Bush Fellows Learning Logs

Rose McGee knows that food connects. As the creator of the Sweet Potato Comfort Pie™ Approach, she has taken pies to Ferguson, Charleston and Pittsburgh following devastating incidents of racial and religious violence. She also brings hundreds of people together to bake pies and have tough dialogues around race. She knows that this approach helps people and communities bridge racial divides and embrace the hard work required for racial equity. To reach more young people with her novel approach, she needs to understand what new generations are doing to build resiliency and racial unity. She will visit numerous Historically Black Colleges and Universities to learn from and with intergenerational leaders. She will also seek coaching to develop a healthy, balanced lifestyle.

Heather Cusick learned first-hand the stabilizing force of nature when her struggling family moved to a 100-acre farm in rural Kansas. There, she found that the land had the power to heal. This childhood informed her lifelong commitment to environmental protection, especially to communities that are most deeply impacted by climate-disrupting pollution. As a senior leader with the Sierra Club, she led the organization's effective approach to carbon reduction in the electric sector. Now, she wants to expand her focus to agriculture and climate advocacy. With the understanding that this work will take new knowledge and compelling leadership, she will study agricultural models around the world, build equity and racial justice competency, and seek coaching to build a stronger public voice.

Siad Ali is passionate about creating a community where every student succeeds. His dedication to education grew out of his own journey from war-torn Somalia to Minnesota. He learned how critical it is for children to have equitable access to education and for a community to be committed to teachers and schools. A respected problem solver in his positions as outreach director for U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar and as a director of the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education, he seeks to be a transformative leader in the education arena. He will earn a doctorate in educational leadership and study successful schools that serve a majority of students of color.

Austen Hartke wants more faith communities to be safe and inclusive places for LGBTQ people. A bisexual and transgender theologian, he is passionate about providing the educational resources faith leaders need to welcome, accept and celebrate gender diversity. He knows that transgender youth do best when their parents are supportive, and parents do best when supported by a faith community. To provide the depth of leadership it will take to transform faith communities into affirming places for all, he will increase his knowledge of theology and gender theory and cultivate his own spiritual resilience. He will also travel throughout the region to better understand the needs of transgender people and how positive change happens in faith communities, especially in rural areas.

Tony Sanneh likes to find solutions to big problems. As the founder of the Sanneh Foundation, he transformed a closing community center into a safe and vital place for youth development in Saint Paul's East Side. He developed his strong work ethic and problem-solving skills first as one of the country's leading professional soccer players and later by growing his nonprofit from a team of three volunteers to a full-time staff of 65. Now, he wants to embrace two bold passions: to change the way professional sports teams engage in philanthropy and to help build a diverse educational teaching force. To elevate his leadership in multiple arenas, he will complete his bachelor's degree in education policy, seek advanced training in sports philanthropy and public speaking, and build a group of trusted mentors.

Maria Regan Gonzalez believes that collaborative leadership creates room for more voices in decision making. As the first Latina mayor in Minnesota, she understands that bridging across difference is essential for the next generation of leaders. She wants her city of Richfield to serve as a laboratory for how to build opportunity for all in the midst of widening disparities. To lead this large-scale work, she will study alternative models of governance and engagement in the U.S. and around the world that connect political leadership, cultural identity and spirituality. She will also seek coaching to enhance her ability to inspire and unify diverse groups of people during complex times.

Michaela Seiber (Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate) wants South Dakota to be a more welcoming, supportive place for LGBTQ people. As a young person who struggled to find acceptance and gay role models in both her white and Native communities, she knows personally the vital importance of social support. She believes that lack of inclusion has a major impact on physical and mental health but notes that little data is available on the LGBTQ community in her region. To advance a health equity agenda for LGBTQ people, she will connect with experts around the country who are conducting research about the health disparities of this population. She will also strengthen her leadership and communication skills to build the confidence she needs to speak publicly.

Nicholas Kor believes that organizing can change the world. Yet, he observes that Asian Americans are often left out of political and public discourse, which marginalizes his community’s voice. He wants to create a powerful, connected and civically engaged Asian Pacific Islander movement in Minnesota and across the country. Understanding that movements flourish based on the capacity of their leaders, he seeks to grow his confidence and skills to be a stronger, more liberated leader. He will form meaningful relationships with movement leaders across the country to understand how to grow and sustain coalitions and hone strategies to engage Asian Americans at a grassroots level.

Rhiana Yazzie uses storytelling to create original work that reveals the complex, beautiful reality of Native Americans. She wants to help Native people reclaim their narrative and to change the way they view themselves. She believes that the self-expression found in playwrighting, acting, design and filmmaking can help people find their place in the world. But as the head of one of the only Native-focused theater companies in the country, she is often isolated in her leadership. With her Bush Fellowship, she will seek connections with aboriginal theatre companies around the globe and pursue coaching to develop a strategic leadership plan that reflects her artistic ambitions and cultural values. 

Nawal Noor knows it is possible to create social enterprise businesses that effectively address economic disparities. The first East African developer and general contractor in Minnesota, she launched a successful business to build affordable housing, employing and training workers historically left out of real estate development and construction projects. She wants to scale her model and become a transformational leader who can create inspiring solutions to entrenched economic disparities, as well as establish a financing institution or lending model for those who find traditional financing tools incompatible with their core values and Islamic religious beliefs. To elevate her position in the community, she will pursue national leadership development opportunities, study social impact investing and learn from visionary leaders about how they investigate and solve pressing issues. 

Dr. Tamim Saidi envisions a community where people of all faiths live peacefully without bigotry or discrimination. A refugee from Afghanistan who earned a doctorate in pharmacy after arriving in Minnesota, he has also become a part-time imam and activist with a passion for building trust and connections between Muslim Minnesotans and the wider community. Now, to be a transformational leader for his community, he seeks to maximize his efforts as an imam with the skills to bridge cultural and religious differences. With his Bush Fellowship, he will pursue double master's degrees in Islamic studies and leadership.

Amie Schumacher believes that faith and science, working together, can break the silence, shame and generational cycle of childhood trauma. She wants to help faith organizations and health care systems embrace the powerful healing of trauma-informed approaches. In her role as a hospital chaplain, she led the integration of such approaches into CentraCare Health system in St. Cloud. She will pursue a Doctor of Ministry degree to develop the transformational leadership skills she needs to help faith groups, chaplain training and seminary education programs build new practices that recognize trauma. She also will improve her facilitation skills to bring diverse religious and cultural groups together to discuss difficult topics around childhood trauma. 

Jeff Dykstra believes that cross-sector collaboration can result in powerful solutions to persistently intractable problems. As co-founder and CEO of Partners in Food Solutions, a successful consortium of global food companies that works with local food companies across Africa to improve food security and economic development, he has learned firsthand how partnerships involving public, private and nonprofit entities can drive social impact. He wants to become a leader who can wisely counsel others in this arena and wants to reflect on and better understand the components of leadership and principles of partnership that drive cross-sector success. With his Bush Fellowship, he will research other successful examples of partnerships, deepen his own leadership abilities and develop the tools and skills to coach the next generation of impact-oriented leaders.

Jana Gipp (Standing Rock Sioux Tribe) is driven by the health of her community. As chief executive officer of the health care facility that serves the Native population within the Standing Rock Nation and surrounding communities, she has built a highly rated regional health care network. As health disparities persist in the population she serves, and as her rural community faces a shortage of medical professionals, she wants to incorporate innovative ideas and cultural practices to improve Standing Rock's health care system. To lead this large-scale change, she will complete a doctoral program in health care administration to become one of the first members of her tribe with this specialized expertise. She will also research the successes of other Native nations across the county that have demonstrated significant advances in tribal well-being.

John Davis’s passion is rural. He imagines thriving rural communities that use the arts and creativity to solve local challenges, drive sustainable economic development and address obstacles to change. He seeks the tools, experiences and opportunities to broaden his scale of influence to be an authentic and compassionate thought leader for people in rural communities across the country. To amplify his voice for rural advocacy, he will partner with the Rural Policy Research Institute and regional colleagues to study effective rural strategies and to better understand the correlation of public policy and rural sustainability. 

Tou Ger Xiong is called to a life of public service and social justice activism. The Hmong American storyteller, artist and activist shares his personal stories across the country to build cultural competency and address racial discrimination. He sees that his community has achieved some level of the American Dream but that Hmong people still face disparities in employment, educational achievement, and home and business ownership. To amplify the voices of his community and serve as a force for change, he will document his civic engagement and anti-racism work to share with new generations of activists. He will also earn his master's degree in public affairs and seek a public service role that directly impacts policy.

Miigis Gonzalez (Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe) believes that Indigenous culture is at the root of wellness. Her research at the University of Minnesota School of Medicine and personal experiences with healing demonstrate the impact culture has on both prevention and treatment of health issues. She wants to use this knowledge to develop wellness opportunities for Native people. She seeks to bridge her social behavioral health education with deep ancestral knowledge to drive greater well-being in her community. To elevate her leadership, she will pursue the same rigorous education in traditional teachings as she did to earn her doctorate in health science, studying with tribal elders and first language Ojibwe speakers.

Ashley Hanson has a bold vision: To use the arts to build healthy, thriving rural areas throughout Minnesota and beyond. Born into generational rural poverty, she learned to imagine a different reality through theater in high school. She went on to study and refine this work through college. She is the founder of both a theater company, PlaceBase Productions, and an artist-led organization, Department of Public Transformation, that use creative strategies to increase community connection, participation and pride in rural locations. To empower more people to use the arts to address pressing issues of economic development, civic participation and changing demographics in rural communities, she will seek advanced leadership training and take time to articulate a model for teaching and scaling her work.

Maisha Giles wants to pioneer new strategies to cultivate black female leaders in the public sector. As behavioral health director for the Minnesota Department of Human Services, she sees a need for a comprehensive system focused not just on recruiting but also on retention and mentoring. She wants leaders of color and Native Americans at the table to help shape effective and wise public health policy, especially as it pertains to diverse populations. To become the bold leader of this work, she will earn a doctorate in leadership and public administration, strengthen her executive leadership and public policy skills, and build a network of successful black female leaders.

Norma C. Garcés dreams of an educational system in Minnesota where Latinx students see themselves in their teachers, learning is relevant to their experiences and dreams, and they are safe to express themselves and their culture. As leader of El Colegio charter school, she has created a culturally rich environment where for the past five years 100% of students have been accepted into post-secondary educational institutions. As a trusted leader within the Latinx community, she wants to scale the experience of El Colegio to communities across the state. To lead this large-scale change, she will seek a master’s degree, executive leadership training, and skills in community engagement, cross-cultural communication, finance and public speaking.

Hudda Ibrahim is not afraid to tackle big issues. In her home community of St. Cloud, she helps employers attract and retain immigrant and refugee employees. She also coaches and connects immigrant women to local employers. As a refugee to the U.S. from Somalia, she understands both barriers to and opportunities for building full economic participation. She wants to help members of her central Minnesota Somali community achieve greater economic equity and assume positions of influence. To advance this broad work, she will increase her business acumen with a Master of Business Administration degree. She will also build a network of valuable allies, business investors and partners.

Pheng Thao wants men in his community to be active partners in ending domestic violence and sexual assault. He believes it is possible to create spaces where those who have committed and experienced harm can heal and ultimately thrive. He seeks to shift Hmong men’s attitudes, beliefs and behaviors about gender, patriarchy and violence. To lead this change, he will strengthen his facilitation and communications skills and widen and deepen his understanding of the history and evolution of masculinity and manhood in Hmong culture. He will also use his Bush Fellowship to explore how matrilineal communities have dismantled patriarchal attitudes and to develop new ideas and images of Hmong maleness. 

Dr. Benson Hsu wants to revolutionize rural health care. As a pediatric intensive care unit doctor, he understands that the community's health is affected not only by access to health care but also by health behaviors, socioeconomic factors and the physical environment. He wants to integrate health care and community data to improve the way we care for the sick and the way we maintain health. He recognizes that this work will require strong leadership to bring together payers, providers and the community. To grow his abilities to lead in this arena, he will advance his data analytics ability, study design thinking to learn how to take an idea to action and strengthen his conflict and change management skills.

Jeannie Krull intends to bring life-changing assistive technology to people with disabilities throughout North Dakota, Minnesota and the Native nations that share the same geography. She sees vast areas where there is little or no knowledge of or access to devices and services that promote safety and independence. She seeks to build the leadership skills and professional networks she needs to create assistive technology oases where there are now deserts. To effect transformational change in this area, she will research successful programs and approaches nationally and internationally, grow her skills in the areas of policy and legislative advocacy, and further develop her cultural competence.

Amanda LaGrange believes the Midwest's generous business community provides fertile soil for social enterprises that hire adults facing employment barriers. As the leader of Tech Dump, a nonprofit that provides job training for people exiting incarceration and recovery programs, she sees the need for adults to regain dignity through work and for a workforce facing shortages to gain skilled workers. She wants to exponentially scale this social enterprise but understands her bold vision requires new knowledge, advanced leadership skills and an increased ability to take risks. She will study successful for-profit and nonprofit social enterprises around the country and seek business mentors to equip her for a new leadership trajectory.

KaYing Yang believes that her community’s prosperity and collective well-being will be maximized only when there is true gender equity. She also wants to be a force in the movement to shape policies that are equitable and inclusive of Indigenous peoples and people of color. To provide innovative and strategic leadership for her community, she will study successful approaches to gender justice in cultures around the world and strengthen her community organizing abilities with new knowledge of public policy making. As a long-time community advocate, she will work with her extensive network of leaders to document their social justice contributions as a source of inspiration for the next generation.

Chef Sean Sherman, Oglala Lakota Sioux, knows that food is the heart of every culture. He also understands that his fellow Native Americans were stripped of their connections to Indigenous food systems and practices. To build his community's physical, economic and spiritual strength, he wants to reconnect Native communities with traditional food knowledge and to Native agriculture systems. While he began this work as founder of The Sioux Chef and NATIFS, he now seeks to become the visionary leader his community needs through building an extensive global network and gaining deeper knowledge of Indigenous culture and foods. With his Bush Fellowship, he will research, create, cultivate and share Indigenous food systems and further his Lakota, Ojibwe and Spanish language skills.

Jenn Faul wants to radically change how children learn about mental health. As a therapist and COO for the largest free-standing psychiatric and substance use hospital in her region, she recognizes that mental health is often a taboo topic. But she believes that early education in structured, supportive school settings can reduce stigma and dramatically alter how youth respond in times of struggle. To lead this large-scale community change, she seeks deeper knowledge of educational systems and greater insight into how to set and reform policy. With her Bush Fellowship, she will pursue an advanced degree in educational leadership.

Ia Xiong is passionate about addressing multicultural considerations in trauma-informed care. A practicing psychologist, she wants Hmong people to have access to culturally appropriate mental health services to heal from remnants of historical trauma. While her community shows higher rates of mental health concerns than the general population, they also show much lower rates of using mental health services. She wants to address this gap through innovative methods to reduce barriers to care. To strengthen her leadership as a healer in her community, she will deepen her understanding of traditional Hmong healing practices and study online platforms for delivering culturally relevant, effective mental health care.

Dr. Joanna Ramirez sees women entrepreneurs of color — the fastest growing group of entrepreneurs — as a solution to the racial wealth gap. From her work with the Metropolitan Economic Development Association (Meda), she knows that entrepreneurship among families of color increases income at significant rates. She wants to be at the forefront of creating a vibrant business ecosystem that supports women entrepreneurs of color. With the understanding that this work will take compelling leadership, she seeks to grow from successful program manager to strategic leader. She will immerse herself in leadership programs for women and study innovative social entrepreneurship models.

Sharon Kennedy Vickers aims to make Minnesota the best place in the country to launch and grow technology products that have a positive social impact. She wants to lead a “tech for good” movement, harnessing the power of inclusion, technology and community assets to drive equitable economic opportunity and growth for all Minnesotans. In particular, she wants to make sure communities of color have the resources and access to bring game-changing ideas to the marketplace. To ensure her capacity to lead, she will improve her communication skills and build strategic relationships with local, national and international tech leaders. She will also pursue advanced education in strategy, technology innovation, artificial intelligence and human-centered design.

Sarah Pierce (Oglala Lakota) wants Rapid City to become the model of a culturally responsive city. To achieve that vision, she knows that Native people, especially youth, must have places of cultural safety where they can learn and heal through full access to the history, culture and language of the Lakota people. She intends to be a change agent who gives voice to a population that has traditionally been silenced. To become the trusted leader her community can turn to for wise counsel, she will earn her doctorate in educational leadership and study programs in Hawaii, where student outcomes have improved dramatically in schools focused on cultural safety. She will also build relationships with key Native leaders at the state and federal levels.

Joseph McNeil (Standing Rock Sioux Tribe) is focused on building possibility for the children of his Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. He wants to change young people's perceptions about what life can be and give them the tools they need to be financially free. As head of the tribe's economic development arm, he has learned how to revitalize, stabilize and maintain tribal businesses. Now, to become a leader who can create new, entrepreneurial pathways for younger generations, he seeks to increase his understanding of corporate business finance and impact investing. He will earn a master's degree in business finance, lead efforts to build a tribal credit union and seek new ways to help his community acquire land where tribal businesses can flourish.

Asad Aliweyd wants to develop transformative ways for Muslim people to build wealth. He believes a new, culturally responsive financing infrastructure that addresses current barriers can advance the economic well-being of Muslim Americans in Minnesota and beyond. He seeks to bring innovative change to financial institutions that deal with diverse communities. To elevate his leadership in the community, he needs to better understand Western and Islamic financing systems and to grow his connections. He will complete a doctorate in public administration and build a new network of community developers, financial institutions, policy makers, and academic and religious leaders.

Yende Anderson has a bold vision to address the shortage of primary care physicians in the region and the lack of diversity in the profession. In her work to integrate international medical graduates into the health workforce, she sees the under-utilization of highly skilled immigrants and the systemic barriers they face. She wants to lead a movement that creates alternative pathways for them to work as physicians in the U.S. To achieve change of this magnitude, she will grow her capacity to build and sustain coalitions. She will also earn her master’s degree in health care administration, research countries that have created alternative licensure and work with mentors to improve her change management skills.

Abdi Sabrie believes in the power of education to be an equalizing force, yet daily he witnesses barriers and gaps in educational systems for students of color. He wants to diversify school boards, teachers and staff to reflect and better serve the changing demographics of Minnesota communities. As the first person of color elected to the Mankato School Board, he understands the lack of diversity in educational leadership. To become a powerful and persuasive leader, he will enhance his communication skills, meet with other school leaders of color across the country to develop effective diversity strategies and earn a master's degree in educational leadership.

Larry A. McKenzie has always understood his purpose: to make a difference in the lives of young men, particularly African Americans in urban settings. As a high school basketball coach, he has a long track record of developing top athletes who are also excellent students. Because he believes that coaches are powerful influences in helping young people become champions in the classroom, in their families and in their communities, he wants to engage them in closing the achievement gap and reducing crime. To become a leader who can inspire and influence this next generation of coaches, he needs to develop new skills to amplify his voice and vision. With his Bush Fellowship, he will complete a master's in athletic leadership and development and seek executive leadership training.

Kate Davenport believes we can design waste out of our systems of production and consumption in a way that addresses climate change, local economic development and social and environmental justice. As co-president of the social enterprise Eureka Recycling, she has navigated an international market crisis in recycling, overseen major city contracts and transformed Eureka's materials recovery facility into the Zero Waste Laboratory. Now, she wants to create economically and socially just zero-waste communities. To achieve her bold vision, she will grow her skills, knowledge and connections at the intersection of technological innovation and public policy. She will also devote time to help emerging leaders build the skills to run social enterprises.