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Keynote Speakers
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KEYNOTE
SPEAKER:
Congresswoman Betty McCollum, United States House of
Representatives
Congresswoman Betty McCollum is a Democrat serving her
seventh term in the United States Congress, representing the
families of Minnesota’s Fourth District. Throughout her
career in public service, Congresswoman McCollum has been a
champion for excellence in education, protecting the
environment, expanding health care access and fiscal
responsibility. In the 113th Congress, she serves on the
House Appropriations Committee, bringing a common sense,
Minnesota perspective to the committee. She is a member of
the Subcommittee on Defense and Subcommittee on Interior,
Environment and Related Agencies.
Congresswoman McCollum is the lead Democrat for H.R. 3854, a
bill to reauthorize the Community Service Block Grant. This
legislation builds on the success of community action
agencies in Minnesota and throughout the United States by
ensuring that the Community Services Block Grant continues
to be a major force in fighting poverty and supporting
families in need for years to come. |
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KEYNOTE SPEAKER:
Erik Stegman
Associate Director, Half in Ten Campaign, Center for
American Progress Action Fund
Erik Stegman is Associate Director of the Half in Ten
campaign at the Center for American Progress. In this role,
he leads the development of their annual report on poverty,
contributes to policy development, and manages Half in Ten’s
national network of grassroots partners and coalition
members to support its mission of building the political and
public will to reduce poverty. Previously, he served as
Majority Staff Counsel at the U.S. Senate Committee on
Indian Affairs. He holds a J.D. from UCLA School of Law, an
M.A. in American Indian studies from UCLA’s graduate
division, and a B.A. from Whittier College. |
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Conference Speakers
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Representative Jim Abeler
Minnesota House of Representatives and Member, Legislative
Commission to End Poverty by 2020
State Representative Jim Abeler (R-Anoka) is in his
eighth term representing 35A, the cities of Anoka and
Ramsey, in the Minnesota House of Representatives. Abeler, a
32 year chiropractor, is a recognized leader on health care
policy. As GOP lead of the House Health and Human Services
Finance Committee, Abeler advocates priority-based reforms
to reduce HHS costs and market-based solutions to provide
quality and value in the health care marketplace. In
addition to his many legislative contributions, he served on
the Legislative Commission to End Poverty by 2020.
Abeler and his wife of 32 years, Barb, reside in Anoka,
where they raised their six sons. Three of whom are married.
They have three grandchildren. |
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Robert Benes
Lakes and Pines Community Action Council
Bob Benes has served as a leader in Community Action for
over 30-years. He currently serves as the Board Chair of the
Minnesota Community Action Partnership and Executive
Director of Lakes and Pines Community Action Council in
Mora, MN. Bob has dedicated his career to assuring all
Minnesotans have a fair chance to prosper and working
alongside those with the same goals in mind for the
betterment of all Minnesota. |
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Carolina Bradpiece
Community Action Partnership of Scott, Carver, & Dakota
Counties
Carolina Bradpiece serves as President and CEO of the
Community Action Partnership of Scott, Carver, and Dakota
Counties. The organization has a budget of almost $20
million, 24 programs, 200 staff members, and serves 52,000
people annually. It has 159 established partnerships
throughout the community it serves and a board of directors
composed of elected officials, corporate leaders, and people
representing the population to be served. As the leader of
all strategic and tactical planning, Bradpiece has
formalized the marketing and communications process, and has
made technology a key strategy for the organization,
modernizing its processes in a client-service focused way.
She has also created a diversified funding program and
continues to work hard at fostering an organization of
excellence where innovation and outcomes-based results guide
the everyday work.
Prior to her work with CAP, Bradpiece was a lead strategist
and manager of community funds with Minnesota Philanthropy
Partners. She has served as President and CEO with Big
Brothers Big Sisters, the YMCA, the Girl Scouts, and others.
Bradpiece serves on a number of community boards including,
Minnesota Workforce Investment Board, MN Community Action,
FISH, and Chamber of Commerce. As a graduate of Macalester
College, her roots are in Minnesota but she has also lived
and worked in New York and California. She lives in St. Paul
with her husband and two children. |
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Debra Fitzpatrick
Center of Women and Public Policy, Humphrey School of Public
Affairs
Debra Fitzpatrick directs the Center on Women and Public
Policy and coordinates diversity initiatives at the Humphrey
School of Public Affairs. Fitzpatrick has extensive
experience successfully managing and coordinating
multi-million dollar, multi-year projects focused on equity
issues. With prior experience at the congressional,
gubernatorial and state legislative levels, Fitzpatrick has
worked successfully with policy-makers in both political
parties. In her role as director of the Center she leads a
partnership with the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota
examining through an intersectional lens the status of women
and girls in Minnesota, as well as research and outreach
efforts in the areas of women and electoral politics, gender
and judging, women in science & technology policymaking and
women-centered non-profits. |
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Gregory Gray
Minnesota Department of Human Services, former Executive
Director of Commission to End Poverty
Gregory N. Gray is Chief
Compliance Officer for the Minnesota Department of Human
Services (DHS). DHS is the state’s largest agency, serving
more than a million people with an annual general fund
budget of $11.2 billion and more than 6,500 employees
throughout the state. The department provides or administers
a broad range of services, including health care, economic
assistance, child welfare services, and services for the
elderly and people with disabilities. Greg was a member of
the Minnesota House of Representatives from 1999 to 2003,
representing parts of north Minneapolis, and worked as the
Executive Assistant to the Minnesota House Minority Caucus
from 2005 to 2007. Greg is a graduate of the University of
Wisconsin, River Falls.
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Mark Haase
Council on Crime and Justice, MN Second Chance Coalition
Mark Haase is Vice President of the Council on Crime and
Justice, a Minneapolis nonprofit that has built community
capacity to address the causes and consequences of crime
since 1957. He is also co-chair of the Minnesota Second
Chance Coalition, a coalition of over 50 agencies that
together advocate for fair and responsible laws, policies,
and practices that allow those who have committed crimes to
contribute to their communities to their full potential.
Mark has developed and provided numerous trainings and
presentations on safely increasing opportunities for people
with criminal records to attorneys, policy-makers, business
leaders, and the general public. He has successfully lobbied
for passage of several Minnesota laws that create safer,
stronger, and more just communities by increasing
opportunities for adults and juveniles with criminal
records. Prior to joining the Council Mark was a U.S. Coast
Guard Officer, a student leadership development director
with the University YMCA, and sole proprietor of a law
practice. Mark received his B.A. from the University of
Minnesota, and completed his J.D. (cum laude) and M.A. at
the University of Saint Thomas.
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Clarence Hightower
CAPRW (Community Action Partnership of Ramsey and Washington
Counties)
Clarence Hightower is the Executive Director of
Community Action Partnership of Ramsey and Washington
Counties, part of a national network of more than 1,000
organizations. In this role, Mr. Hightower guides the work
of an agency first established in 1964 as part of the “War
on Poverty.” His responsibilities include the management of
a $20 million annual budget, a staff of 300, and 13 work
sites. Prior to Community Action, Hightower spent 10 years
as the President/CEO of the Minneapolis Urban League. His 33
years of executive leadership in the Twin Cities nonprofit
sector also includes serving as Executive Director of both
The City, Inc. and the North Community YMCA. Since, 2002,
Hightower has served on the Board of Trustees of the
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system (MnSCU). In
2012, Hightower was elected Chair of MnSCU’s Board of
Trustees, the first African American to hold that
distinction. Mr. Hightower earned his Bachelor’s Degree from
Southwest Minnesota State University and his Master’s Degree
in Human and Community Service from George Williams College
in Aurora, Illinois. Currently, Hightower is a Ph.D.
candidate in Urban Higher Education at Jackson State
University. Mr. Hightower is an ordained minister, devoted
husband and proud father of one daughter.
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Beth Holger-Ambrose
The Link
Beth Holger-Ambrose is Executive Director at The Link,
supporting at-risk youth in the Twin Cities. She came to The
Link from the Minnesota Department of Human Services, where
she served as the Homeless Youth Services Coordinator.
Previous to working at the Department of Human Services,
Holger-Ambrose worked in street outreach, emergency shelter
and transitional living programs with runaway, homeless and
trafficked youth in Minneapolis for eight years. She earned a
BA in Political Science and Anthropology in 1998, a Public
Affairs certificate in 2004, and a MA in Nonprofit
Management and Administration in 2004, all from Hamline
University. Serving as an active community volunteer, Beth
also has many awards to her credit. She was awarded the
Virginia McKnight Binger Award in Human Service in 2005, is
a Bush Foundation Leadership Fellow through 2016 and
received an Ain Dah Yung Centers Native Alley of the Year
Award.
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Senator John Marty
Minnesota Senate and Co-Author, Legislative Commission to
End Poverty by 2020
John Marty has served in the Minnesota Senate since
1986. He was co-chair of the Legislative Commission on
Ending Poverty in Minnesota. Senator Marty is a strong
advocate of economic and social justice, and author of the
proposed Minnesota Health Plan to provide health care to
all, instead of health insurance for some. Marty is chair of
the Senate Environment and Energy Committee. |
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Katie Peters
Director for Press Relations at the Center for American
Progress
At CAP, Katie works closely with policy staff to develop and
implement communications plans that elevate the
organization’s research, ideas and experts. In addition to
daily interaction with national reporters, trade press, and
local media throughout the 50 states, Katie also helps
strategize message development, op-ed placement, radio and
TV bookings, and social media interaction. |
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Nancy Maeker
A Minnesota Without Poverty
Nancy E. Maeker is the Executive Director of A Minnesota
Without Poverty, a statewide movement to end poverty in
Minnesota by 2020. Previously she served as Dean of Students
at Luther Seminary (1991-2000), Pastor for Community
Ministries at Central Lutheran Church (2000-2002), and
Bishop’s Associate in the Saint Paul Area Synod (2002-2008).
She has degrees from Texas Lutheran University (BA),
Wartburg Seminary (MDiv), University of Texas at Austin (MMus),
and Luther Seminary (DMin). She is the co-author of Ending
Poverty: A 20/20 Vision (2006). Her passion for ending
poverty is integral to her calling as pastor and citizen of
faith. She and husband Rod have three grown children and
four lively grandsons. |
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Trista Matascastillo
Minnesota Women Veterans Initiative
Working Group
Trista Matascastillo, began her military career in 1992
when she enlisted in the United States Navy, where she
served as an Avionic Technician and the first woman to serve
in her command. She later was selected into a commissioning
program and branch transferred into the United States Marine
Corps. After four years with the Marine Corps she again
transferred to the Minnesota Army National Guard as an
active guard and reserve officer. She served as the first
woman Air Defense officer and later commanded the 34th
Military Police Company. In 2008 Trista left the military
and began working for Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity as
the Government Relations Senior Associate. In 2013 Trista
helped launch the Veterans Voices Program at the Minnesota
Humanities Center working to change the dominate narrative
about Veterans to one of their own voice. In her free time
Trista serves as Chair of the Minnesota Women Veterans
Group, Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program
consumer advocate for Autism and Mental Health Research,
Patient Advocate Advisory Board at the Minneapolis VA
Hospital, Habitat for Humanity International Veterans
Advisory Board, U of MN A.D.A.P.T program advisor, and
blogger for the National Veterans Foundation, and is a
contributing author of the Attorneys Guide to defending
Veterans in Criminal Court. Trista was honored as the 2011
Minnesota Woman Veteran of the Year. |
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Colleen Moriarty
Executive Director, Hunger Solutions Minnesota
Colleen Moriarty has been involved in poverty programs for
the majority of her career. She has seen the devastating
effects that poverty has had on our families and children
and understands that basic needs must be met before families
can succeed. As Hunger Solutions Minnesota’s Executive
Director and the chair of Minnesota Partners to End Hunger,
she works to motivate decision-makers to take supportive
action on state and national hunger policy issues. One of
Colleen’s strengths is portraying the story of hunger to the
media and legislators in a way that is compelling and makes
a positive impact on behalf of those in need and the
organizations that serve them. Before her current leadership
role at Hunger Solutions Minnesota, Colleen was a Department
Head at KARE 11, where she organized the Health Fair 11
program; Executive Director of the Minneapolis Youth
Coordinating Board; Chief of Staff to Minneapolis Mayor
Sharon Sayles Belton through her second term. She was also
elected to the Minneapolis School Board in 2002 and served
through 2006.
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Jim Scheibel
Hamline University
Jim Scheibel is Honorary Professor of Practice at
Hamline University in St. Paul. During his career he has
served as a community organizer, City Councilmember, Mayor,
Director of VISTA and the Senior Corps, and Executive
Director of nonprofits. Since President Johnson launched the
War on Poverty in 1964, Jim has been active working to end
poverty. As an elected official he was a national leader on
hunger and homelessness, and immigrant and refugee issues.
He has advocated for policy initiatives and changes. Today,
Jim continues the fight, serving on the boards of the
National Skills Coalition, Congressional Hunger Center, and
is Interim President of Minnesota AARP. During the Spring of
2013, Jim taught a course of Poverty and Policy, being a
catalyst for engagement by his students for economic
opportunity. During the Fall of 2011, he was named an
Opportunity Leader by the Opportunity Nation campaign.
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Joe Soss
Humphrey School of Public Affairs
Joe Soss is the inaugural
Cowles Chair for the Study of Public Service at the
University of Minnesota, where he holds faculty positions in
the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, the
Department of Political Science, and the Department of
Sociology. His research and teaching explore the interplay
of democratic politics, socioeconomic inequalities, and
public policy. He is particularly interested in the
political sources and consequences of policies that govern
social marginality and shape life conditions for socially
marginal groups. Joe Soss is the author of Unwanted Claims:
The Politics of Participation in the U.S. Welfare System
(2000), co-editor of Race and the Politics of Welfare Reform
(2003), co-editor of Remaking America: Democracy and Public
Policy in an Age of Inequality (2007), and author or
co-author of numerous scholarly articles. His most recent
book is Disciplining the Poor: Neoliberal Paternalism and
the Persistent Power of Race (University of Chicago Press,
2011), co-authored with Richard C. Fording and Sanford F.
Schram. In 2010, he received the campus-wide Outstanding
Faculty Award from the University of Minnesota's Council of
Graduate Students (COGS). Professor Soss also holds faculty
positions in the Department of Sociology and the Department
of Political Science.
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Katie Wagoner
Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless
Katherine worked with low-income families through the
Minnesota Family Investment Program for seven years before
becoming the director of the Affirmative Options Coalition
in 2011. Affirmative Options merged with the Minnesota
Coalition for the Homeless in 2012 and Katherine took the
role of Director of Membership Engagement. Katherine
organizes advocates in creating statewide policies that move
striving workers toward a more prosperous Minnesota. She
holds a BA in Social Science and a Masters in Public and
Nonprofit Management, both from Metropolitan State
University. |
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