Ready: Leaders to Know, with Bill Graves

Today on Ready: Leaders to Know , I sit down with Josh Keller, Communications Director at SEIU Minnesota State Council.  Josh grew up in a working-class home in Brooklyn Park, where mutual aid was just what you do. Today, he carries those values into his leadership at the SEIU State Council, where his career has been defined by a single mission: shifting power back to the people. From his early da...

Today on Ready: Leaders to Know , I sit down with Raihl O'Malley, Co-Founder, Director and Principal Consultant to Learning to Transform. Raihl grew up in Northfield, Minnesota, in a family where activism was part of everyday life, his mother protesting nuclear power, his father elected to public office as a teenager. But one of the most formative spaces in his life wasn’t a campaign or a clas...

Today on Ready: Leaders to Know , I sit down with Audua Pugh, a recovered drug user, community organizer, business owner, published author, educator, inspirational speaker and motivator, who is not shy about sharing her story of a 15 year struggle with drug and alcohol use. She is an only child raised by a strong single mother who taught her accountability, self-advocacy, and the power of using yo...

Today on Ready: Leaders to Know , I sit down with Tawny Savage, Business owner, Violence Prevention Coordinator for the  Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives (MMIR) and MSW, Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Tawny was raised on the Pyramid Lake Paiute Reservation in northern Nevada, a rural and isolated community that shaped her deep sense of responsibility and care for others. One of the most...

Today on Ready: Leaders to Know , I sit down with C Scott Cooper, Experienced nonprofit and philanthropic leader, and a Professor at Metro State University. Scott grew up in Michigan in a family of educators, who taught him early that service to others is both a responsibility and a privilege. Reading with his mother, a children’s librarian, helped spark a lifelong moral compass rooted in stories...

Today on Ready: Leaders to Know , I sit down with Kowsar Mohamad, who was appointed by Governor Tim Walz to the University of Minnesota Board of Regents. Kowsar grew up in South Minneapolis, rooted in a Somali immigrant family and a neighborhood that functioned like a village. From organizing a youth council to holding policymakers accountable, her leadership was shaped early by collective respons...

On this special edition of Ready: Leaders to Know , I sit down with Chicago-based film, television, and digital content director Ian Pfaff to talk about his first podcast series, Uncle Chris . What makes this episode especially unique is that Ian and I have been close friends since childhood. That relationship is front and center as we explore what it means to tell deeply personal stories through...

Today on Ready: Leaders to Know , I sit down with HaoPay Lee, Legislative Liaison, MN Department of Employment and Economic Development HaoPay leads with a strength shaped by resilience, culture, and lived experience. She was raised by a mother who survived domestic violence and raised four children largely on her own, guided by a grandfather who was a respected leader in the Hmong community and a...

Today on Ready: Leaders to Know , I sit down with Asia Yun-Robinson, she is an author, Parent Advocate and Mental Wellbeing Advocate. Asia is the eldest of four, raised in Minneapolis by a single mother in a multigenerational household that taught her caregiving, perseverance, and community. Influenced by her Choctaw grandmother, Asia learned early the values of humility and respect for the earth....

Today on Ready: Leaders to Know , I sit down with Steve Grove, CEO and Publisher of the Minnesota Star Tribune, and the author of “How I Found Myself in the Midwest”. Steve has built a career at the intersection of public service, economic development, and civic leadership. From leading statewide crisis response as Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development und...

Today on Ready: Leaders to Know, I sit down with Nick Zerwas, a former Elk River city council member, state legislator, and most recently a lobbyist representing a wide range of interests at the Capitol. Nick was born with a serious heart condition and wasn't expected to live past infancy - but Nick defied the odds. From serving in the legislature to building bipartisan relationships with candy in...

Today on Ready: Leaders to Know, I sit down with Erika Helvik Anderson. Erika Leads public affairs at MNsure, where she’s dedicated to expanding access to healthcare for all Minnesotans. Raised by a mechanic and a stay-at-home mom, Erika learned early the value of hard work, problem-solving, and helping others. Her story is rooted in resilience, connection, and advocacy. Tune in for an inspiring c...

Today on Ready: Leaders to Know, I sit down with Jake Loesch, Executive Director of Citizens League. Jake is a communicator, strategist, and bridge-builder shaped by curiosity, conviction, and a willingness to evolve. Raised in a politically conservative family in the Twin Cities suburbs, Jake began his career in Republican politics. But a pivotal moment came during the 2012 “Vote No” campaign, wh...

Today on Ready: Leaders to Know, I sit down with LeAnn Littlewolf, Executive Director of the American Indian Community Housing Organization (AICHO). LeAnn leads with heart, courage, and a deep commitment to her Anishinaabe roots. Her father who instilled in her the importance of caring for others and a grandmother who taught her respect despite hardship, LeAnn’s leadership is all about empowering...

Today on Ready: Leaders to Know , I sit down with Ben Baglio, a lobbyist for the Minnesota Nurses Association whose leadership journey began during the 2012 “Vote No” campaign against the marriage amendment. He helped register college students to vote on campus. Since then, Ben has become a fierce healthcare advocate, a father of twin girls, and a leader who shows up with empathy and grit. In this...

Leah Solo Today on Ready: Leaders to Know, I sit down with Leah Solo, Executive Director of the Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board. Raised in Mankato, Leah’s journey is one of resilience and learning. Her leadership journey spans from political campaigns in Indonesia to striving for better care for Minnesota’s elderly. In this episode, we talk about the challenges of leading through a crisis,...

Today on Ready: Leaders to Know , I sit down with Catherine Emmanuelle,  Director of the Center for Restorative Practices at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Catherine is a former elected official, and a lifelong advocate for public service. From rallying for bedtime rule changes at age five to leading major civic initiatives, her leadership journey has been shaped by strong family values,...

Today on Ready: Leaders to Know, I sit down with Damon Shoholm, Partner at Ballinger, Leafblad. Damon, a leader shaped by a deep sense of community, equity, and resilience. Raised in a multiracial, matriarchal household in Saint Paul. Damon’s early life experiences and strong female influences helped form his inclusive approach to leadership. His journey, from frequent moves as a child to building...

Today on Ready: Leaders to Know, I sit down with Marcus Pope, President of Youthprise—a leader whose journey is rooted in community, compassion, and a deep commitment to equity. Raised in the Frogtown neighborhood of Saint Paul, Marcus grew up witnessing the impacts of poverty and systemic injustice firsthand. From early jobs as a camp counselor to about to earn a PhD while leading a nonprofit, Ma...

For today’s podcast, Bill is joined live at Metro State’s Great Hall by Minnesota State Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy.  A past Executive Director of the Minnesota Nurses Association, Erin was selected as the Senate Majority Leader in February of 2024, after the health-related resignation of Majority Leader Kari Dziedzic. They discuss Erin’s time growing up in Wisconsin, what she learned as a...

Today on the podcast, Bill talks live with Hamse Warfa, best selling author, U.S. presidential appointee and Somali refugee. This conversation takes place at the International Institute of Minnesota, in celebration of the launch of Hamse’s second book The Transformational Leader: Twelve Practices for Driving Lasting Change . They discuss how his family helped shape his approach to leadership, his...

In this episode of "Ready: Leaders to Know," we’ll meet Williametta Piso Saydee-Tarr. Piso shares her fascinating journey from her childhood in Liberia, through civil war and her experiences as a refugee to her work as the Deputy National Campaign Manager on Media and Communications for Candidate George Weah in the 2017 Liberian Presidential Election and her appointment as Minister of Gender, Chil...

On this episode of "Ready: Leaders to Know," Bill talks to Shannon Glenn about her work to keep people and pets together. Shannon has been a long time advocate of pet-friendly shelter policies, helping people who are experiencing homelessness stay connected to pets that are often a key source of connection and comfort. She learned leadership from her mother, a nurse who worked on behalf of patient...

On this episode of "Ready: Leaders to Know," Bill’s guest is Ben Goldfarb. Ben’s leadership journey began with his parents’ commitment to civic advocacy and activism and continued through his discovery of “organizing” as a field. His organizing has spanned work with indigenous communities in Montana to election campaigns in Ireland. He’s run the Klobuchar campaign and Wellstone Action and is curre...

On this episode, Bill talks with Beirut Abafogi, Director of Operations at the Senator Klobuchar for MN campaign office. Beirut’s journey to leadership was guided by a family that valued education. Her father led schools in Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia, and encouraged his daughter in her pursuit of law school, laying a foundation for her future work advocating for women’s rights in Saudi Arabia, at t...