Forum Participants

Wilson G. Bradshaw, Ph.D.

As president of Metropolitan State University since 2000, Dr. Wilson G. Bradshaw has brought with him years of experience in university-level teaching, research, and administration and a strong commitment to strengthen the school's connections with the Twin Cities community. Dr. Bradshaw has served in senior administrative positions at universities in Pennsylvania, Florida and Georgia. He has taught psychopharmacology, psychology, neurophysiology, and the biological bases of behavior and has published widely in these fields of research.

Judge Tanya M. Bransford

Tanya M. Bransford has served as a District Court Judge in Hennepin County District Court since 1994. Judge Bransford currently is the Presiding Judge in the Juvenile Division in Hennepin County District Court. Judge Bransford was initially appointed by Governor Arne Carlson and elected by the citizens of Hennepin County in 1996 and re-elected in 2002. Judge Bransford currently presides over juvenile cases, including delinquency, child protection, truancy, adoptions and adult certification motions. Judge Bransford also participates in the improvement of the criminal justice system through her work as Co-Chair for the state Racial Fairness in the Courts Committee and as Co-Chair of the Hennepin County Equal Justice Committee.

Russel Balenger

Russel Balenger is the director of AMICUS re-entry programs that provide services to men and women in Minnesota prisons who are in transition to the community. Russ also directs all of AMICUS' volunteer programs that put men and women in the community in touch with inmates who have requested a friend or mentor. Russ has been on the AMICUS staff for four years and has a strong background in providing life skills and career development for diverse populations. Russ currently serves as a community representative on the Ramsey County Community Corrections Advisory Board.

Luz Maria Frias

Luz Maria Frias is an experienced mediator and frequent lecturer on the issues of diversity within the courts; diversity issues in the mediation process; cross-cultural negotiation issues and the use of interpreters within the legal system. Ms. Frias is actively involved in the community as the Treasurer for the Minnesota Women's Lawyer Association, Board Member for Saint Paul Sister City Manzanillo, a member of the Supreme Court's Legal Services Planning Committee, and a hearing member of the Minnesota News Council. She is a past member of the Minnesota Supreme Court's Blue Ribbon Commission on Legal Services, also Past President and a charter member of the Minnesota Hispanic Bar Association and a former Trustee of The Saint Paul Foundation.

Guy Gambill

As the Advocacy Coordinator for the Council on Crime and Justice, Guy Gambill has been actively involved in both the Call-to-Justice and the Expungement Clinic's legislative efforts. Guy is a veteran of the United States Army and holds a B.A. from the University of Minnesota in Modern Languages. He has also studied at Hamline University, abroad at the University of Valencia, Spain and in Mexico. Guy serves on the Board of many community organizations and associations, including the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans and the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless.

Dr. BraVada Garrett-Akinsanya

Dr. BraVada Garrett-Akinsanya is a licensed clinical psychologist with over 25 years of experience in the field of mental health. She recently assumed the position as Executive Director of the African American Child Wellness Institute, a children's mental health agency dedicated to the research, delivery and coordination of comprehensive wellness strategies for children of African descent. Dr. Akinsanya also serves as the President of Brakins Consulting and Psychological Services. She also serves as the immediate past President of the Minnesota Association of Black Psychologists. She is a nationally recognized speaker who has written, presented and consulted extensively in the areas of developmental psychology, multiculturalism, cultural competence in systems, diagnosis/treatment of severe psychopathology and African-American mental health.

Professor Kenneth Goodpaster

Kenneth Goodpaster's research has spanned a wide range of topics, from conceptual studies of ethical reasoning to empirical studies of the social implications of management decision making. This work led to three books: Perspectives on Morality (1976), Ethics and Problems of the 21st Century (1979), and Regulation, Values and the Public Interest (1980). His new book, Conscience and Corporate Culture (Blackwell Publishers, 2007) has just been released in May 2006. Goodpaster sits on the editorial boards of numerous journals in the field of business ethics, and is active with the Caux Round Table, the Minneapolis-based Center for Ethical Business Cultures, and the International Society for Business, Economics, and Ethics (ISBEE).

Thomas L. Johnson

Thomas L. Johnson served as the elected Hennepin County Attorney from 1979-1991 and was a member of the Minneapolis City Council from 1974-1978. Tom obtained his law degree from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1970 and received a Master of Law degree with distinction from the University of London in 1992. Active in many civic and professional associations, Tom has served on the Board and as Vice President of the National District Attorney's Association; on the Board and as Vice President of the Minnesota League of Cities; and as President of the Minnesota County Attorney's Association. Tom was one of the founders of the American Prosecutors Research Institute and has broad experience in criminal justice practices, policy and reform. He is a frequent lecturer at law-related events. Tom is of Counsel at the Gray Plant Mooty law firm.

Birch Jones

Birch Jones is the special assistant to the superintendent. He is directly responsible for community relations and assisting with the day-to-day operations of the district. A 25-year veteran of Minneapolis Public Schools, Jones most recently served as the executive director of Contract Alternatives, Charter Schools, and Area Learning Center Programs. Earlier in his career, Jones served as principal of Franklin Middle School and North High School, principal on special assignment, executive director of Students, Family and Community Partnerships, executive director of Student Engagement, and area superintendent.

Barb Lickness

Barb Lickness is a Minneapolis southside native and lives with her husband Kevin and their 16 year old African American son Blake in the Whittier neighborhood of Minneapolis. Barb has been employed with the Minneapolis Neighborhood Revitalization Program since February 1994. She currently works with 20 neighborhoods in Minneapolis and the Metropolitan Urban Indian Directors group. Barb is a community activist in Whittier and has worked to address a variety of livability issues in her neighborhood and others.

Sharon Lubinski

Lubinski has to her name twenty-eight years of law enforcement experience. Eight with the Dane County Sheriff's Department in Madison, Wisconsin, twenty with the Minneapolis Police Department. Lubinski possesses nine years of Command Experience and four years as Precinct Commander for Downtown Minneapolis. Additionally, she has spent two years as Third Precinct Commander for South Minneapolis including Phillips, Central and Powderhorn Park neighborhoods. And another two years as Deputy Chief of Patrol

Presently Assistant Chief of Police, running the daily overall operations of the Minneapolis Police Department. She is presently a Doctoral Student in Public Administration at Hamline University.

Bill Martinez

Bill Martinez is a Senior Commander with the St Paul Police Department in Minnesota. He is currently assigned as the Eastern District Commander. He has 20 years of supervisory and investigative experience in the areas of narcotics, gangs, training, administration, and as a member and supervisor of the Critical Incident Response Team. He has worked on a number of high profile cases over the years, and is a recipient of several awards. He is co-founder of the Minnesota Chapter of the National Latino Peace Officers' Association.

Julianne Ortman

Elected in 2002 as a State Senator, Julianne Ortman currently represents the ten cities and eleven townships comprising District 34 (Carver and northwestern Scott Counties.) She has served as a member of the Judiciary, Transportation Policy and Finance, Tax, Crime Prevention, Public Safety Finance, and Elections Committees. Particular areas of focus have been on financing the $268 million realignment of U.S. Highway 212; tax credits for education and referendum election reform; CriMNet implementation, financing, and data privacy issues; class action reforms; amber alert immunity; and reforming drug sentencing options to include early release in conjunction with treatment

John Poupart

John Poupart was born and raised on the Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin Indian Reservation. He is president and founder of the American Indian Policy Center, a non-profit organization that provides information on American Indian oral history, legal and political status (sovereignty), and cultural features of the native community. He helped start and sustain many American Indian social service programs in the metropolitan area and in greater Minnesota. He is active in his community and serves on the Minneapolis Urban Indian Directors. St. Paul Indians in Action, and as a consultant to numerous state and local government entities.

Shane M. Price

Shane Price is a native of Minneapolis. He has long been a community organizer and activist. Since 1995 Mr. Price has worked in a variety of roles with Hennepin County, most recently as the coordinator of the African American Men Project, which has as its mission the enhancement and empowerment of African American men and their families through leadership, policy-making and infrastructure building in the areas of education, housing, family structure, health, economic empowerment, criminal justice, community involvement, fundraising and communications.

Clayton M. Robinson, Jr.

Clayton M. Robinson, Jr. is an attorney with 25 years of experience as a trial lawyer and legal educator. Clayton received his baccalaureate degree from Loyola University and his juris doctor graduate from Drake Law School, Clayton's diverse legal practice has included tenures as a Special Assistant Minnesota Attorney General, an Adjunct Professor at Hamline Law School, a private attorney with nation-wide trial and appellate court appearances, as an Assistant Ramsey County Attorney and currently as the assistant director of that office's prosecution division. Clayton has also been very active in professional associations and has served on numerous public boards and commissions, including appointments by the Minnesota Supreme Court to its Racial Bias Task Force and Advisory Commission on the Rules of Criminal Procedure.

James Robert Rowader, Jr.

Jim Rowader is the Director, Labor and Employee Relations and Assistant General Counsel for Target Corporation, an upscale discounter that operates 1418 Target Stores and 28 Distribution Centers throughout the United States. In this role, Mr. Rowader is responsible for all legal matters arising in the areas of labor and employment through Target Corporation worldwide. In the Minneapolis community, Mr. Rowader serves as a Director and 1st Vice President for the Board of the Girl Scout Council of Greater Minneapolis.

Ebony Ruhland

Ebony Ruhland is a research associate for the Council on Crime and Justice. She received a B.A. in sociology of law, crime, and deviance from the University of Minnesota. In December 2006, she will be her receiving a masters degree from St. Mary's University in Counseling and Psychological Services. She has been involved in coordinating several research projects under the Council's Racial Disparity Initiative. Before coming to the Council she worked with two professors at the University of Minnesota analyzing racial disparities in the parole system as well in housing, education, and employment.

David Schechter

David Schechter is an investigative reporter with the WCCO-TV I-TEAM. When reporting on the people, businesses, and government agencies in our community- above all else-David strives to be fair. David is a University of Michigan graduate, a Poynter Institute Ethics Fellow, and a National Television Academy regional board member. He is an occasional contributor to the CBS Weekend News and frequently speaks to college and high school journalism classes. David has won 13 regional Emmy awards including "Best Reporter" 4 of-the-last 5 years.

Anita Urvina Selin

Anita Urvina Selin is a life long resident of North Minneapolis with twenty six years of employment in Hennepin County, currently as Multicultural Outreach to non-English speaking, and has long established Cultural Communities in Hennepin, for the Environmental Services Dept. Selin has been is a member of Chicanos Venceran and served as President of Ascension Parochial School Board. She has put in many valuable years of service including work with the Minneapolis Police Community Relationship Committee in 2004.

Christopher Uggen

Christopher Uggen is Distinguished McKnight Professor and Chair of Sociology at the University of Minnesota. He studies crime, law, and deviance, especially how former prisoners manage to put their lives back together. His work appears in journals such as American Sociological Review, American Journal of Sociology, and Criminology and has been featured in media such as the New York Times, The Economist, and NPR. Since receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin in 1995, he has received grants from the National Institute of Justice, the National Science Foundation, and the National Institute of Health, awards from the American Society of Criminology, and a McKnight presidential fellowship, to name a few.

Sarah Walker

Sarah brings extensive research experience to the Council around the issues of politics, inequality, prison reform and criminal justice. Sarah was previously Director of Workforce Development at the Center for Court Innovation and Executive Director of the Youth Justice Funding Collaborative, and is also currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Political Science at the University of Minnesota. She is the recipient of the Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs Graduate Fellowship on Human Rights and Philanthropy and is working on several publications.

Hilary Whitham

Ms. Hilary Whitham is the Research Coordinator for the Council on Crime and Justice. She received her Honors B.S for Criminal Sociology and Statistics from the University of Minnesota. She is involved in the data collection, data analysis, report write-up, and recommendation development for various research and evaluation projects within the Council. In addition, Hilary has recently begun to work on collaborative grant writing. Her research interests include the state of healthcare programs within prisons and the political/economic disenfranchisement of low income communities. In the future, Hilary hopes to receive a Ph.D. in Public Health, with a focus on sexual health and inequalities.

Donna Zimmerman

Donna is the Vice President of Government and Community Relations for HealthPartners, a nonprofit, consumer-governed health care organization in Bloomington, Minnesota. She was previously the Director of Government Programs, with responsibility for the health plan Medicare and state public programs, including strategic planning, product development, and state and federal government relations. She is the current President of the Minnesota Council of Health Plans and is the Public Affairs Chair and board member for the Minnesota March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation. She was recently appointed to the National Office of Volunteers for the March of Dimes. She holds a master's degree in Public Health from the University of Minnesota and a bachelor's degree in Nursing from St. Olaf College, Minnesota.