Schedule & Speakers: Make Hunger History Summit 2025
REGISTER TODAY SUMMIT HOMEPAGE
Schedule
8:00 a.m. Registration Begins
9:00 a.m. Welcome Remarks, Morning Keynote, Statewide Hunger Study Results
9:50 a.m. Morning Panel: Understanding Hunger in Minnesota: Sharing New Findings
- Jason DeRusha (moderator), Second Harvest Heartland Board Member
- Karen Spitzfaden, Director of Consumer Insights & Digital Strategy, Second Harvest Heartland
- Jill Westfall, Statewide Food Access Manager, The Food Group
- Liliana Letran-Garcia, CEO, Interfaith Action of Greater Saint Paul
10:30 a.m. Break
10:45 a.m. Breakout Sessions 1
11:45 a.m. Break, lunch begins
12:15 p.m. Lunch Panel: Systems Change for a Solvable Issue
- Elizabeth Glidden, Deputy Executive Director, Minnesota Housing Partnership
- Diane Tran, System Executive Director, Community Health Equity and Engagement, M Health Fairview
- Marcus Pope, President, Youthprise
1:30 p.m. Break
1:45 p.m. Breakout Sessions 2
2:45 p.m. Break
3:15 p.m. Breakout Sessions 3
4:15 p.m. Break
4:30 p.m. Closing Remarks and Social
6:00 p.m. Event Concludes
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Speakers
Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America joins as a fellow champion that has a unique view of hunger-relief work across the country. Feeding America partners with more than 200 food banks—including Second Harvest Heartland—to distribute food and advocate for policies that create long-term solutions to hunger. Claire will speak about how our work in Minnesota communities is informing other states and how building partnerships across sectors can unlock new paths to solve hunger.
Learn from leaders across sectors in plenary and breakout sessions. We are honored to be joined by experts on hunger relief, human services, nonprofit governance, healthcare, government agencies and more!
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Breakout Sessions
Breakout Sessions 1 - 10:45-11:45 a.m.
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
Breakout Sessions 2 - 1:45-2:45 p.m.
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)
- Courteney Roessler, Food Programs Supervisor, Office of Economic Opportunity, MN Dept. of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF)
- Roel Ramos, Partner Operations Specialist, Second Harvest Heartland
- Forrest Gregory, Executive Director, Mana Market, Youthway Ministries
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
Breakout Sessions 3 - 3:15-4:15 p.m.
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, Chief Philanthropy Officer, SRI/Hugh J. Andersen Foundation
- Tara Lashley, CFRE, Director of Development and Communications, The Open Door Pantry
Frequently Asked Questions
You may register you and others from your organization at here before January 27, 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.
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!
Join Us!
January 31
Make sure to register by January 27.
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