Our Team
We bring different perspectives to the table, but we’re united by a love for purposeful work, thoughtful design, and real connection.
Registration and Opening
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Registration, Breakfast, and Marketplace
Location: Atrium
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Welcoming Remarks: Kait Taha, MINN President; Brigette Seim, PhD, Associate Professor, Humphrey School; Tyrie Williams, Founder, Love From America
Location: Auditorium
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Keynote Speaker: Dana Mortenson, The Alloy Network
Location: Auditorium
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Break & Marketplace
Location: Atrium
Breakout 1 – Understanding the Moment
1:00–2:00 PM · Three sessions run concurrently. Choose one session.
Futures & Foresights: Democratizing Imagination
Speaker: Tarnjeet Kang, Research in Action
Location: Wilkins Room, 2nd Floor
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Drawing from Riel Miller’s work at UNESCO, this presentation will introduce attendees to the foundational concepts of what it means to bring a futures and foresight lens to the international NGO sector. Together, we will explore how the futures and foresight lens can be used in practice, how it benefits individuals, communities and organizations, and the important role it serves in democracy. By engaging with reflection points throughout the presentation, attendees will gain an understanding of the foundational concepts of futures and foresight, and build capacity to leverage this lens in their own work. In a world increasingly characterized by division, conflict, and oppression, collectively we will imagine how we can shape the future of our work and communities.
Participants will engage in an activity that invites them to consider how they perceive the future and their own ability to shape it. They will also reflect on, and share how, this lens applies to their own organization and what work can look like in practice.
Beyond Partnership: Building Coalitions That Share Power, Learning, and Leadership
Speaker: Andrea Anschel, Johns Hopkins University, Center for Communication Programs
Location: Humphrey Forum, 1st Floor
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International development organizations frequently describe their work as partnership, but decision-making, resources, and technical authority often remain concentrated within donor and international institutions. This interactive session will explore what it takes to build coalitions that genuinely share power, learning, and leadership. Drawing on experience supporting multi-country initiatives and locally led capacity strengthening, the session will examine practical approaches for establishing shared purpose, creating meaningful roles for different partners, balancing consistency with local adaptation, and building learning mechanisms that strengthen the coalition over time.
Participants will assess their own partnerships and leave with a practical framework for moving from coordination to coalition.