Kathleen Blake - @KathleenOBlake
Economy Organizer, TakeAction Minnesota
As the Economy Organizer for TakeAction Minnesota in Itasca County, Kathleen is proud to be part of building a stronger
Minnesota in rural northeastern Minnesota. Kathleen began organizing as a young mother, under the guidance and
encouragement of the local Community Action Agency on St. Paul’s West Side, successfully developing a parentcooperative Day Care Center with other moms. Kathleen was the Founder and Director of the 14 member faith-based
coalition, Action through Churches Together in Itasca County, coordinating local and regional issue campaigns promoting
social, racial and economic justice. Kathleen also coordinated a Senate campaign across Northern Minnesota, building an
effective outreach organization among local and regional party leaders and activists. She graduated from the College of
St. Catherine with a B. A. in Social Work.
Jane Booth-Tobin - @jboothto
New Media Strategist, Take Action Minnesota
Jane was born and raised in south Minneapolis, with a degree in Political Science at Wellesley College. It was there that
she first explored how people can take meaningful political action online. After graduating in 2009, she became involved
with TakeAction Minnesota as our reNEW.mn Campaign Intern. She left to work for John Marty’s campaign for governor,
but was back a year later to serve as the Native American Canvass Data Manager, then as a Common Cents Budget
Organizer. She has been on board full time communicating and organizing through new media since spring 2011. As the
New Media Strategist, Jane engages thousands of Minnesotans to act with TakeAction Minnesota online through email,
social media, our website, and beyond.
Chris Conry - @chrisconry
Economy Program Manager, TakeAction Minnesota
Chris started organizing as a Political Organizer in 2002 when he was the Volunteer Coordinator on the Wellstone for
Senate campaign. He then worked on representation elections and community campaigns as a Union Organizer for the
United Food and Commercial Workers Local 789. Subsequently, he worked as a Contract Organizer with the Service
Employees International Union Local 284 where he negotiated a dozen collective bargaining agreements. Chris was trained
as a Community Organizer by the Organizing Apprenticeship Project and is a graduate of the University of Chicago. Chris
is currently the Economy Program Manager here at TakeAction Minnesota, where we he has worked since 2008. As
Economy Program Manager, Chris leads our work to organize a new economy.
Claire Fromme - @frommecl
Child Care Provider
Claire Fromme is a child care provider who lives in Minneapolis. She was part of a volunteer group of women who worked
to provide grassroots support for the Women’s Economic Security Act by providing testimony, letters to the editor, calls
and emails to decision makers, social media presence, and more. Claire was inspired to work on women’s economic justice
issues by her own experiences as a woman in the workplace and because she is starting a small business this fall and
understands the support and protections she will need to be successful.
#woMN
Lorrie Janatopolous
Planning Director, Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Agency
Lorrie Janatopoulos is the Planning Director at Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Agency (AEOA), a community action
agency in Northeastern Minnesota with an antipoverty mission. Lorrie has worked for the agency for 18 years. She is
responsible for Agency-wide and department-specific program development activities, community planning, research and
grant-writing. Ms. Janatopoulos holds a Bachelor of Behavioral Arts and Sciences with a concentration in Management
and a graduate level certificate in Dialog, Deliberation and Public Engagement. Lorrie has an extensive background in
public policy and has over 25 years of local and statewide non-profit board experience.
Anne Johnson - @annenjohnson
Executive Director, Generation Progress
Anne Johnson is the Executive Director of Generation Progress, the youth division of the Center for American Progress.
Prior to joining CAP Anne was a senior campaign specialist at the National Education Association, where she focused on
creating opportunities for young members within the union, built grassroots fundraising programs, and managed
numerous member political engagement programs and electoral campaigns. Anne also founded a member-candidate
development program while at the NEA. Prior to NEA, Anne served as the national field director for SEIU COPE,
supervising a staff of union organizers to develop local and national fundraising and political engagement programs.
Originally from Minnesota, Anne was the deputy field director on Paul Wellstone’s 2002 re-election campaign. After the
campaign Anne helped found Wellstone Action, a nonprofit political training organization. Through her work she has
become a respected expert on youth issues, partnering with organizations such as People for the American Way, the
Center for American Progress, Rock the Vote, the Student PIRGS, and many others. She has also consulted with
numerous state and federal candidates and progressive organizations on developing young voter turnout programs
around the country. Anne has also worked on state and federal Get Out The Vote programs on both the candidate and
independent side.
Anne has developed curricula and led trainings for numerous organizations and campaigns, including Obama for
America. She has also worked with the National Democratic Institute’s Middle East and North Africa Program on political
trainings and election monitoring in the West Bank and Gaza.
A University of Minnesota graduate, Anne began her career working at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, as a
fellow at the Sub-Commission for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights.
Originally from Minnesota, Anne was the deputy field director on Paul Wellstone’s 2002 re-election campaign. After the
campaign Anne helped found Wellstone Action, a nonprofit youth political training organization.
Patti Larsen
Program Director, American Indian Community Housing Organization
Patti Larsen is the Program Coordinator for the American Indian Community Housing Organization. She has been a foster
parent for Native American teen girls, and the shelter director for Dabinoo’Igan, a Native specific domestic violence shelter
in Duluth, MN. Patti is a founding member of the Native Sisters Society, in Duluth, MN.
Emily Larson - @LarsonForDuluth
Vice President, Duluth City Council
Emily Larson is Vice President of the Duluth City Council. Elected in 2011 as the top vote-getter across all council elections
for that year, she serves as an Economic Development Commissioner and as the council conduit for parks and libraries.
After hours, Emily can be found running the trail system of Duluth or admiring the lake with her husband and two sons.
Lori Lodes - @loril
Senior Vice President of Campaigns and Strategies, Center for American Progress Action Fund
Lori Lodes is the Senior Vice President for Campaigns and Strategies for the Center for American Progress Action Fund,
and Senior Vice President at the Center for American Progress. Prior to joining American Progress, Lori served as the
Service Employees International Union’s deputy communications director, overseeing communications for their political,
issue advocacy, and government relations work. During her tenure at SEIU, Lori also served as communications director
and spokesperson for the union’s health care campaign, helping to drive field, legislative, and communications strategies.
#woMN
Nevada Littlewolf - @nrlittlewolf
Nevada Littlewolf has 20 years of experience working across sectors of community, government, non-profit, and
business. Her life experience and unique cultural perspective brings insightful knowledge to all that she does. She is an
elected leader who serves on the Virginia, MN City Council. Her practical experience includes work with Wellstone Action,
The White House Project, NEW Leadership Institute, Circling to 7th Generation, Range Youth Services, and the Guardian
ad Litem Program with vast experience working with youth, women, communities of color and American Indian
people. She is the Founder and Director of The RAIL Project, an organization building systemic and political power for
women in rural Minnesota. Nevada Littlewolf is a member of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. She is on the Board of
Trustees for the Northland Foundation and a member of the Governor’s 6th District Judicial Selection Committee.
Nevada has an Associate of Arts Degree from Mesabi Range College and attended the University of Minnesota Duluth
studying Studio Art. Nevada lives on the Iron Range in Virginia, Minnesota
Dan McGrath - @danmcgrath1
Executive Director, TakeAction Minnesota
Dan was introduced to community organizing at the age of 17 during a cross-country road trip with Sister Kathleen Ries,
his aunt. While earning a bachelor’s degree at Hamline University, Dan became a student organizer and leader. After
college, he went to work for Progressive Minnesota, where he served as a canvasser, community and political organizer,
and Executive Director. He has worked on numerous legislative, issue, and electoral campaigns and has worked inside the
labor movement for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). His overseas experience includes work at the
Glencree Centre for Reconciliation in the Republic of Ireland, the Institute for Democracy in South Africa (IDASA), and as
an election observer in El Salvador. Dan is a board member of Win Minnesota and National Peoples Action Campaign. He
was a 2011-2012 Fellow of the Rockwood Leadership Institute Leading from the Inside Out.
As Executive Director, Dan is responsible for operationalizing the ambitious vision of TakeAction Minnesota’s leadership
into concrete and meaningful action.
Don Ness - @Ness_Duluth
Mayor of Duluth
Don Ness was elected mayor in 2007 from a field of 12 candidates. Four years later, Ness became the first mayor to run
unopposed since Duluth was incorporated in 1887. Mayor Ness takes a no-nonsense, solution-minded approach to his
job. His administration has adopted the motto "Own it - Solve it" and has developed an impressive record of
accomplishment and problem solving. The accomplishments have not gone unrecognized. 2013 Leaders in Public Policy
awarded Duluth as 2013 Local Government of the Year. Minnesota Monthly named Mayor Ness as one of ten
"Minnesotans of 2012" and the 2013 National Citizen Survey showed that residents of Duluth gave Mayor Ness a 90% job
approval rating.
Ness graduated from UMD in 1997 with a degree in Business Administration and is currently working on a MBA degree.
Don and his wife Laura have three children, Eleanor, James, and Owen. They live in the Hillside neighborhood of Duluth.
Liz Olson
Duluth Organizing and Policy Manager, Take Action Minnesota
Liz Olson has worked in the nonprofit community in varying capacities for the last 10 years. Most recently Liz worked as
the Program Officer for a foundation which focused around health care access. Prior to that, Liz was the Director of
Outreach and Organizing for a social safety net provider in Duluth. Her experience lies in educating, engaging, and
mobilizing a variety of individuals for the common goal of a more just and compassionate community. Elizabeth holds a
BA in Sociology from the University of Minnesota- Duluth and a MA in Congregational and Community Care from Luther
Seminary in St. Paul.
#woMN
Tina Olson
Executive Director, Mending the Sacred Hoop
Tina is the Executive Director and founding member of Mending the Sacred Hoop (MSH), an American Indian Non-Profit
Organization located in Duluth, MN. Tina has provided training, technical assistance, and material development for tribes
across the country, assisting them in program development, implementation, and consultation on developing a tribal
response to domestic violence and sexual assault. Tina is a founding member of the Native Sisters Society in Duluth, MN.
Sen. Sandra Pappas - @SenatorPappas
Senator, Minnesota State Senate
Senator Sandy Pappas was first elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 1984, where she served three terms.
In 1990 she was elected to the Minnesota State Senate and is now serving her 7thterm. Her district includes downtown St.
Paul, inner city neighborhoods to the west, north and south of downtown, and the area surrounding the State Capitol
Erin Parrish - @erinparrish
Director, Minnesota Women’s Consortium
Erin Parrish is the director of the Minnesota Women’s Consortium, a nonprofit association of organizations and individuals
committed to advancing equity and justice for all women through advocacy and collaboration. In her current role, Erin
oversees the strategic direction of the organization and the development of an annual public policy agenda. She is
responsible for the coordination of civic engagement programs for women and girls as well as the development of
resources that provide a gender analysis on policy issues. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Women’s Studies from Hamline
University and a master of arts in leadership from Augsburg College.
Beth Peterson - @eepeterson2003
City Councilor – Eveleth, MN
Beth Peterson is serving her first term as City Councilor in Eveleth, Minnesota; a city with roughly 3,500 citizens. Eveleth
is located in the heart of the Minnesota Iron Range, an area strongly connected by a principal economic industry, its ethnic
and immigrant origin and a hardscrabble blue-collar lifestyle. Beth is employed as a Regional Manager of Adult Education
by one of Minnesota’s largest community action agencies, assisting in the design, implementation and evaluation of
programs aimed at increasing literacy, and reducing poverty in rural, Northeast Minnesota. As a wife and mother of two,
Beth enjoys volunteering in the community with her family and serving on the local PTA, the Northeast Family Service
Collaborative and Eveleth City Council.
Emma Shapiro - @emmashap
State Communications Manager, Center for American Progress Action Fund
Emma Shapiro is the State Communications Manager for the ThinkProgress War Room. Prior to joining American Progress
she served as the communications coordinator at EMILY’s List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics. At
EMILY’s List, Emma helped manage and coordinate the organization’s communications and media operations and
supported the public outreach efforts of the organization in its endorsement of candidates at the federal, state, and local
levels.
Rep. Paul Thissen - @paulthissen
Speaker of the House
Since Paul was first elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2002, he has demonstrated the ability and a
willingness to tackle tough, complex issues and deliver on innovative, practical solutions. After just four years of legislative
service, Paul was appointed Chair of the Health and Human Services Committee in 2007. He was selected to serve as
Minority Leader for the 2011-2012 biennium and led his DFL colleagues back to majority status in November 2012. His
legislative work has been recognized by numerous community groups and organizations.
Paul was selected by his colleagues in the Minnesota House to serve as Speaker of the House in January 2013. The 2013
session was among the most productive in a generation, passing the first significant investment in early childhood
education in Minnesota history; all-day, every-day kindergarten for every five-year-old in the state; a two-year tuition
freeze for public college and university students; and the legalization of same-sex marriage. The legislature also passed
#woMN
the Minnesota Dream Act, providing in-state tuition for the children of undocumented immigrants, and expanded health
coverage for hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans. Paul's hopes for Minnesota are simple and reflect the basic
Minnesota values instilled in him since childhood. He wants to make sure that our state continues to be a place where our
kids have the same opportunity to learn, grow and succeed that we did and where our parents can live their lives with
independence and dignity. He will continue to fight for those values now and in the future.
Rosemary Van Vickle
Health Care Provider
Rosemary lives in the small town of Crosby, MM. She has been a health care provider for 23 years. Even though she has
three part time jobs to make ends meet, they still don't. She lives below the poverty level and receives Medical assistance
and EBT, known as Food stamps. She is looking forward to making changes in policies surrounding women’s economic
security.
#woMN