Speakers

Eric is the Chair of North Star Rotary Youth Exchange. He joined Rotary in 1985 and has been a member of the Winona and Northfield Rotary Clubs. He has served as a Club Youth Exchange Officer and, more recently, North Star Country Officer for Spain since 2014. https://northstarrotary.com/

 

Becky Amble is a seasoned marketing executive and AI expert with over 30 years of experience. She has:

• Led transformative projects for corporations from $100M to $30B
• Authored five books on AI, sharing insights on leveraging AI technologies
• Dedicated 1000+ hours in 2023 to studying and applying AI in business
• Teaches AI principles to diverse business audiences
• AI Certification candidate
• Created 150+ nationally published articles and 250+ YouTube videos

Becky's work in AI optimization and strategic marketing has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Who's Who Lifetime Achievement Award. She continues to drive innovation at the intersection of AI and business strategy.

Becky is an active volunteer. She is a mentor for the Minnesota Cup and is current president and past VP of the Bloomington Rotary Foundation. As a member of the Bloomington Rotary she also helps with programming and photography of meetings and events. As a Board member of the Eagle Group of MN Veterans she provides Board leadership and organizes monthly programs.

Becky and her husband live in Woodbury with their three cats. Their two sons are young adults. In her free time Becky enjoys reading, art, music, travel and walking the beach.

As a seasoned entrepreneur and Personal Development Coach, Juber Arteaga strives to share his knowledge and experiences with others. His journey of overcoming obstacles while growing up in a dictatorship in Venezuela and achieving success fuels his desire to help others realize their potential and manifest their grandest dreams and visions for themselves.

Juber firmly believes in the immense power of our minds, combined with the infinite support of a higher power, to create meaningful transformations in our lives. As a Personal Development Coach, he is dedicated to guiding people on their path of self-discovery, growth, and success. With empathy, understanding, and a sincere desire to uplift others, Juber supports people in their personal and professional goals, helping them reach their true potential.

Deborah L. Ruf earned a Ph.D. in the Psychological Foundations of Education with a focus on Tests & Measurement at the University of Minnesota. She worked as a private consultant and specialist in gifted assessment, test interpretation, and guidance for the gifted for 30 years. Having been a parent, classroom teacher, and administrator in elementary through graduate education, she continues to write and speak about school issues and social and emotional adjustment of gifted children and adults. She will tell you about her little book that gives you answers now about what to do next for your own family. Keys to Successfully Parenting the Gifted Child.

Jaime Belden is a dedicated teacher from Robbinsdale, Minnesota and co-founder of Future Roots Project. Starting in 2013 with the belief that all children deserve a high-quality education regardless of the situation in which they are born into. She has been dedicating herself to improving the quality of education in Central America by providing teacher trainings that promote literacy, critical thinking, creativity, and social and emotional development. While supporting the most impoverished schools, teachers, and students, she has been actively promoting peace in high conflict communities by investing in basic literacy education.

In 2018, Hamline University awarded her the First Decade Award for her outstanding accomplishments in the field of Global Studies. Her specialization in global education and in-depth cultural knowledge allows her to effectively analyze the transnational issues of education inequality and illiteracy. Putting into practice key concepts of cultural competency, awareness, and sensitivity, she is able to successfully collaborate with local leaders through powerful cross-cultural relationship building.

An annual tradition! Bring your (Rotary appropriate) jokes for some good laughs in celebration of April Fool's Day. Can't find a joke? Never fear; Peggy Leppik has pre-approved jokes for sale.

 

Seth Kaempfer, Equity and Inclusion Manager, City of Golden Valley

Within the field of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, Seth Kaempfer (he/him/his) has been a practitioner for ten years in various roles, with most of his time in public higher education. Seth has engaged in both broad DEIA and identity-specific work, which includes supporting BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and international students, staff, and faculty through enhancing services, increasing recruitment and retention efforts, and advancing intersectional inclusive policies and procedures. Seth has also worked to develop and support Employee Resource Groups and Equity Committees, expand DEIA programming, redevelop intercultural competency trainings and learning outcomes, and operationalize equity into divisional processes. Additionally, Seth has collaboratively integrated DEIA best practices and racial equity concepts into university, departmental, administrative, and city strategic plans such as the City of Golden Valley’s Equity Plan.