Mary McKinley is the Executive Director of Heartland Democracy, a nonprofit that works to bring discussion and skills of deep and personal community building, civic engagement, and connection to people in the Midwest. Working with community leaders, educators, parents, young people, and national and international experts, Mary has incorporated current research, community voices, and best practices into Heartland’s evolving set of curricula to find ways to help Minnesotans address complex issues in our community. She worked for the Open Society Institute in Budapest and Washington, spent several years at the Aspen Institute working on foreign policy programs, and was associate director of the Markle Foundation’s Task Force on National Security in the Information Age, among other positions. Raised in the Midwest, Mary left after college and lived in Eastern Europe, Washington, DC, and New York City before returning to Minneapolis with her family in
2010.

Makeda Zulu is the University of Minnesota Robert J. Jones Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center’s (UROC) chief executive officer. She provides executive oversight of strategic planning, revenue generation, financial stewardship, organizational development, staff management, and operational activities. She has been a part of this University-community place-based innovation since 2006.

Over the last 25+ years Zulu has served her community personally and professionally. She has served on boards of Juxtaposition Arts and Towerside Innovation District. Makeda is a former Senate District 59 party chair, and has been instrumental in a few campaigns for office. She is currently a board member of Parents in Community Action Head Start and Black Storytellers Alliance. Her impact spans work in youth development, childcare and family programming for almost a decade with the Twin Cities YMCA, then added community development, as an organizer for the Northside Residents Redevelopment Council. The University awarded her the Outstanding Community Service Award (2014).

She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business management from Grambling State University and a Master of Public Affairs degree from the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs.

Makeda believes in Ubuntu – I am because we are; self-determined people who work collaboratively in purpose and creativity to make positive change. She lives in North Minneapolis.

Liz Young has worked in politics for over a decade, most recently as the District Director for Congresswoman Angie Craig, following her time as Director of Advancement with Women Winning and five years with former State Senator Jeff Hayden. She has extensive campaign experience at all levels of government: federal, statewide, legislative and municipal. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Syracuse University and holds a dual degree in Political Science and French as well as a Certificat des Études Politiques from the Université de Strasbourg.

Cynthia Bauerly has extensive experience in law, management, and public policy, serving in key public sector leadership and management roles in Washington D.C. and in Minnesota. She has also worked and volunteered for national, state, and local campaigns and recounts for over thirty years.

Most recently, Cynthia served as Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Revenue from 2015 to 2020. She led over 1,400 employees as they helped Minnesotans access the economic opportunities of the tax code and collected over $23 billion annually to fund state services. Prior to joining Revenue, she served as Deputy Commissioner of Workforce Development at the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) where she led the department’s work of providing economic security for transitioning workers and workforce training and readiness.

From 2008 to 2013, Bauerly served as a Commissioner of the United States Federal Election Commission and as Chair of the agency in 2011. She also served as Legislative Director for Senator Chuck Schumer developing and implementing a broad policy agenda that included working with the Senate Rules, Judiciary, and Finance Committees and the Joint Economic Committee of Congress. She has also worked in private practice in both Minnesota and Washington, D.C.

Bauerly earned a B.A. from Concordia College in Moorhead, a J.D. from Indiana University School of Law-Bloomington, and a M.P.A. from Indiana University’s School of Environmental and Public Affairs. She grew up in central Minnesota and now lives in Minneapolis with her husband and their dog, Kiko.

Betsy Sitkoff is a consultant with Process for Peace, LLC, a practice she founded in 2013. Process for Peace provides leadership to organizations, community groups, and schools addressing a broad range of needs including support for immigrant and refugee families, and family and community violence.

Betsy is community activist and a past board president of the National Council of Jewish Women MN.

Betsy holds a BS in Child Psychology and a Parent Education License from the University of Minnesota, and a MA in Public Administration from Hamline University. In 2016 Betsy completed her 230-hour yoga teacher training certificate.

Betsy has two children and lives in Minneapolis with her husband, Steve.

Kristin Trapp is an employment lawyer and litigator at Best & Flanagan. In her pro bono practice, she represents asylum seekers. Kristin received her J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School, where she was awarded the Mansfield-Meron Fellowship for Social Activism and the University of Minnesota Human Rights award for her leadership as Student Director of the Immigration and Human Rights Clinic and researcher for the Human Rights Center.

Prior to her law career, Kristin earned her MSc at the London School of Economic’s Gender Institute. Her research focused on the portrayals of gender in media, feminist legal theory, sexual violence in conflict, and abortion law. Kristin spreads awareness about these topics, and other related topics, on her growing TikTok account, @thefeministlawyer. Her passion for human rights and gender equity inspired her Juris Doctorate.

In her free time, Kristin enjoys exploring the outdoors with her one-year old Labrador, Lillie. Her husband is a general surgery resident at HCMC and the two spend their limited free together dining through the Twin Cities’ impressive food scene.

Marquita Stephens was named president and CEO of the Urban League Twin Cities in July of 2023. She is the first woman to lead the 98-year-old organization, which is based in Minneapolis. She has served as interim president and CEO since January. Stephens has spent 20-plus years in public service, focusing on “helping to build strong families and potential within communities, particularly communities of color”. Before joining the nonprofit, Stephens served as CEO of the African American Adoption Agency. While there, Stephens worked “to preserve the family unit by recruiting family members and engaging culturally competent homes in the placement of African American children and children of color who are overly represented in Minnesota’s foster care system”. Stephens also worked in community engagement with the Roseville Area Schools. In that post, she held the first “Intentional Social Intervention” with district staff, students, parents and those in the community to focus on multicultural issues. For the city of Roseville, she developed Community Conversations after the 2016 shooting death of Philando Castile by a St. Anthony police officer.

In 2017, Stephens started at the Urban League Twin Cities, where she led the education division. She instituted the Center for the Advancement of Black Families and the Community Caring for Its Children program as well as a parent academy and summer STEM program. Additionally, she worked with Minneapolis Public Schools to develop an equity framework. In 2021, she was promoted to vice president of strategic engagement and chief strategy officer. Marquita Stephens (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Minnesota State Senate to represent District 53. She ran a competitive race in the Democratic primary against incumbent Susan Kent. Marquita remains committed to women’s leadership.

Along with serving kpCompanies as SVP of Client Services since its inception, Joelle also serves as Chief Inclusion Officer at Interaction Traction, Inc., a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Strategy & Engagement firm established in 2004. Interaction Traction, Inc. has produced work for organizations nationwide, including Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals, Minnesota Twins, FedEx, and more.

Additionally, she serves as the Chair of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Commission for the City of Golden Valley, is a member of the Forbes Communication Council and National Black MBA Association and sits on several boards, including the Minnesota Opera, Americana Community Bank, and PRN Alumni Foundation.

Hodan Guled is owner and CEO of Briva Health, an innovative social enterprise with a mission to improve healthcare access for all Minnesotans, particularly those facing barriers. Under her leadership, Briva Health has become the largest healthcare navigation entity in Minnesota serving more than 100 thousand people per year. Briva serves diverse communities and is focused on helping Minnesotans navigate the healthcare system, enroll into health insurance, and implement numerous public health initiatives. Hodan has a B.S. in Biology from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Master in Public Health from Emory University.