Michelle Kissinger (she/her)

yedidya

Michelle Kissinger (she/her), PhD, is the founder of [ree-sheyp] your story, LLC, an art-based consultancy focused on at-risk youth and youth-serving organizations. She helps organizations transform art programming to support the development of young people. She also helps clients deploy the arts to nurture the growth and wellness of their valued team members. Michelle is a seasoned management and organizational …

Carly Hiti (She/Her)

yedidya

Carly Hiti is the Safe Harbor Youth Advocate at the Program for Aid to Victims of Sexual Assault (PAVSA) in Duluth, MN. In her current role, Carly provides supportive services to youth across four counties who have experienced sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, and/or sex trafficking. Prior to this role, she worked with homeless and runaway youth in a shelter setting …

Ann Gaasch (She/Her)

yedidya

Ann Gaasch has provided leadership in community and national family service initiatives for more than 25 years now. In honor of her decades of dedication to helping children and parents transition from healing to thriving, she was invited by Alia Innovations/IDEO as a 10 of 10 for Kids Innovator to redesign national child welfare practices. Her extensive experience includes program …

Briana Herman-Brand (she/they)

yedidya

Briana Herman-Brand, MSW, has been working with youth and adults for 20 years to heal and transform the root causes and impacts of trauma and oppression. Through training, facilitation, and coaching she supports individuals and communities to build skills at the intersections of healing and justice. She is a Lead Teacher with Generative Somatics, conducting courses nationally on trauma healing …

Jamil Stamschror-Lott (he/him)

yedidya

Jamil Stamschror-Lott, LICSW is a public speaker; mental health therapist; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion professional; educator; and the CEO and co-founder of Creative Kuponya. As a Black man, he represents less than 4% of licensed therapists in America. Jamil is a skilled healer and facilitator who has offered over 250 professional speaking engagements. Jamil and his wife Sara co-founded Creative …

Sherrita Allen (she/her)

yedidya

Sherrita Allen, is a Licensed Professional Counselor who received her master’s degree in Counseling from Webster University in St. Louis, MO. She has 27 years of experience working in social services, trauma, and crisis. She has a wealth of experience ranging from direct care in residential facilities, foster care case management, victim advocacy, and individual, group, and family therapy. She …

Michelle Nelson (she/her)

yedidya

Michelle Nelson has over 25 years of experience leading, managing, and training professionals in the human service industry, especially those working with young people.  In addition to her youth worker and leadership skills, she is well-versed in team, program, and organizational development to include strategic planning. She is a certified trainer for the Crisis Prevention Institute, The National Council for …

Mel Alvar (she/her)

yedidya

Mel Alvar is a community advocate, and human trafficking subject matter expert from Duluth, Minnesota with nearly 20 years of experience in grassroots harm reduction, and gender-based violence prevention, and positive youth-development work. Mel works as the Safe Harbor Regional Navigator at PAVSA, where she is a point of contact in Northeast Minnesota for training and consultation to increase awareness, …

Marius Massie (he/him)

yedidya

Many youth organizations are faced with limits and need support to address the complex and diverse needs of our children. The work can be emotionally taxing. Marius comes alongside leaders to: Strengthen resilience and solve difficult problems. Grow trust and improve culture. Create a blueprint to empower the next generation of leaders. Share tools to upskill. Motivate teams to work …

Logan Sand (they/them)

yedidya

Logan has been with Lutheran Social Service’s Seeing and Exploring Life’s Future (LSS SELF) Program since 2017 and has been a sexuality educator since 2014. Their teaching philosophy is to provide anti-oppression and social justice focused sexuality education with a particular focus on consent, personal autonomy, and gender inclusion. Prior to joining LSS, Logan worked in counseling training and curriculum …

Kathy Flaminio (she/her)

yedidya

Kathy is the Founder and CEO of movemindfully®, a training and consulting company based on the science of mindfulness, movement, and social-emotional learning. Kathy holds a master’s degree in social work with over 20 years of experience in schools and was adjunct faculty for Saint Mary’s University. Kathy has trained over 50,000 professionals in mind-body practices and has partnered with …

Jack Witt (he/him)

yedidya

Jack Witt specializes in social-emotional development and lives by a personal mission to help people live better together. He consults and trains in both non-profit and private sector corporations on Social-Emotional Wellness, Coaching & Mentoring for adults and youth, Conflict Resolution, and Interpersonal Workplace Relationships. Through his role in a foster care and clinical counseling agency, Jack created and directs …

Dr. Jennifer Clifden (she/her)

yedidya

Dr. Jennifer Clifden intersects the science and soul of being well and thriving in heart-centered, healing/ helping professions. Jen is the founder of Present Well-Being LLC, and she creates evidence-based curriculum and experiences designed to systematically stoke human-service caregiver mental health, emotional agility, and soul resilience. Dr. Clifden’s keynotes, trainings, courses, and yoga retreats focus on research-based preventative and restorative …

Deon Price (he/him)

yedidya

Deon D. Price is an author and Youth Life Skills Coach with over 25 years of experience developing youth programs. He has dedicated most of his adult life to the field of youth and community service. Through his organization, This Youth Generation, he has delivered motivational talks and presentations to young people, parents, educators, and youth workers. His online youth …

Annie Meehan (she/her)

yedidya

Annie Meehan is no stranger to storms; as a dynamic speaker, author, and entrepreneur, she’s weathered challenges in the boardroom and in business. Annie credits the storms for the unshakeable optimism, drive, and resiliency that she employs as a speaker. When you hire Annie, she will teach your team how the storms of life can lead to the biggest breakthroughs, …

Allie Birdseye-Hannula (she/her)

yedidya

Allegra (Allie) Birdseye-Hannula, M.S. Teaching, is a lifelong learner, youth worker, author, learning and development specialist, and public speaker by trade. She is passionate about delivering impactful communication and de-escalation strategies to help youth workers address the needs of prickly youth. Allie began her career as a youth worker and has an extensive background in youth program leadership and training …

Adam Arnold (he/him)

yedidya

Adam Arnold, MA, LMFT, LADC, is a licensed psychotherapist practicing in St. Paul, MN. Adam works clinically with adolescents and children as well as survivors of spiritual abuse. He has worked professionally in school settings, summer camps, after school programs, arts organizations, athletic settings, day treatment centers, correctional facilities, and residential treatment centers. Combining his passions for healing and the …