The next East Town Business Partnership Business Forum is coming up on Thursday, January 21, 2021, at 11 a.m. via Zoom.
TOPIC: Women Leading in the Marketplace
FORUM DESCRIPTION: 2020 signified the 100th anniversary of the 19th U.S. Constitutional Amendment affirming the right of women to vote. In this forum,we will hear from cross-sector executive women speaking to the progress of gender leadership equity in the marketplace.
PANELISTS:
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Hedy Lemar Walls, Chief Social Responsibility Officer, Greater Twin Cities YMCA
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Mary Post, CEO, American Academy of Neurology
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Amanda Koonjbeharry, Director of Public Policy, Citizen’s League
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Ellie Krug, Inclusion Writer, Lawyer, Human
SPEAKER BIOS:
Hedy Lemar Walls
Hedy Lemar Walls is the chief social responsibility officer for the YMCA of the North, a leading nonprofit dedicated to strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility. She is responsible for the Y’s social responsibility, diversity, inclusion, and global efforts and provides leadership for the Mission Impact Council that addresses sustainable solutions directly relating to urban and underserved communities.
Prior to serving the Y, Hedy held leadership roles in the Minneapolis Public Schools and Bloomington Public Schools. She holds a doctorate in education in leadership from St. Mary’s University, a specialist degree in education administration from Minnesota State University in Mankato, a master’s in business administration from Carlson School of Business at the University of Minnesota, and a bachelor’s degree in accounting and management from Southern University in Louisiana. Hedy taught as an adjunct professor at Concordia University in St. Paul, Minnesota. Her professional and board affiliations include the Minnesota Youth Development Advisory Council, Minnesota Alliance for Youth, National Youth Leadership Council, Twin Cities Promise for Youth, Youthrive, Youth Service of America, and more.
Mary Post
Mary Post is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the American Academy of Neurology. She previously served as Executive Director of the American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA). Prior to joining the ABA, Mary was a Deputy Executive Director for the American Academy of Neurology, where she served for 16 years in numerous leadership roles, including Chief Operating Officer and a dual role of Executive Director of the United Council of Neurologic Subspecialties. Mary is a Certified Association Executive (CAE), the highest professional credential in the association management industry. Fewer than five percent of all association professionals have earned a CAE designation. Mary earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Metropolitan State University and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from St. Cloud State University.
Amanda Koonjbeharry
Amanda Koonjbeharry is the Director of Public Policy at the Citizens League. She is a first-generation American Indo-Guyanese. She has a Master of Social Work (MSW), a Master of Public Policy, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Family Social Science from the University of Minnesota. Her professional career has been rooted in social and racial justice and has included work related to ending poverty, promoting housing stability, reducing shame and stigma surrounding mental illness, and ending domestic violence, sexual violence, and human trafficking. Amanda recently worked as the director of Hennepin County’s No Wrong Door initiative; to end and prevent the commercial sexual exploitation of youth. Amanda is currently the Director of Public Policy at Citizens League, serves as a Council Member on the Minnesota Department of Human Service’s Cultural and Ethnic Communities Leadership Council, on the board of directors for Avenues for Youth, serving as Chair of the Programs Committee, and on the board of Family Housing Fund. She was named 40 Under 40 by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal in 2018.
Ellie Krug
Ellen (Ellie) Krug transitioned from male to female In 2009, when she was a civil trial attorney in Cedar Rapids, IA. She later became one of the few attorneys nationally to try jury cases in separate genders. The author of Getting to Ellen: A Memoir about Love, Honesty and Gender Change (2013), Ellie has trained on diversity and inclusion to court systems, law firms, Fortune 100 corporations, and colleges/universities on nearly 1000 occasions. A hopeless idealist, Ellie has presented her inclusivity training, Gray Area Thinking®, across the country. In 2016, Advocate Magazine named Ellie one of “25 Legal Advocates Fighting for Trans Rights” and in 2019, OutFront Minnesota conferred Ellie its Legacy Award. She is also a monthly columnist for Lavender Magazine and a weekly radio host on AM950 radio. Her monthly e-newsletter, The Ripple, reaches 9000+ readers and can be found at www.elliekrug.com . Ellie presently lives in Minneapolis and is the founder and president of Human Inspiration Works, LLC (www.humaninspirationworks.com).
