Donna M. Beegle, Ed.D. is a highly experienced National public speaker, discussion leader, trainer, and the author of “See Poverty, Be The Difference,” a resource book for professionals who work with people in poverty. Donna has worked and written articles providing insights and strategies for communicating more effectively across race, class, gender and generational barriers for 17 years. Donna’s inspiring story and work have been featured in newspapers around the nation, on local TV and on National programs such as PBS. Her work on poverty is being featured in an upcoming PBS documentary titled: Invisible Nation (air date will be posted on our website when confirmed). Donna has worked with educators, justice professionals, health care providers, social service agencies, and other organizations all over the nation who want to make a difference for those living in the crisis of poverty.

Donna is the only member of her family who has not been incarcerated. After growing up in generational migrant labor poverty, leaving school for marriage at 15, having two children and continuing to cope with poverty, she found herself, at 25, with no husband, little education, and no job skills. What followed in 10 short years were: self-confidence, a G.E.D., an A.A. in Journalism, a B.A. (with honors) in Communications, a Master’s Degree in Communication with a minor in Gender Studies (with honors), and completion of a Doctorate Degree.

Donna completed her Doctorate in Educational Leadership at Portland State University in 2000, where she taught speech communication courses for eight years. She is currently president of Communication AcrossBarriers, a consulting firm devoted to improving communication and relationships. Donna is also founderof the new nonprofit, PovertyBridge which is dedicated to changing lives for people in poverty.

Juana Bordas is President of Mestiza Leadership International - a company that focuses on leadership, diversity, and organizational change. A former faculty member for the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL, she taught in the Leadership Development Program (LDP) - the most highly utilized executive program in the world.

As founding President/ CEO of the National Hispana Leadership Institute, the only program in America that prepares Latinas for national leadership, she forged partnerships with Harvard’s JFK School of Government and CCL to provide training for Hispanic women. In 1977 she was a founder of Denver’s Mi Casa Women’s Center and served as executive director until 1986. Today, Mi Casa is recognized as a national model for women’s empowerment.

Juana holds an MSW from the University of Wisconsin. She has twenty two years’ experience managing nonprofit corporations and building partnerships with the private sector to support innovative programs. Her publications include: “Passion and Power: Finding Personal Purpose” -- essay in “Reflections on Leadership” (John Wiley & Sons). Juana is a contributing author to “Leadership in the 21st Century” in “Rethinking Leadership” published by Sage Publications. “Latino Leadership: Building a Diverse and Humane Society” was published by the Journal for Leadership Studies. Her paper, “African American Leaders: Guardians of Public Values,” was included in the inaugural issue of the International Journal on Servant Leadership. Her book, “Salsa, Soul, and Spirit: Leadership for a Multicultural Age” was published by Berrett-Koehler in 2007.

Juana recently served as advisor to Harvard’s Hispanic Journal on Public Policy and the Kellogg National Fellows Program. She received the Wise Woman Award from the National Center for Women’s Policy Studies and was inducted into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame. Currently, she is vice president of the board of the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership and a trustee of the International Leadership Association.

A dynamic national speaker and trainer, Juana weaves leadership, diversity, and community building into a multicultural tapestry. She utilizes music, movement and leadership practices to illustrate the richness and wisdom diversity brings. A former Peace Corps volunteer, she received the Franklin Miller Award from the US Peace Corps for her life long commitment to advance communities of color. The Denver Business Journal selected her for their 2003 Outstanding Women in Business Award. She was recognized by the National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women as a Colorado Pioneer for her “Legacy of Outstanding Leadership.” In 2006, Juana received the Leadership Legacy award from Spellman College’s Center for Leadership. She was honored with the 2008 Martin Luther King Jr. Business Responsibility Award.

Dorothy McCargo Freeman is currently serving as the State 4-H Program Leader and Assistant Director for the Center for 4-H Youth Development, University of Minnesota. She assumed this position on August 1, 2003. Dorothy has a Ph.D. in Human Development from VA Tech with an emphasis in adolescent development. Her Dissertation Title is “The Contribution of Faith and Ego Strength in the Prediction of GPA among High School Adolescents.” This work reflects Dorothy’s foundational values & beliefs in 4-H programming for urban youth. Dorothy brings 30 plus years of working with staff, children, youth, and families as she stewards the Minnesota 4-H Program. Dorothy retired from Virginia Cooperative Extension in June 2003 prior to joining University of Minnesota Extension Service. During her career she had numerous honors including serving as the President of the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents (NAE4-HA).

Luis F. Rico-Gutierrez became dean of the Iowa State University College of Design on July 1, 2009. He previously served on the architecture faculty at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, for 13 years, and as associate dean of the university’s College of Fine Arts for the last eight of those years. From 2001 to 2006, he also was chair of the steering committee for the Studio for Creative Inquiry, a multidisciplinary arts research center within the College of Fine Arts. He was the David Lewis Director of Carnegie Mellon’s Remaking Cities Institute from 2006 to 2009.

Rico-Gutierrez was a professor in the School of Architecture at ITESM, Queretaro, Mexico, from 1993 to 1996, and manager of the architecture department at Fundacion Rafael Leoz, Madrid, Spain, from 1991 to 1993. He is professionally accredited in Mexico and Spain.

His research includes the use of information technology in the design process and grassroots participatory practice in urban design.

Dr. Maureen H. McDonough is a full professor and extension specialist in the Department of Forestry at Michigan State University with adjunct appointments in the Department of Sociology and the Michigan State Museum. She received her doctoral degree in Forestry in 1980 from the College of Forest Resources at the University of Washington with a disciplinary emphasis in sociology. She has been at Michigan State for 30 years. Her research and extension interests include community-driven forestry and increasing the diversity of voices in natural resource decision making. She has worked on community forestry projects in Thailand, Vietnam, the Dominican Republic, Taiwan, Jamaica and China as well as in urban and rural communities in the U.S. including Detroit. She has also worked extensively on social indicators of sustainable forestry including projects linking communities to the Montreal Process and projects assisting communities in developing their own local level criteria and indicators.

She is currently leading the effort to develop metrics for the new Montreal Process indicator on importance of forests to people. In the area of increasing the diversity of voices in natural resources decision making, Dr. McDonough has developed a model for the US Forest Service to use in reaching out to underrepresented groups, evaluated the role of community collaboration in stewardship contracting for the USDA Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management and identified barriers to increased public participation in the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR).

James D. Oliver is Associate Chancellor & Assistant Dean / Regional Director for the University of Illinois.

As associate chancellor, Jim Oliver provides leadership in assisting the chancellor in building relationships and strengthening communications with local officials and community leaders in the greater Chicago metropolitan area. This includes coordination of identified activities and programs; development of targeted outreach projects; as well as assisting in the enhancement of campus / college / department research and outreach efforts. He also assists with the development and implementation of the Chicago portion of University of Illinois’ strategic plan. In August 2010, he traveled to Mexico City as part of a delegation to take part in the signing of an agreement between University of Illinois and the University of Mexico. The collaboration will establish cooperative relations to mutually assist in education, research, and other areas.

He has been in the business of cooperative service for nearly 40 years beginning with appointments in Colorado and Missouri. The majority of his career has been with the University of Illinois. Since November 1987, he has been Illinois’ statewide Extension administrator of urban and nontraditional outreach programs which includes Cook County (Chicago).

Recently, Dr. Oliver spearheaded the “Cook County Extension Expanded Outreach and Programs: A Plan for the 21st Century”. Dr. Oliver was the visionary for this important Cook County initiative, its purpose being to provide equal access to university research, information, programs and opportunities for the diverse and growing Cook County population. He was instrumental in obtaining five million dollars annually from the Illinois State Legislature to fund and implement this initiative.

He has written numerous publications and papers on urban issues, trend watching, and outreach strategies for the new millennium. He received the first National Extension System Diversity Award.

Chad Ripberger serves as County 4-H Agent and County Extension Department Head for Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Mercer County in Trenton, NJ. He leads a staff of 20 in 4-H Youth Development, Agriculture and Resource Management, Family and Community Health Sciences, SNAP-Ed, and EFNEP. As County 4-H Agent, Ripberger has maintained Mercer County’s community-based clubs and school enrichment programs while establishing and growing an extensive urban 4-H program in partnership with large afterschool and summer program providers throughout Trenton. In addition, he has led several multi-county, statewide, and national initiatives regarding science programming in urban communities – including a team that established a weeklong summer science program on campus for traditionally underserved high school youth. He heads NJ’s involvement in the NSF-funded National Partnerships for After School Science project, training and supporting a network of 15 science trainers for 95 collaborating afterschool sites. He is also working with National 4-H to develop a guide of promising practices for 4-H Science in urban communities. The guide, featured 4-H professionals, and their 4-H Science programs will be showcased at the Urban Extension Conference.

Ripberger received his B.S. and M.S. from Purdue University and taught middle school and high school agricultural science in central Indiana for five years prior to joining the 4-H Youth Development Department at Rutgers in 2002.