EcoFaith Summit 2025
Earth's Cries, Earth's Call
Becoming Midwives of Hope for the Healing of Creation
Saturday, April 5, 2025
at First Lutheran Church in Duluth and Online
9:30am - 5:00pm (see the plan for the day here)
Free Childcare Provided
Summit Schedule
8:30 Gathering Hour
Welcome and Sign-In, Coffee, Table Exhibits
9:30 Morning: Meet the Midwives
-
Opening Worship with Dr. Diane Jacobson & Dr. Kelly Sherman-Conroy
-
Keynote Presentation by Dr. Cynthia Moe-Lobeda Earth Cries and We are Called: Birthing Moral Spiritual Power for Hope and Healing
-
Break
-
Interlude: Hózhó (Navajo for "harmony among all beings") Connor Chee, Karen Hanson Sande, organ
-
Response by Dr. Kelly Sherman-Conroy
11:45 Lunch & Table Exhibits
12:45 Summit Worship
1:25 Afternoon: Becoming Midwives, Birthing Courageous Action
-
Birthing Stations - Session 1 (1:25-2:25)
-
Birthing Stations - Session 2 (2:35-3:35)
3:45 Sending Worship
4:00 Reception & Table Exhibits
Letter Writing Call to Action for Earth Care throughout the day
Livestream Schedule
9:30 Morning Worship & Plenary
12:45 Summit Worship
1:25 Birthing Stations - Pathways for People of Courage: A conversation with Dr. Cynthia Moe-Lobeda
2:35 Birthing Stations - Weaving Creation's Story: From Lament to Hope with Dr. Kelly Sherman-Conroy
3:45 Sending Worship
Letter Writing Call to Action for Earth Care from across the country
.png)
Presented by: The Northeastern Minnesota Synod EcoFaith Network, Northwest Synod of Wisconsin, and Saint Paul Area Synod along with partner organizations, synods, camps, colleges, and seminaries.
Donations can be made via PayPal, on Eventbrite or by mailing a check payable to "Northeastern MN Synod" with "EcoFaith Summit" in the memo to 1111 London Road, Duluth, MN 55802
In addition to attending the EcoFaith Summit 2025, please consider supporting the EcoFaith Summit with an extra donation to further the work of calling disciples into the work of Healing of Creation
Meet the Lead Speaker and Presenter
Keynote Speaker
Dr. Cynthia Moe-Lobeda
Our keynote speaker will be well known theological ethicist Cynthia Moe-Lobeda. She is the author, editor, and co-author of numerous books and journal articles, including her book, Resisting Structural Evil: Love as Economic and Ecological Vocation, which received the Nautilus Book Award for social justice. Her latest book, Building a Moral Economy: Pathways for People of Courage, is the first in a series calling to us to build the moral-spiritual strength for shared, hope-based action https://www.buildingamoraleconomy.org/
Dr. Moe-Lobeda has lectured or consulted around the world, addressing matters of climate justice as related to race and class, moral agency and hope, public church, ethical implications of resurrection and incarnation, and faith-based resistance to systemic injustice. She serves as Professor of Theological and Social Ethics at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary and is a member of the Core Doctoral Faculty of the Graduate Theological Union. Moe-Lobeda is Founding Director of PLTS' Center for Climate Justice and Faith and guides its Climate Justice and Faith Certificate and other programs. She is the only North American serving on the Lutheran World Federation task force appointed to create a Climate Justice Policy, and is one of two North Americans on the World Council of Churches / Lutheran World Federation ecumenical panel tasked with advising their work toward a more just international economic order.
Special Presenter
Dr. Kelly Sherman-Conroy
.jpg)
Our special presenter is Dr. Kelly Sherman-Conroy, native theologian, storyteller, and activist. Storytelling stands at the heart of her work. As she says, “Stories heal because they make invisible pain visible for us to understand what is happening in our lives.” Dr. Kelly Sherman-Conroy, a proud member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, is a storyteller, poet, pastor, and educator blending Lakota spirituality with Christian teachings. As the first Native woman in the ELCA to earn a PhD in theology, she teaches at St. Olaf College and is an adjunct professor at Augsburg University, guiding students in social justice, spirituality, and reconciliation. She also serves as Associate Pastor at All Nations Indian Church in Minneapolis, creating a welcoming space for spiritual growth and community connection.
Beyond academia and ministry, Kelly is the convener of the Twin Cities Interfaith Chaplains, having trained over 400 chaplains to serve communities in times of crisis. She is an active member of the Urban Indian Directors, advocating for Native-led initiatives and community well-being. She also leads sacred site tours, helping others connect with the spiritual and historical significance of the land. An internationally recognized speaker and liturgist, Kelly’s work inspires others to honor the sacredness in every person and place, nurturing deeper connections across cultures and faiths.
The 2025 EcoFaith Summit
The ever-increasing cries of creation in crisis could easily overwhelm us.
Instead let them serve as a clarion call to help bring life out of potential death, to help give renewed birth to all creation, to all creatures including ourselves.
Join in becoming midwives of hope and healing. Like Shiphrah and Puah in the Exodus story, who defied Pharaoh and brought forth life in the midst of slavery and death, we know that every child, all life, all of creation is worthy of saving through defiance and courage. Their story births something in us. These midwives become our models. They call and sing to us from the pages of Scripture – ‘Do likewise, O people, help bring forth life that staves off death.’
Keynote speaker Dr. Cynthia Moe-Lobeda, author, organizer, and theological ethicist, will lead us in naming the powers that are destroying the earth and introducing us to midwives of hope today.
Special presenter Dr. Kelly Sherman-Conroy, member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, dynamic storyteller, poet, scholar, and the the first Native woman to earn a PhD in theology within the ELCA, she offers a groundbreaking blend of Indigenous spirituality and Christian teachings.
The Summit will feature compelling speakers, enlivening worship, informative exhibits, opportunities for networking, and an array of engagement sessions for giving birth to strong, creative action in our congregations, camps, campuses, and communities. Morning refreshments, fresh local lunch and celebratory final reception are included in the day.
Summit Goals and Theme Statement
GOALS
HEAR God’s call through the cries of Creation.
NAME the powers destroying Creation and holding us captive.
STAND WITH Creation through bold community action.
HELP GIVE BIRTH to creative resistance for the healing of Creation.
THEME STATEMENT
Earth’s Cries
“Wake up! Listen! Creation is crying out, groaning in travail!” (Romans 8:22)
-
Hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, fires, droughts… CRY OUT TO US.
-
Species facing extinction … CRY OUT TO US.
-
Dying pollinators … CRY OUT TO US.
-
Hungry, suffering, and displaced people … CRY OUT TO US.
-
Children born and yet to be born… CRY OUT TO US.
All echo the biblical cries of those held captive.
Earth’s Call
“Stand up! Stop denying! Take bold action together!”
Yes, we can be overwhelmed. Yes, we can be paralyzed by our own tears, rage, and terror. But we can also ACT. We can hear God’s voice in Earth’s cries: a clarion call to act with creative courage for the protection, regeneration, and healing of an imperiled Creation.
Becoming Midwives of Hope for the Healing of Creation
“Rise up! Take heart! Let us be creative, courageous midwives of hope and healing!”
Let us learn together. Enter this biblical story of faithful, collective resistance (Exodus 1:15-22). In a time of oppressive enslavement, two midwives to the Hebrews, Shiphrah and Puah, revering God, defied the powerful Pharaoh. Holding the future in their arms, they brought forth life where the tyrant had commanded death. They knew each child was worthy of their courageous defiance. Through deep listening to their story, may faithful defiance be birthed in us. May we become Shiphrahs and Puahs, helping to give birth to moral-spiritual power for the healing of Creation.
“Dare to hope! Be faithful! Together, bring forth life!”
Why the Midwives?
Dear Friend,
If you are reading this message, it probably means you are deeply concerned about the escalating climate crisis and its impacts on the health, homes, and lives of people around our country and world. You hear Creation crying out to us as floods, fires, droughts, and hurricanes become more frequent and intense, as glaciers recede, and as all of God’s creatures suffer. You may be alarmed by the actions being taken under the new U.S. administration to dismantle environmental and other protections. Science tells us that this is the last decade when we still have a chance to prevent the most catastrophic effects of global heating. Instead, we are heading in the wrong direction. The powers who are creating this crisis do not seem to care.
If you are feeling fear, grief, outrage, and powerlessness, know this -- you are not alone.
As we searched for a theme for this year’s EcoFaith Summit, we were drawn to a little-known story about two midwives to the Hebrews from the first chapter of Exodus. The descendants of Jacob, climate refugees from Palestine, had lived in Egypt for many generations. The new ruler, threatened by their presence, used every means possible to control and destroy them. When forced labor did not stop them from having children, he ordered the midwives to the Hebrews to kill baby boys as soon as they were born. Two of these midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, refused to be powerless and defied his cruel command. Revering the God of life more than they feared the Pharaoh, they were faithful to their vocation to support women in labor to give birth. By refusing to be intimidated and defeated by a power-hungry ruler, they saved lives. They became Midwives of Hope to the suffering Hebrews and to all who encounter their story.
These midwives are the models we need right now.
This is what this year’s EcoFaith Summit is about. When Creation is crying, when lives are being harmed, when Life itself is threatened, we cannot capitulate to despair or try to act alone. Creation is calling us to become midwives of hope. Together we can help give birth to the creative courage to ACT for the protection, regeneration, and healing of our imperiled Creation.
When you come to the EcoFaith Summit on April 5, you will know that you are not alone. Together with other people of faith and conscience from our congregations, communities, campuses, and camps, we will find moral courage for becoming midwives of hope for the healing of Creation.
Your friends from the EcoFaith Summit Planning Team
Rev. Kristin Foster, Rev. David Carlson, Rev. Beth Pottratz, Dr. Deacon Diane Jacobson, Rev. Greg Kaufmann, Rev. Emily Meyer, Luke Pederson SAM/Seminary Student, Rev. Dianne Loufman, Laurel Boyer, Paul Jacobson, Rev. John Sippola, Rev. Jonathan Dodson
High School Youth are Coming to the Summit
Here is your invitation to join us!
Hi! My name is Brooke Elness, and I am a junior at Princeton High School. I am the high school EcoFaith Youth Rep. and a member of the Lutheran Youth Organization (LYO Board). We are inviting youth to participate the EcoFaith Summit with everyone else and time apart with only other youth to connect and share in conversation about Care of Creation.
Are you or your high school group
passionate about caring for the environment?
Curious about what that means?
Wondering if churches care about Creation and our future?
Looking for community and a good time?
Do you have room in your carpool for a couple of youth?
Do you know people under 30 register for free?
Come to the EcoFaith Summit of the Upper Midwest! The Summit is a one day experience with presentations and conversation around creation care and responding to the climate crisis - plus free food and new friends! You can attend with an adult, with a friend, or with your high school youth group. And remember, youth registration is completely free.
Please share this information with friends and members of your youth group and consider bringing a small group of climate-interested youth.
We would love to have you join us in this opportunity and build a youth cohort focused around the environment.
Brooke Elness
LYO Board (NEMN Synod) and member of Trinity Lutheran, Princeton MN
Birthing Stations
Afternoon breakout sessions
You will have the opportunity to attend two Birthing Stations. Online participants will be notified which two they will be attending. In person attendees will be able to select two Birthing Stations. Find the descriptions here:
Pathways for People of Courage: A conversation
with Dr. Cynthia Moe-Lobeda, Keynote Speaker
How do we find pathways and moral-spiritual courage for creating an ecological, equitable, and democratic future? Join in a conversation with our keynote speaker Dr. Cynthia Moe-Lobeda to probe how we build courage, wisdom, and skills for practical and faithful action. Learn how the new Building a Moral Economy book, series, and website can be a guide for groups in your congregation, community, campus, or camp. "You have the power to change tomorrow", Cynthia says. We can be midwives of this powerful hope.
A Practice: For the World-Smitten, Grief-Stricken, Who Will Not Give Up
with Kristin Swenson
This is an activity, an "eco-grief" activity. It's for people carrying heavy thoughts and feelings about our persistent environmental degradation - people who care, are trying, and are tired; people who might wrestle despair and are beset by grief. It's a formal practice of eight steps designed to meet the practitioner where she is and set her on her feet again that she might continue (in joy) engaged living in, with, and for the vast All of interrelated earth beings, all our kin.
Bio: Kristin is the daughter of Dick and Cec Swenson, sister of Linnea and Deb, aunt of Leland and Tallulah. She grew up in Duluth and continues to live for stretches of time with her dad, a member of First Lutheran Church. Kristin has a background in academia – biblical studies, specifically, with strong interest in environmental issues that show up (sometimes covertly) in all of her writing. She's the author of books and other things, including God of Earth: Discovering a Radically Ecological Christianity. She's in the process of building out her Pretty Good Kitchen project to promote the kind of world she wants to inhabit. When not in Duluth, she lives with her husband, dog, and wonderful wild beings in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Creation Care in Congregations 101
with Emily Meyer
Is your congregation stuck? Do you struggle to get buy-in for climate care? Are you hitting roadblocks - before you even get started? How does the culture of a congregation affect our ability to establish meaningful creation care ministries? Discover nine indicators that can either hinder or empower dynamic ministries that build community as they address climate change.
Rev. Emily Meyer, Executive Director of The Ministry Lab, will introduce the Innovation Culture Index (ICI) and Community Discovery Package (CDP), facilitated tools designed to empower congregations to move from frustration and stagnation into joyful, life-renewing innovation as you engage climate care and related community needs.
We’ll also consider two free Toolkits designed to support congregations in entering into difficult discussions: Courageous Spaces: Congregations that Listen, Lament, and Repair, a multi-media, intergenerational approach to developing safer spaces for challenging congregational and interpersonal discussions and Graceful Conversations: Building Arcs across Divided Perspectives, a video series created with Tammy Walhof of Lutheran Advocacy-MN, stemming from last year’s EcoFaith Summit, that equips individuals and congregations to support community-wide discussions.
Bio: Rev. Emily Meyer (she/her), Executive Director. As an ordained pastor in the ELCA, Emily interned in Seaside, OR, served as pastor, liturgical artist, and faith formation leader in suburban, ex-urban and rural Minnesota congregations, created and led the multi-congregational affirmation of baptism program, Confirmation Reformation, and was pastor of the retreat center, Holden Village. Rev. Meyer enjoys being a guest preacher and liturgist and leads contemplative and creative retreats and small groups. She earned a BA from Luther College (Decorah, IA); an MDiv from Luther Seminary (St Paul, MN); an MART from United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities; a Certificate in Contemplative Prayer Small Group and Retreat Leadership from Shalem Institute; and a Certificate in Mindfulness Facilitation from Mindful Schools. Emily is a regular contributor to Green Blades Rising Preachers Roundtable and served as Liturgical Arts Choreographer and Coordinator for the Lutheran World Federation's 2023 Global Assembly. Her liturgical elements were featured in Sundays and Seasons, 2024. Between pastoral gigs, she has enjoyed costume designing, choreographing, and performing.
Organizing Hope through Community Organizing:
Empowering People to Act Together on behalf of Creation
with Kristin Foster, Dianne Loufman, Jonathan Dodson
Community organizing can be a powerful way for us to be Shiphrah and Puah, courageous midwives of hope for the healing of Creation. Three members of the EcoFaith Network Planning Team with experience and training in church-based community organizing will identify the core elements of community organizing, why they make Christians uncomfortable, then lead participants in practicing one of those core elements. They will share some stories of how community organizing can empower people to identify and address their concerns for environmental justice and build community commitment to environmental health.
Note: This birthing station does not equip participants to be community organizers, but helps people gain an understanding of its basic dynamics. Community organizing initiatives in the upper Midwest that offer training will be listed.
Bio: Kristin Foster, lead organizer for the EcoFaith Summit, has many decades of experience in church-based community organizing, first in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the wake of the steel industry’s collapse in the 1980’s, then on the Iron Range, where she was pastor for three decades. This experience includes organizing for health care and neighborhood parks through Action Through Churches Together, for community youth through the Summer Work Outreach Project, and for environmental and economic sustainability through the Iron Range Partnership for Sustainability. She says, “The power to act together for who and what we love gives hope”.
Bio: Dianne Loufman was trained in community organizing in
the 1980's and co-led for years the Interfaith Community Organization (I.C.O.) in Jersey City, NJ. I.C.O. organized around many issues: abandoned housing, community policing, no more liquor stores in black neighborhoods, affordable housing, chromium slag clean-up and for a living wage with our sister organizations in neighboring NYC. As assistant to the bishop in Metro NY, I helped organize a community-organizing training for the synod. My favorite one-to-one relational meeting in Scripture is Jesus' conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well.
Bio: Pastor Jonathan Dodson is a child of God and a follower of Jesus. He serves in Northwestern Minnesota as pastor for Immanuel, Ebenezer and Bethany Lutheran. He is a first call pastor entering his twentieth year. Jonathan is part of the Care for Creation Task Force working in the NWMN synod. He completed, alongside friends, the Certificate for Climate Justice and Faith through Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary. He enjoys everything an open air life delivers.
Protecting our waters for future generations
with Nancy Schuldt, Chuck Thomas
The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa has built a comprehensive tribal water quality program, establishing more stringent protections for all waters of the reservation: trout streams, wild rice lakes, fisheries lakes, wetlands, the St. Louis River. This authority enables the Band to reflect unique cultural, spiritual and traditional values in its regulatory program, and to elevate the importance of protecting these resources for future generations. Fond du Lac also participates extensively in the remedial and restoration activities in the St. Louis River Area of Concern and stands on the front lines for many high-profile environmental issues: reducing mercury in fish, wetland protection and restoration, climate change resiliency, hard rock mining and pipelines.
Participants will also hear about efforts in the Northern Great Lakes Synod ELCA to increase awareness of water issues and God's call for us to care for creation, including actions of "water stewards" and an interfaith water steward charter.
Bio: Nancy Schuldt has served as the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa’s Water Projects Coordinator since 1997. She developed the Band’s water quality standards and long-term monitoring program and has directed research into fish contaminants and sediment chemistry to characterize mercury impacts to Fond du Lac Band members. She has collaborated on research into wild rice ecology and toxicity, and leads the Band’s environmental review of mining and energy industry impacts to treaty-protected resources. She participates in numerous local, regional, national and binational working groups to ensure the tribal perspective is represented. Nancy has a degree in Biology from the University of Dayton, and a Master’s Degree in Aquatic Ecology from the University of Kansas.
Bio: Chuck Thomas is a licensed professional geologist, who during his last seven years before retirement was the district supervisor for the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality public drinking water oversight program. He currently serves as vice president of the Northern Great Lakes Synod ELCA and is involved with that synod's Interfaith Water Stewards group.
.jpg)
Weaving Creation’s Story: From Lament to Hope
A Practice for Those Who Hear Creation’s Cries and Refuse to Stay Silent
with Dr. Kelly Sherman-Conroy, Featured Presenter
"What if this darkness is not the darkness of the tomb, but the darkness of the womb?" –Valarie Kaur
We are not witnessing the end but the painful labor of something new. Creation groans, not in death, but in the struggle to bring forth renewal. In the chaos, in the fear, in the uncertainty, we are called not to retreat but to breathe, to push, and to show up.
This eco-theological storytelling practice is for those who grieve what has been lost yet refuse to believe that destruction is the end of the story. Through deep listening, communal storytelling, and reflection, participants will journey through hearing what has been, naming what is breaking, and imagining what can be. This is not just a practice of lament but a commitment to midwifing hope, to become co-creators of a story that leads to renewal.
Courage Grows at Camp!
with Andrea Bonneville DeNaples, Sari Kroschel, Bjørn Anderson
At the heart of Lutheran Outdoor Ministry is our calling to care for God's creation as courageous stewards of our beautiful earth. God's people throughout time have turned to creation for healing, rest, and renewal. While each camp is unique, we commit to building courage, fostering connection in and with creation, and instilling a sense of purpose as caretakers of God's Earth. Join Camp Onomia, Camp Vermilion, and Camp Hiawatha for a multi-generational engagement session to renew, connect, and create hope for the future of God's creation.
The engagement session will include:
-
Overview of the purpose of Lutheran Outdoor Ministry and each Camp.
-
Interactive activities to build courage and learn about stewardship.
-
Time listening for and learning how God is calling us to be healers of Creation.
Bio: Pastor Andrea Bonneville DeNaples grew up in the Northwoods of Minnesota, being introduced to the beauty of God's creation through her grandparents and parents. She serves as the Program Director for Summer Camps at Voyageurs Lutheran Ministry. She is passionate about making space for people to get outdoors and unplugged from technology, introducing people to the joy of gardening and growing food, and practicing and advocating for creation care as a spiritual practice. She enjoys playing board and card games, cooking over a campfire, and journeying through life with her spouse, Taylor.
Bio: Sari Kroschel finds meaning in her life by helping others recognize the loving presence of God in their lives, and making sure that all people feel welcome and valued in the church. She currently serves as the Program Director at Camp Onomia. She is passionate about getting people outside to be in awe of Creation, and instilling a sense of responsibility of taking care of Creation in all those who come to camp. She lives at Camp Onomia with her partner Jared. In her free time she enjoys reading, being out on the lake, and trying to wood carve.
Bio: My name is Bjørn Anderson. I serve as the Director of Adventure Programs for Voyageurs Lutheran Ministry. I was fortunate to grow up in a family that valued environmental stewardship and the abundant opportunities for outdoor recreation that Northeastern Minnesota provides. I am a lifelong hiker, paddler, cross-country skier, and snowshoer. I believe deeply in the transformative potential of time spent outdoors. Camp provides a context for people of all ages to grow physically, emotionally, and spiritually. This is particularly true when campers are placed in new situations ranging from stepping into a canoe or strapping on snowshoes for the first time to spending multiple days traversing the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. When I am not working I can be found exploring in the woods on foot or by canoe, reading, playing cribbage, and spending time with my wife, Pastor Laura Mills Anderson and our two dogs.
Moving Toward a Renewable Society through Action
with Bret Pence, John Skoug, Krehl Stringer
It can be daunting, acknowledging the deep challenge and moral imperative of an issue like climate change and its effects. This is especially true without the critical component of affirming action that can make a difference. Join the discussion as we dive into the why's and how's of climate action for faith communities and their individual members, with a particular emphasis on physical projects and resources that can help them come to fruition.
The Pollinator Plot : Becoming A Midwife for Nature in Our Own Backyards
with Jan Bilden & Pollinator Plot Steering Committee
The number of "pollinator sanctuaries" in our region is increasing -- join the movement! Jan Bilden and other members of the Northeastern MN Synod Pollinator Steering Committee will share about the Why, What, and How of pollinator plots. Why? Having a plot as a congregation or individual is a dual recognition of God's call and the plight of pollinators. What? Know the process steps of getting support, funding and choosing a location. How? Learn and practice the basics of getting a plot started and further developed, including designating your plot a Monarch Waystation and hearing about (and seeing) the pollinator plot at First Lutheran. Whether you have a little or a lot of experience with pollinator gardens, you are welcome to share your stories and questions as we move toward actions that can assist these small creatures which are essential to our life.
Bio: Jan Bilden is a member of St. Andrew's Lutheran Church in Grand Rapids, MN, and chair of the Northeastern MN Synod Pollinator Steering Committee. She has a B.A. in biology, an M.A. in Experiential Education and a M.S. in Counseling & Guidance. She also serves on the synod's EcoFaith Leadership Team and will be joined by other members of the Pollinator Steering Committee.
Transitioning Away from the Extractive Economy
with Tammy Walhof, JT Hanes
What is required of us at this moment in response to pressures for more mining? Is mining needed to address our climate challenges? Why does the industry suggest they are a climate solution? Should we be seeking alternatives as we transition to an electric economy? Join us as we discuss these questions and how we as Christians and Lutherans are called to respond as stewards of God's good creation.
Bio: Tammy Walhof, Director, Lutheran Advocacy - Minnesota has a passion for faith and justice has led her to volunteer with low-income families in the U.S., work for six years in organizing and community development in Latin America through World Renew, travel to various African countries, and work in faith-based advocacy for more than two decades. Her background in public policy has served her in state government, her previous positions at Bread for the World, and as Director of Lutheran Advocacy-MN since 2014. She has expertise in many creation care, poverty, hunger, and related issues. In 2023, she served as an observer on behalf of the ELCA to COP 28, the International Climate Conference in Dubai (U.A.E.) , and in 2024 served as a virtual observer for COP 29 (held in in Baku, Azerbaijan). Tammy has a B.A. in History, Political Science, and Secondary Education, an M.A. in Public Policy Analysis and Administration, and has taken additional courses in theology, economics, climate change, and more.
Bio: JT Haines joined MCEA in 2019. He has a JD from the University of Virginia, MPP from the University of Minnesota, and a BA from Northwestern University. He was formerly an attorney in Minneapolis and public-sector union representative in Duluth. JT is also the Co-founder of the grassroots advocacy group Duluth for Clean Water. “Growing up on Minnesota's Mesabi Iron Range meant living on the edge between heavy industry and boundless beauty. To this day I recall my awe at sun-warmed taconite pellets on the tracks, strawberries and blueberries in the wild, and the wonder of northern lakes. Now I hail from Duluth, where the "Big Lake" also provokes the imagination and sustains the community. Unfortunately, our sensitive landscape is under threat, and we have not adequately respected the treaty rights of native nations. At our best, Northern Minnesota instills in each of us a love of place and a deep understanding of what is required to protect it.”
