2011 Presenters:

 Leah Smiley, President, Society for Diversity Executives & Professionals:

“How to Create a New Diversity Strategy” and “The Engaging & Effective Manager: How to Increase Performance & Satisfaction in a Diverse Workforce”

Leah Smiley is the Founder and President of the Society for Diversity, the largest professional diversity and inclusion membership organization in the U.S. Aiming to advance the field of diversity and inclusion while coordinating information and resources for global D&I practioners, Mrs. Smiley acquired members in 19 states and formed an international Board of Directors. She has led the formation of a diversity certification program, advocated for the creation of chief diversity officer positions via mainstream media outlets, facilitated workshops at several national conferences, and trained over 2,000 professionals and executives pertaining to business benefits of diversity and inclusion.

Mrs. Smiley has more than 15 years of experience in human resources and organizational development, with 9 years of experience specifically in the field of diversity. She also has professional management experience in the corporate, nonprofit, education and government sectors. Mrs. Smiley has a Political Science degree from Hampton University, an HBCU in Virginia.

 Suzanne Koepplinger, Executive Director, Minnesota Indian Women’s Resources Center

“Sex Trafficking of Marginalized Populations”

Suzanne Koepplinger, M.A., is the Executive Director of the Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center. She has a background in international project development, domestic violence advocacy, and fundraising. Suzanne serves on Boards for the American Indian Community Development Corporation and ArtSpace. Civic activities include the Steering Committee of the Sheila Wellstone Institute and FBI Civil Rights Advisory Group. Suzanne is of Leadership of from Augsburg College. She is the recipient of the Minneapolis FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award, the 2008 Sheila Wellstone Gold Watch Award from WATCH, and several other awards. Suzanne has extensive experience in speaking and training on sexual exploitation and other forms of gender violence, and has authorized and co-authored several articles on the topic. She was recently named one of the 16 national leaders to be part of the first cohort group for the NoVo Foundation’s Move to End Violence.

 Dr. Richard Rathge, Director of the State Data Center at North Dakota State University

“Census 2010 Outcomes and Its Impact for the Region”

Dr. Rathge is Director of the State Data Center at North Dakota State University. He has served as North Dakota’s State Demographer for the past 30 years directing the Center and coordinating North Dakota’s cooperative federal-state program for population estimates and projections. Dr. Rathge also is a professor in the department of Sociology and Agribusiness and Applied Economics at NDSU and policy analyst for the North Dakota Kids Count project. Dr. Rathge received his Ph.D. from Michigan State University and his undergraduate and master’s degrees were granted in New Mexico State University. He served as a demographer for General Motors Corporation in the early 1980s and more recently received Honorary Fellowships to work with faculty at the Center for Population and Ecology at the University of Wisconsin Madison and Florida State University. He recently served on a panel of the National Academics of Science examining the usability of data from the American Community Survey which is the survey replacing the long form of the Census.

 Mark Gorkin, MSW, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, “The Stress Doc”:

2011 Regional Diversity Conference Key Note Speaker & two sessions: “Practicing Safe Stress in Times of Change” and “Bridging the Multi-Generational Communication Divide”

Mark Gorkin, MSW, LICSW, “The Stress Doc”, is an acclaimed keynote and kickoff speaker as well as “Motivational Humorist & Team Communication Catalyst” known for his interactive, inspiring and FUN programs for both government agencies and major corporations. In addition, the “Doc” is a team building and organizational development consultant. He is providing “Stress and Communication, as well as Managing Change, Leadership and Team Building” programs for the 1^st Calvary Division and 13^th Expeditionary Support Command, Ft. Hood, Texas and for Army Community Services and Family Advocacy Programs at Ft. Meade, MD and Ft. Belvoir, VA as well as Andrews Air Force Base / Behavioral Medicine Services. Mark has also rotated as a Military & Family Life Consultant (MFLC) at Ft. Campbell, KY. A former Stress and Violence Prevention Consultant for the U.S. Postal Service, the Stress Doc is the author of Practice Safe Stress  and The Four Faces of Anger. See his award-winning, USA Today Online “Hotsite” – www.stressdoc.com – called a “workplace resource” by National Public Radio (NPR). For more info on the Doc’s “Practice Safe Stress” programs or to receive his free e-newsletter, email stressdoc@aol.com or call 301-875-2567.

 Dr. Ahmed Kamel, Ph.D., Assoicate Professor of Computer Science, Mathematics and Computer Science Department, Conordia College

“Learning and Understanding Islam”

Ahmed Kamel is a  professor of Computer Science at Concordia College. He is a practicing Muslim. He grew up in Egypt and has been living in the United States since 1988. He earned Bachelor and Masters Degrees from Cairo University, and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Michigan State University. He is very active in the Fargo-Moorhead community where he often participates in community educational events about Islam, Egypt and the Middle East. He is also a board member of the Center for Interfaith Projects and often participates in the Center’s educational activities.

Urban Native American Panelists:

 Jaclynn W. Davis, Vice President, Office of Equity, Diversity and Global Outreach - NDSU

Originally from Belcourt, North Dakota, Jaclynn Wallette Davis is an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. As the Assistant Vice President, Office of Equity, Diversity & Global Outreach, Jaclynn provides programming for students, staff, and faculty of color. Jaclynn is also active in the community. Her activities in the Fargo-Moorhead area include serving on the City of Fargo Native American Commission, the Board of Directors for the local YWCA, Fargo Theater Film Festival Committee, President of Daughters of the Earth, Native American Programs Advisory Council, Northern Plains Voices, and past president of Cultural Diversity Resources Board of Directors. Currently, she serves on the HRSA National Expert Panel on Minority Faculty Development in Washington, D.C.

 Willard Yellow Bird Jr., Cultural Planner - City of Fargo

An enrolled member of the Three Affiliated Tribes (Arikara / Hidatsa) on the Fort Berthold Reservation. He has lived in the Fargo-Moorhead area for about 35 years. Willard has been employed by the City of Fargo since 1998, recently being promoted to Cultural Planner in the Department of Planning & Development in summer of 2011. Mr. Yellow Bird has a background in Sociology and History from North Dakota State University. He currently works with the City of Fargo Native American Commission and in his new role, as Cultural Planner, he will be working with all the Native American Programs in the Fargo-Moorhead area.

 Prairie Rose Seminole, Project Coodinator, Native American Center Project - Fargo, ND

Prairie Rose Seminole is an enrolled tribal member of the Three Affiliated Tribes of ND, descendent of the Sahnish/Arikara, Northern Cheyenne, Mandan and Lakota Nations. She is the immediate past Chair of the Fargo Human Relations Commission, a Commission she has served since 2001. She has held annual faculty appointments since 2005 with the Tri-College NEW Leadership Institute – a residential program that empowers women in public and community leadership. Prairie Rose has been a social media trainer for the White House Project’s Go Run which provides women with the nuts and bolts of campaigning. She is also a trainer with Wellstone Action since 2009 - an organization founded in 2003 that works to give progressives the skills to win election and advance an agenda of change through the experience and development of candidates, campaign workers, activists and community organizers

Prairie Rose is Multicultural trainer with an emphasis on Native American Culture through the ND Post Board and has trained law enforcement agencies through-out the state. Multicultural training focuses on educating people to understand and appreciate cultural differences. Trainings also focus on building community rather than pointing out how people are different.

As a longtime activist her story has been published in Nona Willis Aronowitz book “Girldrive – Criss-crossing America, Redefining Feminism” and Billy Blacks book “Beautiful Women of ND”. 

Prairie Rose Seminole currently is the Chair of the F-M Native American Coalition, and is the Coordinator for the Native American Center Project in Fargo, North Dakota which is a project of Cultural Diversity Resources.