Jasmine Brett Stringer
Jasmine Brett Stringer is an uplifting keynote speaker, award-winning author of Seize Your Life: How to Carpe Diem Every Day, on-air TV personality, host of the podcast and lifestyle blog Carpe Diem with Jasmine and founder of Share the Mic Minnesota. In these times of transformational change, Jasmine is on a mission to help people live empowered and authentic lives. Through her Seize Your Life keynotes, workshops and customized coaching sessions, Jasmine guides clients and audiences through a simple process to identify their goals and achieve their personal definition of success. Jasmine’s common-sense approach to creating a life of one’s own has inspired thousands of people across the world to carpe diem! Jasmine has shared her positive message to corporate and nonprofit organizations such as Land O’ Lakes, Federal Reserve Bank, Airbnb, Cargill, Goodwill, Mondelēz International, Bayer, Boston Scientific, Radisson Hotel Group, NEW, the Network of Executive Women and the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management. Jasmine inspires revelation and change by leveraging her experiences working with some of the world’s biggest brands. Additionally, Jasmine speaks on how to effectively network and how to build synergy and develop interpersonal skills- core tools for living a vision-driven life.
The international “new awakening” to racial inequalities and social justice issues during the summer of 2020 inspired Jasmine to launch a new project, #SHARETHEMICMN. #SHARETHEMICMN was established to give Black and Brown women in Minnesota additional exposure through connection and engagement with new audiences. The goal is that the new conversations and relationships develop into a deeper understanding that will be impactful in tackling and overcoming unconscious biases, racial injustices and racial inequities. Through storytelling, relationship development, programming and collaborations #SHARETHEMICMN strives to help make Minnesota a more inclusive and equitable state. Jasmine is using the #SHARETHEMICMN platform to elevate the voices of women of color, inspire action and allyship, and show the world that a Carpe Diem spirit can drive change.
Jasmine is a graduate of American University’s Kogod School of Business in Washington, D.C. She was named one of “100 People to Know in 2021” by Twin Cities Business Magazine, a Twin Cities Fearless Woman in 2017, and a Woman of Promise by the Girl Scouts in 2012. She received the 2020 Team Women Community Impact WaveMaker Award. Additionally, she was awarded Distinguished Alumna of American University and is an active member of the National Speakers Association. Ebony Magazine featured her as one of its “30 Future Leaders Under the Age of 30 in America.” Jasmine is based in Minneapolis but can often be found two hours south of the city working with her husband at the family farm. On a personal note, Jasmine is a Minnesota State Fair ribbon winner for her delicious canned sweet pickles grown with love in Blue Earth, MN.
Rachel Evangelisto
Rachel is from the Húŋkpapȟa Standing Rock Sioux tribe and grew up in Rapid City, SD. Working under the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) as an ICWA Guardian ad litem, Rachel advocates for native youth and cultural preservation in Minnesota. She is committed to keeping Native Youth out of the child protection system and is working on obtaining her Juris Doctorate in Native American law to support this mission further. She is passionate about Indigenous sovereignty rights, racial justice, advocating for the Indian Child Welfare Act, and Indigenous representation. Rachel has delivered speeches, keynote addresses, and presentations to many different organizations about diversity and inclusion. Additionally, Rachel earned the honor of becoming the first Indigenous Miss Minnesota and will be competing for the title of Miss America in December.
Dave Cornell
Dave Cornell is a speaker, coach and trainer who helps individuals and organizations overcome their fears by making courageous choices both personally and professionally so they can lead more productive, passionate and engaged lives. He founded Cultivate Courage, LLC in 2011 to accomplish this mission. He has over 35 years of experience in sales, sales management and training and development.Dave’s business is focused on three areas; Speaking, Coaching and Training. Dave’s powerful presentation, Cultivate Courage, which focuses on fear, courage and change and how those emotions affect individuals and organizations, is well received by audiences and has been a launching pad for performance development and personal improvement. Dave also serves as a Senior Consultant with David Horsager’s Trust Edge Leadership Institute. Dave and his wife, Amy, have been married for 41 years. They immensely enjoy time with their two grown daughters, son-in-law and four grandchildren. He also enjoys golf, basketball, and anything with a comedic bent. Relating to that comedic bent, he is a graduate of Stevie Ray’s School of Improv.
Jordana Green
Jordana Green is an Emmy award winning television news anchor, a Marconi award winning podcast writer and producer, and drive-time news-talk radio talk show host. Jordana started her career in television news at various stations in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Her career advanced to television news anchorwoman in Indianapolis and the Twin Cities. Jordana migrated from a teleprompter to broadcasting her points of view on a variety of topics as the co-host of the “Paul & Jordana Show” on WCCO Radio in the Twin Cities. She considers learning how to snowboard at age forty as one of her greatest physical accomplishments until being challenged with a rare form of leukemia in 2020.
Her straight talk Jersey girl truth telling is funny, transparent, and humble. Her colleagues all agree that when Jordana enters a room, the energy shifts to the positive and everyone knows she’s there… and on ‘their’ side. She has learned many life lessons from her challenges of and rebounding from job loss, moving from city to city, divorce, balancing her career with motherhood, and leukemia.
She remarried and is raising three teenagers in her Minneapolis home filled with lunacy, love and laughter. “Finding Your Moments of Clarity”, Jordana’s presentation allows listeners to dig deep into their experiences to identify life changing moments that have molded their past decisions. She offers clear steps to identifying future ‘moments of clarity’ that will generate the confidence everyone needs to make the next right moves. Jordana is inspiring, vulnerable, and funny. She connects deeply with all who hear her and motivates them with specific guidelines to be on their true career, personal and spiritual paths.
Vineeta Sawkar
Vineeta Sawkar rarely sits on the couch. Her motto: “Get the ticket. Go to the event. See the friend. Take the trip. No regrets.” She spent most of her career as a television news anchor/reporter before she was let go from the job she loved. After a few days of sulking, she regrouped and embarked on an exciting career journey pioneering a video role at a major market newspaper and then bringing her own unique spin on public relations to a healthcare organization and then a major university. The program director at news/talk station WCCO radio reached out and he asked her to come back to broadcasting and be the host of their three hour morning show. She jumped at the chance and now brings the most important and impactful news stories and interviews to WCCO radio listeners every weekday morning. In the short time she has been a radio host, Minnesota Star Tribune readers voted her Best Radio Personality in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Through her life, Vineeta has overcome her fear of hearing the word “no.” Apprehension about that word can keep people from realizing success in business and life. At one point in her career, she could have wallpapered a room with rejection letters. Once she overcame being rejected, she took control of her life and has tried to make the most of her opportunities. She has real life examples and suggestions to conquer the fear of hearing “no” and also harnessing the power of that word to reach your goals and dreams.
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!
Paul Douglas
Paul Douglas is Penn State meteorologist with over 45 years of television and radio experience. A serial entrepreneur, Douglas has launched 7 businesses. Founder and Chief Meteorologist at Praedictix, providing weather services, consulting and briefings for media and corporate interests. Developers and engineers create unique streams of weather data, imagery and API’s for corporations via AerisWeather. The latest science and models are leveraged to provide insight for corporations factoring climate trends into investment, resilience and sustainability via ClimaTrends. Douglas is a member of the Climate Science Rapid Response Team. In 2017 he co-authored a book on climate, focused on matters of faith and science: “Caring for Creation, the Evangelical’s Guide to Climate Change and a Healthy Environment”. A frequent contributor to MSNBC, Douglas was featured in NOVA’s “Decoding the Weather Machine”, Douglas has spent the last 25 years connecting the dots between climate volatility and weather disruption.
Paul uses weather as a metaphor to track the “storms of business”, telling his unique story, and the lessons he’s learned from starting up 6 companies – often the hard way. He is also the perfect Emcee for your next event.
Daniel Shannon
Throughout his meteoric rise with top companies in the CPG, Financial Service and Retail industries, Daniel has accumulated nearly two decades of executional and thought leadership experiences. Inspired by his desire to enhance the value proposition of spaces where he has influence, by leveraging his uncommon combination of professional and personal experiences, Daniel has developed an exceptional competency in the areas of B2B sales, marketing, business development, and an UNMATCHED expertise on matters of diversity, equity and Inclusion.
Daniel’s corporate successes translate beautifully into his work as a speaker. Carefully customizing each of his presentations, based on his clients’ specific needs and goals, his approach is reflective of actual experience and proven solutions, rather than theory. On top of that, Daniel is beloved by his audiences for his signature style, combining entertainment with tangible takeaways!
Richard Coffey
Richard Coffey is a native of North Carolina. A businessman and former professional athlete, Richard served three years in the United States Army as an Airborne Paratrooper-a member of the first to fight, last to fall 82nd Airborne. Richard is a former college basketball player with a degree in business. After graduating from college, Richard played professional basketball in the NBA with the Minnesota Timberwolves. After the NBA he continued his basketball career playing and coaching abroad in Europe and Asia. Following his basketball career, Richard worked as a leader in the corporate sales industry for over 20 years.
Richard is a dynamic and powerful speaker who is passionate about helping others reach the next level in their life, no matter what season they are in.
Richard believes every person should have a personal strategic plan. His wisdom and humor will enlighten and captivate everyone who has the opportunity to learn from him.
Through personal and professional reflection, Richard delivers a thought-provoking experience that challenges, inspires and motivates his audience to take the next steps in reaching their full potential. Through Richard’s background and experiences in the military, athletics and corporate America, he takes your audience on a thrilling, empowering and entertaining journey of self-discovery that is quite often described as life changing.