The next East Downtown Council Business Forum is scheduled for Thursday, December 17, at MN Adult and Teen Challenge, 1619 Portland Avenue South. The topic for this event is “The Healing Presence of Social Services.”
Registration, lunch and networking starts at 11:30 a.m., with the program starting at Noon. The cost to attend the forum is just $20. Attendees can pay by cash or check at the door. Please RSVP by sending an email to in[email protected] by no later than Monday, December 14 at Noon.
IMPORTANT: Parking at MN Adult and Teen Challenge is very limited and we encourage members to walk to the forum or plan extra time to find parking near their building. There are a few visitor parking spots in the back of the building, as well as street parking. Please do not park in permitted spots, and be sure to make note of the allotted time at the parking meters.
FORUM DESCRIPTION
The EDC December business forum will feature a panel of leaders from non-profit health and human services organizations in East Downtown describing the ways their non-profit organizations provide holistic services for people of all ages and incomes, restore individual lives, stabilize neighborhoods and address some of the systemic societal challenges of our time. Panel Speakers include:
- Tim Walsh, VP of Long-Term Programs and Mental Health Services, MN Teen Challenge
- Daniel Gumnit, President and CEO People Service People
- Laurie Ohmann, Senior Vice President of Client Services and Community Partnerships, Catholic Charities
- Bert Winkel, Executive Director, House of Charity
This month’s District Development Spotlight features Bobby and Steve’s Auto World Land Redevelopment Project.
FORUM AGENDA
- 11:30-Noon: Networking
- Noon-12:10 pm: Introductions and EDC Update (Paul Mellblom and Dan Collison)
- 12:10-12:25 pm: District Development Spotlight: Bobby and Steve’s Auto World Land Redevelopment (Steve Williams and Allen Sando, director of operations)
- 12:25-12:55 pm: Social Services Panel and Q & A
- 12:55-1:00 pm: Closing Announcements (Dan Collison)
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
Tim Walsh, MA, LP; DPA, Minnesota Teen Challenge
Walsh is the Vice President of Long-Term Programs and Mental Health Services. He completed his doctorate in public administration in 2012, his M.A in counseling psychology in 1993 and is currently an adjunct professor at UNWSP. He also has more than 25 years of experience as a leader in the fields of mental health, human services and corrections.
Laurie Ohmann, Senior Vice President of Client Services and Community Partnerships, Catholic Charities
Laurie is the Senior Vice President of Client Services and Community Partnerships where she provides leadership for Catholic Charities’ Housing Stability, Children and Family Services, Older Adults and New American Services programs as well as the agency’s volunteer, and research and evaluation efforts. Prior to coming to Catholic Charities, Laurie was the CEO and an owner of the St. Paul-based Public Strategies Group, a national consulting firm that focused on redesigning how public services are delivered.
Bert Winkel, Executive Director of House of Charity
Bert has served as House of Charity’s Executive Director since December of 2008. As Executive Director, Bert has overall responsibility for leadership, strategic planning and management of House of Charity. He brings over 25 years of experience in building organizations, developing management teams and improving operational performance in nonprofits.
Prior to joining House of Charity, he served in senior management at Walker Methodist and Walker Methodist Foundation. Bert has a B.A. from Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota in Special and Elementary Education and served on the House of Charity Board of Directors from 2000 to 2006.
Bert maintains active involvement in several community service organizations. Currently, he serves on the Hennepin County Continuum of Care McKinney-Vento Funding Committee, and the Board of the East Downtown Council. He has also served on several task forces for the Elliot Park Neighborhood Inc, where House of Charity is located.
Daniel Gumnit, Chief Executive Officer of People Serving People Charities and People Serving People Inc.
Daniel leads the organizations’ philanthropic and programmatic activities. He is focused on developing systemic solutions to childhood and family homelessness, and is a passionate advocate for improving access to early childhood development programs for children living in poverty. People Serving People is the largest and most comprehensive family-focused shelter in Minnesota – an innovative, multiservice facility combining emergency housing with programs to help families overcome barriers to stability and return to self-sufficiency.
