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You Are What You Eat: The Nexus of Food & Health - Morning Session *External Ticket Required*
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Speakers
Senior Director of Innovation & Commercialization, AURI
As Senior Director of Innovation & Commercialization, Jennifer Wagner-Lahr oversees projects in partnership with Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI) staff members, commodity groups, state and federal agencies, and other collaborators and stakeholders that fulfill the...
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Founder/CEO, Eniva
Andrew Baechler is co-owner of Eniva Corporation and serves as its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Baechler is personally responsible for determining and overseeing strategic initiatives. He directs Eniva's "values-based" charitable activities - where significant impact has...
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General Counsel, Bright Health
Brian K. Beutner, JD, is General Counsel of Bright Health, an innovative connected healthcare experience. He served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of MNSure, Minnesota’s health insurance exchange, from 2013 to 2015. Prior to that, he served as the Chief Executive Officer...
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Culinary Nutritionist, The Earl Bakken Center for Spirituality and Healing
Jennifer Breen is a culinary nutritionist. She uses cooking education to address the issues of sustainability, justice, well being, and public and personal health. Breen is both a professional chef with over 20 years in the food industry and a Public Health nutrition educator (MPH...
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CEO, Brimacomb & Associates
Rick has been a venture capitalist, advising and investing in hundreds of emerging companies, for 25+ years. He founded the Brimacomb Capital venture fund and co-founded the Sherpa Partners venture capital fund, both early-stage venture capital firms. His earlier experience includes...
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Integrative Medicine Fellow, University of Minnesota
Dr. Kate Shafto is board certified in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, and is currently pursuing a fellowship in Integrative Medicine (Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, Class of 2017). She has various roles in Undergraduate Medical Education and Global Health Education at...
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President, MyFormulary
Alex Danzberger brings over 30 years of leadership success across a variety of industries as well as international assignments in Asia Pacific with a focus on finance, business operations, strategy, and business development. He has a proven history of thriving in an environment of...
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Board Member, CocoKefir LLC
Damon Johnson serves as the vice president of Enterprise Strategic Growth within Global Enterprise Solutions (GES) for Cox Automotive. Before joining Cox Automotive, Johnson started a digital agency in 1994 called DeemJay Consulting and in 2001, Johnson co-founded CDM data and CDM...
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Partner, Dorsey and Whitney LLP
Mark Kaster is a nationally recognized lawyer with over 25 years of experience helping clients resolve regulatory compliance matters. Mark’s practice emphasizes complex matters involving federal, state, and local regulatory agencies. The increasing body of rules and regulations...
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Founder/CEO, Step One Foods
Elizabeth Klodas MD, FACC is founder and chief medical officer of Step One Foods LLC, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Step One Foods develops, manufactures and markets practical food products designed specifically to help patients reduce their reliance on prescription medications...
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CEO, Milk Specialties
As the CEO of Milk Specialties Global (MSG), David Lenzmeier is primarily focused on expanding the Company’s capabilities within the Human Nutrition market. Lenzmeier also currently serves as a board member at the Hendrickson Foundation, working to sponsor individuals with physical/mental...
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Senior Scientist, Wellmune
Sonja Nodland received her Masters degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology from Washington University in St. Louis and her Doctorate in Immunology and Cancer Biology from the University of Minnesota. After completing a post doctoral fellowship in human developmental immunology in...
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Executive Chef, Mercy Hospitality
Executive Chef Michael Rakun believes that good food begins at the farm. His signature style eschews fat in favor of herbs, broths and food’s natural flavors, using inspiration, technique and a love of natural foods to create mouth-watering, farm-to-table, healthy dishes. Executive...
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Project Development Director-Food, AURI
In his role as a Project Development Director for the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute, Jason Robinson works with food clients to develop their businesses to further the value-added development of Minnesota’s agricultural products. Prior to joining AURI, Jason spent 19...
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Founder and CEO, Bonomuse
Mr. Rogers has more than 25 years of entrepreneurial business experience as a founder, investor, adviser and lawyer. Before co-founding Bonumose, he practiced law for 11 years, co-founded an animal food technology company based on university technology, and designed/implemented a...
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Executive Director, Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI)
Shannon M. Schlecht, Executive Director of the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI) is responsible for the overall strategic and operational oversight for the organization’s staff, programs and execution of its mission. AURI provides technical services to businesses...
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Integrative Medicine Fellow, University of Minnesota
Dr. Kate Shafto is board certified in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, and is currently pursuing a fellowship in Integrative Medicine (Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, Class of 2017). She has various roles in Undergraduate Medical Education and Global Health Education at...
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Founder and CEO, Larta Institute
He founded the Larta Institute in 1993 and incorporated it as an independent non-profit organization in 1997. It is a mission based organization, focused on the transformation of ideas into enterprises working to feed the world, fuel the world and heal the world. Larta designs and...
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Chairman, GoNo Food Finder
Adam Southam is a broad-based strategic thinker with more than 35 years of leadership, innovation, strategy, invention, business start-up, branding, and marketing excellence. He has conceived several patented inventions related to functional and preventative medicine, health, wellness...
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President, PTA Global & PTontheNet
Dr. Kevin Steele is the President of PTA Global & PTontheNet, providing high quality online education for the health and fitness industry worldwide. He began his career with a private personal training business for celebrities and athletes while a faculty member at Pepperdine University...
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Assistant Professor of Surgery, Mayo Clinic Ventures Microbiome Project
Jaeyun Sung, Ph.D., develops computational analytical approaches to understand the intricate relationship between commensal microbial organisms and human health. Of particular interest to Dr. Sung is characterizing the global interconnectivity within our body's microbial community...
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Chief Food Law Counsel, General Mills
Greg Thompson is the Chief Food Law Counsel at General Mills where he leads the Food Law Center of Excellence and is responsible for advising the business on a wide variety of food law issues. Previously, he served as Associate Chief Counsel for Foods at the US Food & Drug Administration...
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Chief Health Officer, Bright Health
Dr. Valdivia is a health care executive with more than 20 years of experience founding, building, and selling companies in the health care technology, provider accountable care services, and health consumer sectors. Having been both a primary care physician and a leader in a large...
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