Maple Grove, MN—Giovanni Veliz is the first immigrant police lieutenant in the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) and the former executive director of the Police Activities League.
Mahnomen, MN—As executive director of Sacred Spirits First Nations Coalition, a program serving Native women, Lisa Brunner advocates for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and sex trafficking.
Saint Paul, MN—Amelia Franck Meyer has learned a fundamental truth serving youth in the child welfare system: it takes healthy leaders to heal those they serve.
Grand Rapids, MN—As a child, Laura Connelly learned the importance of a compassionate community—the value of people who feed you when you are hungry, who give you shelter when you are fleeing violence, who support you without judgment.
Minneapolis, MN—Lori Saroya co-founded the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Minnesota (CAIR-MN), the state's only Muslim civil rights and legal advocacy organization, when she was a senior in college.
Minneapolis, MN—Sherman Patterson wants to end the culture of gun violence in Minneapolis. An audacious goal, but few are better suited for the job than Sherman. A public safety policy aide for former Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak.