GLENN BOWERS Rotary District 5960 Governor
Friday, April 17 - Opening Session
Glenn Bowers, Ph.D., is District Governor of Rotary District 5960 and has been a Rotarian since 1986. With a background in plant pathology and plant breeding, he has worked in academia, multinational companies, and ag-biotech startups. Glenn has served multiple Rotary clubs as president and held numerous district leadership roles, including Assistant Governor, District Trainer, and chairing committees such as GSE and Peace Scholar. He and his wife Pam are Major Donors and Legacy Society members. Glenn enjoys travel, wine, cooking, birdwatching, and hiking.
ALEX KRAFTT Lead Trainer with Narrative 4
Friday, April 17 - Lunch Plenary
Narrative 4
Alex Krafft is the Midwest Regional Manager for Narrative 4, where she leads trainings, supports school partnerships, and advances the organization’s mission of building empathy through storytelling. She previously spent nine years with the Pitch In mentoring program in Chicago, specializing in SEL-based curriculum and student support. Alex holds a BA from DePaul University and lives in Michigan.
Joseph Barisonzi Co-Chair, Year of Water 2026–27
Friday, April 17 - Dinner Plenary
The Power of Water and the Power of People
Joseph Barisonzi serves as Co-Chair of Minnesota’s Year of Water (2026–27), a statewide campaign designed to unite communities, organizations, and leaders in celebrating, valuing, and protecting Minnesota’s waters. The initiative calls Minnesotans to take part in a year of events and collective actions that strengthen our relationship with water and spark lasting stewardship far beyond 2027.
A champion of service-centred leadership, Joseph is also the President of the Lower Minnesota River Watershed District, where he leads efforts to improve water quality, reduce sediment and nutrient pollution, and strengthen the governance systems that protect our waters. He additionally serves as Vice President of the Minnesota Division of the Izaak Walton League of America, one of the nation’s oldest organizations devoted to conservation and civic engagement.
Joseph’s work aligns closely with Rotary’s mission: bringing people together to take on meaningful challenges and build stronger communities. Through his long involvement in the Minnesota Valley Chapter of the IWLA, he has supported initiatives such as the award-winning Green Crew youth conservation leadership program and the Kouba Gallery, a space that blends creativity, community, and stewardship.
As an educator and conservation leader, Joseph teaches creative entrepreneurship and finance at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, where he inspires emerging leaders to combine innovation and service for the common good.
He is especially proud that his daughter, **Hannah—an Eagle Scout and youth conservation leader—**continues the family tradition of service, leadership, and care for the natural world.
HENRY EMMONS, MD Psychiatrist & New York Times bestselling author
Saturday, April 18 - Breakfast Plenary
Supporting Resilience, Boosting Wellbeing
How to Sustain a Healthy Mind and Mood Through Challenging Times
Our collective well-being is seriously challenged these days. While stress is nothing new, anxiety, depression and burnout are at epidemic levels. Maintaining a healthy brain and a vital mind have never been more important.
Yet stress itself is not the problem. There are good stresses, like a Rotary year abroad, that can make one stronger and healthier. This talk will bring together lessons from neuroscience, cognitive therapy and positive psychology to explore how to protect oneself from the many faces of stress, build resilience and promote growth no matter what the challenge.
As an integrative psychiatrist, Henry has been at the forefront of holistic mental health throughout his career. Author of The Chemistry of Joy and The Chemistry of Calm, he has created practical, accessible programs including A Year of Living Mindfully, The Inner Life of Healers, Resilience Training, and Pathways to Joy, and has spoken to and trained health professionals around the world. Currently he hosts the Joy Lab Podcast with his colleague, Aimee Prasek, PhD.
JOE CAVANAUGH Founder, Youth Frontiers
Saturday, April 18 - Lunch Plenary
Youth Frontiers
Joe Cavanaugh is a nationally renowned speaker who inspires audiences of all ages with a powerful, timeless message: character matters. Whether addressing the Nobel Peace Prize Forum, delivering a commencement address, speaking to business leaders, or engaging a room of teenagers, Joe’s message resonates with authenticity, hope, and purpose. His work is guided by the belief that character is the thread that can reweave the frayed fabric of our society.
In 1987, Joe founded Youth Frontiers, a Minnesota-based nonprofit dedicated to inspiring character, civility, and community. Since its founding, Youth Frontiers has impacted more than 2 million youth, educators, and community members nationwide, earning national recognition for its transformative programs. Joe also leads Leadership Frontiers, Youth Frontiers’ newest division, which focuses on developing character-driven leaders across all sectors.
Joe has been featured on local, regional, and national media, including a 90-minute PBS television special, Respectfully, Joe Cavanaugh. He has also been recognized by the late General Colin Powell of America’s Promise as “a leader in our nation’s effort to rescue America’s young people.”
A graduate of Saint John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota, Joe earned a B.A. in Humanities and received an Honorary Doctorate in 2016. He was also named Social Entrepreneur of the Year by Saint John’s University in 2012.
Joe and his wife, Jane, live in Edina, Minnesota. Their daughter, Tess, attends the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph, Minnesota.
Join us for an inspiring keynote that will challenge, motivate, and remind us why character-driven leadership is more important than ever.
