- This event has passed.
Weathering Uncertainty Together: Anchoring Your Advocacy Priorities (replacing 2025 Session Lineup)
February 14 @ 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Wilder Center
451 Lexington Pkwy N.
Saint Paul, MN 55104
Fee: $55 for MCN members / $75 for nonmembers
Register Now
*Note: This event has been rescheduled from January 17 to February 14. Additional details below.
In a time of rapid political change and uncertainty at both the state and federal levels, nonprofits face unique challenges in staying true to their mission while navigating complex policy landscapes. Join us for a discussion on how organizations can remain grounded in their core values, even as external pressures shift.
This event will feature insights from policy experts, nonprofit leaders, and communication strategists, offering practical tools to help you align your advocacy efforts, adapt to evolving legislation, and effectively communicate your impact. Additionally, Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan will join the event to briefly address the state’s response to recent federal actions.
Whether you’re navigating proposed laws and regulations, engaging with coalitions, or shaping public perception, this session will equip you with strategies to confidently lead your nonprofit through turbulent times while staying rooted in your purpose.
Note: Due to political uncertainties, the MCN team has decided to prioritize supporting nonprofits through these new realities over the usual Session Lineup event structure. We are cancelling the previously planned 2025 Session Lineup event on January 17, and replacing it with the event described above. We feel strongly that the content of this new event will be valuable for nonprofit staff who work in public policy advocacy and communications.
Pay What You Can (PWYC): We encourage you to pay the registration rate that is meaningful to and possible for you. While earned revenue from our events is a significant portion of our operating budget, supporting the policy and advocacy work we do on behalf of nonprofits, we aim to keep our fees accessible, often below market rate, and offer further reduced entry points for those who need them to participate in professional development. Access to critical information about the democratic process is important, which is why MCN offers Pay What You Can rates of $0 and $29 for this event. If your participation is dependent on a PWYC rate, please register with the promo code that corresponds with your accessible price point below.
- $29 (Code: PWYC29)
- $0 (Code: PWYCZERO)
Event Details
This in-person event will be taking place on February 14, 2025 from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Central at the Wilder Center in St. Paul.
This event will be recorded. The recording will be shared with participants following the event and will be available for three months. This event will not be livestreamed.
Refreshments: Coffee, tea, and a light snack will be provided.
Travel: Parking is free in the Wilder Center parking ramp. Find more information about travel to Wilder.
Accessibility: This event will be hosted in the Wilder Auditorium space (find more details about the space on the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation website). For inquiries about the space, please connect with Wilder Center staff. For accommodation requests such as ASL interpreters or other accessibility requirements, please contact us with your request at least two weeks prior to the event. Although we will attempt to meet all accessibility requests, late requests may not be fulfilled.
Doors will open 30 minutes prior to the event.
To learn more about events, registration, and payment, visit our Event & Registration FAQ page.
Speaker Information
Marie Ellis serves the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits as public policy director. In this role, Marie advances the mission and work of MCN and Minnesota’s nonprofit sector through developing MCN’s policy priorities, advocating on those issues at the state, local, and national levels, and assisting members in effectively advocating on behalf of their organizations and stakeholders. Marie is committed to continuing MCN’s work to create an inclusive and welcoming environment for all individuals and participates in overall organizational leadership and management at MCN as part of the leadership team.
Peggy Flanagan is Minnesota’s 50th Lieutenant Governor, a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, and currently the country’s highest ranking Native woman elected to executive office. At the center of all her work is making progress for children, working families, communities of color and Indigenous communities, and Minnesotans who have historically been underserved and underrepresented. As Lieutenant Governor, Peggy co-chairs the work of the Young Women’s Initiative to center the voices of young women in the work of state government. She also works to advance housing stability and prioritizes the state’s response to homelessness through her role as the Chair of the Minnesota Interagency Council on Homelessness. Peggy also serves as Chair of the Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board (CAAPB) and Chair of the Advisory Committee on Capitol Area Security (ACCAS).
Kenza Hadj-Moussa is a public affairs and communications professional with over 15 years of legislative advocacy experience. At O’Connell Consulting, she helps organizations and coalitions advance their goals through strategic communications, earned media, policy development, and narrative campaigns. She previously served as the Director of Public Affairs & Communications for TakeAction Minnesota, Communications Director for the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless and was the Board Chair of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits. She holds a Master’s in Advocacy & Political Leadership from the University of Minnesota-Duluth and a B.A. in economics from Guilford College. She lives in Minneapolis and enjoys hiking, chess, and dance.
Nan Madden has been the director of the Minnesota Budget Project since 1999. The Minnesota Budget Project is an initiative of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits that provides independent research, analysis, and advocacy on budget and tax issues, emphasizing their impact on low- and moderate-income persons and the organizations that serve them. Nan has authored numerous publications on fiscal issues as well as economic self-sufficiency. In 2006, Nan was named by the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal as one of its Forty Under 40 honorees.
Laura Mortenson is communications director for the Minnesota Budget Project. She manages media relations and oversees communications outreach to promote the research and advocacy efforts of the team. Her professional background includes serving as communications director for a St. Paul mayor and managing public and media relations for city organizations. Laura received a B.A. in journalism from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire.
Daniel Penchina (he/him) is the president of Penchina Partners, where he applies his 21 years of experience navigating the intersection of nonprofit management, advocacy, and strategy on behalf of his clients. Most recently, Daniel was president of Voices for Progress and Voices for Progress Education Fund, a community of hundreds of progressive philanthropists, business leaders, and major political donors who advocate for economic and social justice, to strengthen representative democracy, and to protect our climate. Prior to that, Daniel was principal at The Raben Group, a progressive public affairs firm based in Washington, DC. There, he designed and managed issue and advocacy campaigns — including developing legislative strategy, communications plans, coalitions, and tools for grassroots organizing — for dozens of national nonprofits, foundations, and companies. Daniel is a member of the board of the LGBTQ Victory Fund and is a member of the advisory board and steering committee of the Healthy Democracy Coalition. He is the past president of Q Street, an association of LGBTQ lobbyists and advocates. He graduated with honors from New York University.
Nonoko Sato is the president and CEO for the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits (MCN), the largest state association for nonprofits in the United States. She oversees MCN’s strategic response to organizational and sector challenges through public policy and advocacy, responsive and educational programming, and sector-wide research. Nonoko serves or has served in a variety of advisory, board, and trustee roles, including Governor Walz’s Council on Economic Expansion, Equity Diversity Impact Assessment Committee of the Minneapolis Public Schools, Coalition of Asian American Leaders, Theater Mu, Carleton College, among others. She previously served as MCN’s associate director, overseeing internal operations, programming, finance, and administration, as well as launching BenefitsMN, an association health plan for nonprofit organizations that strives to increase the vitality of Minnesota nonprofits through access to affordable and sustainable healthcare.
Bailey Sutter serves as the Public Policy Manager, focusing on policy, federal advocacy, and communications to support MCN’s partners across Minnesota. She is passionate about creating relationships and systems that focus on civil rights, systems-level change, inclusion, and belonging. In her past professional life, Bailey worked at the intersection of youth advocacy, education equity, program development, anti-racist policy, and accessible communications while at various nonprofits and levels of government.
