Dara Z. Strolovitch is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Minnesota. See her U of M profile here. Strolovitch's research brings together interests in representation, the politics of marginalized groups, and the causes and consequences of social, political, and economic inequalities, focusing on interest groups and social movements, the politics of race, class, gender, and sexuality, and on political representation for disadvantaged populations and for groups underrepresented in electoral politics. She is the author of Affirmative Advocacy: Race, Class, and Gender in Interest Group Politics, and has published several articles on topics including hate crime, anti-discrimination policy, and Hurricane Katrina. She is currently working on a book about the challenges and opportunities facing advocacy groups in times of national crises, and is also collaborating on a study of protesters at the 2008 national party conventions in Denver and Saint Paul.

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Artist Camille J. Gage began her creative journey in her teens, writing music and touring with a variety of bands including the all-female alt-rock band Tetes Noires. She later segued into public art and mixed media performance, often with a topical edge, and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Gage’s work explores the duality and temporal nature of life, the genetic and emotional bonds that connect families through the generations, and contemporary social issues. As an artist and engaged citizen, Gage continues to be inspired by the intersection of art and political expression and believes that artists who choose this path have a role to play in shaping the public consciousness. She has exhibited and performed widely, and is a founding member of Form + Content Gallery Read more about Camille Gage.

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Alex Fink is an organizer for the Citizens’ Learning and Leadership Network (CLLN) and a student at the University of Minnesota. In addition to his work with the CLLN, he works with SCOPE, the Student Committee on Public Engagement, and has worked in co-curricular student leadership development for the past two years. Fink is interested in education, sustainability, leadership, and questions about how people live together and consider their mutual responsibilities as citizens of a society, as well as how people organize their experiences.

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Harry Boyte is co-director of the Center for Democracy and Citizenship in the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota and author of several works on citizenship, politics, and democracy. His most recent book is The Citizen Solution: How You Can Make a Difference. He grew up in the South and was shaped by his involvement in the civil rights movement as a young man, working for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s organization, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Boyte is married to Marie Louise Strom, a South African democracy educator, and they live part of the year in Johannesburg, South Africa. He likes to play the clarinet and run.

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