Featured Speakers

FEATURED SPEAKERS

Monday, October 21 Plenary

The Art of Science

Presented by Eric J. Jolly, Ph.D., President and CEO, Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation

While weaving a traditional Cherokee-style doubled walled basket, Dr. Jolly will share stories of his heritage, of culture and of scientific learning as he reveals the mathematics and science embodied within this traditional art form.

This session highlights different ways of knowing and of demonstrating scientific learning through the metaphor and story.

Dr. Jolly brief bio

Eric J. Jolly, Ph.D. is the president and CEO of the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation—an organization working to create an equitable, just and vibrant Minnesota where all communities and people thrive.

Dr. Jolly is a cognitive psychologist with a background that also includes engineering and mathematics. Previously, as vice president and senior scientist at Education Development Center, he led technical assistance for NSF’s office of system reform for STEM (formerly SMET) education.

As president of the Science Museum of Minnesota he led both a significant science education center and the nation’s largest exhibit construction group, bringing groundbreaking science programming to major museums around the nation.

He has previously served as a member of the Mathematical Sciences Education Board, Committee for Equal Opportunities in Science and Engineering, chaired AAAS’s EHR division, as well as chair or service to numerous panels for the National Science Foundation and the National Academies.

He is a member of several academic honor societies, a senior member of IEEE, life fellow of AAAS, life appointee to the Hendrickson Institute for Ethical Leadership, life member of SACNAS, and recipient of two honorary doctorates and numerous scholarly awards.

Tuesday, October 22 Plenary

Break the Wheel: On Social Justice and Police Reform

Presented by Keith Ellison, Minnesota Attorney General

With a focus on the Derek Chauvin trial following the murder of George Floyd, Ellison will provide a raw and unfiltered account of the legal battle for justice. His remarks offer a stark examination of the complexities and challenges faced by prosecutors in confronting police violence and systemic injustice.

Remarks will be followed by a facilitated conversation led by Lori Sturdevant, retired editorial writer and columnist from The Minnesota Star Tribune.

Attorney General Ellison brief bio

Keith Ellison has served as Minnesota’s attorney general since January 2019. He is the lead prosecutor in the matter of the May 2020 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and led the team that successfully convicted former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on a charge of second-degree unintentional murder, which resulted in the longest sentence of any police officer for killing a civilian while on duty in Minnesota. Attorney General Keith Ellison also led the team that successfully prosecuted former Brooklyn Center police officer Kimberly Potter on a charge of first-and-second degree manslaughter in the matter of the April 2021 death of Daunte Wright.

As the People’s Lawyer, Attorney General Ellison’s job is to help Minnesotans afford their lives and live with dignity, safety, and respect. During the COVID-19 pandemic, his office enforced executive orders barring evictions and price-gouging, and successfully defended the constitutionality of pandemic-related executive orders in court.

Lori Sturdevant brief bio

Lori Sturdevant is a Minnesota journalist and author who focused on state and local government and politics during a 43-year career at the Minnesota Star Tribune. She is the author or editor of 13 books about notable Minnesotans, and is a three-time winner of the Minnesota Book Award. She and her husband Martin Vos live in Saint Paul; they have three grown children and two grandchildren.