Innovator In Residence

Angel Zimmerman
Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer, Sajan Inc.
 

Zimmerman describes herself as a “developer of people” and is active in a wide variety of civic organizations in the St. Croix Valley. As co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of River Falls born Sajan, Inc., a language translation technology company, Zimmerman would go on to lead various operational areas of that business as it expanded across three continents, adding hundreds of employees. 

Spring 2023

 

Nate Boettcher
President and CEO of Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services and SwiftCurrent Connect
 

Nate Boettcher, President and CEO of Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services and SwiftCurrent Connect spoke about Innovative Rural Broadband Solutions and what it means to be connected in 2022.

Fall 2022

Watch Nate's presentation here! 

Michael Mader
Founder/CEO, Hippy Feet

Michael Mader’s vision of helping homeless youth inspired the creation of Hippy Feet in 2016. The company initially donated one pair of socks for every pair sold, but quickly recognized and started addressing another urgent need—job training and transitional employment for young people experiencing homelessness.

Spring 2022

Watch Michael's presentation here! 

Jeremy Dumond

Director- Research, Insights and Analytics
Land O'Lakes, Inc. Dairy Foods 
 

Jeremy, Director of Research, Insights and Analytics for Land O’Lakes Dairy Foods spoke about “INNOVATION in Sales and Marketing Strategy Through Cutting-Edge Technologies”. By connecting endless sources of consumer data with practical in-market execution through these technology, Land O’Lakes Dairy Foods is growing market share and profit and thus enhancing the financial viability of its 1600+ farmer-member owners.

Fall 2021

Brooke Lee 

CEO, Anchor Paper Company
 

Brooke Lee spoke on: "It all started with a Seed: How an Innovative Product Transformed our Business". Lee is the CEO and the 4th generation family owner of Anchor Paper Company, a dual-source Paper & Packaging Distribution Company headquartered in downtown St. Paul with a retail location in Plymouth, MN and a recently expanded manufacturing facility in River Falls, WI.

Spring 2021

Watch Brooke's presentaion here! 

Michael Thompson, Ph.D.

CEO, KairosAg
 

Thompson, Founder and CEO of KairosAg, spoke on “Global Impact through Innovation.” Thompson is passionate about eliminating poverty and hunger and is professionally engaged in consulting and agriculture business development.

Fall 2020

Watch Michael's presentation here!

Greg Van Bellinger

Vice President, Target Owned Brand Product Design & Management 

Van Bellinger spoke about "Innovation; Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow." He has over 25 years of experience in product design and creative leadership ranging between apparel and industrial design.

He leads the product design and development vision, brand strategy, quality roadmap, and innovation for Target Corporation’s Home and Hardlines business, including electronics, sporting goods, seasonal, furniture, and lighting.

Spring 2020 

Dewey Wahlin

President, TurnKey Corrections

This presentation, "Innovation Big and Small," discussed Wahlin's viewpoint on leadership and innovation.  Wahlin has served in leadership positions with large Fortune 500 companies and medium-sized entrepreneurial companies for over 30 years.

Fall 2019

Eric Galler

Corporate officer, General Mills and 3M-Marketing Corporate and Innovation Strategy (retired)

Galler, whose leadership spans nearly 30 years at 3M, General Mills, and Pillsbury in key operating positions, strategic marketing assignments, and innovation strategy roles spoke about, “What Drives Innovation Excellence?”

Spring 2019

Hak Cheol (H.C.) Shin

Vice Chair and Executive Vice President of 3M Research & Development, Supply Chain, Business Transformation/IT, and Business Development
 

Shin spoke about leadership and innovation as it relates to the changing business landscape, how the innovation process functions, industry 4.0 and the implications for innovation and growth, leadership principles, innovation leadership, and his personal journey of philosophy of innovation.

Fall 2018

John Romines

Vice President of Seed Sales, WinField United, Land O’Lakes

This presentation, “Growing a Brighter Future,” discussed how using innovation in agriculture will be able to grow more food with fewer resources to feed a growing population.

Fall 2017

Derrick Edwards

President of AGS Data Systems

This talk, “Bridging Views Of Innovation,” discussed the speaker’s perspective on how technology sectors view and promote innovation and suggest ways academic cultures might broaden their conceptualization of innovation to more fully overlap that of industry allowing for better preparation of students for professional life and the enhancement public-private partnerships.

Spring 2016