Lead For America, Land O'Lakes, Inc., Mayo Clinic and other partners announce placement of 6 American Connection Corps Fellows in Minnesota
Fellows will undertake transformational projects related to broadband connectivity and digital inclusion
ARDEN HILLS, Minn. (August 12, 2021) – Lead For America, Land O’Lakes, Inc., the Mayo Clinic, Midwest Dairy and Scoular today announced the placement of six American Connection Corps (ACC) Fellows in Minnesota. These Fellows will work to increase broadband access and digital literacy as well as contribute to critical community development initiatives in communities across Minnesota.
The American Connection Corps is a new, innovative Fellowship program focused on bridging the digital divide, led by Land O’Lakes and Lead For America (LFA) and funded through the support of 20 additional partners. As part of a national network, ACC Fellows will have access to premiere national training on community organizing, broadband and digital inclusion, and a network of LFA leaders nationwide. Over the course of the application window, the program received hundreds of applications from emerging leaders across the country. After an extensive interview process, the Fellows program has selected 50 individuals to serve as community leaders across the country.
“Lead For America is on a mission to build a generation of civic leaders dedicated to tackling the toughest challenges facing the communities they call home—and we are excited to bring our Hometown Fellowship model to Minnesota, from Redwood to Roseau counties, as a part of this first class of ACC Fellows,” said Benya Kraus, co-founder of Lead For America and executive director of the state-based program Lead For Minnesota. “The coronavirus pandemic underscored the importance of both leadership and of closing the digital divide in rural and urban communities across America. We are honored to partner with Land O’Lakes, and the many other American Connection Corps partners in placing 50 dynamic, and locally rooted leaders in the communities and places that helped raise them. We are committed to ensuring this initiative becomes a pathway home for outstanding Minnesotans for many years to come.”
“I firmly believe there is a role for leaders at every level to be actively engaged in bridging the access gap to critical digital infrastructure and leveraging economic opportunities for the very communities they grew up in,” said Tina May, Land O’Lakes, Inc. vice president for Rural Services. “And, this is just the beginning – it is our intention that this program will both grow to make an immediate and significant impact and also prove to legislators at the state and federal level that there is a scalable, successful model for community development, which can ensure all Americans have access to this fundamental infrastructure.”
“At Mayo Clinic, we are invested in the communities we serve and are committed to fostering new ways to connect with patients and support local communities,” said Mary Jo Williamson, Vice Chair, Mayo Clinic Administration. “Partnering with American Connection Corps to provide this fellowship is a unique opportunity to support economic development and growth in Minnesota and we are proud to support this initiative. Access to high-speed broadband internet is essential for rural communities and is an investment in health, education and economic opportunities for the future. We are excited to watch this program grow and impact change.”
“Engaged and inclusive leadership is essential to growing sustainable, vibrant communities,” said Scoular CEO Paul Maass. “These young leaders demonstrate what’s possible when stakeholders come together to invest in solving critical issues, and Scoular is honored to be part of this commitment to communities in Minnesota.”
“Midwest Dairy is proud to partner with Land O’Lakes and others to close the digital divide for rural communities while developing future leaders,” said Molly Pelzer, Midwest Dairy CEO. “We recognize the important role connectivity plays in providing food that is good for the people, planet, and communities and we are excited to support these efforts.”
ACC Fellows will serve their home communities in locations nationwide through high-impact, high-urgency two-year placements focused on closing the digital divide and building the next generation of leaders. In partnership with local institutions listed below, the six ACC Fellows will tackle tough challenges facing Minnesota, strengthen its civic infrastructure and join a new generation of transformational community leaders. Fellows will also participate in LFA's national Changemaker Summit, attend quarterly retreats, receive 1:1 expert mentorship, and join a growing community of local leaders.
The following organizations will host Fellows in their communities:
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James Clark (Ozaawaanakwad in Ojibwe): Aanjibimaadizing, Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe community
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James, under the direction of the Department of Administration, will help ensure that digital equity is woven across the Mille Lacs Band language revitalization efforts, which includes ensuring that elders have access to and understand how to use technology tools, that youth have access to devices and hubs for internet access to attend online language trainings, and to work with the Mille Lacs Band tribal leadership to understand broadband infrastructure gaps and get connected to opportunities for funding and technical assistance.
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Patrick Garry, Redwood County Economic Development Authority, Redwood County
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Patrick will develop a broadband needs assessment for the county, focused on capturing quantitative and qualitative data demonstrating the importance of broadband connection for the County. Additionally, Patrick will help establish a map outlining the existing fiber connections, provider areas, expansion opportunities, and gaps, while also generating comprehensive public awareness and excitement among county residents to advocate for broadband investment to the county. Altogether, these efforts will help ensure Redwood County is well positioned to successfully compete for state and federal funding for broadband deployment by the end of the 2-year Fellowship.
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Carter Grupp: Department of Economic Development, Otter Tail County
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Reporting to the Community Development Director, Carter will assist in the advancement of Otter Tail County’s broadband efforts, including furthering the specific projects initiated by the County’s current participation in the Blandin Broadband Community (BBC) Program. Carter will serve as the main convenor and collaborator for committees covering the five key project areas in the BBC program, while also being an active participant in implementing one of the five projects during his Fellowship.
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Amber Lewis, Northspan, East Iron Range
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Amber will support Northspan’s Arrowhead Intelligence Region grant implementation efforts, as well as the development of the region’s welcoming strategy to attract and retain new members to the community. Core to this welcoming strategy will be an assessment of digital access gaps, and its intersections with income, education, and racial inequities across the region. During Amber’s Fellowship, she will also facilitate multiple action committees across the region to understand and create action plans to address and fix these gaps, which may include the development of digital navigation programs, community innovation and technology hubs, promotion of remote work opportunities, and more.
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Matthew Sauser, Warroad Community Development LLC., Warroad
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Matthew will be the point facilitator of the Warroad area’s broadband development steering committee, working closely with the City of Warroad, local area providers, and the Warroad Community Development LLC. Matthew will develop and implement a strong rural organizing strategy to mobilize residents, private sector leaders, and publicly elected officials to prioritize broadband infrastructure investment in funding decisions. He will also support with household speed mapping initiatives, crucial to becoming eligible for certain grant funds, and will develop a clear communications strategy to align private and public investment, engage rural residents in advocacy around broadband development, and support broadband accessibility efforts to ensure that low-income, remote residents have affordable, safe, and informed ways to access broadband most immediately.
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Alex Young-Williams, Project 1590, Fairmont
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Alex will work with Martin County leadership to find access gaps around broadband infrastructure and adoption across the region and different community populations. Alex will help develop a digital navigator program, connecting county leadership to funding opportunities for infrastructure development and broadband adoption initiatives, while also increasing public awareness and engagement around the importance of these efforts by showcasing the intersection between broadband connectivity and business growth, talent attraction, and agriculture.
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The American Connection Corps is led in conjunction with Lead For America and funded through the support of 20 additional partner organizations, including: Land O’Lakes, Heartland Forward, CoBank, Tractor Supply Company, Microsoft, Mayo Clinic, Ariel Investments, Scoular, CHS, Zoetis, Tillamook County Creamery Association, Accenture, University of Minnesota, the American Farm Bureau Federation, Midwest Dairy, Purdue University, Partners for Education, CentraCare, Common Sense Media and University of Illinois Extension.
For general information on the ACC, please go here.
Media Contacts:
Land O’Lakes, Inc.: Abbey Shilling, 651-242-1503
Lead For America: Matthew Miller, 269-352-5742
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About Lead For America
Lead For America (LFA) is a national nonprofit that helps outstanding young people become civic leaders. LFA seeks to direct homegrown talent where it’s needed most — in towns and counties where challenges outpace resources available — often in rural and under-resourced communities. Through their flagship two-year paid Fellows program, LFA has funded and placed over 100 Fellows in over 80 communities and 30 states in newly created positions in their home communities since 2019, and plan to have 100 additional Fellows starting in 2021. Combined, LFA Fellows have leveraged more than $17 million for their communities and impacted the lives of more than 13.5 million people. Lead For America's national headquarters is located in Dodge City, Kansas.
About Land O'Lakes, Inc.
Land O'Lakes, Inc., one of America's premier agribusiness and food companies, is a member-owned cooperative with industry-leading operations that span the spectrum from agricultural production to consumer foods. With 2020 annual sales of $14 billion, Land O'Lakes is one of the nation's largest cooperatives, ranking 219 on the Fortune 500. Building on a legacy of more than 100 years of operation, Land O'Lakes today operates some of the most respected brands in agribusiness and food production including Land O’Lakes Dairy Foods, Purina Animal Nutrition, WinField United and Truterra. The company does business in all 50 states and more than 60 countries. Land O'Lakes, Inc. corporate headquarters are located in Arden Hills, Minnesota.
About Mayo Clinic Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news. For information on COVID-19, including Mayo Clinic's Coronavirus Map tracking tool, which has 14-day forecasting on COVID-19 trends, visit the Mayo Clinic COVID-19 Resource Center.
About Scoular
Scoular, a 128-year-old company with $6 billion in annual sales, creates safe and reliable supply chain solutions for end-users and suppliers of grain, feed ingredients, and food ingredients. From its more than 100 offices and facilities in North America and Asia, Scoular’s 1,000-plus employees lead the way by buying, selling, storing, handling and processing grain and ingredients as well as managing transportation and logistics for customers around the world. Scoular’s corporate headquarters are located in Omaha, Nebraska, and the company has regional corporate offices in Minneapolis, Overland Park, Kansas, and Singapore.
About Midwest Dairy
Midwest Dairy® represents 5,800 dairy farm families and works on their behalf to build dairy demand by inspiring consumer confidence in our products and production practices. We are committed to Bringing Dairy to Life for a Better World by Working with Others to Give Consumers an Excellent Dairy Experience, and we are funded from farmers from across a 10-state region, including Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma. For more information, visit MidwestDairy.com. Follow us on Twitter and find us on Facebook at Midwest Dairy.