FUTURES Meeting Materials Archive
Past Agendas | Meeting Materials Archive
Past Meeting Agendas
- September 2021
- May 2021
- February 2021
- September 2020
- February 2020
- September 2019
- May 2019
- February 2019
- September 2018
- May 2018
- February 2018
- September 2017
- May 2017
- February 2017
- September 2016
- May 2016
- January 2016
Meeting Materials Archive
September 2021
- The Social Dilemma, premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, tackles an underlying cause of conspiracy theories, mental health issues, misinformation, and political polarization to make these issues understandable and urgent. Here is a link to the “The Social Dilemma” trailer and a conversation with the producers and Katie Couric on YouTube.
- Antonio Espinosa envisions a correctional system where people come out of it stronger and more resilient than when they entered, supported by a community committed to their success. As a 2021 Bush Fellow, he introduced “Art from the Inside,” an initiative that brings purpose to people who are incarcerated and shares their humanity.
- Steve Grove, Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Commissioner, shared observations about his career across journalism, Google, and now public service to highlight the influence of technology on ways that we govern and live every day.
- Panayiota Kendeou is an expert on the science of learning and debunking misinformation. Her work has been featured in the “Covid-19 Vaccine Communication Handbook” to provide guidelines for effective debunking of misinformation and communication.
- Mariah Levison, Director of the Minnesota Office of Collaboration and Dispute Resolution, has been instrumental in AMC’s “Bridging Divides” efforts over the past years. The newest additions to this work include a YouTube channel and Bridging Divides Toolkit.
May 2021
- Janet Topolsky, Executive Director of the Community Strategies Group at the Aspen Institute, presented their most recent nationwide research on: Rural Development Hubs: Strengthening America’s Rural Innovation Infrastructure. To listen to a similar talk with Janet, visit the Rural Matters podcast.
- Jennifer DeCubellis, CEO of Hennepin Healthcare, shared her systems-approach to working in partnership with community and across traditional “buckets of funding” to achieve better outcomes. She asks, “What do individuals need? Why is the system not working for them? How do we design partnerships to drive different outcomes?” To hear from Jennifer, listen to her talk at the Salzburg Global Seminar.
- Emily Baxter, Executive Director and Developer, We are all Criminals (WAAC) and Richard McLemore II, Board member and also Chief Executive Officer, McLemore Holdings, Incorporated shared their work with “We are all Criminals” with a special feature of the Seen, A prison portrait and poetry project. The new program Rent Help Minnesota was also highlighted. It was created to help Minnesotans who have fallen behind on their rent or fear that could happen.
February 2021
- Neal Kashkari, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, and Alan Page, retired Minnesota Supreme Court Justice, addressed the economy during the global pandemic and discussed a constitutional amendment to transform education in Minnesota.
- Ann Stehn, Horizon Public Health Administrator & past Co-Chair, provided an update on the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out and talked about important work across Minnesota counties.
- Bill Doherty, UMN Professor and Braver Angels Co-founder, demonstrated strategies to support listening and connecting to heal partisan divides through civility, empathy, and good will. His work was featured on CBS This Morning.
- Michael Williams, Stearns County Administrator, shared about his life’s work and models of governance that contribute to leadership success. He authors a MACA column, featured in the quarterly Minnesota Counties newspaper.
September 2020
- Ellie Krug returned to AMC Futures, as follow-up to her September 2016 conversation, to share insights regarding race and difference with a focus on interconnectedness and shared humanity.
February 2020
- Anna Claussen from Voices for Rural Resilience facilitated conversations related to the stories that we carry with us and how we “show up” for different life roles, from elected official to spouse to friend.
- Hudda Ibrahim from St. Cloud Technical and Community College. She shared about her book: From Somalia to Snow: How Central Minnesota Became Home to Somalis. Hudda was recently featured on CNN Great Big Story to tell about: Dine and Dialogue—her program that invites neighbors to ask questions and get to know each other, all over a home-cooked meal.
- Mike Rivard and Dan Halsey shared about their lives and “life calling” to create communities for Veterans. They proposed a transformation of Minnesota’s failing golf courses into shared opportunities to grow and raise food. The suicide rates for the state’s Veterans continue to spark critical conversations about ways that we can better support one another.
- Dave Bartholomay from the MN Office of Collaboration and Dispute Resolution led a discussion about how county leaders can facilitate input when it comes to difficult issues.
- Susan Brower, Minnesota State Demographer, presented on the 2020 Census and thanked county leaders for their initiatives to engage with their communities and encourage a Complete Count. Commissioner Jack Swanson is featured in the TPT videos.
September 2019
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Kent Thiesse presented insights from his current work as the Senior Vice President/Senior Ag Loan Officer and a career history with UM Extension and AMC. Thiesse is responsible for agricultural lending at MinnStar Bank and writes a column titled: Focus on Ag. His presentation provided an overview of the volatility of numerous factors related to the Minnesota’s farm economy.
- Jacob Wascalus, Research Scientist at Wilder Research, presented a new Minnesota Compass Build-Your-Own-Data Tool promoting the use of data and community indicators to better understand trends in different quality-of-life measures across the state. Of note, the new 2019 Compass Points are now available.
- Chris Cramer, Vice President for Research at the University of Minnesota, presented his work that supports and facilitates research of faculty, staff, and students, and provides strategic direction for ~$1B/year of annual research spending; this level of expenditure ranks Minnesota 8th in the U.S. Cramer's career began with four years of service as an officer in the U.S. Army, including combat duty in Operation Desert Storm, after which he began his academic career at the University of Minnesota, where he also holds the title of Distinguished McKnight and Teaching Professor.
- Jessica Beyer presented her work on “Child Care as an Economic Driver” as the Business Development Manager at First Children’s Finance. Beyer provides leadership for the Rural Child Care Innovation Program, which supports financial analysis for child care programs, consulting and training programming for family and center-based programs, and partnerships to identify right-sized solutions for new child care businesses.
May 2019
- Ryan Allen presented his work as an associate professor of community and economic development in urban and regional planning at the University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs. He authored a report entitled: "Immigrants and Minnesota's Workforce" in partnership with stakeholders across the state. More recently, he has focused on how households have responded to the foreclosure crisis as well as how this crisis has affected neighborhood quality across the country. He is also interested in immigrant home ownership and emerging legislation.
- Fernando Burga presented his work as an assistant professor for the Master of Urban and Regional Planning program at the University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs. He partners with communities in greater Minnesota to explore equity in urban planning particularly in relation to the inclusion of immigrants. He combines history, fieldwork, and design to evaluate how planning addresses immigrant life but also to show how immigrants can engage in the process to assert agency, build political power, and mobilize immigrant-based planning agendas.
- Tim Marx, President & CEO, Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis, works with the dedicated board of directors, talented executive leadership, and hardworking staff to establish the strategic direction of Catholic Charities and to oversee its implementation. He collaborates extensively with faith, civic, and public policy leaders, community partners, donors and volunteers to advance the vision of a community where there is poverty for no one and opportunity for everyone.
February 2019
- Morrison County demonstrated benefits of their new drone to aid emergency responders and mobile command trailer to streamline communication in emergency situations.
- Lillian McDonald, Managing Director, shared her work with TPT Now. A channel that reaches diverse communities with health and safety information. Her presentation reviewed the nation’s first 24/7 TV channel with real-time, emergency alerts in English, Spanish, Hmong, and Somali.
- Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service is available for free nationwide trainings on Crisis Management & Response. The Harvard Kennedy School case study on Toronto’s SARS Crisis was the topic for this AMC Futures session. If you would like to invite the TEEX facilitators to your county, please contact Heather Bandeen (hbandeen@mncounties.org), Research & Program Development Manager at AMC.
- Patrice Kunesh, Assistant Vice President & Directorfor Center for Indian Country Development at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. She is of Standing Rock Lakota descent, has extensive experience representing American Indian tribes throughout the country. We were honored that she joined us to share about her life’s work.
September 2018
- TwinCities RISE assists individuals in poverty on the path to stable employment. They focus on long-term results – with 81% of graduates staying at their jobs after one year, this 12-month job retention rate is nearly twice the national average. One of the tools that makes this possible is the Minnesota Employers’ Fair Chance Hiring Guide.
- Better Angels, launched in 2016, is a bipartisan citizen’s movement to unify our divided nation. By bringing red and blue Americans together into a working alliance, we’re building new ways to talk to one another, participate together in public life, and influence the direction of the nation. This emerging initiative was featured on CBS This Morning.
- The Minnesota Workforce Strategy Consultants at the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) develop innovative workforce solutions by aligning resources, facilitating collaboration, and leveraging expertise to drive economic equity and growth. These positions are relatively new at DEED. To find a consultant near you, please review the statewide service regions.
- Kandiyohi County’s CEO program, with Tyler Gehrking, encourages students in the Willmar-area to create their own businesses and present them to local banking investors and entrepreneurs via an annual trade show. Students graduate from this class owning a business and gaining priceless leadership experience.
May 2018
- FutureGood with Trista Harris, President of the Minnesota Council on Foundations: As our country moves towards a time of more uncertainty, keeping an eye toward the future allows us to imagine beyond the confusion of today and instead build a new tomorrow.
- We Are All Criminals (WAAC): We Are All Criminals is a non-profit organization dedicated to challenging society’s perceptions of what it means to be “criminal.” Through shared stories of those who committed or were accused of committing crimes, those who got away with them, and those who have been directly affected by the criminal justice system, we seek to erase the barriers that separate us. If you missed Emily's talk, please watch this video.
- Ujamaa Place: Since opening their doors seven years ago, Ujamaa Place has served over 2,000 mostly men of color in efforts to transform communities in the greater St. Paul area. Please visit this video for an overview of their work to disrupt mass incarceration.
- Ban the Box: This document provides an overview of Minnesota hiring requirements for public employers, in place since 2009, enforced by the MN Department of Human Rights.
February 2018
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RealTime Talent – Using data to build the world’s best workforce
RealTime Talent, in partnership with the Minnesota Chamber Foundation, provides accessible data to support decisions regarding solutions to Minnesota’s growing labor force shortage concerns. - Procore – Openness, Ownership, and Optimism: Values to attract the next generation
Ryan Thielen, Senior Program Manager at Procore, presented on important lessons for attracting and engaging millennials in the workplace. - Dr. Joyce Esther, President of Normandale Community College
Dr. Joyce Esther shared reflections on leading Minnesota’s largest community college and lessons from her professional life during her presentation "Life as a Community College President." - National Joint Powers Association and the Minnesota Service Cooperatives
NJPA, as one of nine Minnesota Service Cooperatives, offer a statewide network of innovation and new models of shared services for counties and cities. The highlight of this presentation was a new, partially funded county government internship program for 2018.
September 2017
- Dr. Mark Thomas
Visit the University of Minnesota Department of Neuroscience for a snapshot of his research and current projects. - FADED Fentanyl's Impact Video
FADED is a documentary that follows four families that have been impacted by the synthetic drug Fentanyl. This video is intended to help inform you about the extreme dangers of Fentanyl, a lethal synthetic drug impacting our community and is resulting in overdoses and death. This is not an issue that is targeting certain socioeconomic classes; it is being abused by a wide range of youth and is easily obtained. -
Sarah Reese, Polk County Public Health Director
Polk-Mahnomen-Norman Community Health Services Administrator
Resource Handouts:
Strategies to Provide Information
Strategies to Conduct a Community Assessment on Rx Abuse -
St. Gabriel's Health & Morrison County Partnership: Successfully Combatting the Opioid Epidemic
A hospital prescription bottle was found at the scene of an overdose. In a county of just over 30,000 residents, one of the community’s four pharmacies alone filled 40,000 narcotic pill prescriptions every single month. Staff members at CHI St. Gabriel’s Health knew they had to do something.
- UM Extension PowerPoint, Dean Bev Durgan
- University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Best Nature Experience Video
Experience a virtual tour of all that the Arboretum has to offer!
Related Resources:
- MinnPost: It’s not just opioids: ‘Diseases of despair’ claim a growing number of Minnesotan lives
- MinnPost: We know that prescriptions are helping drive the opioid epidemic. So why are some Minnesota counties’ opioid prescription rates going up?
- NLC-NACO Joint Report: A Prescription for Action: Local leadership in ending the opioid crisis
- Minnesota State Targeted Response to the Opioid Crisis
May 2017
- Yellow Line Project Video
- Presentation: Broadband and the Future of Americas Counties
- Broadband and the Future of America’s Counties - Joanne Hovis, President CTC Technology & Energy
- Blue Earth County Launching a Jail Diversion Program – Angela Youngerberg, Director of Business Operations Blue Earth County Human Services, and Phil Claussen, Blue Earth County Human Services Director
- Culture of Gopher Hockey - The Gold Standard: Brad Frost, Head Coach, and Joel Johnson, Associate Head Coach, University of Minnesota Women’s Ice Hockey
- Mill City Kids & Collective Action Lab – Olivia Mastry, Perran Wetzel, and Sam Simmons
- People Serving People – Daniel Gumnit, CEO
February 2017
- “Overview of Minnesota State Budget” - Bill Marx, Chief Fiscal Analyst, Minnesota House of Representatives
- “Demographic Trends and Economic Projections” – Allison Liuzzi, Research Scientist, Wilder Research, Minnesota Compass
- “Learn & Earn to Achieve Potential – LEAP, An Annie B. Casey Foundation Initiative” - Kristine Snyder, LEAP Director, Project for Pride in Living (PPL) in partnership with Hennepin County & Minneapolis Public Schools
September 2016
- "Rewriting the Rural Narrative" - Ben Winchester, University of Minnesota Extension
- "Drama Free Communication” - Jody Janati, University of Minnesota
- "Gray Area Thinking: Interacting with Transgender and Other Diverse Humans" – Ellie Krug - Attorney, Author, Trainer
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County Innovation: “How Well Is Your County Doing With Performance Evaluations?”
Performance Culture - Crow Wing County | Pay for Performance - Nicollet County