SUPPORTERS

Center for Leadership and Neighborhood Engagement, Executive Director

Rev. Chatman is the executive director of the Center for Leadership and Neighborhood Engagement and former senior pastor at Redeemer Lutheran Church and director of Redeemer Center for Life. Chatman also serves as the advisor to the Bishop for the Minneapolis Area Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He serves on the board for Youthprise, Leadership Foundations, Lutheran Social Services, and Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago. Former boards include Harrison Neighborhood Association, Aeon Affordable Housing Development, Cookie Cart, Gustavus College, Lutheran Volunteer Corps, and Plymouth Christian Youth Center (PYC). Kelly is married to Dr. Cheryl Chatman, retired Executive Vice President and Dean at Concordia.

Born in Casablanca, Morocco to a Spanish mother and a Sicilian father, David Fhima has worked and owned some recognizable and award-winning restaurants including Louis XIII, Mpls Café, and Fhima's/St. Paul to name a few. David’s culinary studies and training have taken him from Casablanca to London, Paris to Geneva and Los Angeles to Minneapolis—all of which influenced him greatly. The biggest influence, however, has been his mother’s cooking and his father’s prowess in butchering. David’s philosophy has always been, and continues to be, that “healthy” starts with whole ingredients, satisfying your cravings, a symbiotic relationship to the environment, moving your body naturally, and feeding your senses. David is currently staging all his efforts out of his newest venture, Fhima’s Minneapolis, in the historic space formerly known as The Forum Cafeteria in downtown Minneapolis. His Mother Dough Bakery locations opened in the Capella Tower in downtown Minneapolis in Spring 2022. A multi-level restaurant concept & event center will open in the North Loop of Minneapolis in 2023. Artisans & Spice Catering, a Fhima Family catering company, is a partner of Minnesota Central Kitchen (MCK), a nonprofit organization created during the pandemic to bring nutritious, prepared meals to those facing the greatest need.

President & CEO, YMCA of the North

Glen Gunderson is president and chief executive officer of the YMCA of the North, the second largest YMCA association in the United States and the fourth largest in the world. In 10 years with the Y, Glen has led the integration of the former Minneapolis and St. Paul Y associations to initially form the YMCA of the Greater Twin Cities, assumed responsibility for and integrated the Rochester Family YMCA, and acquired nonprofits Minnesota Civic Youth, Fundamentally Sound Athletics, and Cycle Health. Glen has developed two podcast series, “Conversations on Race” and “Conversations on Leadership,” that are distributed through WCCO Radio and various social media platforms. Prior to serving the Y, Glen was president and chief business officer at RedBrick Health, and served for 14 years in senior management at Life Time Fitness. Glen serves on the board of directors for YMCA of the USA, HealthPartners Institute, and Invictus Leadership. Glen’s community service extends to Itasca’s First 1000 Days initiative and as president of the Orono High School Basketball Association. Glen was recognized as a “40 under 40” honoree by the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal, was honored in 2020 as a Most Admired CEO, and has also been named to Minnesota Most Powerful 500 (2018-2022) for his business and community leadership.

FOX9

Amy Hockert is an anchor and special projects reporter at FOX 9. Amy was born and raised in Minnesota and is grateful to live and work in her home state. She started her career in college where she worked for the NBC affiliate in Fargo-Moorhead. She worked in Minot, North Dakota, and Raleigh, North Carolina before moving back to Minnesota to work at KARE-11 and later served as VP of News for the digital news organization, Bring Me The News. After taking an 8-year hiatus from TV news to start a family, Amy came back on air when she joined FOX9 in 2015. Amy’s favorite pastime is traveling with her husband and their two kids, 9-year old Christian and 11-year old Elise. The family also has two very spoiled dogs, Bennett and Henry.

Minnesota Council of Churches

Jim Bear Jacobs was born in St. Paul, he is a member of the Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican Nation, an American Indian tribe located in central Wisconsin. He has degrees in Pastoral Studies and Christian Theology. Presently he is parish associate at Church of All Nations Presbyterian Church. He is a cultural facilitator in the Twin Cities and works to raise the public’s awareness of American Indian causes and injustices. He is the Director of Community Engagement and Racial Justice for the Minnesota Council of Churches. Additionally he is the creator and director of “Healing Minnesota Stories,” a program of the Minnesota Council of Churches.

Senior Impact Office, The Constellation Fund

Originally from Bangladesh and currently based in Minneapolis, Amal Karim leads the Constellation Fund’s evidence-driven grantmaking in education. She is a former national senior policy associate for Educators for Excellence and has worked internationally, first for Teach for Malaysia as a Fulbright Student Scholar and later in Zambia for the Millennium Challenge Corporation. Amal’s career in social impact began as a teacher on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, where she taught middle school English at Crazy Horse School. She holds a master’s degree in public affairs from the Princeton University School of Public and International Affairs and a bachelor’s degree from Pomona College. She loves trivia, yoga, and cooking.

Vice President of Community Empowerment, Mortenson

Lynn Littlejohn is the Vice President of Community Empowerment with Mortenson. She serves as the organization’s liaison with clients, community organizations, diverse businesses, governmental agencies, unions, advocacy groups and public officials to transform communities through economic inclusion. Her role involves developing and implementing strategies that provide access and opportunity to diverse businesses and individuals that have been historically under-represented in the construction industry to drive more equitable outcomes for the community. Lynn has previously served as a board member for Children’s Minnesota Hospital, Minneapolis YWCA, Minnesota Twins Community Fund, National Association of Minority Contractors (NAMC), Association of Women Contractors (AWC), Dunwoody Academy, Twin Cities Rise! and Alexandra House. Lynn is a graduate of the University of Minnesota and holds a bachelor’s degree in Business from the Carlson School of Management.

Director of Collective Giving, Minneapolis Foundation

Sara partners with community members to organize and host giving circles and collective giving strategies. She previously worked as the Community Engagement Coordinator at NorthPoint Health & Wellness Center. She has spent the last 14 years working for nonprofits in North Minneapolis. Throughout this work, she learned about tenacity and resilience from individuals overcoming barriers to gain personal success and support their families. Investing in the richness, talent and resources that already exist in community helps create an environment where everyone can thrive. Working in a community-led organizations, Sara learned how to listen to community voice and amplify that message.

Co-Founder of Here is MPLS

Tim Maudlin, a retired venture capitalist, is Co-founder and ad-hoc Advocacy Council member of Here is MPLS and an independent director on the corporate board of four different global companies. For the last 25+ years, he has had board leadership roles with national, non-profit organizations affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, including with Augsburg Fortress d/b/a Media 1517, Luther Seminary, St. Olaf College, Lutheran Center for Faith, Values, and Community, and Church Anew. Locally, Tim and his wife are active members of St. Andrew Lutheran Church. His community engagement includes advocacy for high-impact experiences of emerging and future leaders, keeping families in their homes, innovative faith initiatives and communities, food and social services support, cancer-related programs, and refugee re-settlement. Tim has a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Olaf College and a Masters of Management degree from the Kellogg School, Northwestern University.

Co-Founder of Here is MPLS

Bruce is a retired business lawyer and former Chair and Managing Officer of the Gray Plant Mooty law firm. Bruce represented the buyer in the acquisition of the Minnesota Timberwolves, the seller in the sale of the Minnesota Vikings and the Joint Legislative Committee in the investigation of the 35W bridge collapse. Bruce continues to serve as the CEO and board chair of some private entities and is a board member of several other companies. Bruce is a trustee for many trusts and foundations. His community engagements include board leadership roles for many organizations including YMCA of the North, the University of Minnesota, the University of Minnesota Law School, the University of Minnesota Alumni Association, Urban Ventures, Fund for Legal Aid, Twin Cities Diversity in Practice, and Volunteer Lawyers Network Benefactors Board. Bruce attended Amherst College and received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Minnesota and Juris Doctor from the University of Minnesota Law School.

Community Member

Angela Rose Myers is the former President of the Minneapolis NAACP and pursuing her Master’s degree in Human Rights at the University of Minnesota. After graduating from Barnard College of Columbia University in New York City, Angela Rose, a Twin Cities Native, returned to Minneapolis looking to make a change in her community. After being connected with the Minneapolis NAACP, she quickly rose to the position of 2nd Vice-President at the age of 23 then was elected President of the Minneapolis NAACP in November 2020 at 25, making her one of the youngest NAACP Adult Branch Presidents in the Nation. Now, she does research on police surveillance and issues within the criminal justice system and Black Political Movements.

Business and Commercial Real Estate Manager/ ARTrepreneur

Felicia Perry is a Change Agent and Economic Development Strategist who leads organizations and individuals to their next chapter of growth and long-term success. She works to transform communities leveraging a dynamic skill set of Innovative Thought Leadership, Stakeholder Engagement, and Coalition Building. Her passion to support other ARTrepreneurs expands to her work as an Artist Career Consultant which includes contracts with Springboard for the Arts. Perry currently serves as Board Chair of Vivid Black Paint Circus Arts and is a Trustee of the Northside Awesome Fund. Felicia currently serves as the Business and Commercial Real Estate Manager at Partnership in Property Commercial Land Trust (PIPCLT) where she works to develop and preserve long term affordable commercial spaces through the community driven ownership of land.

McKnight Foundation, Sr. Program Officer

Chad Schwitters joined McKnight in January 2022 as a senior program officer with the Vibrant & Equitable Communities program. Chad brings to McKnight a deep understanding of housing, finance, and economics. For 20 years he was the CEO of Urban Homeworks Inc., an organization focused on catalyzing innovative community development through housing. In 2008, he founded and led Griesel Cooperative, a grassroots cooperative focused on fossil fuel alternatives. Most recently, he ran a consulting practice through his firm Visify, helping leaders grow through data visualization, coaching, and organizational and intercultural development.Chad is a longtime Northsider and currently lives there with his wife, three kids, two cats, and two dogs.

Chief Operating Officer, Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation

Nadege is an instinctive and creative leader of people and processes. She is Chief Operating Officer of the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation. In addition to her organizational leadership, she oversees key operational functions – human resources, information technology, enterprise programs, facilities, grants administration and learning/evaluation. Nadege also leads the Facing Race Awards, Art in This Present Moment, and racial narrative change efforts. She co-hosts the Foundation’s podcast, I So Appreciate You! She speaks and writes on topics around equity in the workplace and leadership. Prior to moving to the philanthropic sector, Nadege was a corporate litigator at Dorsey & Whitney LLP and Maslon LLP. Nadege is the Minnesota Opera Board Chair and serves on the boards of OPERA America, the Arts Partnership and Blandin Foundation. She was Trademark Theater’s founding board chair. She also serves on the Advisory Board for Fashion Week Minnesota and the Minnesota Compass Governance Committee.

Seed. Grow. Bloom. LLC, Founder & President

Bo Thao-Urabe is founder and president of Seed. Grow. Bloom LLC, a consulting company that partners with executive leaders and organizations to design and advance transformative solutions. Immigrating as a refugee child from Laos, her experiences at the intersections of war, poverty, immigration, gender, culture and race inform how she leads and innovates. Previously, Bo was founder and executive director of the Coalition of Asian American Leaders (CAAL), executive director of Hmong National Development and Women's Association of Hmong and Lao, and senior director of Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy. She has received numerous awards for her leadership and impact. Bo enjoys time with her family, storytelling and traveling.

VP of Equity, Inclusion, Diversity and Access, Meet Minneapolis

Ka Vang (pronounced GA VA) is a proud Hmong-American who grew up in the Twin Cities. Vang was born on a CIA military base, Long Cheng, Laos, at the end of the Vietnam War, and immigrated to the United States in 1980. She grew up in the Frogtown neighborhood in St. Paul and attended the University of Minnesota Twin Cities where she graduated with a Political Science degree. She received her Master’s in Education degree from Minnesota State Mankato. Before coming to Meet Minneapolis as the first VP of Equity, Inclusion, Diversity and Access, she worked in higher education, as a Journalist for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, and most recently she was the Director of Community Impact at Minnesota Radio & American Public Media. She has served on various boards, task force and community workgroups including the Girl Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin River Valleys, Eastside Learning Center, We Are Still Here Minnesota and most recently, the Friends of Freedom Park. When she is not working, she enjoys writing poems, watching horror movies, and traveling to new destinations.