Event
WFM Leadership Celebration
- When:
- October 9, 2025
- Time:
- 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
- Where:
- Westminster Hall at Westminster Presbyterian Church 1200 Marquette Avenue Minneapolis, MN 55403 (view map)
About the Event
Join us on October 9 for our Leadership Celebration exploring the WFM’s 35-year legacy of research centering women, girls, and gender-expansive people to inform bold strategies!
Our 2025 Leadership Celebration features a networking reception and lunchtime program. Learn from community leaders about how they have used WFM research to champion change across Minnesota. We’ll also honor our 2025 Mary Lee Dayton Catalyst for Change awardees, Sandra Vargas and Ellen O’Neill. Come connect with fellow WFM supporters this fall as you enjoy lunch and feel inspired to help us advance gender and racial justice. You’ll leave the event with research-based insights and new strategies for taking collective action in the current landscape and future impact.
Registration
For more information about event registration, please contact registration@wfmn.org or 612-236-1820.
Program
View a PDF version of our program here.
Event Schedule
Networking Reception: 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Program & Lunch: 12 – 1:30 p.m.
Mingling: 1:30 – 2 p.m.
Venue Map
(Click here for a PDF version)
Artists & Performers
Thomasina Petrus
As a professional jazz singer, songwriter, and 35-year AEA actor, Thomasina cultivated her multi-talents through study, mentorship, and friendships of many Twin Cities elite artists. She is a creative muse rooted in the legacy of Black women’s voices. Thomasina creates exceptional music and theater experiences for stage, film, corporate and commercial marketing. She was honored in 2023 by the Twin Cities Film Festival for her work on documentary soundtracks, has toured the country with “Lady Day @ Emerson’s Bar & Grill,” and is co-author of “Hold,” a musical poem/play with incarcerated women through HCL. All inquiries for booking performances, commercial collaboration in film, marketing, and jingles at Thomasina@thomasinascashewbrittle.com.
Menu
Here is a brief overview of the beverage and food offerings. Visit our “Menu” tab to learn more about our options.
- Coffee: We’ll have Vietnamese coffee and strawberry matcha from Càphin.
- Lunch: We’ll enjoy a delicious lunch from El Burrito Mercado. El Burrito Mercado is a Mexican and woman-owned business that serves authentic deli, groceries, and beautiful arts and crafts lovingly selected directly from artisans in Mexico.
- Desserts: Smari Cakes is creating beautiful cupcakes to complement our lunch (flavors are salted caramel and lemon).
Accessibility
- There are several handicap parking spaces in the garage and wheelchairs are available.
- The Westminster space is fully ADA accessible, with wheelchair accessible spaces, entrances, and restrooms.
- Live captioning will be available during the event.
- Attendees will have access to both a nursing parent room and a prayer/wellness room. Please see Westminster or WFM staff for more information on how to locate these spaces.
- Gender neutral restrooms are available on the same level as Westminster Hall.
- For those requiring large print programs, we’ll have hard copies available in addition to the ability to read the program on a mobile device using a link to this event landing page.
Parking & Transportation
- Parking: Free parking is available for all event guests in Westminster’s underground parking facility. The entrance to the parking structure is between Nicollet Mall and Marquette Avenue on Alice Rainville Place: enter “95-99 Alice Rainville Pl, Minneapolis, MN 55403” into your GPS. Once you’re in the garage, enter the event venue through the set of glass doors; look for signage welcoming you to the event. You can either take the stairs or the elevator up to Westminster Hall.
- Overflow Parking: If we’re at capacity, there’s a chance the Westminster Ramp will fill up before the start of our event. Please arrive early to secure a guaranteed free parking spot at Westminster. If the ramp is full, and you’re looking for overflow parking, we recommend the 11th and Marquette Parking Ramp, which is located at 1111 S Marquette Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55403 (.1 mile from Westminster Hall and a 3-minute walk). Please see the City of Minneapolis’ parking website for more information and parking rates at https://www.mplsparking.com/parking-rates.
- Biking: The parking facility also offers space to store bicycles.
- Drop Off: If you’d like to get dropped off, there is a drop-off area off Marquette Avenue on the east side of the building.
- Public Transportation: The closest bus stops are 19334 and 17986. You can plan your trip using the Metro Transit website.
We are honoring our 2025 Mary Lee Dayton Catalyst for Change Awardees, Sandra L. Vargas and Ellen O’Neill. More information to come.
Ellen O’Neill
Ellen O’Neill is a trailblazer and activist, working collaboratively with disenfranchised populations to increase equity, justice and self-determination. She was instrumental in starting the first domestic violence women’s shelter in the 1970’s in the west Hennepin area. Communities were changed and lives were, and continue to be, saved. From the mid-1980’s, Ellen’s work at the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota included statewide efforts to raise a multi-million-dollar endowment, develop and deliver statewide programs and staffing. In 1995, with her leadership, WFM became an autonomous foundation. As the Executive Director of the Duluth YWCA from 2003-2014, Ellen increased its capacity and programs and received the St. Paul Foundation’s Facing Race Ambassador Award for her leadership in the Unfair Campaign Coalition. Her commitment to nonprofits included teaching in the University of Wisconsin’s Nonprofit Management Certificate Program and the MN Council of Nonprofit’s Mission Series. Working cross-culturally, Ellen continues her commitment to equity as a partner in the consulting firm Superior Design & Planning.
Sandra L. Vargas
Sandra L. Vargas’ leadership spans decades and exemplifies the importance of centering work led by and for women of color in the fight for justice. She has leveraged her intersecting identities as a woman and a Latina to create pathways for future leaders, break barriers, and improve the lives of countless Minnesotans. Within the Latino community, she has been a culture warrior, and played a role in pioneering, mentoring, and leading the way for other Latino/as to lead throughout our state. In public service, Sandra has made major contributions at the Minnesota Department of Economic Development, the City of Minneapolis, the Minnesota Department of Transportation, and finally, as Hennepin County Administrator, where she managed a budget of $2 billion and oversaw 12,000 employees. Then, as President and CEO of The Minneapolis Foundation (TMF), Sandra oversaw the management of $700 million in assets and the distribution of more than $45 million in grants each year. She retired from TMF in 2017 and has remained active in the community, serving in the University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs, CFLeads, and on various boards of directors.
Please give a warm welcome to our speakers. You can learn more about them by clicking their bios below.
Dr. Brittany Lewis, Founder & CEO, Research in Action
Dr. Brittany Lewis is a Black feminist scholar-activist and the Founder and CEO of Research in Action: a ground-breaking Minneapolis-based consulting firm that leads projects that center community expertise to create stronger organizations and actionable solutions for racial justice. A former Professor, University Research Institute Director, and Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank Scholar-in-Residence, Dr. Lewis has spent more than 15 years working in partnership with local communities impacted by racial injustice to co-create new knowledge and drive policy change that makes a real difference in people’s lives. She is the recipient of many awards, including a Bush Foundation Fellowship and History Makers at Home Award from the Minnesota Civil Rights Department, and the author of the upcoming book, Building a New Table: A Community-Centered Handbook for Transformative Social Change, from the University of Minnesota Press. Learn more about Dr. Lewis at researchinaction.com.
Irma Márquez Trapero, Executive Director, LatinoLEAD
Irma Márquez Trapero is the CEO of LatinoLEAD, a nonprofit dedicated to building Latine leadership, workforce development, and advancing policies that enhance collective community power. She immigrated from México at age nine and settled in small town St. James, Minnesota, proudly identifying as a DREAMer and former DACA recipient. With over 15 years of experience in organizing, policy, and cross-racial coalition work, Irma has been instrumental in fostering inclusivity at both local and national levels. An alumnus of the Humphrey Policy Fellowship, she serves on the Greater MSP Leadership Council and was selected for Harvard Business School’s Young American Leaders Program. Irma has received the Outstanding Community Builder Award from the Council of Latino Affairs, presented by Governor Walz, and was recognized as a Top Leader in MN as a 2024 Bush Fellow. She holds a Bachelor’s in Political Science from Gustavus Adolphus College and is pursuing an Executive MBA at UCLA.
Nicole Matthews, CEO, Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition
Nicole Matthews is a descendent of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, and is the CEO for Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition; a statewide Tribal Coalition and National Tribal Technical Assistance Provider, addressing sexual violence and sex trafficking against Native people The mission of this organization is to strengthen the voices of Indigenous women to create awareness, influence social change, and reclaim the traditional values that honor the sovereignty of Indigenous women and children thereby eliminating the sexual violence perpetrated against them. Nicole serves as the Chair for the MMIR Reward Fund Board; she served as the Vice Chair of Minnesota’s Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women’s Task Force; and she serves on the Tri-Lateral Group on Violence Against Indigenous Women. She is a TedX Speaker, and a National and International Speaker on sexual violence and sex trafficking, and the intersections of racism and oppression. Nicole’s most important role is being a mother, grandmother, sister, auntie, and matriarch.
Jennifer Polzin, Chief Executive Officer, Tubman
Jen Polzin is passionate about building strong teams, leading positive change, and creating environments where people can live their best lives and do their best work. Since joining Tubman in 1992, she has worked with survivors, community members, volunteers and staff, serving as Chief Executive Officer since 2015. Jen has extensive experience working directly with people of all ages, genders, and cultural backgrounds who have experienced relationship violence, trafficking, homelessness, addiction, and mental health challenges. Her deep expertise in strategic planning, program design, collaborative community engagement initiatives, fundraising, and public policy work helps make Tubman a leading organization that continues to evolve to meet community needs. For eight years, she was adjunct faculty in the Department of Human Relations and Multicultural Education at St. Cloud State University. Her classes focused on understanding how power, privilege, resources, institutions and ethnocentric culture affect racism, sexism, classism, homophobia, ageism and disability issues.
Photography credit: Nikhil Kumaran, Minnesota Public Radio
Thank you to our incredible sponsors whose generous support makes tonight’s celebration possible. Their contributions allow us to share the meaningful stories you’ll hear this evening and showcase how our 35 years of research continues to impact women, girls, and gender-expansive people across Minnesota. We are grateful for their partnership in advancing our mission.
Changemaker Sponsor
Advocate Sponsor
Special thank you to our event vendors! WFM supports local, BIPOC women- and gender expansive-owned businesses whenever possible, and today’s vendor list reflects this priority.
5ive is an independent, woman-owned, social-impact creative agency, on a mission to partner with leaders, teams and communities to develop innovative solutions, solve complex issues and build better systems for human progress.
Bethany Birnie is a Creative Director, commercial photographer, visual designer, and artist. Her passion is creating work that has never been seen before in a beautiful, highly-detailed way.
Jenny Nguyen co-owns Càphin Minneapolis with her husband, Savio. As second-generation Vietnamese Americans, they grew up with a deep appreciation for the traditions their parents, first-generation immigrants, brought with them. They’re excited to share the rich flavors and warmth of Vietnamese coffee with their Minneapolis community.
El Burrito Mercado is a Latina-owned mercado and restaurant located in St. Paul. Started by the Silvas in 1979, El Burrito Mercado remains family-owned and is now led by Milissa, Suzie, and Analita Silva.
Girl Friday is a woman-owned business that leads in creating killer, one-of-a-kind installations, displays, props and décor.
Smari Cakes is an AAPI woman-owned cake shop focused on creating cakes and gourmet treats that are beautiful to behold and delicious to eat for all celebrations.
Coffee from Càphin Minneapolis
Beverages from Càphin Minneapolis will be available during the pre-event networking reception.
- Vietnamese Coffee (no non-dairy substitutions)
- Strawberry Matcha (almond, oat, and dairy milk available)
Lunch from El Burrito Mercado
- Fiesta chicken (gluten-friendly*)
- Flour tortillas (vegan)
- Corn torillas (vegan, gluten-friendly*)
- Mexican rice
- Refried beans (vegan and gluten-friendly*)
- Fajita veggies (vegan and gluten-friendly*)
- Lettuce (vegan and gluten-friendly*)
- Pico de gallo (vegan and gluten-friendly*)
- Salsa sabrosa (vegan and gluten-friendly*)
- Shredded cheese
- Sour cream (gluten-friendly*)
- Agua de pepino (cucumber agua fresca, vegan and gluten-friendly*)
*El Burrito’s kitchen and bakery are located in the same area, which increases the risk of cross-contamination. They offer items that do not contain gluten in their ingredient lists, which they call “gluten-friendly.”
Dessert from Smari Cakes
- Salted caramel and lemon cupcakes
- Selection of cookies from Sift (vegan and gluten-free)
Thank You, Changemaker Sponsor
