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North Star Summit 2026

North Star Summit 2026

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North Star Summit 2026

  • Sept 21-23, 2026

This Event is Currently sold Out

AboutScheduleSessionsSpeakersVIP DinnerSponsorsPhotosLocationContact

About

Participate in the Minnesota Star Tribune’s second-annual North Star Summit, the Midwest’s premier platform for ideas, influence and leadership. Featuring substantive talks, newsmaker interviews and panel discussions, this is where the region’s leaders shape what’s next.

Hear from the voices shaping the future of the Midwest and the nation, make connections that matter, and glean takeaways that will inform your daily life and work.

Schedule

  • Monday, September 21

VIP Dinner - SOLD OUT
6:00 to 9:00 PM

  • Tuesday, September 22

Summit Programming
7:30 AM to 6:30 PM

  • Wednesday, September 23

Summit Innovation Forum
7:30 AM to 12:00 PM

  • Dusk

Film: Remember The Titans

Panel Moderator

Jenny Berg - The Minnesota Star Tribune

Day 1 Sessions

North Star Summit
AI, Policy and the Future of the Economy

A forward-looking conversation about how artificial intelligence and public policy are reshaping work, competitiveness and economic growth.

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How to Trust News in an AI World

An exploration of the content, data and creative work powering AI, and what the changing technology landscape means for media, platforms and the public.

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Business and Leadership of Sports

A candid look at the leadership decisions behind professional sports organizations, from team culture and performance to business growth and community impact.

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The GLP-1 Economy

How a new generation of weight-loss drugs is transforming health care while reshaping consumer behavior, food, fitness and wellness.

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Leading Transformation: A CEO Conversation

Minnesota CEO’s discuss how they are leading through technological and market change while keeping people, purpose and organizational culture at the center.

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Insight Talks 1

Fast, focused talks from leaders working on Minnesota's economy, opportunity, health and civic future.

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Insight Talks 2

Fast, focused talks from leaders working on Minnesota's economy, opportunity, health and civic future.

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Exit Interview with Governor Walz

A timely newsmaker conversation reflecting on public leadership, political change and lessons from governing.

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Day 2 Sessions

Summit Innovation Forum, Sponsored by Fairview
Morning Keynote: The Road to 2036

Futurist Amy Webb explores creative destruction, technological convergence, and the forces that could reshape the region over the next decade.

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Minnesota's Health Innovation Frontier, presented by Fairview

A series of rapid conversations highlighting breakthrough health care and medtech solutions being developed locally - from new therapies to imaging, care delivery and the patient experience.

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Innovation in Local Media

National and local media leaders examine new models for trusted journalism, audience connection and sustainable community news.

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Innovation in Higher Education

From recruiting to workforce development, the leaders of two of Minnesota's most prominent universities discuss the evolution of higher education.

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Innovation Workshop

A hands-on session designed to help participants apply creative problem-solving methods to real business and civic challenges, facilitated by Barry Kudrowitz, PhD.

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Innovation in Higher Education

A conversation about how independent creators build distinctive voices, loyal communities and new forms of media.

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*Topics, breakout sessions and speakers are subject to change.

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2026 Speakers

2026 speaker announcement coming soon.

Michelle Bellanca
Chief Executive Officer,
Claros Technologies Inc.
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Dave Bozeman
President and CEO,
C.H. Robinson
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Carla Vernón
CEO, The Honest Company
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Ro Khanna
Congressman,
State of California
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Wemimo Abbey
Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Esusu, Inc.
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Amy Webb
CEO, Future Today Strategy Group
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John Phelan
Economist, Center of the American Experiment
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Susan Dominus
Staff Writer,
New York Times
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Adam Winer
Principal Product Manager, Spotify
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Julie Pace
Executive Editor and SVP, Associated Press
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Adair Mosley
CEO, GroundBreak Coalition
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Andrew Dayton
Founder and CEO, Constellation Fund
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Varun Shetty
VP, Media Partnerships, OpenAI
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Matt Caldwell
CEO, Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Lynx
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Joseph Lee
President and CEO, Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation
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Christophe Beck
Chairman, President and CEO, Ecolab
Chair of Greater MSP
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Kimbriell Kelly
Editor-in-Chief
Chicago Public Media
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Barry Kudrowitz
PhD, Head of Design Innovation, College of Design - University of Minnesota
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Rebecca Cunningham
President,
University of Minnesota
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Rob Vischer
President,
University of St. Thomas
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Terry Rasmussen
President and CEO,
Thrivent
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Nico Pronk, PhD
President and Chief Science Officer,
HealthPartners Institute
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Allison Kaplan
Director of Innovation and Engagement,
The Minnesota Star Tribune
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Kathleen Hennessey
Editor and Senior Vice President, The Minnesota Star Tribune
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Marc Lacey
Managing Editor
The New York Times
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Dr. Kavita Patel
Physician, Health Policy Expert, and NBC News Medical Contributor
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Dr. Mike Pitt
Co-Founder & CEO,
Q-rounds
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Dan Que Pham
Co-founder,
Oncodea
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Tiffany Hsu
Technology Reporter,
The New York Times
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Eric Roper
News & Politics Columnist,
The Minnesota Star Tribune
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Governor Walz
Minnesota Governor
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Jacob Frey
Minneapolis Mayor
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Bahram Akradi
Founder, Chairman, and CEO,
Life Time, Inc.
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Eliana Wahnon
Vice President, Consumer Insights & Analytics,
General Mills
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Jeoff Will
President and System Chief Operating Officer,
Fairview Health Services
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Dr. Sally Saba
Chief Inclusion & Diversity Officer and President of the Medtronic Foundation
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Ron Schutz
Republican Candidate for Attorney General of Minnesota
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Eliana Wahnon
Vice President, Consumer Insights & Analytics,
General Mills
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Jeoff Will
President and System Chief Operating Officer,
Fairview Health Services
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Dr. Sally Saba
Chief Inclusion & Diversity Officer and President of the Medtronic Foundation
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*Additional speakers to be announced soon. All speakers are subject to change.

VIP Dinner

VIP TICKETS SOLD OUT

Join us for the North Star Summit VIP Dinner on Monday, September 21 at the newly opened Indígena by Owamni, featuring an exclusive dinner curated by Head Chef Dominique Miles.

 

Indígena by Owamni is an evolution of the James Beard Award-winning restaurant, Owamni by Chef Sean Sherman, and an initiative built to support Indigenous producers. Indígena celebrates the diversity of Indigenous cultures and food systems from Mexico to Alaska, treating the continent as one interconnected homeland rather than a set of nation-state lines drawn after contact. Every partnership, ingredient, and dish is a direct investment in Indigenous producers, foragers, and food ways, redirecting economic power back to the communities who have sustained these lands for millennia.

 

Address: 

806 S 2nd St, Minneapolis, MN 55415

 

*Must purchase VIP ticket to attend the dinner*

Sponsors

Featured Sponsors

Special thanks to our featured Sponsor: Fairview Health Services.

Fairview
Official Hiking Sponsor
Google
Official Biking Sponsor
HealthPartners
Official Camping Sponsor
Fairview
Official Hiking Sponsor
Google
Official Biking Sponsor
HealthPartners
Official Camping Sponsor
Event Sponsors
Fairview
Official Hiking Sponsor
Google
Official Biking Sponsor
HealthPartners
Official Camping Sponsor
Event Sponsors
Additional Sponsors

For group ticket packages and more information on sponsorships, please contact Lauren Pahl at Lauren.Pahl@startribune.com.

Photos

2025 Featured Sessions

View more content from our full North Star playlist.

Location

Venue
Guthrie Theater
818 S 2nd Street,
Minneapolis, MN 55415

Contact Info

The Minnesota Star Tribune Event Team
MINNESOTA STAR TRIBUNE
northstarsummit@startribune.com
  • September 21 - 23, 2026
  • 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM
  • Guthrie Theater
    818 S 2nd Street
    Minneapolis, MN 55415
  • $350 – 550
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This Event is Currently sold Out

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Schedule Coming Soon.

For ticket options for groups of 10 or more, contact Lauren Pahl at lauren.pahl@startribune.com.

  • $350 – 550
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Speaker Information

Michelle Bellanca

Chief Executive Officer, Claros Technologies Inc.

Michelle Bellanca is the co-founder and CEO of Claros Technologies, an advanced technology company that is on a mission to destroy PFAS for good. Claros aims to close the loop on PFAS (“forever chemicals”) – one of the most pressing issues worldwide. She leads an international team developing effective and efficient technology for PFAS destruction at the source, bringing breakthrough solutions to global markets. Her career includes numerous leadership positions at 3M Corporation, such as Global Business Director and Managing Director of Strategic Ventures Asia Pacific. Prior to 3M, Michelle developed IBM’s capital and operating leasing businesses in Latin and South America and began her career in international business development at the Japanese Government’s Ministry of International Trade & Investment in Tokyo, Japan. Michelle was recently named to the TCB100, and her leadership has been recognized with prestigious honors, including the Edison Marketing Award and the 3M Marketing Professionalism award. She has successfully secured over $39 million in financing for Claros since its inception. This same drive extends to her personal life, where she balances her executive responsibilities with raising four children, running marathons, and serving as a trained EMT.

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Dave Bozeman

President and CEO, C.H. Robinson

Dave Bozeman is President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of C.H. Robinson. Dave is an accomplished executive, bringing over 30 years of experience at industry-leading companies and iconic brands across supply chains, middle-mile transportation, manufacturing, digital and customer service to C.H. Robinson. 

 

Dave previously served as Vice President, Ford Customer Service Division, and Vice President, Enthusiast Vehicles, for Ford Blue of Ford Motor Company. Prior to joining Ford, Dave served as Vice President, Amazon Transportation Services of Amazon.com, Inc. from 2017 to 2022.

 

Before that, Dave held roles of increasing seniority at Caterpillar, Inc. from 2008 to 2016, ultimately serving as Senior Vice President Enterprise Systems. Earlier in his career, Dave spent 16 years at Harley-Davidson, Inc. from 1992 to 2008. Dave served as a member of the Board of Directors of Weyerhaeuser from 2015 to 2017. Dave received an MS in Engineering Management from the Milwaukee School of Engineering and a BS in Manufacturing Design from Bradley University. 

 

Dave is a member of the Board of Governors for the American Red Cross, the Board of Directors for 3M, The Brookings Institution, and The Conservation Fund, a U.S. nonprofit organization with a dual charter to pursue environmental preservation and economic development. Dave is also a member of The Executive Leadership Council (ELC), and independent non-profit organization opening opportunities for the development of Black executives to positively impact business and our communities.

 

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Carla Vernón

Chief Executive Officer and Board Director, The Honest Company

Carla Vernón has served as a Board Director and Chief Executive Officer of The Honest Company (NASDAQ: HNST), a purpose-driven personal care company since January 2023. She brings more than 25 years of experience scaling iconic consumer brands, leading business transformations, and building high-performing, values-driven teams. As one of the first Afro-Latine/o/a CEOs of a U.S. publicly traded company, her leadership reflects the diversity of Honest’s consumers and the values that guide the brand.

 

Prior to Honest, Carla served as Vice President of Consumables Categories at Amazon. In this role, she held full profit and loss responsibility and led supply chain and technology teams for Everyday Essentials across Amazon.com. Previously, she was a Corporate Officer and President of the Natural and Organic Operating Unit at General Mills, where she helped scale the business into the second-largest manufacturer of organic food and advance its regenerative agriculture efforts.

 

Carla holds an A.B. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Princeton University, where she is a former Trustee, and an MBA from The University of Texas. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS) and on the Board of Trustees for the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino.

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Ro Khanna

Congressman, State of California

Ro Khanna is a United States Congressman from California’s 17th District in the heart of Silicon Valley. He has a vision to build America into a modern manufacturing and innovation superpower, and he partners it with a commitment to passing Medicare for All, a livable minimum wage, $10 a day childcare, and free public college and trade school. He is a progressive with a fresh economic vision.

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Wemimo Abbey

Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Esusu, Inc.

Wemimo Abbey grew up in the slums of Lagos, Nigeria, and came to Minneapolis, Minnesota, for college at the age of 17. Struggling to secure a loan without a credit score, his mother borrowed money from a predatory lender at an exorbitant 400% interest rate. These challenges inspired Wemimo and his Co-Founder to launch Esusu, driven by the belief that no matter where you come from, the color of your skin, or your financial identity, it should not determine where you end up in life. Esusu’s platform empowers renters to build credit through rent payments, offers property management analytics, and provides rental assistance for financial stability. Recently valued at $1 billion in a $130 million Series B fundraising round, Esusu has earned a spot on the Forbes Fintech 50 Most Innovative Companies List for three consecutive years. Wemimo currently serves on The SEC Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee, Fannie Mae Affordable Housing Advisory Council, a Commissioner and Executive Member on the Board of The Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, Board of Trustees at the University of Minnesota Crookston, a board member at the Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America (LEDA), and Co-Chairs The Los Angeles County Museum (LACMA) Director Circle.

 

Before Esusu, Wemimo founded Clean Water for Everyone, delivering affordable clean water access to 250,000+ people in six countries. He also founded a data analytics company focused on gathering machine-readable data on NGOs in Africa, which was successfully acquired in 2014. Wemimo’s earlier career involved being a mergers and acquisitions consultant at PwC, working on deals valued at over $50 billion, and gaining experience with Accenture, the European Commission, and Goldman Sachs. Wemimo’s work has been featured in major publications, including Bloomberg, CNBC, Financial Times, Fortune, Inc. Magazine, New York Times, Quartz, The Atlantic, USA Today, Vice, Wall Street Journal, and Yahoo! Finance. He was named to the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 list, TIME100 NEXT List in 2023, and awarded EY Entrepreneur of the Year Nationally. In 2021 and 2022, Goldman Sachs recognized him as one of the “100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs.” He graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Minnesota with a B.S. in Business Management and earned his M.P.A. from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.

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Amy Webb

CEO, Future Today Strategy Group

Amy Webb is the quantitative futurist who transformed strategic foresight into a rigorous, data-driven discipline, establishing the foundational methodologies that now guide leaders, organizations, and governments in anticipating disruption and securing long-term growth.


Her clients include a significant portion of the Fortune 100. New CEOs rely on her to navigate leadership transitions. Boards turn to her to understand systemic risk and opportunity amid accelerating change. She has advised three White House administrations and counsels U.S. federal agencies, Congress, and heads of state across four continents on technology and long-term planning and policy.


Her four books — including the international bestseller The Big Nine and The Genesis Machine, named by The New Yorker as one of the year’s best nonfiction — have been translated into 23 languages, with two optioned for film. She also collaborates with writers, directors, and producers on projects for Netflix, Hulu, and Marvel.


Ranked the #3 Most Influential Management Thinker in the World by Thinkers50, Forbes named her “one of the five women changing the world,” and the BBC recognized her among its 100 Women of the Year. Outside of work, she is a competitive endurance cyclist and an Assistant Scoutmaster to one of the country’s first all-girls Scout troops.

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John Phelan

Economist, Center of the American Experiment

John Phelan is a graduate of Birkbeck College, University of London, where he earned a BSc in Economics, and of the London School of Economics where he earned an MSc.

 

John worked in finance for ten years before becoming a professional economist. He worked at Capital Economics in London, where he wrote reports ranging from the impact of Brexit on the British economy to the effect of government regulation on cell phone coverage.

 

John has written for City A.M. in London and for The Wall Street Journal in both Europe and the U.S., as well as newspapers across the Midwest. He has also been published in the journal Economic Affairs.

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Susan Dominus

Staff Writer, New York Times

Susan Dominus is a staff writer for The New York Times Magazine and has worked for The New York Times since 2007, initially as a Metro columnist. She is a graduate of Yale College and has studied as a fellow at the National Institutes of Health and Yale Law School. Dominus also teaches journalism at Yale College.

 

In 2018, she was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize for public service for their reporting on workplace sexual harassment issues. She has also received a Front Page Award from the Newswomen’s Club of New York and a Mychal Judge Heart of New York Award from the New York Press Club. Her article about menopause in The New York Times Magazine earned a National Magazine Award.

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Julie Pace

Executive Editor and Senior Vice President, Associated Press

Julie Pace is Senior Vice President and Executive Editor of The Associated Press, leading global news coverage from more than 100 countries. Since Pace assumed the role in 2021, AP has significantly expanded its digital news offerings for media and technology customers and led the growth of AP’s direct to consumer platforms, which are among the fastest growing in the U.S. Under Pace’s leadership, AP has also expanded its use of AI technologies to enhance its product offerings, while maintaining the news organization’s deep commitment to eyewitness journalism and fact-based, nonpartisan news. During Pace’s tenure, the AP has been awarded four Pulitzer Prizes, and produced an award-winning documentary on the Ukraine war that won an Academy Award and a BAFTA.


Previously, Pace was Washington Bureau Chief for AP, directing the news organization’s coverage of the presidency, politics and the U.S. government during President Donald Trump’s first term in office.


Before that, Pace was AP’s White House Correspondent, contributing aggressive news reporting and sharp analysis to the AP news report. Pace won the White House Correspondents’ Association Merriman Smith award in 2013 for her work explaining the Obama campaign’s complex approach to voter turnout.


She joined AP in 2007 as a multimedia reporter, developing and executing AP’s plans for live video coverage of 2008′s Election Day and the inauguration of President Barack Obama.


A native of Buffalo, New York, Pace began her career as a reporter in 2003 at South Africa’s only independent television network, before spending two years reporting on politics and elections at the Tampa Tribune and its partner television station WFLA. She is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program. She lives in New York.

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Adair Mosley

CEO, GroundBreak Coalition

Adair Mosley is a visionary leader reshaping the future of equity in Minnesota. As CEO of GroundBreak Coalition, he leads one of the nation’s most ambitious mobilizations of capital and partnership—orchestrating $5.3 billion over 10 years to close wealth gaps through homeownership, entrepreneurship, and commercial real estate development. GroundBreak brings together 40+ corporate, civic, and philanthropic partners in a backbone coalition deploying both market-rate capital ($4.2 billion) and flexible non-market rate capital ($1.2 billion) to build a future where Black communities thrive—not just survive.

 

A strategist, builder, and truth-teller, Adair’s work is rooted in justice and scaled by innovation. Previously, as CEO of the African American Leadership Forum and Pillsbury United Communities, where he launched Justice Built Communities, securing $5 million to prioritize Black-owned development. He led the $7 million capital campaign for North Market, a nationally recognized grocery and wellness model designed to address food access and health equity. He revitalized North News—a Black-led media outlet—ensuring authentic storytelling from within the community. He helped develop a pioneering policy solution that created a national billing code for community health work, strengthening sustainable investment in grassroots health equity.


Adair’s influence extends across sectors. He sits on the boards of Walker Art Museum, Women’s Foundation of Minnesota, Community Advisory Board, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, and and GreenLight Fund National. His leadership has been recognized by Harvard’s Young American Leaders Program and Twin Cities Business magazine, which named him one of “100 People to Know.”


With a MSc in Cities from the London School of Economics, training from Stanford’s d.school in Human-Centered Design, and credentials from the University of Minnesota and University of Michigan, Adair brings a rare blend of grassroots insight and executive strategy to every room he enters.


Whether working alongside community visionaries and leaders or corporate executives, Adair leads with an unwavering belief: systems can—and must—be rebuilt for justice. He isn’t interested in incremental change. He’s here to reimagine what’s possible and to construct a future that honors Black brilliance, ownership, and self-determination.

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Andrew Dayton

Founder and CEO, Constellation Fund

Andrew Dayton is the founder and CEO of the Constellation Fund, a Minneapolis-based foundation dedicated to effective poverty alleviation. Constellation leverages modern analytics alongside community insights to identify, fund, and empower the people and organizations making the greatest measurable impact on poverty in the Twin Cities. Through its research arm, CoLab, Constellation also catalyzes and funds longitudinal research on what actually drives economic mobility.

 

Before founding Constellation, Andrew served as Deputy Legislative Director to former San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee, directing the city’s state and federal policy priorities. He previously co-owned The Bachelor Farmer, Marvel Bar, and Askov Finlayson, three award-winning hospitality and retail businesses in the Twin Cities.

 

Andrew received a B.A. in History from Yale University and a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School. He lives in Minneapolis with his wife and daughters.

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Varun Shetty

VP, Media Partnerships, OpenAI

Varun Shetty works on media partnerships at OpenAI, developing collaborations with media and entertainment companies and exploring how AI can enable new products, creative experiences, and business models. His work sits at the intersection of technology, content, and partnership strategy, with a focus on building practical opportunities for creators, companies, and audiences. Prior to OpenAI he worked at Meta and The New York Times.

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Adam Winer

Principal Product Manager, Spotify

From creating YouTube videos before ‘creator’ was a job title to leading content insights at Spotify, Adam Winer has made a career of understanding why media resonates with audiences, even as the definition of media constantly evolves. As Spotify’s Head of Content Strategy, Insights & Analytics for seven years, he led a team that turned audience research into product and business strategy recommendations. He recently moved over to building for podcast creators and audiences. Over the course of his career, Adam has also been a senior vice president at Condé Nast, an early YouTuber who was part of a program that helped coin the term ‘creator,’ and — a million years ago — a cast member on VH1’s pop-culture comedy show Best Week Ever.

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Rebecca Cunningham

President, University of Minnesota

Rebecca Cunningham became the 18th President of the University of Minnesota on July 1, 2024.

 

President Cunningham leads the University of Minnesota’s mission to educate the next generation of leaders, strengthen communities across the state and generate discoveries that improve lives throughout Minnesota, the nation and the world.

 

She has articulated a bold vision for the University of Minnesota as a magnet for top talent, a powerful driver of economic vitality and one of the nation’s most impactful public research universities. Central to that vision is the University’s role as a modern land-grant institution—one that delivers real-world solutions, expands opportunity, and serves the public good.

Under her leadership, the University is championing real world learning as a defining element of an accessible, world-class education, ensuring students are prepared to lead, innovate and contribute across sectors. She has also made improving health and healthcare for all Minnesotans—today and for decades to come—a central institutional priority, alongside protecting and advancing the state’s natural resources, with a particular emphasis on rural economic vitality and precision agriculture.

 

These priority areas are embedded in Elevate Extraordinary 2030, the strategic roadmap launched under President Cunningham in October 2025. This roadmap builds upon the University’s historic strengths while setting objectives greater than anything already accomplished. It is being implemented with strong support and ongoing engagement from students, faculty, staff, alumni and community partners throughout Minnesota.

 

In parallel, President Cunningham is leading the launch of a new brand and travelling across the state and nation to engage with prospective students and loyal alumni in celebration of the University’s 175th year. She also maintains a faculty appointment in the School of Public Health’s Division of Epidemiology & Community Health.

 

In January 2026, President Cunningham led the University of Minnesota—Minnesota’s health and healthcare leader—to forge a new agreement with M Physicians and Fairview that affirms and supports the University’s critical role in medical education, research discovery and clinical care and brings the stability needed to build a long-term solution to meet Minnesota’s most pressing health and healthcare needs. 

 

The University is one of a handful of public universities that works across all the health sciences—medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, public health and veterinary—to deliver research, education and care. This includes 887 active clinical trials across a range of conditions and diseases, training 70 percent of Minnesota’s health care professionals and serving 1 million patients—including Minnesotans from all 87 counties.

 

Before joining the University of Minnesota, President Cunningham served as the Vice President for Research and Innovation at the University of Michigan, where she was responsible for expanding its annual research portfolio to a record $2 billion. At Michigan, she led a university-wide strategy that bolstered discovery and impact across three campuses, accelerated knowledge translation, supported entrepreneurial activity, expanded statewide economic development and advanced undergraduate student success.

 

A renowned expert in public health, President Cunningham was inducted in the National Academy of Medicine in 2019. She holds a medical doctorate from Jefferson Medical College, and she completed her residency in emergency medicine at the University of Michigan. 

 

President Cunningham resides in St. Paul, Minnesota, with her husband, Ken, and their dogs Charlie and Olive. They have five grown children. With a long history of family members living in the Twin Cities, President Cunningham considered Minnesota her second home years before her presidency began. For more than 30 years now, her family has participated in YMCA family camp, canoed the Boundary Waters and enjoyed trips to the Walker Art Center, the Guthrie Theater, the Bell Museum and Minnesota State Fair—experiences that deepened her early connection to Minnesota.

 

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Kimbriell Kelly

Editor-in-Chief, Chicago Public Media

Kimbriell Kelly is the Editor-in-Chief of Chicago Public Media, the nation’s largest local nonprofit newsroom, overseeing a team of more than 140 talented staff for the Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ.

 

A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalism executive and 25-year veteran investigative editor and reporter, Kelly has overseen multiple award-winning projects in some of the nation’s largest newsrooms, including The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times.

 

As former assistant managing editor and Washington bureau chief at the Los Angeles Times, Kelly oversaw coverage of politics and policy in Washington, D.C. During her tenure, Kelly led the bureau’s coverage of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol, the 2020 Trump election challenge and, in her first year as bureau chief, launched three successful series, the “United States of California,” “Covering Kamala Harris” and “Extreme Heat.” Kelly edited the immigration coverage that led to the bureau’s first Pulitzer Prize in 17 years.

 

Prior to joining The Times, Kelly was an investigative reporter at the Washington Post, where she was part of the team that won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for national reporting for the series “Fatal Force,” uncovering the FBI’s undercounting of fatal officer-involved shootings. She was a 2019 Pulitzer finalist for explanatory reporting for “Murder with Impunity,” a year-long examination of unsolved homicides across major cities in America. She is also the winner of the Polk Award for national reporting, Sigma Delta Chi for public service, among other awards, and was a finalist for the Goldsmith Prize and Selden Ring. Prior to moving to Washington, Kelly was a reporter, editor and publisher in metropolitan Chicago for almost 15 years at the Daily Herald and the Chicago Reporter, where her investigation into Countrywide Financial’s subprime mortgage lending led to the nation’s largest fair-lending settlement.

 

Kelly serves on the steering committee of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and is vice president of the board of the Fund for Investigative Journalism. She was twice named Ferris Professor of Journalism at Princeton University, in 2020 and 2021, and has served as an adjunct professor at UC Berkeley, Roosevelt University and American University.

 

Education: M.S. Journalism, Boston University. B.A. English, St. Xavier University in Chicago. +

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Terry Rasmussen

President and CEO, Thrivent

Theresa (Terry) Rasmussen is president and chief executive officer of Thrivent, a Fortune 500 financial services company. She is a member of the Thrivent Board of Directors and serves on its Executive Committee.

 

Thrivent offers advice, insurance, investments, banking and generosity products and programs to clients in communities across the United States. Under Rasmussen’s leadership, Thrivent is transforming into a holistic financial services organization, helping current and future generations achieve financial clarity, enabling lives full of meaning and gratitude.

 

Before her current role, Rasmussen was president of Thrivent’s core life, health and annuities business after serving 10 years as senior vice president, general counsel and secretary. Prior to joining Thrivent, Rasmussen held a series of leadership roles at American Express, including serving as vice president and managing counsel. Earlier in her career, she was a trial attorney with the United States Department of Justice, Tax Division, as part of the Attorney General’s Honors Program. 

 

She is chair of the board of directors for H.B. Fuller Company, a $2.9 billion global adhesives and specialty chemical products company, where she also chairs the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee and is a member of the Compensation Committee. Rasmussen also is chair of the American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI) Board of Directors where she chairs the Executive committee, and serves on the Compensation and Internal Compliance, and Finance committees. Additionally, she is a board member of the Walker Art Center, a world-renowned contemporary art museum in Minneapolis, where she’s a member of the Audit and Finance committees. She previously served as a board member for the International Cooperative and Mutual Insurance Federation (ICMIF).

 

Rasmussen received her bachelor’s degree in accounting from Minnesota State University at Moorhead. After passing the CPA exam, she earned her Juris Doctor from the University of North Dakota.

 

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Barry Kudrowitz

PhD, Head of Design Innovation, College of Design - University of Minnesota

Barry Kudrowitz, PhD, is a professor of product design and Head of the Department of Design Innovation in the College of Design at the University of Minnesota, USA. There, he founded and directed the product design program from 2011–2021. Kudrowitz received his PhD from the Mechanical Engineering Department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), studying humor, creativity, and idea generation. Kudrowitz is interested in how creativity is perceived, evaluated, and learned. He has years of experience working with the toy industry and has taught toy design for over a decade. Kudrowitz co-designed a Nerf toy, an elevator simulator that was in operation at the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C., and a ketchup-dispensing robot that was featured on the Martha Stewart Show. He is the author of Sparking Creativity: How Play and Humor Fuel Innovation.

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Rob Vischer

President, University of St. Thomas

As president, Rob Vischer has advanced the university’s key priorities while reinforcing St. Thomas’ commitment to its mission of whole-person formation and fostering what Pope Francis called a “culture of encounter” in which every student has the experience of being seen, known, and loved. He has also worked to strengthen the national visibility of Minnesota’s largest private university through distinctive academic programs and by becoming the first university to jump directly from Division III to Division I athletics.

 

Vischer received a B.A. from the University of New Orleans and a J.D. from Harvard Law School, where he served as an editor of the Harvard Law Review. Before entering academia, he practiced corporate litigation at Kirkland & Ellis in Chicago and clerked for three federal judges.

 

Vischer serves on the board of the Association for Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU).  He serves on the executive committee of GREATER MSP and as a board member of the Minnesota Business Partnership and the Greater Twin Cities United Way. 

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Jacob Frey

Mayor, Minneapolis

Jacob Frey fell in love with Minneapolis while running the Twin Cities Marathon. The day after graduating from law school, he moved across the country to make Minneapolis his new home. After practicing law and winning the city’s first annual Martin Luther King Jr. Award for his civil rights work, Jacob served as a City Council Member for Ward 3 before being elected as the 48th mayor of Minneapolis.

Under his leadership, the city has led the nation in affordable housing policy, producing 8.5 times the amount of deeply affordable housing compared to before he took office. He pioneered the elimination of exclusionary zoning, setting a national example, and has led the city through crisis to improve safety, revitalize downtown, and drive economic growth through inclusive policies. Jacob’s commitment to change was further demonstrated in 2021 when voters approved an entirely new form of government, ensuring more effective, equitable, and efficient city services for everyone in the great city of Minneapolis.

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Christophe Beck

Chairman, President and CEO, Ecolab and Chair of Greater MSP

As chairman, president and CEO of Ecolab, Christophe Beck leads 48,000 associates around the world who are advancing Ecolab’s purpose to protect people and the resources vital to life. Under his leadership, Ecolab has entered a new chapter of accelerated growth by helping customers achieve best-in-class performance while using fewer natural resources.

 

Since becoming CEO in 2021, Christophe has sharpened Ecolab’s focus on where customer needs are growing fastest and where the company is positioned to lead. During this period, Ecolab has grown sales to $16 billion and delivered record earnings, driven by breakthrough innovation, disciplined execution and the most engaged and diverse workforce in the company’s history. Today, Ecolab helps protect one-third of the world’s food supply and a quarter of the power generated globally. By 2030, the company aims to help protect 2 billion people from infections and conserve enough water to meet the drinking needs of 1 billion people.

 

As the world’s water company, Christophe is leading Ecolab across the fastest growing industries in the world where water and performance matter most, including microelectronics, data centers and life sciences. The company enables chip manufacturers and data center operators to deliver higher performance with less water, less energy and greater reliability. In life sciences, Ecolab supports the development and manufacturing of life‑saving drugs through end‑to‑end solutions that meet the highest standards for quality and safety. 

 

Christophe is a purpose-driven leader who cares deeply about strengthening the communities where Ecolab operates. He serves as co‑chair of the U.N. Water Resilience Coalition, a CEO‑led initiative mobilizing private‑sector action to address water stress in the world’s most vulnerable basins. In Minnesota, where Ecolab has been headquartered for more than a century, he has convened business, government and nonprofit leaders to advance initiatives that strengthen the local economy, including sustainable aviation fuel, medical technology and health innovation, and public‑private collaboration to address homelessness and expand economic opportunity.  

 

Christophe joined Ecolab in 2007 and has held multiple senior leadership roles, including leading the successful integration of Nalco. He was named president and CEO in 2021 and chairman in 2022. He serves on the boards of Delta Air Lines and the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation and is chair of GREATER MSP. A native of Switzerland, he holds dual Swiss and U.S. citizenship and earned a master’s degree in engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. Christophe and his wife have two children and live in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area. 

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Ron Schutz

Republican Candidate for Attorney General of Minnesota

Ron Schutz is a lifelong Minnesotan and grew up on a dairy farm.  He attended Marquette University on an Army ROTC scholarship and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.  He graduated with honors from the University of Minnesota law school and spent the first four years of his legal career in the JAG Corps where he spent two years as a defense lawyer and then two years as a prosecutor.  He tried 20 felony court martials.

 

After leaving the Army, Mr. Schutz joined a 200-lawyer national litigation firm and served as the firm’s Chairman from 2019-2024. He is currently the Republican Candidate for Attorney General of Minnesota.

 

Mr. Schutz is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, which is the preeminent organization of trial lawyers in North America.

 

He has frequently been recognized as one the top lawyers in the country. In 2024 he was named to Forbes’ inaugural list of America’s Top 200 Lawyers and he was named to the same list in 2025. 

 

Mr. Schutz is married to his high school sweetheart Janet, and they have three adult children. Mr. Schutz has run several marathons and triathlons and enjoys hunting and other outdoor adventure activities. He has trekked to Mount Everest Base Camp, Machu Picchu, and the Refugio on Mt. Cotopaxi.  He has also climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and the Gran Paradiso (Italian Alps). 

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Nico Pronk, PhD

President and Chief Science Officer, HealthPartners Institute

Nico Pronk is a researcher and executive leader whose work focuses on worksite health promotion, obesity prevention and treatment and population health. He serves as President of the HealthPartners Institute and Chief Science Officer at HealthPartners.

 

Pronk’s work is grounded in connecting research, practice, policy and culture to help organizations and communities create conditions that support better health. His research and practice have addressed physical activity, lifestyle behavior change and systems approaches to improving health. He has published more than 500 peer-reviewed articles, practice-based papers, books and federal consensus reports.

 

Pronk has contributed to national efforts to improve population health, including serving as co-chair of the U.S. Secretary’s Advisory Committee on National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Objectives for Healthy People 2030 and participating in work supporting Healthy People 2040. He also served as chair of the Roundtable on Obesity Solutions at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, and as a member of the Armed Forces Epidemiological Board, the Community Preventive Services Task Force and the Health Enhancement Research Organization Board of Directors.

 

Pronk is a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine and the Association for Worksite Health Promotion. His research and educational endeavors include adjunct faculty positions at the Harvard School of Public Health in Social and Behavioral Sciences and the University of Minnesota School of Public Health in Health Policy and Management. He received his Ph.D. in exercise physiology from Texas A&M University and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in behavioral medicine at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic at the University of Pittsburgh.

Session Information: Insight Talks

Fast, focused talks from leaders working on Minnesota’s economy, opportunity, health and civic future. 

Speakers:

  • Speaker
Adair Mosley
CEO,
GroundBreak Coalition

While serving for two terms as Minnesota’s Governor, Tim Pawlenty used innovative and conservative leadership to balance Minnesota’s budget, cut spending, reform healthcare, and improve schools without raising taxes. Due to his leadership, Minnesota had nation-leading healthcare, high school test scores and a prosperous economy. 

  • Speaker
Michelle Bellanca
Chief Executive Officer,
Claros Technologies Inc.

Duckworth is serving in his second term in the Minnesota Senate. He represents Minnesota’s57th District which includes Lakeville, Elko New Market, Credit River, and Eureka Township. He serves as a member of the Education Policy and Commerce committees, and serves as the Republican lead for the Higher Education committee.

  • Speaker
John Phelan
Economist,
Center of the American Experiment

Coleman represents District 48 in the Minnesota State Senate, serving communities across Carver County. First elected in 2020, she is currently Assistant Minority Leader and serves on committees focused on education, family policy, and economic growth. Before joining the Senate, Senator Coleman served on the Chanhassen City Council, where she gained firsthand experience addressing local priorities. 

  • Speaker
Wemimo Abbey
Co-Founder and Co-CEO,
Esusu, Inc.

Since 2000, Rochelle Olson has been a reporter at the Minnesota Star Tribune covering Minneapolis and St. Paul City Halls, state government, Hennepin and Ramsey counties and the district and state court systems. In February 2025, she joined the editorial board has a columnist focused on politics at the Capitol. 

Session Information: Insight Talks

Fast, focused talks from leaders working on Minnesota’s economy, opportunity, health and civic future. 

Speakers:

  • Speaker
Christophe Beck
Chairman, President and CEO, Ecolab
Chair of Greater MSP

While serving for two terms as Minnesota’s Governor, Tim Pawlenty used innovative and conservative leadership to balance Minnesota’s budget, cut spending, reform healthcare, and improve schools without raising taxes. Due to his leadership, Minnesota had nation-leading healthcare, high school test scores and a prosperous economy. 

  • Speaker
Dr. Joseph Lee
President and CEO, Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

Duckworth is serving in his second term in the Minnesota Senate. He represents Minnesota’s57th District which includes Lakeville, Elko New Market, Credit River, and Eureka Township. He serves as a member of the Education Policy and Commerce committees, and serves as the Republican lead for the Higher Education committee.

  • Speaker
Andrew Dayton
Founder and CEO,
Constellation Fund

Coleman represents District 48 in the Minnesota State Senate, serving communities across Carver County. First elected in 2020, she is currently Assistant Minority Leader and serves on committees focused on education, family policy, and economic growth. Before joining the Senate, Senator Coleman served on the Chanhassen City Council, where she gained firsthand experience addressing local priorities. 

  • Speaker
Nico Pronk, PhD
President and Chief Science Officer,
HealthPartners Institute

Since 2000, Rochelle Olson has been a reporter at the Minnesota Star Tribune covering Minneapolis and St. Paul City Halls, state government, Hennepin and Ramsey counties and the district and state court systems. In February 2025, she joined the editorial board has a columnist focused on politics at the Capitol.