE OFFICE
INSPECTION UNIT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MANAGING THE MINNESOTA BRIDGE INSPECTION
PROGRAM AND CONDUCTING FRACTURE CRITICAL INSPECTIONS STATEWIDE ON BOTH THE STATE
AND LOCAL SYSTEM.

KIM WEE IS THE DIGITAL ACCESSIBILITY COORDINATOR AND WEBMASTER FOR MINNESOTA IT
SERVICES PARTNERING WITH EDUCATION AND IS A CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL IN WEB
ACCESSIBILITY (CPWA). SHE HAS OVER 20 YEARS OF WEB EXPERIENCE IN DESIGN,
DEVELOPMENT, AND ADMINISTRATION WITH A FOCUS ON WEB ACCESSIBILITY.

AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NATIONAL WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS, SUE WALLACE IS RESPONSIBLE
FOR CREATING IT FUTURES’ ADULT WORKFORCE PROGRAM INCLUDING PROGRAM ENHANCEMENTS,
EXPANSION TO NEW MARKETS AND OVERSEEING ONGOING OPERATIONS NATIONALLY. MS.
WALLACE STARTED HER PROFESSIONAL CAREER IN THE IT INDUSTRY AND MOVED ON TO SPEND
NEARLY 14 YEARS IN NONPROFIT WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BEFORE JOINING CREATING IT
FUTURES. SHE HOLDS BOTH A BACHELOR’S AND A MASTER’S DEGREES FROM BALL STATE
UNIVERSITY.

JOHN SUNDBERG IS THE FOUNDER OF KINETIC DATA AND ARCHITECT OF KINETIC SOLUTIONS.
HE SPENT TIME IN ENTERPRISE IT ACROSS LARGE MULTINATIONAL AND FORTUNE 500 AND
GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS PRIOR TO FOUNDING KINETIC DATA. HE HAS BEEN A LEADER OF
HUNDREDS OF PROJECTS WITH EXTENSIVE WORK IN IMPROVING SYSTEMS ARCHITECTURE FOR
COMPLEX, DISTRIBUTED SYSTEMS. JOHN’S PASSION IS IN IMPROVING THE WORLD BY
BUILDING DISTRIBUTED, MAINTAINABLE, AND HIGH PERFORMING SYSTEMS TO PROVIDE
BUSINESS AGILITY. HE IS MARRIED, HAS FOUR KIDS AND LIVES IN MINNESOTA.

ALISON SLAATS HAS WORKED IN THE GIS FIELD FOR OVER 20 YEARS IN THE GOVERNMENT,
PRIVATE, NON-PROFIT AND ACADEMIC SECTORS. SHE CURRENTLY WORKS AT THE MINNESOTA
GEOSPATIAL INFORMATION OFFICE (MNGEO) AS A PROJECT PORTFOLIO MANAGER.

DAMANI SHORT IS A SEASONED AND HIGHLY SOUGHT-AFTER BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY
LEADER. DAMANI FOUNDED LEXICO – A TRANSFORMATION SERVICES CONSULTANCY – AFTER
RECOGNIZING A GAP IN TECHNOLOGY AND BROADER TRANSFORMATION INITIATIVE PLANNING
APPROACHES THAT EFFECTIVELY ENABLE AND DRIVE MID-MARKET COMPANIES’ IMPROVED
ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY AND GROWTH. AS A GE LEAN/SIX SIGMA MASTER BLACKBELT,
DAMANI’S DISTINGUISHED CHANGE LEADERSHIP TRACK RECORD UNDERPINS AN INNOVATIVE
STRATEGY AND ROADMAPPING APPROACH RESULTING IN DIFFERENTIATED BUSINESS OUTCOMES.
DAMANI’S VAST EXPERIENCE IN TECHNOLOGY LEADERSHIP, INCLUDING INFORMATION
SECURITY AND COMPLIANCE, GLOBAL LEADERSHIP, GENERAL MANAGEMENT/P&L OWNERSHIP,
AND OVERALL COMPANY GROWTH STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT (MOST RECENTLY A 38% CAGR) HAS
PLACED HIM IN GLOBAL LEADERSHIP ROLES FOR SOME OF THE MOST ICONIC BRANDS,
INCLUDING GE, NEWELL RUBBERMAID, UNITED STATES OLYMPIC COMMITTEE, JOHNSON
CONTROLS, AND SHUTTERFLY. FOR THE PAST 20 YEARS, HE’S HELD A VARIETY OF CIO,
CTO, AND COMPLIANCE OFFICER ROLES FOR COMPANIES RANGING FROM $40M TO $45B N
ANNUAL REVENUE.

ENTERPRISE DATA ARCHITECT AND SR. DATA GOVERNANCE FOR THE STATE OF MINNESOTA’
MNIT SERVICES. SHE HAS OVER 25 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN LEADERSHIP ROLES IN PUBLIC
AND PRIVATE SECTOR.
CURRENTLY WORKING WITH NATIONAL GOVERNORS ASSOCIATION (NGA), 7 OTHER STATES ON
CROSS-SECTOR DATA SHARING INITIATIVE TO INFORM POLICY
HTTPS://WWW.GOVTECH.COM/ANALYTICS/NGA-INITIATIVE-COULD-ENABLE-DATA-SHARING-ON-POLICY-BETWEEN-AGENCIES.HTML.
SHE WORKS WITH TECHNOLOGY AND BUSINESS LEADERS IN DATA GOVERNANCE AND DATA
MANAGEMENT, INCLUDING, DATA SECURITY AND PRIVACY, INTEGRATION, ANALYTICS, AND
DATA MIGRATION STRATEGIES. ELLENA HAS ALSO IMPLEMENTED DATA GOVERNANCE AND DATA
STEWARDSHIP PROGRAMS AND PROCESSES THROUGHOUT HER CAREER. SHE HAS DELIVERED ON
LARGE PROJECTS AND RECEIVED SEVERAL LEADERSHIP AWARDS. ELLENA PREVIOUSLY
PRESENTED WORK AT IT GOVERNMENT SYMPOSIUMS, DIGITAL SUMMIT, AND SHE HAS
CONTRIBUTED TO SEVERAL WHITE PAPERS PUBLISHED BY NATIONAL CHIEF INFORMATION
OFFICERS (NASCIO).

ANDREW SCHMITT IS AN INFORMATION SECURITY PROFESSIONAL WITH A PASSION FOR
INCIDENT RESPONSE AND DIGITAL FORENSICS. CURRENTLY, SCHMITT IS A MEMBER OF THE
CYBER SECURITY INCIDENT RESPONSE TEAM (CSIRT) AT MEDTRONIC WHERE HE FOCUSES ON
HUNT TEAMING AND TIER 3 INCIDENT RESPONSE. ADDITIONALLY, SCHMITT IS AN ADJUNCT
PROFESSOR AT METROPOLITAN STATE UNIVERSITY WHERE HE HAS AUTHORED AND TAUGHT
CLASSES IN NETWORK PROTOCOLS AND ANALYSIS, CYBER INCIDENT RESPONSE, AND
PENETRATION TESTING. SCHMITT HOLDS A MASTER’S OF SCIENCE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF
MINNESOTA AND CURRENTLY HOLDS MULTIPLE CERTIFICATIONS INCLUDING GCIH AND GCFA.
OUTSIDE OF TEACHING, SCHMITT SPENDS TIME WORKING ON THE OPEN SOURCE PROJECT,
POWER-RESPONSE, AND HE COACHES THE METRO STATE COLLEGIATE CYBER DEFENSE
COMPETITION TEAM.

STEVIE PETERSON, CCMP, PMP, CBAP, PMI-ACP, CSM, PMI-PBA, LSSGB, IIBA-AAC, ITIL®
V2 MANAGER WITH A MARK OF DISTINCTION, ITIL® V3 EXPERT
STEVIE PETERSON IS A CONSULTANT, TRAINER, AND SPEAKER WITH OVER 25 YEARS’
EXPERIENCE SPECIALIZING IN THE AREAS OF ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE, PROGRAM
LEADERSHIP, BUSINESS ANALYSIS, PROCESS DESIGN/IMPROVEMENT, SERVICE MANAGEMENT
(ITIL®), AND AGILE.

JERINE HAS MORE THAN 20 YEARS IN PUBLIC SECTOR, WITH A PRIMARY FOCUS ON BUSINESS
RELATIONSHIPS AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT FOR IT PROJECTS; MANY SECURITY AND
GRANT-FUNDED. AS THE PRINCIPAL IS LIAISON FOR RAMSEY COUNTY, JERINE FOCUSES ON
BRINGING THE BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY STAFF TOGETHER TO FIND AGREEABLE
RESOLUTIONS. JERINE IS A CERTIFIED PROJECT MANAGER AND BLACK BELT IN SIX SIGMA,
SO PROCESS IS AT THE FOREFRONT OF HER THOUGHTS, AND A PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
FACILITATOR, GUIDING MANY CONTENTIOUS DISCUSSIONS.
PREVIOUSLY, JERINE WORKED AT THE PORT OF SAN DIEGO AS SENIOR MANAGER, POLICY &
PLANNING.

KAREN RAY IS A RECOGNIZED AUTHORITY IN BUILDING AND SUSTAINING COLLABORATIVE
VENTURES. HER EXPERIENCES IN THE 1970’S AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF
LITERACY-FOCUSED AGENCY MANDATED TO COLLABORATE BY STATE AND FEDERAL FUNDERS LED
TO SEMINAL RESEARCH IN COLLABORATION. SHE HAS COMBINED THIS COLLABORATIVE
EXPERIENCE WITH HER TRAINING EXPERTISE TO PROBLEM-SOLVE WITH AGENCIES INVOLVED
IN JOINT VENTURES. SHE HAS EARNED A REPUTATION FOR GROUP FACILITATION THAT
RESULTS IN DECISIONS, HIGHLY INTERACTIVE TRAINING SESSIONS, AND EFFECTIVE
CONSULTATION FOR COLLABORATIONS. KAREN HAS HELP TO FOUND DOZENS OF
COLLABORATIONS AND CONSULTED WITH HUNDREDS OF OTHERS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES
DURING THE LAST 28 YEARS.
KAREN’S MOST RECENT BOOK , “THE NIMBLE COLLABORATION,” IS AN AWARD-WINNING
COLLECTION OF WISDOM AND BEST PRACTICES BASED ON YEARS OF CONSULTATION WITH
COLLABORATIONS IN MANY SECTORS IN MANY STATES. KAREN RAY CO-AUTHORED THE
BOOK “COLLABORATION, CREATING, SUSTAINING AND ENJOYING THE JOURNEY” IN 1995.
THIS AWARD-WINNING HANDBOOK GUIDES NON-PROFIT STAFF THROUGH PARTNERSHIP
VENTURES.
SHE HAS TAUGHT TEAMBUILDING AND LEADERSHIP COURSES IN THE COLLEGE OF ST.
CATHERINE MASTER’S PROGRAM IN ORGANIZATION LEADERSHIP AND ETHICS, AND
UNDERGRADUATE COURSES FOR METROPOLITAN STATE UNIVERSITY. SHE HOLDS A MASTERS
DEGREE IN APPLIED BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES FROM WHITWORTH COLLEGE, SPOKANE,
WASHINGTON WITH A SPECIALTY IN ORGANIZATION AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT. KAREN IS A
CERTIFIED CONSULTANT IN WHOLE SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY.
CHECK OUT KAREN’S WEB SITE ON COLLABORATION AT KARENRAYCOLLABORATION.COM

DANWOOD (WOODY) RASMUSSEN IS AN INTEGRATION ARCHITECT WORKING FOR MNIT AT THE
DEPT OF HUMAN SERVICES. RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE REVIEWING AND IMPLEMENTING
SERVICE BUS PATTERNS TO SHARE INFORMATION BETWEEN INTERNAL/EXTERNAL SYSTEMS.
PRIOR TO THIS HE WORKED AT IBM AS AN APPLICATION ARCHITECT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE
ENTITLEMENTS AND MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AS WELL AS WEB SERVICES TO SHARE BUSINESS
PARTNER DATA WITH OTHER IBM APPLICATIONS.

JOE PERZEL HAS BEEN LEADING PROJECTS OF ALL SIZES AND MANAGING STAFFS SINCE 1982
IN BOTH A CORPORATE AND VENDOR CAPACITY. HE HAS A BACKGROUND IN INCLUDING
GOVERNMENT, NON-PROFIT, K12 AND HIGHER EDUCATION, HEALTHCARE, INSURANCE,
FINANCE, AUDIT AND COMPLIANCE. PRESENTLY JOE IS PARTNER JPERZEL INC. AS WELL AS
PROGRAM MANAGER AT SURESCRIPTS LLC. HE HAS ALSO HELD LEADERSHIP POSITIONS AT
CARGILL, MN WORKERS COMPENSATION INSURERS AGENCY, THOMSON REUTERS AND
INTERNATIONAL MULTIFOODS.
JOE HAS BEEN PRESENTING SINCE 2002 ON TOPICS RANGING FROM PROJECT MANAGEMENT,
LEADERSHIP, STRATEGY, NEGOTIATIONS/SALES. MOST RECENTLY HE HAS BEEN THE KEYNOTE
AT THE MANITOBA PMI PDD, CENTRAL ARKANSAS PDD, ROCHESTER CTC LEADERSHIP
CONFERENCE, AS WELL AS PRESENTED TO PMI-MN, PMI INTERNATIONAL, PMI (ATLANTA,
DELAWARE VALLEY, DALLAS, HEARTLAND, MILEHIGH, SILVER SPRINGS), IIBA, MN STATE
SYMPOSIUM, ST CLOUD STATE UNIVERSITY AND THE UNIVERSITY OF ST THOMAS.

GEORGE F. PAULIK HAS A PH.D. IN MATHEMATICS AND A MASTERS IN ELECTRICAL
ENGINEERING AND OVER 20 YEARS OF WORK EXPERIENCE AT IBM IN CHIP DESIGN AND
CIRCUIT TECHNOLOGY. HE CURRENTLY WORKS AS A LOGIC DESIGNER AT IBM IN ROCHESTER,
MN AND IS AN IBM Q AMBASSADOR.

DAN OEHMKE, DIRECTOR, ENTERPRISE SERVICE DESK, MN.IT SERVICES
DAN OEHMKE IS DIRECTOR OF MNIT’S ENTERPRISE SERVICE DESK AND LEADS ITIL / ITSM
INITIATIVES IN SUPPORT OF 45,000 END-USERS. WITH ALMOST 40 YEARS PUBLIC SERVICE
IN THE UNITED STATE ARMY AND AT THE STATE OF MINNESOTA, DAN HAS ALSO HAS TAUGHT
GRADUATE LEVEL OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT COURSES AT ST. MARY’S UNIVERSITY. DAN’S
CREDENTIALS INCLUDE ACCREDITED ITIL INSTRUCTOR, ITIL EXPERT, DISTINGUISHED
PROFESSIONAL IN SERVICE MANAGEMENT, AND ISO / IEC 20000 CONSULTANT/MANAGER. DAN
IS A PAST PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF STATE TECHNOLOGY DIRECTORS
AND HOLDS MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS.

JOHN NERGE IS THE GIS COORDINATOR FOR THE CITY OF BROOKLYN PARK. HE USES MODERN,
HUMAN-CENTERED DESIGN TO BUILD AND PUBLISH ENGAGING AND INTUITIVE PUBLIC GIS
APPS. A BIG PART OF THAT IS KNOWING HOW TO WORK WITH PEOPLE AND BUILD
RELATIONSHIPS. IN HIS SPARE TIME, HE ENJOYS COOKING, READING, AND MARTIAL ARTS.

CO-AUTHOR OF THE ART OF CONVENING: AUTHENTIC ENGAGEMENT IN MEETINGS, GATHERINGS,
AND CONVERSATIONS; ART OF CONVENING© CERTIFIED CONVENING LEADER
PATRICIA WORKS AT THE INTERSECTION OF INDIVIDUAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE,
WHERE SHE COLLABORATES WITH INDIVIDUALS, TEAMS AND ORGANIZATIONS ORGANIZATIONS
TO INCREASE THEIR POSITIVE IMPACT IN THE WORLD IN A WAY THAT FEELS INSPIRED AND
ALIVE. SHE DOES THIS THROUGH LOVINGLY CURATED, HIGH-IMPACT EXPERIENCES;
WORKSHOPS, RETREATS, AND COURSES; AND SPEAKING.
PATRICIA’S FOCUS IS INSPIRING CPL’S GROWTH THROUGH PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT AND
EXECUTION OF CPL’S SIGNATURE PROGRAMS: THE ART OF CONVENING TRAININGS, THE ART
OF PURPOSE TRAININGS, COLLABORATIVE LEADERSHIP MODEL AND TOOLKIT, AND CONSULTING
AND COACHING PROGRAMS. ALL CPL PROGRAMS ARE DEDICATED TO CREATING A WORLD THAT
WORKS FOR ALL.
THROUGH HER EXPERIENCE SHE FOUND A PASSION FOR CONVENING WITH THOSE OF ALL AGES
BUT HER INTERESTS FLOURISHED IN WORKING WITH ORGANIZATIONS AND COMPANIES AROUND
HER. WITH 25+ YEARS OF WORKING WITH ENTREPRENEURIAL START-UPS AND COMMUNITY
ORGANIZING, PATRICIA HAS HAD A BROAD EXPERIENCE IN CONVENING, MARKETING AND
ORGANIZATIONAL OPERATIONS. PATRICIA HELD POSITIONS AT TELEMEDIA COMMUNICATIONS,
SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHING TWO NATIONAL MAGAZINES, GARDEN WAY MFG. INC, AND DEEPROCK
MFG. PATRICIA, CO-AUTHOR OF THE ART OF CONVENING: AUTHENTIC ENGAGEMENT IN
MEETINGS, GATHERINGS AND CONVERSATIONS, HAS COACHED AND PREPARED EXECUTIVES FOR
THE THOUGHT LEADER GATHERINGS AND TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERS COLLABORATORY FOR 16
YEARS.
PATRICIA IS TRAINED IN AND UTILIZES A VARIETY OF CONVENING, FACILITATION AND
COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT METHODS. THESE INCLUDE THE ART OF CONVENING PRACTICUM
TRAININGS AND CERTIFICATIONS, SIX INITIATIVES OF TRANSFORMATION, COACHING FOR
ROI, C-IQ CONVERSATIONAL INTELLIGENCE FOR COACHES, TRUE NORTH GROUPS INSTITUTE,
TWIN CITIES RISE PERSONAL EMPOWERMENT FACILITATOR TRAINING, WORLD CAFÉ, TOP CORE
COMPETENCIES, OPEN SPACE, AND PRESENCING/THEORY U.
PATRICIA BELIEVES IN THE VALUE OF GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY AND SERVING AS A
LEADER TO ALL AROUND HER. PATRICIA IS CO-FOUNDER OF THE CONSCIOUS BUSINESS
ALLIANCE AND SERVES AS A FOUNDING BOARD MEMBER, NOW AN ADVISORY COUNCIL MEMBER
OF HONORING WOMEN WORLDWIDE, SERVED AS A FOUNDING BOARD MEMBER OF WOMEN’S
CONGRESS FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS CONFERENCES AND THE POSITIVE COACHING ALLIANCE
MN CHAPTER. SHE IS A CONTINUING ACTIVE MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
PROFESSIONAL WOMEN AND NATIONAL COALITION OF DIALOGUE AND DELIBERATION. SHE HAS
ALSO BEEN AN INSTRUMENTAL INFLUENCE IN THE DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRESSION OF THREE
WALDORF SCHOOLS.
IN PATRICIA’S FREE TIME SHE ENJOYS BEING THE MOTHER OF THREE CHILDREN,
GRANDMOTHER OF THREE AMAZING HUMAN BEINGS, READING AND COMPETING AS A SPRINT
TRIATHLETE. THE YWCA SPRINT TRIATHLON FOR WOMEN IS AN ANNUAL GOAL–THIS IS YEAR
7!

DENISE MORELAND HAS SPENT MOST OF HER CAREER WORKING IN STATE AND COUNTY
GOVERNMENT, MANAGING IT. SHE IS A DEFENDER OF PUBLIC SERVICE, A CHAMPION FOR
DEMOCRATIZING THE WORKPLACE AND A SHAMELESS OPTIMIST. IN HER BOOK, MANAGEMENT
CULTURE: INNOVATIVE & BOLD STRATEGIES TO ENGAGE EMPLOYEES (TWO HARBORS PRESS,
2012), MS. MORELAND CHALLENGES LEADERS AND EMPLOYEES TO ABANDON THE CULTURE OF
COMMAND AND CONTROL IN FAVOR OF DEMOCRACY AND COLLABORATION. HAVING WORKED IN
THE PUBLIC SECTOR, MS. MORELAND UNDERSTANDS THE PRESSURE AND FRUSTRATIONS, AS
WELL AS THE REWARDS AND OPPORTUNITIES PRESENTED IN PUBLIC SERVICE.

MICHAEL SABLE IS A GRADUATE OF AUGSBURG (BA) AND THE UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS
(MBA) AND BRINGS 20 YEARS OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE. HE’S
CURRENTLY AN ADJUNCT FACULTY MEMBER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA, WELDON COOPER
CENTER FOR PUBLIC SERVICE, AND MANAGING PARTNER FOR THE CONSULTING FIRM THE WORK
OF LEADERSHIP. MICHAEL CONSULTS FOR THE LOCAL GOVERNMENTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY
HELPING THEM PROACTIVELY RESPOND TO THE CHANGING DEMANDS OF THE 21ST CENTURY.
PRIOR TO STARTING THE FIRM, SABLE WORKED FOR HENNEPIN COUNTY, MANAGING A
DEPARTMENT STAFF OF 270 WITH A COMBINED OPERATING AND CAPITAL BUDGET OF $180M.
HE’S ALSO WORKED FOR THE CITIES OF BROOKLYN PARK (POP. 78,000) AND CEDAR RAPIDS,
IA (POP. 125,000) AS THE ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, INCLUDING SERVING AS INTERIM
CITY MANAGER FOR BROOKLYN PARK IN 2015. SABLE CURRENTLY SERVES ON THE BOARD OF
DIRECTORS FOR THE ALLIANCE FOR INNOVATION, A MEMBER-BASED ORGANIZATION PROMOTING
INNOVATION IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT NATIONALLY, GTS EDUCATIONAL EVENTS, PROVIDING
TRAINING AND EVENT SERVICES TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS IN THE REGION, AND AN ADVISOR
TO THE DRUCKER INSTITUTE PUBLIC SECTOR PLAYBOOK AT CLAREMONT GRADUATE COLLEGE.

CHARLIE HAS +17 YEARS EXPERIENCE WORKING IN TECHNOLOGY. FINDING HIMSELF
CONSISTENTLY WORKING IN THAT SPACE RIGHT BETWEEN TECHNOLOGY AND BUSINESS (AND
NOW DISTRICT AND GOVERNMENT) LEADERSHIP. CHARLIE HAS WORKED WITH AGILE
METHODOLOGIES FOR THE PAST 7 YEARS AT BOTH FORTUNE 50, 500 AND NOW IN GOVERNMENT
ORGANIZATIONS.

CHARLYNE LEFEBVRE-PAILLÉ IS A FRENCH CANADIAN DESIGN RESEARCH LEAD AT IBM WATSON
HEALTH. SHE HAS A MASTER’S DEGREE IN SERVICE DESIGN FROM THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF
ART IN LONDON.
BASED IN CAMBRIDGE, MA, SHE LEADS DESIGN RESEARCH ACROSS THE GOVERNMENT SECTOR,
ENGAGING WITH GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND THE PEOPLE THEY SERVE AROUND THE GLOBE,
TRANSLATING THEIR NEEDS INTO ACTIONABLE INSIGHTS FOR HER TEAMS.

AS CTO, MARK SPEARHEADS CONVERGEONE’S INNOVATIONS IN TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS AND
SERVICES. HE SPENT 25 YEARS AS THE COO AT SPANLINK COMMUNICATIONS, WHICH WAS
ACQUIRED BY CONVERGEONE IN 2014. A GRADUATE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA, MARK
HAS BEEN AN INSTRUCTOR THERE SINCE 1996 AND IN 2014 ASSUMED THE ROLE OF
ASSOCIATE PROGRAM DIRECTOR.

J. KIM IS A LAWYER TURNED BA! SHE BEGAN HER CAREER AS A LARGE LAW FIRM LAWYER
AND GRADUALLY SHIFTED INTO THE BA REALM. SHE HAS WORKED AS A DIRECTOR OF A MN
NON-PROFIT, MANAGED BAS IN THE CORPORATE SETTING, AND WAS A STRATEGIC BA FOR THE
STATE OF MN. SHE CURRENTLY WORKS AT THE BUREAU OF CRIMINAL APPREHENSION FOR THE
STATE OF MN. SHE IS ALSO PRESIDENT OF THE MINNEAPOLIS | ST. PAUL CHAPTER OF THE
INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR BUSINESS ANALYSIS, THE 2018 IIBA INTERNATIONAL
CHAPTER OF THE YEAR. SHE EARNED DEGREES FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO AND
MITCHELL HAMLINE COLLEGE OF LAW. KIM IS AN INTERNATIONAL SPEAKER, MOST RECENTLY
HAVING SPOKEN AT VODACOM CORPORATION AND THE DURBAN BUSINESS ANALYSIS
CONFERENCE, BOTH IN SOUTH AFRICA.

DR. MIKE MONROE KIEFER, PHD. BEHAVIORAL PSYCHOLOGY
PROFESSIONAL SPEAKER AND AUTHOR OF 9 BOOKS. MOST RECENT BOOK PUBLICATION:
SURVIVING AN ACTIVE SHOOTER, 100 PLUS IDEAS TO PROTECT YOURSELF AND KIDS. MORE
THAN 20 YEARS EXPERIENCE SPEAKING ON A WIDE VARIETY OF MANAGEMENT AND PERSONAL
DEVELOPMENT TOPICS.

HASSAN KASSIH LEADS A TEAM OF HIGHLY SKILLED DATA CENTER SOLUTION ARCHITECTS.
HASSAN HAS MORE THAN 20 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN BUILDING DATA CENTER
INFRASTRUCTURE AND ALIGNING IT WITH BUSINESS OUTCOMES. HIS EXPERTISE EXPANDS
ACROSS ALL DATA CENTER LAYERS, INCLUDING POWER, COOLING, COMPUTE, STORAGE,
NETWORKING, VIRTUALIZATION, AND CLOUD TECHNOLOGIES.

PROFESSOR DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AND CYBERSECURITY AT METROPOLITAN STATE
UNIVERSITY AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MN CYBER INSTITUTE.

PHIL HAS EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE ACROSS THE BROAD SPECTRUM OF DESKTOP AND SERVER
OPERATING SYSTEMS, VIRTUALIZATION, AND OPEN SOURCE PRODUCTS WITH AN EMPHASIS ON
SECURITY OPERATIONS. HIS ROLE AS SECURITY ARCHITECT FOR WORKS COMPUTING, A PDS
COMPANY, IS TO ASSIST CLIENTS IN POSITIONING THE BEST SECURITY SOLUTIONS FOR
THEIR ENVIRONMENT. PHIL JOINED WORKS COMPUTING IN MARCH 2018 AFTER SPENDING OVER
30 YEARS AS A STATE OF MINNESOTA EMPLOYEE.

BRIAN JOHNSON IS THE PRESIDENT OF 7 MINUTE SECURITY, WHICH SPECIALIZES IN
SECURITY ASSESSMENTS, PENETRATION TESTING AND TRAINING. HE IS ESPECIALLY
PASSIONATE ABOUT TEACHING OTHERS ABOUT SECURITY AND HOSTS A WEEKLY BLOG/PODCAST
TO HELP CONSUMERS AND BUSINESSES STRENGTHEN THEIR SECURITY POSTURE. WHEN HE
ISN’T CAMPED OUT BEHIND A KEYBOARD, HE ENJOYS OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES WITH HIS
FAMILY, AS WELL AS SINGING AND PLAYING GUITAR IN AN ACOUSTIC DUO.

TIMOTHY HAS WORKED AS AN APPLICATION DEVELOPER FOR GOING ON 11 YEARS. HE
CURRENTLY WORKS WITH THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
DIVISION TO CREATE CONDITIONS THAT SUPPORT THE HEALTH OF ALL MINNESOTANS. HE
BELIEVES THAT QUALITY SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS HELP MDH EFFECTIVELY AND EFFICIENTLY
SERVE THE PUBLIC’S HEALTH AND WELLBEING. HE IS INTERESTED IN CLOUD COMPUTING AND
HAS ENJOYED HELPING THE MDH MIGRATE ITS IT INFRASTRUCTURE TO AWS. HE KNOWS THAT
GOVERNMENT IT IS A BALANCING ACT BETWEEN KEEPING LEGACY APPLICATIONS RUNNING AND
PROVIDING MODERN COST EFFECTIVE SOLUTIONS. HE PREVIOUSLY WORKED IN THE MARKETING
AUTOMATION AND DIGITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT REALMS. HE RESIDES IN MINNEAPOLIS AND
ENJOYS CYCLING, SKIING, TINKERING, AND GARDENING.

DR. SUSAN HEIDORN IS THE DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS SOLUTIONS FOR WATERMARK LEARNING
IN MINNEAPOLIS. SUSAN IS AN EXPERIENCED CONSULTANT, FACILITATOR, SPEAKER, AND
TRAINER, WITH OVER 25 YEARS OF BUSINESS EXPERIENCE. SUSAN DIRECTS PROGRAMS IN
BUSINESS ANALYSIS, BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT, AND LEADERSHIP, INCLUDING
DEVELOPING AND DELIVERING COURSES AND PROVIDING CONSULTING. SHE HAS BEEN A
SPEAKER AT A NUMBER OF IIBA® AND PMI® CONFERENCES AS WELL AS LOCAL AND REGIONAL
ORGANIZATIONS, BOARDS, AND PRIVATE CLIENTS. SHE IS A LIFELONG LEARNER WHOSE
PASSION IT IS TO GUIDE PEOPLE INTO ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE IN THEIR PERSONAL AND
PROFESSIONAL LIVES AND WORKS ON CREATING POSITIVE IMPACTS TO THE ORGANIZATION.

AN AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR AND SPEAKER, TOM GUETZKE HAS ENGAGED AND ENTERTAINED
AUDIENCES AROUND THE GLOBE. TRAVELING TO OVER 65 COUNTRIES, TOM HAS STUDIED THE
PSYCHOLOGICAL SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES OF HAPPINESS. TODAY TOM IS ON A
MISSION TO CHANGE MINDS, HEARTS AND LIVES BY HELPING OTHERS TO DISCOVER HOW THEY
CAN CREATE MORE HAPPINESS IN THEIR OWN LIVES.
RECOGNIZED WITH THE HIGHEST DESIGNATION AWARDED BY TOASTMASTERS INTERNATIONAL,
TOM HOLDS THE DISTINGUISHED TOASTMASTER AWARD (DTM) AND WAS NAMED TOASTMASTER OF
THE YEAR. TOM ACHIEVED MEMBERSHIP AS A PROFESSIONAL SPEAKER IN THE NATIONAL
SPEAKERS ASSOCIATION (NSA) IN 2003 AND WAS PRESIDENT OF NSA-MN. TOM IS FEATURED
IN WHO’S WHO IN PROFESSIONAL SPEAKING AND IS THE HONORED RECIPIENT OF THE
PRESTIGIOUS MARK LEBLANC AWARD.
TOM IS A FEATURED AUTHOR IN THE NEWEST BOOK RELEASED IN THE CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE
SOUL SERIES, THINK POSITIVE, LIVE HAPPY.

KATHLEEN GORDON IS A PROGRAM CONSULTANT WITH THE MINNESOTA PIPELINE PROGRAM
FOCUSING ON HEALTH CARE AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY. KATHLEEN HAS EXTENSIVE
EXPERIENCE WITH PROJECT MANAGEMENT, HIGHER EDUCATION, SUPERVISION AND
PARTNERSHIP BUILDING. SHE HAS WORKED FOR THE MINNESOTA STATE SYSTEM AND BEFORE
THAT WITH NORTHWEST AIRLINES. SHE IS A GRADUATE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN –
LA CROSSE.

IRINA FURSMAN IS A LEAD CONSULTANT, TRAINER AND FACILITATOR, AS WELL AS
HUELIFE’S CO-FOUNDER AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER. SHE IS A CERTIFIED TOP
FACILITATOR AND MENTOR TRAINER SPECIALIZING IN ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, ADULT
LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT, CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND STRATEGIC PLANNING. SHE TRAINS
INDIVIDUALS AND GROUPS IN THE ART AND SCIENCE OF HUMAN ENGAGEMENT AND
FACILITATION.
IRINA EARNED HER BACHELOR OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN EDUCATION FROM TAURIDA ‘V. I.
VERNADSKIY’ NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, AND MASTER OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN MATHEMATICS AND
COMPUTER SCIENCE FROM SIMFEROPOL STATE UNIVERSITY, BOTH IN UKRAINE. SHE IS
CURRENTLY COMPLETING HER DOCTORATE IN ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS IN MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, FOCUSING HER RESEARCH ON
LEADERSHIP AND CHANGE. SHE DEVELOPS CURRICULUM FOR LEADERSHIP AND ENGAGEMENT
NEEDS.

SUSAN FROST, HOLDS A MA IN MODERN STUDIES FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN
MILWAUKEE. SHE HAS BEEN THE PRESIDENT OF FROST MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS SINCE
1984 AND TEACHES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN – GREEN BAY. HER SPECIALTY IS
THE “APPLIED HUMANITIES”, SEEKING ITS RELEVANCE FOR LEADERSHIP AND CRITICAL
THINKING. SHE WILL BE TEACHING IN THE UWGB IMPACT MBA PROGRAM IN 2020. IN
ADDITION TO TEACHING, HER WORKSHOPS ARE PRESENTED FOR PUBLIC SERVANTS, IT
PROFESSIONALS, BUSINESS AND HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS.

AS THE DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AT CIVICPLUS, MARK FOCUSES ON THE CITIZEN
ENGAGEMENT AND MARKETING COMMUNICATION TRENDS THAT IMPACT LOCAL GOVERNMENTS.
MARK HOLDS A BACHELOR OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION FROM KANSAS
STATE UNIVERSITY AND HAS OVER TEN YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN B2C AND B2B MARKETING.
DURING THIS TIME, HE HAS DEVELOPED NUMEROUS WEBSITES USING A BROAD SELECTION OF
CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS. MARK IS CERTIFIED IN BOTH INBOUND MARKETING AND
WEBSITE UX AND USABILITY.

TERESA FRIEDSAM HAS BEEN MANAGING OFFICE 365 PROJECTS SINCE 2010. DURING THIS
TIME, SHE HAS ESTABLISHED OFFICE 365 SERVICES AT HER CLIENTS., WHILE MANAGING
RESOURCES, TIMELINE, TRAININGS, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY SHIFTING TECHNOLOGIES FROM
MICROSOFT, TO DELIVER A SUCCESSFUL MIGRATION/SERVICE ROLLOUT PROJECT.

EVAN B. FRANCEN, CO-FOUNDER AND CEO OF FRSECURE LLC/CO-FOUNDER AND CEO OF
SECURITYSTUDIO.

TIM FEMISTER LEADS THE NATIONAL CYBERSECURITY AND MULTICLOUD PRACTICES SPANNING
CONVERGEONE’S COAST-TO-COAST FOOTPRINT. TIM IS CHARGED WITH MANAGING TEAMS OF
ELITE INDUSTRY EXPERTS AND DEVELOPING THE OVERALL GO-TO-MARKET, PARTNERSHIPS,
SOLUTIONS AND STRATEGY FOR CONVERGEONE CYBERSECURITY AND MULTICLOUD. HE IS
FIERCELY PASSIONATE ABOUT HELPING CLIENTS ACHIEVE THEIR KEY BUSINESS AND
TECHNICAL GOALS AND IS A RECOGNIZED INDUSTRY AUTHORITY, THOUGHT LEADER AND
PRESENTER. BEFORE THIS ROLE, TIM REPORTED DIRECTLY TO THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OF
THE CONVERGEONE SOLUTIONS DIVISION WHERE HE HELD RESPONSIBILITY FOR SOLUTIONS,
OFFER DEVELOPMENT, ASSESSMENT AND INSIDE ENGINEERING AND A CUSTOMER LIFECYCLE
PRACTICE WITH STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT TO CYBERSECURITY. PRIOR TO THIS ROLE, TIM LED
THE PUBLIC SECTOR ENGINEERING ORGANIZATION AND WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN THE
DEVELOPMENT OF ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING PUBLIC SECTOR TECHNOLOGY PROVIDERS IN
THE NATION. TIM HAS EARNED CCNP AND MULTIPLE CCNA CERTIFICATIONS IN ADDITION TO
BEING ONE OF THE FIRST SIX PEOPLE GLOBALLY CERTIFIED IN THE CMNP PROGRAM. TIM IS
ALSO THE AUTHOR AND PROPRIETOR OF NUMEROUS REFERENCE ARCHITECTURES, STRUCTURED
ASSESSMENTS AND ENGAGEMENT METHODOLOGIES THAT HAVE BEEN PROVEN TO ACCELERATE A
CLIENT’S “TIME TO OUTCOME.”

ANDREA DOUGLAS IS THE FOUNDER AND CEO OF NIGHTHAWK MARKETING. ANDREA HAS
EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE IN USER EXPERIENCE (UX) RESEARCH AND CONDUCTING
USER-CENTERED DESIGN SPRINTS FOR STATE OF MINNESOTA GOVERNMENT AGENCIES. HER
FOCUS IS DELIVERING EXTRAORDINARY ONLINE MARKETING SOLUTIONS THAT SUPPORT
MARKETING GOALS AND REINFORCE USER NEEDS AND BRAND IDENTITY. SHE MANAGES BOTH A
HIGHLY TECHNICAL AND CREATIVE TEAM WHERE MANY MEMBERS HAVE WORKED ON THE CLIENT
AND AGENCY SIDE OF THE TABLE.

COLIN DEPREE, DIRECTOR OF SALES AT PRO-TEC DESIGN, HAS LED THE SALES AND
MARKETING DEPARTMENT FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS. HIS CORE RESPONSIBILITIES HAVE
BEEN REFRESHING THE SALES PROCESS, IMPROVING SCALABILITY AND REFOCUSING THE
ORGANIZATIONS MARKETING EFFORTS. WITH COLIN’S GUIDANCE PRO-TEC HAS BECOME A
LEADER IN CLOUD-BASED PHYSICAL SECURITY, EXPANDED SERVICE OFFERINGS AND
DEVELOPED A PROVEN PROCESS TO ENSURE CLIENT SATISFACTION. AS A MEMBER OF THE
LEADERSHIP TEAM COLIN HAS PARTNERED WITH THE OPERATIONS AND FINANCE TEAMS TO
IMPROVE FORECASTING METHODOLOGY AND DELIVER A CONSISTENT BRAND MESSAGE
THROUGHOUT THE ORGANIZATION. COLIN IS A LEADER FOCUSED ON DEFINING CLEAR
EXPECTATIONS AND USING AGREED UPON DATA TO HOLD HIMSELF AND HIS TEAM
ACCOUNTABLE. COLIN CAME TO PRO-TEC WITH OVER SEVEN YEARS OF INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE
AND A MULTITUDE OF OPERATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDING PROJECT MANAGEMENT,
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AND SOFTWARE SUPPORT. HE CARRIES A BACHELOR OF ARTS IN
ECONOMICS FROM ALBION COLLEGE AND A MASTER OF SCIENCE IN MANAGEMENT INFORMATION
SYSTEMS FROM FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY.

LYNETTE CRANE, MA, AUTHOR OF THE UPCOMING “QUIET BRILLIANCE: SOLVING AMERICA’S
CORPORATE LEADERSHIP CRISIS WITH ‘HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT’ TALENT,” IS A
MINNEAPOLIS-BASED MENTOR TO INTROVERT CEOS, AN ACCLAIMED NATIONAL SPEAKER,
CORPORATE TRAINER, EXECUTIVE COACH AND AUTHOR, AND FOUNDER OF QUIET BRILLIANCE
CONSULTING LLC. TRAINED IN PSYCHOLOGY, SHE HAS MORE THAN 30 YEARS’ EXPERIENCE IN
HER FIELD.
QUIET BRILLIANCE CONSULTING HELPS SMART COMPANIES WHO ARE LOOKING EVERYWHERE FOR
LEADERSHIP AND INNOVATION RECOGNIZE THE TREASURE THEY MAY ALREADY HAVE WITHIN
THEIR WORKFORCE, AND UNLOCK THE FULL REVENUE-BOOSTING POTENTIAL OF THESE SMES
(SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS) TO DRIVE INNOVATION, TURBOCHARGE COLLABORATION AND
RETAIN TOP TALENT IN AN INCREASINGLY COMPETITIVE MARKET.

I AM AN INFORMATION SECURITY PROFESSIONAL WITH OVER 12 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE,
INCLUDING OVER FIVE YEARS WORKING SPECIAL INTELLIGENCE AND SPECIAL SECURITY FOR
THE US MARINE CORPS. I HAVE A MASTER’S DEGREE IN SECURITY TECHNOLOGIES FROM THE
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA’S TECHNOLOGICAL LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE. I HAVE EXPERIENCE
AND EXPERTISE IN DEVELOPMENT OF POLICY, RISK MANAGEMENT, AND INFORMATION
SECURITY STRATEGY.

HAYLEY COHEN IS A MEMBER OF X-FORCE COMMAND AT IBM SECURITY, WHERE SHE LEADS
COMPANIES, INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES AND GOVERNMENTS THROUGH SIMULATED CYBER
ATTACKS. HAYLEY BUILDS ONE-OF-A-KIND THREAT AND ATTACK SCENARIOS FOR CUSTOM
CLIENT EXPERIENCES. ASIDE FROM SHARING BEST PRACTICES FROM A BUSINESS
PERSPECTIVE, HAYLEY ALSO DEMONSTRATES HACKING TECHNIQUES AND TOOLS TO PROVIDE
INSIGHT INTO HOW CYBER CRIMINALS CONDUCT ATTACKS.
PRIOR TO JOINING X-FORCE COMMAND, HAYLEY WAS A SOFTWARE ENGINEER FOR VARIOUS IBM
SECURITY TEAMS, WHERE SHE WORKED WITH LEADING TECHNOLOGISTS TO DEVELOP WORLD
CLASS SECURITY PRODUCTS. HAYLEY HOLDS A B.S. IN COMPUTER SCIENCE FROM THE TUFTS
UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING WHERE SHE FOCUSED HER STUDIES ON CYBERSECURITY
AND INTERNATIONAL POLICY.
HAYLEY HAS RUN SIMULATIONS AND DEMONSTRATIONS FOR BUSINESS AND TECHNICAL LEADERS
FROM AROUND THE WORLD.

RYAN CLOUTIER, IS A SEASONED IT SECURITY PROFESSIONAL WITH OVER 15 YEARS OF
EXPERIENCE AND IS A CERTIFIED INFORMATION SYSTEMS SECURITY PROFESSIONAL CISSP®
HE HAS HELD A VARIETY OF IT ROLES DURING HIS CAREER INCLUDING MULTIPLE ARCHITECT
AND SECURITY ROLES, RYAN HAS WORKED ON CLOUD SECURITY, DEV-OPS / SEC-OPS
METHODOLOGY, POLICY, PROCESS, AUDIT AND COMPLIANCE, NETWORK AND APPLICATION
SECURITY ARCHITECTURE FOR SEVERAL FORTUNE 500’S IN THE HEALTH CARE, FINANCIAL,
AND AGRICULTURE SECTORS AND HAS BEEN WORKING WITH K-12 AND SLED FOR THE LAST 2
YEARS. RYAN CAN BE REACHED AT RYAN.CLOUTIER@SOURCEWELLTECH.ORG

I HAVE WORKED AT THE STATE OF MN SINCE COMING IN AS A CONTRACTOR IN MAY OF 2000
AND WAS THE LEAD WEB DESIGNER FOR DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES (DHS) FIRST
INTRANET. IN 2001, AFTER BECOMING A STATE EMPLOYEE, I WAS CHARGED WITH CREATING
DHS’S FIRST WEB SURVEYS. BY 2004, I WAS THE SURVEY ADMIN FOR DHS AND HAD
PURCHASED SURVEY MONKEY FOR THE STATE BUT WITHIN A YEAR WE FOUND A BETTER
MULTI-MODAL, MULTILINGUAL ACCESSIBLE SYSTEM CALLED SNAP SURVEYS.
FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS, I HAVE BEEN THE STATE’S ENTERPRISE SURVEY ADMIN,
SUPPORTING AND TRAINING OVER 350 SURVEY DEVELOPERS ACROSS THE STATE AND AM 3RD
LEVEL TECH SUPPORT AND AM THE “GO TO” PERSON FOR SURVEY DESIGN AND SECURITY
ISSUES FOR ALL THE STATE AGENCIES.

ERIK HAS BEEN WITH CONVERGEONE FOR 4 YEARS DEVELOPING RELATIONSHIPS WITH
FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS AND CLIENTS TO DETERMINE HOW BEST TO FINANCE IT PROJECTS.
PRIOR TO JOINING CONVERGEONE, ERIK WAS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR-CLOUD & IT FINANCE
AT HITACHI CAPITAL AMERICA CORP. THE 7 YEARS PRIOR TO HITACHI, ERIK WORKED AT
WINTHROP RESOURCES IN NEW YORK CITY WHICH FOCUSED ON ASSISTING CLIENTELE IN
FUNDING LARGE TECHNOLOGY ACQUISITIONS. HIS EXPERIENCE FROM 2003-2005 AT LLOYD’S
OF LONDON PROVIDED ERIK WITH AN EXCELLENT BACKGROUND IN ASSESSING RISK FOR ALL
TYPES OF ORGANIZATIONS.

GUS IS A COMMUNICATION CONSULTANT WHO BRINGS CLARITY, LEVITY AND PROFESSIONALISM
TO COMPLEX ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGES. HIS EXPERIENCE SPANS VARIOUS INDUSTRIES: IT,
HEALTH-CARE, AND EDUCATION. HIS CLIENT BASE IS BROAD AND INCLUDES MAYO CLINIC,
STARKEY HEARING TECHNOLOGIES, TENNANT, REGIS CORP., AND EXPRESS SCRIPTS.
EDUCATION: ADJUNCT PROFESSOR, BETHEL UNIVERSITY, PMP CERTIFIED, MBA, UNIVERSITY
OF ST. THOMAS; BA IN COMMUNICATION, BETHEL UNIVERSITY.

JEN HAS BEEN HELPING LEADERS DEVELOP THEIR TEAMS FOR OVER 12 YEARS. SHE IS KNOWN
FOR HER ENGAGING STYLE AND HAS A NATURAL TALENT FOR ASKING TOUGH QUESTIONS THAT
GET STRAIGHT TO THE HEART OF AN ISSUE. BY HELPING LEADERS CREATE WORK
ENVIRONMENTS THAT OTHERS THRIVE IN, SHE HELPS BUSINESSES GROW PROFITS WITHOUT
SACRIFICING THE PERSONAL LIVES OF EVERYONE INVOLVED.IN HER ONLINE COURSE,
LEADWELL, SHE TRAINS LEADERS TO INTEGRATE COACHING SKILLS SO THEY CAN TRULY
EMPOWER OTHERS TO TAKE CHARGE AND MAKE THE CHANGE THAT DRIVE THE RESULTS THEY
SEEK, BOTH PROFESSIONALLY AND PERSONALLY.SHE SPEAKS TO ORGANIZATIONS ABOUT
CREATING CULTURES THAT FOSTER INDEPENDENCE, INNOVATION AND INCREASES IN THE
BOTTOM-LINE.SHE LAUNCHED ONE OF MINNESOTA’S FIRST YOUNG PROFESSIONALS
ORGANIZATIONS IN 2005 WHILE WORKING AT THE DULUTH AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE,
EARNING HER THE DULUTH NEWS TRIBUNE’S 20 UNDER 40 AWARD IN 2008.

I FOUND MY HOME AS A RECRUITER AFTER WORKING IN RETAIL MANAGEMENT FOR 10+ YEARS.
I QUICKLY REALIZED HOW MUCH I LOVE THIS WORK. THERE IS NOTHING BETTER THAN
SATISFYING THE NEEDS OF THE CANDIDATE AND THE HIRING MANAGER – SO REWARDING!

JEAN SUPERVISES THE EAQA TEAM, INCLUDING GREG AND TATIANA. THIS QA TEAM TESTS
PRODUCTS TO ENSURE ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY USERS ARE ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY ACCESS
AND USE OUR PRODUCTS.

BLAKE BRINGS OVER 30 YEARS OF EXECUTIVE EXPERIENCE IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY,
OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT, SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT, AND STRATEGIC PLANNING TO HIS
ROLE AS CHIEF STRATEGIST AND VP, SERVICE DELIVERY FOR XIGENT SOLUTIONS. BLAKE IS
RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL ASPECTS OF XIGENT’S IT STRATEGY SERVICES.HE IS ALSO THE
FOUNDER OF HIS OWN INDEPENDENT CONSULTING PRACTICE (INCITE CONSULTING, LLC),
FOCUSED ON STRATEGIC PLANNING FACILITATION FOR SMALL TO MID-SIZED FOR-PROFIT AND
NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS.PRIOR TO JOINING XIGENT, BLAKE WORKED FOR ANDERSEN
CONSULTING AND THEN ANDERSEN CORPORATION; AN INDUSTRY LEADING WINDOW
MANUFACTURER. BLAKE HELP VARIOUS LEADERSHIP POSITIONS WITHIN IT, MANUFACTURING &
DISTRIBUTION, AS WELL AS STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT AND EXECUTION.

NAME BIO.

JORDAN LEE THOMPSON HAS BEEN AN ARTIST AND OUT-OF-SCHOOL-TIME EDUCATOR FOR NINE
YEARS, WORKING TOWARDS ENVIRONMENTAL AND NARRATIVE JUSTICE TO CRAFT THE FUTURE
HE WANTS TO LIVE IN. HE SPENDS HIS DAYS AT THE KITTY ANDERSEN YOUTH SCIENCE
CENTER (SCIENCE MUSEUM OF MINNESOTA), MANAGING A TEAM OF 16 YOUTH CREWMEMBERS IN
THE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE CREW. JORDAN IS ALSO ACTIVE IN LOCAL MEDIA AND
PERFORMING ARTS, WORKING RIGHT NOW WITH NEW ARAB AMERICAN THEATER WORKS AND
MIZNA’S TWIN CITIES ARAB FILM FEST, AND SERVES ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF DEAR
GAZA.

JOSEPH ADAMJI SERVES AS THE DIRECTOR FOR THE KITTY ANDERSEN YOUTH SCIENCE CENTER
(KAYSC) AT THE SCIENCE MUSEUM OF MINNESOTA CREATING BRIDGES BETWEEN FAMILIES,
COMMUNITY EFFORTS/ORGANIZATIONS, EDUCATORS, INSTITUTIONS AND OPPORTUNITY. THE
KAYSC WORKS TO BUILD A CROSS-SECTOR “STEM JUSTICE ECOSYSTEM” TO BRING INCLUSION
AND THE EXPERIENCES OF WOMEN, YOUTH OF COLOR, AND YOUTH FROM LOW INCOME
COMMUNITIES TO THE CENTER OF CONVERSATIONS ON WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, CAREER
PATHWAYS, EDUCATION, AND LEADERSHIP IN THE 21ST CENTURY. ADAMJI BELIEVES IN THE
POWER OF YOUNG PEOPLE, AND OF THE COLLECTIVE TO SUPPORT THEM, AS THEY DISCOVER
THEIR BRILLIANCE, FIND THEIR PURPOSE, AND LEAD US INTO THE FUTURE.

SCOTT KUFFEL CLOSED HIS 35 YEAR PUBLIC SCHOOL EDUCATIONAL CAREER IN ILLINOIS,
SERVING 17 YEARS AS SUPERINTENDENT OF TWO DIFFERENT PK-12 PUBLIC SCHOOLS. HE WAS
TWICE NAMED SUPERINTENDENT OF THE YEAR IN HIS REGION, AND IN 2018 WAS RECOGNIZED
AS ONE OF 21 SUPERINTENDENTS OF DISTINCTION FROM ACROSS ILLINOIS. HE SERVED 9
YEARS ON THE STATE ASSOCIATION BOARD OF SUPERINTENDENTS AND WAS ELECTED BY HIS
PEERS TO SERVE AS PRESIDENT OF THE ILLINOIS ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS
IN. HE BELIEVES PASSIONATELY IN A STRATEGIC MODEL FOR LEADERSHIP CONNECTING A
CYCLE OF TRUST WHILE DEVELOPING SKILL UTILIZING LEADERSHIP LENSES.

Ryan Cloutier is a seasoned IT Security professional with over 15 years of
experience and is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional CISSP®
he has held a variety of IT roles during his career including multiple architect
and security roles, Ryan has worked on cloud security, Dev-Ops /
Sec-Ops methodology, policy, process, audit and compliance, network and
application security architecture for several fortune 500’s in the health care,
financial, and agriculture sectors and has been working with K-12 and SLED for
the last 2 years.

RCLLG Meeting and Educational Program Dates

CLOSE
Health Information Exchange (HIE) Task Force Updates

Learn about what the Minnesota e-Health HIE Task Force has accomplished in the
past year. The HIE Task Force, a twelve member group appointed by the
Commissioner of Health in 2018, has provided input and expertise on moving to a
connected networks approach in Minnesota.

By the end of 2019, it is expected that large health systems and providers
participating with a health information organization (HIO) will be able to
exchange care summary documents using the national eHealth Exchange network. The
HIE Task Force recommended this important step and developed an implementation
plan for this which is being rolled out now.

The task force also provided input for governance, authority and financing to
help achieve foundational, robust and optimal HIE across the state. A
facilitated panel of task force and advisory committee members will provide
comments on the task force work and audience members will have an opportunity to
ask questions as well.

DR. CLAY COOK IS THE JOHN AND NANCY PEYTON FACULTY FELLOW IN CHILD AND
ADOLESCENT WELLBEING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA AND ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR IN
THE SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY PROGRAM. HE HAS EXTENSIVE RESEARCH AND PRACTICAL
EXPERIENCES INVOLVING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF MULTI-TIERED SYSTEMS OF SUPPORT TO
PROMOTE CHILDREN’S MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH. HE CO-FOUNDED THE SCHOOL MENTAL
HEALTH ASSESSMENT, RESEARCH AND TRAINING (SMART) CENTER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
WASHINGTON AND IS A CORE FACULTY MEMBER WHO HELPS DIRECT THE INSTITUTE OF
TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH IN CHILDREN’S MENTAL HEALTH AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
MINNESOTA. HE HAS RECEIVED OVER 10 MILLION DOLLARS IN EXTERNAL GRANT FUNDING
FROM MULTIPLE AGENCIES AND FOUNDATIONS. IN ADDITION TO HIS RESEARCH, HE CONSULTS
WITH SEVERAL SCHOOL SYSTEMS THROUGHOUT THE US TO INTEGRATE A CONTINUUM OF
SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL, AND BEHAVIORAL SUPPORTS TO ENHANCE STUDENT ACADEMIC AND LIFE
SUCCESS.

KATIE WHITE IS COORDINATOR OF LEARNING FOR THE NORTH EAST SCHOOL DIVISION IN
SASKATCHEWAN, CANADA AND AN AUTHOR AND ASSESSMENT ASSOCIATE FOR SOLUTION TREE,
IN ADDITION TO BEING AN INDEPENDENT EDUCATIONAL CONSULTANT. WITH MORE THAN 25
YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN EDUCATION, SHE HAS BEEN A SYSTEM LEADER, AN
ADMINISTRATOR, A LEARNING COACH, AND A K–12 CLASSROOM TEACHER. SHE HAS
CONTRIBUTED TO ASSESSMENT LITERATURE IN THE FIELD AND HAS HELPED DEVELOP
MULTIPLE SUPPORTS FOR FACILITATORS OF SCHOOL-BASED PROFESSIONAL LEARNING. HER
BLOG, JUST THINKING OUT LOUD…PROVIDES PERSPECTIVES ON MULTIPLE ASPECTS OF
LEADERSHIP, TEACHING, AND LEARNING. SHE HAS WRITTEN THE FOLLOWING BOOKS:
SOFTENING THE EDGES: ASSESSMENT PRACTICES THAT HONOR K–12 TEACHERS AND LEARNERS
AND UNLOCKED: ASSESSMENT AS THE KEY TO EVERYDAY CREATIVITY IN THE CLASSROOM. SHE
RECEIVED A BACHELOR OF EDUCATION AND MASTER OF EDUCATION IN CURRICULUM STUDIES
FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN.

KENDRA OLSEN IS THE OUTREACH AND TRAINING SPECIALIST IN STATEWIDE TESTING AT THE
MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. KENDRA IS WORKING ON THE NEW TESTING 123
WEBSITE, WHICH FOCUSES ON IMPROVING ASSESSMENT LITERACY AND PROMOTING THE USE OF
STATEWIDE AND LOCAL DATA AS A TOOL FOR INFORMED INSTRUCTION IN THE CLASSROOM.
BEFORE JOINING MDE, KENDRA TAUGHT HIGH SCHOOL SCIENCE IN NEW YORK CITY AND
MINNESOTA. SHE LED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WITH STEM TEACHERS FOCUSED ON
IMPROVING STUDENT OUTCOMES BY STRENGTHENING THE VERTICAL ALIGNMENT OF COURSE
CURRICULUM TO COMMON ASSESSMENT STRUCTURES AND RIGOROUS FORMATIVE INSTRUCTIONAL
PRACTICES. SHE IS AN ALUMNUS OF THE NEW YORK CITY TEACHING FELLOWS AND A MASTER
TEACHER IN MATH FOR AMERICA.

ANGELA NORBURG HAS SERVED AS AN ASSESSMENT SPECIALIST FOR THE MINNESOTA
COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENTS AND MINNESOTA GRAD ASSESSMENTS IN READING AND WRITING
SINCE 2006. OTHER PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE INCLUDES 21 YEARS TEACHING HIGH SCHOOL
AND COLLEGE ENGLISH AND SPEECH COMMUNICATION. SHE HOLDS A B.A. IN ENGLISH
EDUCATION AND AN M. A. IN SPEECH COMMUNICATION EDUCATION.

KATHY MATTHEWS PARTNERS WITH PARENTS COACHING THEM THROUGH TRANSITIONS AND
CHALLENGES AS WELL AS SPEAKING TO GROUPS AT SCHOOLS, CONFERENCES, CHURCHES AND
OTHER ORGANIZATIONS. SHE IS FOCUSED ON TRANSFORMING PEOPLE’S LIVES THROUGH
MINDFULNESS, GROWTH MINDSET AND HEALTHY SLEEP. SHE HOLDS AN MBA, MASTERS OF
EDUCATION, PARENT EDUCATION LICENSE AS WELL AS A COACHING CERTIFICATION.

KATHRYN MAGNUSSON, M. ED., OWNER OF WILDEWOOD LEARNING COACHING AND CONSULTING,
HAS OVER 25 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH YOUTH. SHE SUPPORTS EDUCATORS AND
YOUTH PROFESSIONALS IN DESIGNING PERSONALIZING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS SO EACH
STUDENT CAN CONNECT THE DOTS FROM THE CLASSROOM TO THE COMMUNITY AND TO A
CAREER.

JUNA LY IS A RECENT GRADUATE OF UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON (2017) WITH A
B.S. IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND PUBLIC HEALTH. FOR THE PAST 2 YEARS SHE HAS
BEEN AT THE KITTY ANDERSEN YOUTH SCIENCE CENTER, HOUSED WITHIN THE SCIENCE
MUSEUM OF MINNESOTA, DOING WORK IN INFORMAL STEM EDUCATION, ENVIRONMENTAL
JUSTICE, YOUTH DEVELOPMENT AND ACCESS & EQUITY.

AYAAN NATALA IS AN EDUCATOR AND ORGANIZER IN THE TWIN CITIES. SHE WAS BORN IN
SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA, BUT ALSO CLAIMS ZAMBIA AS HER SECOND HOME. WHILE AT
MACALESTER COLLEGE, HER WRITINGS WERE PUBLISHED ON GOOGLE SCHOLAR, HUFFINGTON
POST, AND THE HUMAN RIGHTS OBSERVER, TACKLING CONVERSATIONS ON AMERICAN
POLITICS, BLACK IDENTITY, AND SOCIAL MOVEMENTS. SHE IS AN ALUM OF THE HARVARD
KENNEDY PUBLIC POLICY AND LEADERSHIP PROGRAM. SHE CURRENTLY WORKS FOR THE KITTY
ANDERSEN YOUTH SCIENCE CENTER LOCATED IN THE MN SCIENCE MUSEUM WHERE SHE
PARTICIPATES IN YOUTH WORK, MUSEUM EQUITY WORK, AS WELL AS HEALTH ACTIVISM.

GAYRA OSTGAARD WORKS AS A RESULTS MEASUREMENT SPECIALIST AT THE MDE. PART OF HER
WORK INCLUDES SERVING AS THE PROJECT MANAGER FOR THE TRANSITION TO ED-FI
HAPPENING AT MDE AND AS THE DEPARTMENT’S DATA GOVERNANCE COORDINATOR. GAYRA
RECEIVED HER PHD FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA IN 2016. HER AREAS OF INTEREST
INCLUDE ENSURING QUALITY DATA ACROSS THE LIFESPAN OF DATA FROM COLLECTION TO
REPORTING.

JILLYNNE RAYMOND, ED.D., HAS SERVED PUBLIC EDUCATION SINCE 1993 IN THE AREAS OF
TEACHER, PRINCIPAL, AND DISTRICT SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT. SHE CURRENTLY SUPPORTS MTSS
IMPLEMENTATION FOR GOODHUE COUNTY EDUCATION DISTRICT, WHICH SERVES 6 MEMBER
DISTRICTS IN SE MINNESOTA. WITH A STRONG BELIEF THAT PUBLIC EDUCATION IS THE
GREAT EQUALIZER OF THE HAVES AND THE HAVE NOTS, SHE IS DEDICATED TO IMPROVING
OUTCOMES FOR ALL STUDENTS. HER DISSERTATION FOCUSED ON TEACHER
EFFECTIVENESS/TEACHER EVALUATION, WHICH HAS LED HER TO A STRONGER VOICE IN
SUPPORTING THE SYSTEM LENS. THE TEACHERS SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS, THE PRINCIPALS
SUPPORT OUR TEACHERS, AND THE SYSTEM MUST BE DESIGNED TO SUPPORT ALL WITH THE
FLEXIBILITY TO RESPOND TO NEED. DR. RAYMOND EARNED HER CREDENTIALS THROUGH
MACALESTER COLLEGE, UW-LACROSSE, AND SAINT MARY’S UNIVERSITY.

KIRSTEN REWEY IS THE QUANTITATIVE ANALYST IN THE SPECIAL EDUCATION DIVISION AT
MDE. SHE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR RETRIEVING, ANALYZING, AND REPORTING SPECIAL
EDUCATION-RELATED DATA FOR BOTH INTERNAL PLANNING AND EXTERNAL REPORTING.
KIRSTEN HAS BEEN LEADING INFORMATIONAL EXCEL SESSIONS FOR MDE STAFF FOR THE PAST
TWO YEARS. HER BACKGROUND IS IN EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH METHODS AND EVALUATION.

AFTER TEACHING FOR YEARS IN MINNESOTA, I NOW SERVE AS AN ASSESSMENT ASSOCIATE
WITH THE SOLUTION TREE ASSESSMENT CENTER AND OWN THE MINNESOTA-BASED NO LIMITS
LEARNING LLC – PRESENTING AND TRAINING NATIONALLY IN THE AREA OF CLASSROOM
ASSESSMENT. FIND ME ON TWITTER @MRDATAGUY.

PAULA PALMER, M.A. IS CURRENTLY SERVING AS THE DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF CAREER
AND COLLEGE SUCCESS AT THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. SHE HAS 36 YEARS
OF EXPERIENCE AS AN ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY CLASSROOM TEACHER AS WELL AS
DISTRICT COORDINATOR IN BOTH RURAL AND URBAN SCHOOLS.

BOTH STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND INNOVATION HAVE FLOURISHED DURING ERIC SCHNEIDER‘S
TENURE AS ASSOCIATE SUPERINTENDENT IN MINNETONKA THANKS TO AN INNOVATION PROGRAM
THAT ENGAGES FRONTLINE STAFF IN SOLVING PROBLEMS AND DESIGNING SOLUTIONS.
SCHNEIDER’S COMPANY INNOVATEK12.ORG SUPPORTS SCHOOLS AND DISTRICTS TO GROW A
CULTURE OF INNOVATION. JOIN HIM AND LEARN HOW!

STEPHEN SCHROEDER-DAVIS RETIRED IN 2015 AFTER 42 YEARS TEACHING AND SERVING ON
THE DISTRICT’S TEACHING AND LEARNING TEAM WHERE HE COORDINATED GIFTED SERVICES
AND THE DISTRICT’S MENTORING PROGRAM AS WELL AS SUPPORTING PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT AND DISTRICT INITIATIVES SUCH AS RESPONSE TO INTERVENTION. HE
CONTINUES TO WORK AS AN ADJUNCT PROFESSOR FOR THE COLLEGE OF SAINT SCHOLASTICA
AS WELL AS SPEAKING, WRITING AND CONSULTING WITH DISTRICTS AROUND THE REGION ON
TOPICS RELATING TO GIFTED EDUCATION, DIFFERENTIATION, PLCS, MINDSET AND
BIBLIOTHERAPY.

WILL REMMERT, IS AN ELEMENTARY PRINCIPAL, CONSULTANT, AND DOCTORAL STUDENT AT
THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA. WITH OVER 20 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, WILL WORKS WITH
EDUCATORS AT ALL LEVELS TO IMPLEMENT SYSTEMS AND PROVEN PRACTICES DESIGNED TO
ENHANCE STUDENT AND PROFESSIONAL LEARNING CENTERED ON SCHOOL CULTURE,
PROFESSIONAL COMMUNITY, AND EMPOWERING LEADERSHIP.

JANE SCOTT JOINED METAMETRICS IN 2008 AND IS RESPONSIBLE FOR DESIGNING AND
CONDUCTING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR EDUCATORS AT THE SCHOOL, REGIONAL AND
STATE LEVELS AROUND THE COUNTRY. METAMETRICS IS THE DEVELOPER OF THE LEXILE
FRAMEWORK FOR READING AND THE QUANTILE FRAMEWORK FOR MATH. MRS. SCOTT HAS 25
YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AS A CLASSROOM TEACHER AND PRIOR TO RETIREMENT FROM PUBLIC
EDUCATION, SHE SPENT THE LAST 7 YEARS AS A CURRICULUM FACILITATOR FOR A SCHOOL
DISTRICT IN NORTH CAROLINA. SHE HAS ALSO SERVED AS A CONSULTANT TO THE NORTH
CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION IN THE AREA OF TEACHER RETENTION,
LICENSE RENEWAL AND ALSO SERVED AS A TRAINER FOR VARIOUS STATE MATH INITIATIVES.

REBECCA SLABY LEADS AMAZE IN WORKING WITH SCHOOLS, COMMUNITIES, AND
ORGANIZATIONS TO CREATE EQUITY AND BELONGING FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS. WITH A MED
FROM DEPAUL UNIVERSITY, SHE TAUGHT MIDDLE SCHOOL HUMANITIES FOR 15 YEARS. SHE
HAS PRESENTED AT THE OVERCOMING RACISM, MINNESOTA EDUCATION ASSOCIATION, AND
NAEYC CONFERENCES.

TERRA TARANGO IS AN ACCOMPLISHED EXECUTIVE IN EDUCATION. SHE SERVED AS PRESIDENT
OF SDE, DEVELOPED CURRICULUM WITH HOUGHTON MIFFLIN HARCOURT, AND AS VAEI
DIRECTOR, SHE OVERSEES THE ORGANIZATION AND ITS EFFORTS TO IMPROVE INQUIRY-BASED
INSTRUCTION IN K-12 EDUCATION. SHE’S DEVOTED HER CAREER TO INCREASING CURIOSITY,
CREATIVITY AND CRITICAL THINKING IN THE CLASSROOM.

OANH VU IS YOUTH WORKER AND EDUCATOR FOR THE KITTY ANDERSEN YOUTH SCIENCE CENTER
AT THE SCIENCE MUSEUM OF MN. SHE HAS A BACKGROUND IN COMMUNITY ORGANIZING AND
MEDIA ARTS, AND IS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO SHARE THIS PASSION WITH YOUTH TEENS IN
HER PROGRAM.

NATE WALBRUCH IS THE PRINCIPAL AT PLAINVIEW-ELGIN-MILLVILLE HIGH SCHOOL.
PREVIOUSLY, HE HAS SERVED AS AN ADMINISTRATOR FOR SECONDARY AND ELEMENTARY
SCHOOLS IN MINNESOTA AND NORTH CAROLINA, A TEACHER AND A PROFESSIONAL FOR THE
BOYS & GIRLS CLUB. HE IS PASSIONATE ABOUT PLCS, INTERVENTIONS/ENRICHMENT AND
GUARANTEEING STUDENT LEARNING.

TOM WATKINS WORKS IN OSSEO AREA SCHOOLS IN THE RESEARCH, ASSESSMENT AND
ACCOUNTABILITY DEPARTMENT. HE HAS CO-DEVELOPED ASSESSMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY
SYSTEMS IN THREE OF MINNESOTA’S LARGEST SCHOOL DISTRICTS. HE ENJOYS FACILITATING
DATA DISCUSSIONS IN SCHOOLS AND ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY THROUGH OPEN
CONVERSATIONS ABOUT DATA THAT STAKEHOLDERS CARE ABOUT MOST.

JOY FREDRICKSON IS A STUDENT SERVICES COORDINATOR WITH OSSEO AREA SCHOOLS. JOY
IS AN ADAPTIVE LEADER FOR EQUITY THROUGH EXCELLENCE, COMMITTED TO ELIMINATING
BARRIERS IN THE DESIGN OF LEARNING TO ENSURE ACCESSIBILITY FOR ALL, AND
PASSIONATE ABOUT SYSTEMS CHANGE.

JOE CERAR IS A 28-YEAR EDUCATOR, THE PAST 25 AS A HIGH SCHOOL SOCIAL SCIENCE
INSTRUCTOR AT PLAINVIEW-ELGIN-MILLVILLE HIGH SCHOOL IN SE MINNESOTA. HE SERVES
ON MANY COMMITTEES IN THE PEM DISTRICT AND IS A PASSIONATE ADVOCATE FOR
IMPROVING TEACHING AND LEARNING, AND A RECENT CONVERT TO ALL THINGS PLC.

STACEY LACKNER EARNED A PH.D. THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA. HER EXPERIENCE
INCLUDES WORKING AS A SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST, DISTRICT OUTCOMES MANAGER, AND A
RESEARCH ANALYST FOR SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN THE TWIN CITIES AREA. SHE IS CURRENTLY
THE DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH AND EVALUATION FOR WAYZATA PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

ANGIE FREESE IS A COMMITTED EDUCATOR, AUTHOR, AND COLLABORATOR WITH EXPERTISE IN
ASSESSMENT, LEADERSHIP, AND STRATEGIC PLANNING. ANGIE HAS SUPPORTED STUDENTS FOR
NEARLY TWO DECADES AS A TEACHER, PRINCIPAL, AND DIRECTOR WITHIN SCHOOL SYSTEMS.
SHE NOW SERVES AS THE PRESIDENT OF PLAYMAKERS LLC, REVITALIZING SCHOOL SYSTEMS
BY IGNITING CREATIVITY, LEVERAGING STRENGTHS AND ASSETS TO BUILD CAPACITY, AND
LINKING ASSESSMENT AND FEEDBACK TO INVEST IN SYSTEM EVOLUTION.

HEATHER HIRSCH IS A SCHOOL CLIMATE SPECIALIST WITH THE SCHOOL SAFETY TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE CENTER, MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. HEATHER’S WORK FOR MDE
ADDRESSES SCHOOL CLIMATE IMPROVEMENT, BULLYING PREVENTION AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL
LEARNING. SHE TRAVELS ACROSS THE STATE PROVIDING TRAINING AND CONSULTING WITH
SCHOOLS AND DISTRICTS ON BEST PRACTICES IN THOSE AREAS. SHE HAS BEEN CERTIFIED
BY MCGRATH TRAINING SYSTEMS, INC. TO PROVIDE TRAINING ON THE MCGRATH BULLYING
AND HARASSMENT: MINIMIZE THE RISK CURRICULUM. SHE HOLDS A MASTER’S DEGREE IN
PUBLIC HEALTH, AND A SCHOOL CLIMATE LEADERSHIP CERTIFICATE FROM THE NATIONAL
SCHOOL CLIMATE CENTER. SHE IS A SOUTH WASHINGTON COUNTY DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
MEMBER, AND SERVES ON THE BOARD OF A NON-PROFIT, AARP EXPERIENCE CORP – TWIN
CITIES, AIMED AT IMPROVING LITERACY AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL SKILLS OF LOW-INCOME
K-3 STUDENTS.

ANGELA HOCHSTETTER IS A MATH ASSESSMENT SPECIALIST IN THE STATEWIDE TESTING
DIVISION AT THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. SHE HAS EXPERIENCE AS A TEST
DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND TAUGHT HIGH SCHOOL MATH FOR
SEVERAL YEARS. MS. HOCHSTETTER IS A LICENSED HIGH SCHOOL MATH AND SPANISH
TEACHER IN MINNESOTA AND TENNESSEE. SHE IS WORKING ON A M.A. IN QUANTITATIVE
MEASURES IN EDUCATION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA.

PENNY HOUTZ IS THE MDE EDUCATION SUPERVISOR FOR MATH AND READING IN THE
STATEWIDE TESTING DIVISION. SHE HAS 15+ YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AS A TEST
DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND 12 YEARS OF TEACHING JUNIOR
HIGH SCHOOL ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS. IN ADDITION, SHE WORKED AS A TITLE I
COORDINATOR AND DISTRICT ASSESSMENT AND CURRICULUM DIRECTOR. MS. HOUTZ HAS A
M.ED. IN CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION WITH A SPECIALIZATION IN LITERACY FROM
LESLEY UNIVERSITY, A K–12 PRINCIPAL CERTIFICATE IN EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP FROM
THE UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING, A BA IN ENGLISH AND A BA IN SECONDARY EDUCATION FROM
WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY, AND IS CURRENTLY ADMITTED INTO THE M.ED.
MEASUREMENT, EVALUATION, STATISTICS, AND ASSESSMENT (MESA) CERTIFICATION PROGRAM
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO.

BRAD DRAZEN HAS RECENTLY COMPLETED HIS 5TH YEAR TEACHING, TEACHING 5TH GRADE AT
EAGLE VIEW ELEMENTARY, IN THE NEW PRAGUE AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT. HE IS EXCITED TO
SHARE HIS EXPERIENCE WITH SCAFFOLDING STATE STANDARDS AND HOW TO MAKE DEEPER
LEARNING ACCESSIBLE FOR ALL LEARNERS.

JENNIFER DUGAN IS DIRECTOR OF THE STATEWIDE TESTING DIVISION AT THE MINNESOTA
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. MS. DUGAN HAS SERVED AS THE SUPERVISOR OF TEST
DEVELOPMENT AND MATHEMATICS ASSESSMENT SPECIALIST BOTH WITHIN THE DIVISION OF
STATEWIDE TESTING, MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHER IN MATHEMATICS, AND ALSO WORKED AS A
MATHEMATICS ASSESSMENT SPECIALIST.

BILLY CHAN IS AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PRINCIPAL WITH OSSEO AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT WHO
INSPIRES AND PREPARES TEACHERS TO DEMONSTRATE COMMITMENT TO EACH STUDENT’S
ACHIEVEMENT OF THEIR DREAMS. HE LEADS WITH CONVICTION FOR A PARADIGM SHIFT IN
EDUCATIONAL PRACTICES TO ENSURE EQUITABLE STUDENT OUTCOMES. BILLY HAS
PARTICIPATED IN MESPA SPEAKS, SHARING HIS LIVED EXPERIENCES AS A STRUGGLING
MULTILINGUAL LEARNER TO BECOMING A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL. BILLY HAS EIGHTEEN YEARS OF
EXPERIENCE IN EDUCATION INCLUDING TEN YEARS AS A SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR. BILLY
RECEIVED HIS UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE FROM CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY IN ST. PAUL, MN AND
HIS MASTER’S DEGREE FROM BEMIDJI STATE UNIVERSITY. BILLY ATTAINED HIS K-12
ADMINISTRATION CREDENTIALS THROUGH ST. MARY’S UNIVERSITY. BILLY COMPLETED HIS
SUPERINTENDENT ENDORSEMENT FROM MANKATO STATE UNIVERSITY AND IS PURSUING HIS
DOCTORATE IN EDUCATION LEADERSHIP.

SARA FLORIN IS THE TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION COACH FOR CENTENNIAL SCHOOLS IN CIRCLE
PINES, MN. PRIOR TO THIS POSITION SHE WAS THE MEDIA SPECIALIST AT CENTENNIAL
MIDDLE SCHOOL WHERE SHE TAUGHT MEDIA SKILLS AND DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP. SHE IS
CURRENTLY THE CO-PRESIDENT ELECT OF ITEM (INFORMATION AND TECHNOLOGY EDUCATORS
OF MINNESOTA).

EMILY CAVAZOS IS A TEJANA FROM SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS. SHE GRADUATED FROM MACALESTER
COLLEGE IN 2016 WITH A MAJOR IN BIOLOGY AND A MINOR IN ART HISTORY AND DECIDED
TO STAY AND EXPLORE HER CONNECTIONS WITHIN THE TWIN CITIES. SHE CURRENTLY WORKS
AT THE SCIENCE MUSEUM OF MINNESOTA WITH THE KITTY ANDERSEN YOUTH SCIENCE CENTER
(KAYSC) AS AN ASSESSMENT COORDINATOR.

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