pubTalk

Barbara Crosby is an associate professor at the Humphrey Institute and academic co-director of the Center for Integrative Leadership. She has taught and written extensively about leadership and public policy, women in leadership, media and public policy, and strategic planning, including co-authoring the award winning Leadership for the Common Good (second edition, 2005) and serving as an associate editor of Leadership Quarterly. A frequent speaker at conferences and workshops, she has conducted training for senior managers of nonprofit, business and government organizations in the United States, the United Kingdom, Poland, and Ukraine. She is a former gubernatorial press secretary and speech writer. She also has been a newspaper reporter and editor.

Barbara’s favorite place to pubTalk – debate current issues and public affairs – is anywhere fellow leadership and public policy junkies hang out.

Becky Burand is a first-year MPP student interested in nonprofit management and social policy. She graduated in 2006 from Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington. Upon graduation, Becky spent two years as an AmeriCorps*VISTA member working at a refugee resettlement agency. She is currently the Basic Needs Coordinator at the nearby Brian Coyle Community Center.

Becky's favorite place to pubTalk - debate current issues and public affairs - is on the deck with a glass of wine.

Emily Saunoi-Sandgren is the PNLC’s Research Fellow. She has the exciting and challenging job of doing all things research for the Center, including project management, fund development, and her personal favorite, crunching numbers! Before coming to the PNLC, Emily dabbled in the world of nonprofits, which gave her the bug to get a master’s degree in public policy from the Humphrey Institute. Emily is also a graduate of St. Olaf College where she ambitiously completed a triple degree in psychology, French and women’s studies.

Emily’s favorite place to pubTalk – debate current issues and public affairs – is Café Barbette in Uptown. There’s nothing like a good talk over mussels and fries!

Gary DeCramer is a farm kid from SW Minnesota with a significant background in public service, including serving as a state senator representing the Southwestern region of Minnesota, as the state director of USDA Rural Development, as the principle planning analyst for Hennepin County’s Office of Planning and Development, as a senior fellow in the Humphrey Institute’s State and Local Policy Program and the University of Minnesota’s Center for Transportation Studies, and as the interim president of Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall. Gary is currently the director of the Humphrey Institute’s mid-career Master of Public Affairs program where he has the pleasure of working with amazing mid-career leaders. Gary’s areas of expertise are in political leadership, ethical and reflective practice, program evaluation, rural development, and board governance.

Gary’s favorite place to pubTalk – debate current issues and public affairs – is the kitchen table.

Jackie Aman is a Graduate Assistant at the PNLC and a first year MPP student. Originally from Missouri, Jackie graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2005 with a degree in Sociology and Spanish. She has spent the past 4 years working both domestically and abroad in the nonprofit sector and is eager to explore areas of strategic planning, sustainable program development, governance, and organizational structure - especially as these topics relate to faith-based organizations that work internationally.

Jackie's favorite place to pubTalk - debate current issues and public affairs - is with her husband and friends at any NE Minneapolis establishment that serves tater tots and microbrews.

Jay Kiedrowski is a senior fellow at the Humphrey Institute where he teaches courses in public and nonprofit financial management, organizational development, and integrative leadership. Jay has decades of experience in public service and the private sector, including a prolific career in investment management with the Norwest/Wells Fargo organization. He retired from his position as executive vice president in 2004. Before joining Norwest/Wells Fargo, Jay was Commissioner of Finance and Chief Financial Officer for the State of Minnesota reporting to the governor. Prior to that, he was the Budget Director for the City of Minneapolis reporting to the mayor. He started his career working for the Minnesota Senate in urban and tax research. Jay has also been active in leadership of numerous nonprofit organizations for over 30 years.

Jay’s favorite place to pubTalk – debate current issues and public affairs – is in the living room before dinner.

A native of China, Zhirong "Jerry" Zhao is an assistant professor at the Humphrey Institute where he focuses on local and nonprofit financial issues, in particular how local government and nonprofit agencies manage to generate sufficient revenue under ever-increasing constraints; how the financial structure of public or nonprofit organizations affect the pattern and effectiveness of public service delivery; and how public and nonprofit organizations interact--vertically or horizontally--in budgetary and service decision making. In his earlier career as an urban planner, Jerry consulted for many local governments across China.

Jerry’s favorite place to pubTalk – debate current issues and public affairs – is his blog: Fiscal Issues & Geeky Stuff. It is fun to post, but it is a lot more fun to see a comment and then to comment on a comment.

Jodi Sandfort is an Associate Professor at the Humphrey Institute where she helps students learn more about how organizations work and what can be done to make them work better. She has particular expertise in organizations focused on helping our most disadvantaged citizens, both nonprofits and government. Jodi has spent her career moving back and forth between professional practice and academia. Most recently, she directed the human service program at the McKnight Foundation in Minneapolis. Her current research focuses on organizations and fields involved in social policy, such as human services, early childhood, and welfare. She is very interested in the structures established by public policy but also how people and groups can exert leadership to change and improve those structures. She believes that much can be learned from crossing boundaries and tries to do so daily.

Jodi’s favorite place to pubTalk – debate current issues and public affairs – around her dining room table, with a glass of wine, her husband, two young sons, friends and family (many of whom don’t agree with her!).

Joe Soss is the Cowles Chair for the Study of Public Service at the Humphrey Institute and a Professor of Political Science. His research and teaching explore the interplay of democratic politics, social and economic inequalities, and public policy. He has a longstanding interest in questions of policy governance and citizen agency, particularly as these issues relate to socially marginal groups. His recent work focuses on racial politics and the organization of welfare and criminal justice policy.

Joe’s favorite place to pubTalk – debate current issues and public affairs – is Cabin #9 at Lost River State Park, West Virginia.

John Bryson is a professor at the Humphrey Institute where he works in the areas of leadership, strategic management, and the design of organizational and community change processes. He wrote the best-selling and award-winning book, Strategic Planning for Public and Nonprofit Organizations (third edition, 2004), and co-wrote the award-winning Leadership for the Common Good (second edition, 2005). He has also consulted with a wide variety of governing bodies, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and for-profit corporations in North America and Europe. John has received a number of scholarly awards for his work and is a fellow if the National Academy of Public Administration.

John’s favorite place to pubTalk – debate current issues and public affairs – is on ski lifts on big mountains.

Julia Jackson is a first-year MPP student with a focus on Public and Nonprofit Leadership and Management. She graduated from Northland College in 2004 with a degree in Environmental Science. Julia just returned to St. Paul after living in Vermont working for a small municipality for three years where she worked on grantwriting, program development and coalition building. She is currently interning at the Minnesota Budget Project looking at how federal climate change legislation could impact low- and moderate-income Minnesotans.

Glad to be back in the Twin Cities amongst family and friends, Julia's favorite place to pubTalk - debate current issues and public affairs - is with her family over dinner.

With a background in British Fiction of the Victorian Period, Karen McCauley brings a Brontëan slant to the Public and Nonprofit Leadership Center. She is currently embroiled in a skirmish of readings concerning Revolutionary America and 18th century Great Britain, from which no end to hostilities can be seen.

When not in the redoubts of Yorktown, Karen is the associate administrator for the PNLC. Her favorite place to pubTalk is over a Guinness, around a fire, in the autumn.

Kelly Baker is a second year MPP student with a concentration in Social Policy. Areas of her interest, of which there are many, include early education policy, women's issues, poverty alleviation, and nonprofit organization management. Originally a native of Milwaukee, Kelly moved to Madison, Wisconsin and earned a degree in Sociology, and a certificate in Women's Studies. Kelly then moved to St. Paul, MN where she worked in nonprofit organizations, and eventually joined the Humphrey community.

When not at the Humphrey, Kelly likes to spend her time at the Lakes, playing outdoor sports, and exploring new restaurants/pubs. Kelly's favorite place to pubTalk – debate current issues and public affairs – is the Happy Gnome in St. Paul, where the beer and bar food cannot be beat.

Kim Borton is the PNLC’s Associate Director. In this capacity, Kim leads overall operations for the Center, including the development of professional and executive training, program management, communications, budgeting, and fund development. Kim’s professional interests include nonprofit management and advocacy, youth and community development, and women’s issues. She’s thrilled that her role at the PNLC enables her to partner with folks working in and studying public affairs. Kim also serves as a trustee for the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota; a working group member of the Center for Democracy and Citizenship’s Minnesota Works Together; a member of Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy; and a volunteer with the Citizens League.

Kim’s favorite place to pubTalk – debate current issues and public affairs – is Bryant Lake Bowl. What could be better than brawling politics out over beer and bowling?

Melissa Stone is an associate professor at the Humphrey Institute where she specializes in nonprofit management. Her teaching and research focuses on governance and strategic management of nonprofit organizations and cross-sector partnerships as policy implementation tools. Before coming to the Humphrey, Melissa was on the faculty at the Boston University School of Management, Associate Director of Yale University’s Program on Non-Profit Organizations, and the founder of two social service nonprofit organizations in Alaska where she also conducted statewide and national workshops on organizational planning, social policy development, and advocacy.

Melissa’s favorite place to pubTalk – debate current issues and public affairs – is very early in the morning over coffee and the newspaper (yes, she still reads a paper copy of the news) with her husband, Paul.

Rachel Carr is a first-year MPP student with a focus on Global Public Policy. From a small town in Wisconsin, Rachel graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Madison in 2008 with a double-major in International Relations and East Asian Studies. While taking a course with Melissa Stone, Rachel developed an interest in non-profits and was excited to become part of pubTalk.

A self-proclaimed coffee addict, Rachel's favorite place to pubTalk is anywhere that serves a good iced coffee.

Sarah Berke is a second-year MPP student interested in community economic development, financial services, comparative international learning, and cross-sector collaborations. She has more than five years of professional experience in nonprofit research, communications, and development. Originally from Nebraska, Sarah worked and volunteered in Chicago for several years before grad school, and has also lived and studied in Russia.

Sarah's favorite place to pubTalk - debate current issues and public affairs -is over potluck dinners with friends.