Twin Cities Summit: Lakes, Legacies, and Leadership
Minneapolis, Minnesota
2025
The 2025 Alumnae Summit in Minneapolis, Minnesota, brought 30-some of us together for three days of exploring what it means to be a woman in a position of power today. The program "Lakes, Legacies, and Leadership" started at 5:00 p.m. on September 10. It adjourned at noon on September 13. Every minute was packed with valuable content. Via moderated panels and inspired keynotes, we studied intentional leadership and purpose-driven decision making. While our speakers were primarily Minnesota based, the topics are universally relevant. We heard from leaders in academia, industry, and the public sector.
The talks…
Justice Natalie Hudson, Chief Justice, Minnesota Supreme Court, believes in showing up in the difficult times and advocating, inspiring and encouraging one another
Harvard Kennedy School’s own Hannah Riley Bowles is “Changing the Narrative on Women’s Leadership”
Mary Pawlenty – former judge and current mediator – talks about peacemaking in “Lessons Learned on Conflict Resolution”
Adaption scientist and climate leader, Jessica Hellmann’s talk: “A Grand Challenge for Scientists, Business Leaders, and Public and Private Land Stewards”
What are the Four Cs of Leadership? Deb Pierce, the first female FBI Deputy Assistant Director of the Criminal Division of the FBI tells us
With the help of three recent graduates, one HWP alumna spotlights the wins of the experimental Tom Burnett Leadership Program
What does it take to lead one of the largest events in the country? Renee Alexander talks about the Minnesota State Fair and mission-driven leadership
A panel of four college presidents discuss “U.S. Higher Education: Persisting through the Paradigm Shift”
Graco executive, Angela Wordell, talks about her journey from “Engineer to Empowered Leader”
North Star Therapy Animals’ Wendy Senior talks about her work lighting up rooms across Minnesota
What does it take for women athletes in college to succeed? Ask Jen Callinan of the University of Minnesota
Megan Peterson leads “Beyond the Binary” as Executive Director of Gender Justice Action
Founder of Ballet Co.Laboratory, Zoé Henrot embraces the philosophy of “Why not?” She talks of the collaborations and connections that help drive success
From the Finding Human Institute, Paula Forbes and Robin Francis guide us through “A Journey Through Discomfort, Allyship, and the Evolving Civil Rights Movement”
Jillian Hiscock, founder of A Bar of Their Own, is “Raising the Bar for Women’s Sports”
In addition to traditional learning opportunities at the conference hotel (The Lofton Hotel, 601 North First Avenue, Minneapolis) we built in time to network with other leaders and experience some of the region’s highlights. Among the excursions, we scheduled a Minnesota Twins baseball game, George Floyd Square visit, Prince’s Paisley Park tour, the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, and a Lake Minnetonka dinner cruise.
