Elizabeth Ries
Elizabeth Ries is a television and radio personality in the Twin Cities. She spent years as a news anchor/reporter, but is now the co-host of Twin Cities Live weekdays at 3 pm on 5 Eyewitness News (KSTP). She chats about pop culture, celebrity gossip and manages to get a few pro-kale statements on the air when she co-hosts the Margery & Elizabeth show on myTalk 107.1. Elizabeth also frequently contributes articles on food and urban farming to Edible Twin Cities magazine.
Elizabeth is an uplifting speaker who inspires attendees and she is an excellent Emcee as well!
Ian Leonard
Ian has been Chief Meteorologist at FOX 9 in Minneapolis since 2006. His science is the great outdoors and his passion is forecasting the weather. His passion has taken him from Alberta, Canada to Mississippi, Iowa and finally Minnesota. For over 20 years he has used the phrase “stay sky aware” to help viewers stay ahead of the storm. It now is a regular “hashtag” in Ian’s social media updates during severe weather season to his 35 thousand Facebook and Twitter followers. He calls his work at FOX 9 a dream job because of the 4 incredibly diverse and always entertaining seasons of the Upper Midwest. Ian graduated from the Broadcast Meteorology Program at Mississippi State University and is a member of the American Meteorological Society, The National Weather Association and The Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society.
Ian is an extremely active supporter of persons with intellectual disabilities. He is on the road every month supporting the incredible athletes of Special Olympics Minnesota. You can find him “freezin’ for a reason” on most late winter weekends taking the Polar Plunge into lakes across Minnesota. In the past 8 years he has plunged 103 times and helped raise over 15 million dollars.
Ian has had his share of personal storms – making it through a traumatic brain injury in 2013 and adding the line “cancer survivor” to his resume in 2016.
Ian is a humorous and impactful Speaker who motivates organization’s teams to move through their business and personal storms – toward finding passion and purpose.
His high energy and quick wit also makes him the perfect Emcee or Live Auctioneer for your next event. He has assisted organizations in raising millions of dollars at their Fundraiser Events over the years. Attendees love him!
Steve Patterson
Steve Patterson is a veteran entertainment television and radio show host, whose energy and quick wit keeps audiences engaged from beginning to end! His ability to read a room and go off the cuff, combined with his skill to smoothly execute a show flow sets him apart as a truly unique talent.
Patterson hosts the long-running afternoon TV show Twin Cities Live, in addition to co-hosting the Donna and Steve radio show on MyTalk 107.1FM. He’s gained national recognition for his numerous appearances on LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan, where his subzero weather reports have gone viral. Before coming to the Twin Cities, Steve spent 4 years working for Hubbard Broadcasting in Los Angeles, California and Albuquerque, New Mexico for the company’s entertainment cable news network REELZ. During his time there, Steve served as a correspondent and anchor for the network’s daily entertainment news program, interviewing many of the biggest stars in Hollywood along the way.
Steve enjoys writing in the third person. He doesn’t think anyone actually reads an entire bio. So if you haven’t given up on this just yet, kudos! You done good, kid.
Karla Hult
Karla offers the style, substance and rich perspective of an award-winning journalist, a mother “trying to do it all,” and a dedicated daughter dealing with the darkest of diseases.
As a graduate of both St. Olaf College and Columbia University (Master’s in International Affairs), Karla has worked as an anchor and reporter in several markets, covering diverse topics that touch our community: from the international refugee crisis, to local political clashes, to those who leave a lasting legacy. She translates that education, empathy and understanding of diverse issues to delivering the most personable, compelling and passionate delivery as an emcee.
But Karla hasn’t stopped there… after losing her own beloved dad to Alzheimer’s disease, Karla uniquely captures the challenges of what she calls, “So Many Goodbyes,” saying goodbye to your loved one’s ability to talk, walk, remember. We promise… you have not yet heard an Alzheimer’s speaker describe the emotional pain, the financial toll, and the need to “savor what you still have,” with as much compassion, sincerity and power… as Karla.
And even while Karla has become a leader in the fight against Alzheimer’s, she also always reassures others on the journey, “you’re not alone.”
Joan Steffend
Joan used to be an actress, who studied at Warner Brothers. She used to be a national Emmy-winning news reporter and anchor at KARE-11(NBC) in the Twin Cities for almost two decades. She tried her hand as a television host of “Decorating Cents” on HGTV for ten years – hosting many “Dream Home” specials, and rating record setting “Christmas at the White House” specials. She was a guest on “Entertainment Tonight”, “The Today Show”, “The Oprah Show” and “Live, with Regis and Kelly.”
Today Joan speaks for organizations across the United States. She has a gift for lifting people up. She connects people to their own magnificence and to one another. A sense of community is only one of the many reasons to invite Joan to speak for your organization. One of her favorite topics is: reclaiming your most brilliant self…and using it to change the world for the better.
Joan is also encouraging others with her two books ( “…and she sparkled” and “peace in, peace out” ). Her non-profit, “peace begins with me” is her latest effort to ask the world (that’s you, by the way) to be a little kinder to itself.
When she heard that the Dalai Lama had said that the Western woman will save the world, Joan thought, “Let’s get started.”
Amy Hockert
Amy Hockert is a television news anchor in the Twin Cities. She’s spent nearly 20 years as a news anchor, reporter and Senior VP with news organizations such as KARE-11, BringMeTheNews.com, and FOX9.
Amy’s personal and professional journeys are incredibly rich and diverse.
She’s spent several years volunteering at orphanages in China and helping those living in poverty in Ecuador. She is passionate about philanthropy, whether it’s overseas or in her own backyard.
Amy also knows how to re-define success when life doesn’t go according to plan. At the height of her television news career, Amy’s priorities shifted. She got married and started a family. By thinking outside the box, she successfully re-shaped various, smaller roles around her primary role as a mother of young children.
Three years ago, Amy re-entered the workforce full-time. She became Senior VP of a digital news organization where she managed the delivery/distribution of news content and assembled and oversaw the news team. And even more recently, Amy’s professional journey came full circle when she joined FOX9 as an anchor and special projects reporter.
Courtney Godfrey
Courtney Godfrey is a local TV reporter in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her job has taken her all over the country, from San Francisco to New York City. She has reported on major news events, appearing on Fox News Channel and CNN.com. She has interviewed celebrities and sports icons, and covered major events including the police death of George Floyd, the Super Bowl and multiple Kentucky Derbys.
In September 2017, she was involved in a boat accident that resulted in the amputation of her left leg. The recovery was long and painful, but not once did she lose her positivity and drive. With the support of her family, Courtney found the strength to return to all the activities she enjoyed before the accident. Four months post-amputation, Courtney was back on her snowboard. She returned to work, her favorite fitness classes and even got back in her beloved high heels.
She serves on the board of the nationally recognized amputee non-profit, Wiggle Your Toes as well as the board of the Hennepin Healthcare Foundation.
On her own time, she provides one-on-one peer support to new amputees and does frequent hospital visits. She advocates for amputee rights at the state and federal level, lobbying members of the Minnesota legislature and U.S. Congress.
She lives in Minneapolis with her husband and their son, Callan.
Kit Welchlin
Kit Welchlin began public speaking at age 9 in 4-H. Purchased his first manufacturing company at age 21, and by 26 was CEO of 3 manufacturing companies in three states.
Kit has B.S. and M.A. Degrees in Speech Communication. He has delivered more than 3,500 presentations to more than 500,000 people over the past 29 years.
In 2014, Kit was inducted into the Minnesota Speaker Hall of Fame and in 2018 earned the Certified Speaking Professional designation from the National Speakers Association. In 2020, Kit earned the Certified Virtual Presenter designation from espeakers.
Audiences learn strategies for effective communication, leadership development, and stress, time and procrastination management.
Ronald Henderson
Are you a company executive or conference organizer looking to help your people or attendees gain more focus, reduce employee stress, increase customer retention, revenue, and influence?
For Celebrity and corporate trainer Ron Henderson, a professional image isn’t just a nice appearance, it’s the entire package—inward and outward—that sets the stage for ultimate success. In today’s highly competitive business world, professionals need to establish a differentiator, which allows them to increase their client base, optimize performance and achieve better results while reducing their stress
Ron helps audiences turn their thoughts into action with his high energy and engaging presentations. As a master motivator, he walks leaders through ways they can become their best and most productive selves. With more than 40 years of experience as a keynote speaker, corporate trainer, and media personality, Henderson has developed a program with the success of leaders as its centerpiece.
Ron is the host of the popular TV show Motivation and the former host of “Winning Workouts,” the cable exercise series. Henderson also co-hosted “Fan Fitness Sunday” on KFAN radio with Mark Rosen of WCCO TV. Henderson is also author of several books.
Lindsey Seavert
Lindsey Seavert is an Emmy, Edward R. Murrow, and Alfred I. duPont award-winning journalist and documentary filmmaker fueled by a calling to bring untold stories to light.
The legacy of teaching in her family inspires Lindsey to use stories as a vehicle to empower, educate, create empathy and spark systemic change. Her parents were Minnesota public school teachers who gave her the gift of curiosity, so with a book and pencil often in hand, she began writing as a young child, and hasn’t stopped since.
She worked as a reporter at five news stations stretching from Northern Minnesota, Nevada, and Ohio before coming home to the Twin Cities and working as a reporter at WCCO-TV and KARE-11 TV.
In 2020, Lindsey moved to a freelance journalist and filmmaking role after releasing her first award-winning documentary, Love Them First.
The feature-length documentary, created at KARE 11, features a courageous Minneapolis principal fighting to get her students off the list of ‘failing’ schools while grappling with Minnesota’s vast achievement gap between Black and White students.
Love Them First has received hundreds of screening requests from school districts across the country and continues to change the conversation among educators when it comes to racial inequities in schools, the injustices of standardized testing and the best practices to teach children experiencing high levels of stress and trauma.
The film, which received one of journalism’s highest honors with the 2020 Alfred I. duPont award, has been applied into collegiate educational curriculum, featured at national education conferences and utilized at countless education staff development workshops.
The impact is only beginning, and Lindsey hopes to continue this advocacy, raising consciousness about the intersection of race and education, as she explores future film projects. Her work often focuses on women, families and children in underrepresented communities. Much of her inspiration comes from her late father, who spent his career advocating for teachers.
Lindsey is dedicated to mentoring young journalists and volunteering in the Twin Cities community. Her hobbies include running, fitness and creative writing.
The greatest chapters of her own story feature her family, her husband Ian, her son Stellan and daughter, Phoebe. They live in southwest Minneapolis.