Schedule & Speakers: Make Hunger History Summit 2025

Moderator: Zach Rodvold, Director of Public Affairs, Second Harvest Heartland

Panelists:

• Rachel Holmes, Director of Advocacy, The Food Group
• Stephannie Lewis, Associate Vice President of Advocacy & Community Impact, Greater Twin Cities United Way
• Caleigh Gumbiner, Public Affairs Advocacy Manager, Second Harvest Heartland

Speakers: Michael Hoban, Chief Financial Officer, Second Harvest Heartland, Mario Hernandez, Chief Program Officer, Propel Nonprofits

Moderator: Angelica Klebsch, Community Partnerships & Investments Director, Second Harvest Heartland

Panelists:

• Mary Hernandez, Executive Director, Mi C.A.S.A
• Stevie Ciske, Executive Director, Watonwan County Food Shelf
• Namita Eveloy, Talent, Culture and Equity Director, Second Harvest Heartland
• Char Graff, Rural Investments Manager, Second Harvest Heartland

Moderator: Elizabeth Cooper, Chief External Relations Officer, Second Harvest Heartland

Panelists:

• Edwin Torres DeSantiago, Vice President of Public Affairs, New Publica
• Andrea Thomas, Executive Director, Nourish Food Shelf
• Mike Stephenson, Director of Communications, Second Harvest Heartland

Moderator: Sophie Wallerstedt, Public Affairs Manager, Second Harvest Heartland

Panelists:

• Terese Hill, Supervisor, Community Advancement and Food System Strategy, Fairview
• Lisa Lane, Chief External Affairs Officer, Open Arms of Minnesota
• Dr. Nathan Chomilo, Medical Director, Medicaid and MN Care, MN Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF)
• Abby Gold, Health & Nutrition Extension Specialist, UMN Extension/School of Public Health

Moderator: Annissa Zynda, Partner Operations Manager, Second Harvest Heartland

Panelists: 

• Elizabeth (Liz) Riley, Food Programs Grant Manager, MN Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF)
• Jeannette Fernandez-Baca, TEFAP Inventory Grant Manager, MN Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF)
• Roel Ramos, Partner Operations Specialist, Second Harvest Heartland

Moderator: Ethan Neal, Director of Partner Operations, Second Harvest Heartland

Panelists: 

• Louise Matson, Executive Director, Division of Indian Work
• Elizabeth Day, Native Food Sovereignty Coordinator, MN Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF)
• Neely Snyder, Executive Director, Dream of Wild Health

Moderator: Sarah Waite, Chief People Officer, Second Harvest Heartland

Panelists: 

• Rosalva Hernandez, Co-Director, ROOT Fund
• Sarah Moe, Founder/CEO, Sleep Health Specialists
• Heather Jeseritz, Director of Community Services, UCAP Willmar

Moderator: Gwen Freed, Interim Chief Development Officer, Second Harvest Heartland

Panelists: 

• Jeremy Wells, VP of Philanthropic Services, Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation
• Jenna Ray, Chief Impact Officer and Interim Executive Director, GiveMN

Moderator: Sarah Moberg, Chief Operations Officer, Second Harvest Heartland

Panelists: 

• Nonoko Sato, Executive Director, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits
• Joelle Allen, CEO, Interaction Traction
• Jake Loesch, Executive Director, Citizens League

Moderator: Julie Greene, Director of Volunteer Engagement, Second Harvest Heartland

Panelists: 

• Niila Hebert, Executive Director, Minnesota Alliance for Volunteer Advancement (MAVA)
• Brandon Griffin, Senior Vice President of Operations, The Sanneh Foundation
• Joy Altmann, Director of Pro Bono Advisory Program, HandsOn Twin Cities

Moderator: Virginia Witherspoon, Executive Director, Channel One Regional Food Bank

Panelists: 

• Jennifer Belisle, Programs and Agency Services Director, Channel One Regional Food Bank
• Christopher Zoellner, Agency Services Manager, Channel One Regional Food Bank

Join the team at Channel One to hear about the state of Hunger in our region, and discuss needs and opportunities to work together. 

Moderator: Katie Bull, Director of Programs, Foundation for Essential Needs (FFEN)

Panelists: 

• Susie West, Health & Nutrition Educator, University of Minnesota Extension (SuperShelf)
• Andrea Gressman, Shopper Voice Consultant, FFEN
• Patrick Felker, Director of Food Equity and Access, Family Pathways

Moderator: Maureen Arbogast, Director of Data & Analytics, Second Harvest Heartland

Panelists: 

• Rodolfo Gutierrez, Executive Director,  HACER
• Maren Gelle Henderson, Health Partners Institute
• Shelly Rank, Data & Analytics Business Analyst, Second Harvest Heartland

Moderator: Mary-Hellen Mische, Senior Development Grants Officer, Second Harvest Heartland

Panelists: 

• Abbey Whitham, Grants Officer, Second Harvest Heartland
• Brad Kruse, Director of Philanthropy, Hugh J. Andersen and Tennant Foundations
• Tara Lashley, Director of Development and Communications, The Open Door Pantry

You may register you and others from your organization at here before January 22, 2025.

If you would like to request a scholarship ticket, please fill out this form. 

This summit is designed for leaders in hunger relief who are energized about learning and collaborating together. Attendees will contemplate the current state of hunger in Minnesota and dig into detailed and big picture solutions to better serve our communities and improve hunger in our state.  

The majority of attendees will be leaders of food shelves and meal programs who are agency partners of Second Harvest Heartland.

We have a room block available at The Embassy Suites by Hilton Minneapolis North (next to the Heritage Center) for the nights of January 30 and 31. The room rate is $119.00 per night, plus tax and cancellations must be made more than 72 hours before arrival.

You can make your reservation in two ways:

• Book online here. 
• Book by phone by calling (763) 560-2700 and asking to book a room under the code C-901. 

This room block is available until January 13, 2025 at midnight.

Yes, if you would like to attend the conference but are unable to pay the registration fee, please fill out this scholarship request form.

This is an in-person event with no virtual option. We will be recording some session to share with attendees as a resource after the event.

In January 2024, we launched our moonshot goal to cut hunger in half in Minnesota by 2030. This initiative is called Make Hunger History. Convening new and longtime partners across industries is the only way we can make meaningful progress towards ending the hunger crisis. This summit is an opportunity to ground this network in the state of hunger in Minnesota and find new collaborations to meet community needs.

Please email us at MHHSummit@2harvest.org with any questions not addressed online!