Speakers
Dr. Richard Guarasci
Dr. Richard Guarasci is a national leader in democratic education and civic engagement. He served as board chair of a number of national higher ed associations, namely, the Association of American Colleges and Universities, Campus Compact, the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities, and the New American Colleges and Universities. He is the author of "Neighborhood Democracy: Building Anchor Partnerships Between Colleges and their Communities" (2022) and "Democratic Education in An Age of Difference" (1997). Guarasci has published many articles and chapters on diversity, democracy, and civic engagement.
Guarasci served as the 18th and longest-serving president of Wagner College on Staten Island in New York City. He authored "The Wagner Plan for the Practical Liberal Arts," a hallmark undergraduate curriculum required of all Wagner students when he served as Wagner’s provost & vice president for Academic Affairs. Guarasci served as dean of the college at Hobart and William Smith Colleges where he instituted a multidiscipline interdisciplinary major in public service and civic engagement. As associate dean, founding program director and tenured professor of government at St. Lawrence University, Guarasci founded the First-Year Program, which remains its hallmark undergraduate program.
Guarasci received his doctorate in political science at Indiana University and his master’s degree in economics as well. He graduated from Fordham University with a Bachelor of Science degree. He was awarded honorary doctorates at St. Lawrence University (2017) and Wagner College (2019).
Will Kuball
Will Kuball '19 currently serves as the deputy director of Candidate Services at the Minnesota DFL Senate Caucus in St. Paul. Since joining the DFL Senate Caucus, Kuball has partnered with the DFL-endorsed slate of candidates and their teams with specifically tailored guidance and resources to enable them to run successful races for the Minnesota State Senate. Win or lose, Kuball advises candidates, whether running for the first time or if they are seasoned incumbents, to run with integrity and to run a race of which they can be proud.
Before joining the DFL Senate Caucus, Kuball worked with Sen. Amy Klobuchar on Capitol Hill, was Rep. Ruth Anna Buffalo's legislative correspondent at the North Dakota State Capitol, and in 2020 organized with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to successfully re-elect Minnesota Rep. Angie Craig. In 2021, Kuball managed Minneapolis City Council Vice President Linea Palmisano's re-election campaign and served as field director for Minneapolis City Council Member Lisa Goodman's re-election campaign. Both were successful.
Since his time at Concordia College, Kuball has been a tireless community organizer, coalition builder, and campaign advisor. He is dedicated, now more than ever, to supporting forward-thinking individuals to run for office and spark positive, lasting change in their communities.
Rep. Heather Keeler
Heather Keeler is an enrolled member of the Yankton Sioux Tribe with lineage to Eastern Shoshone, a mom of two amazing boys, queer and bold in her passion to make a positive impact on the next generations.
Keeler has been involved in equity work her entire life; it’s not work that she chose to start at any one specific time. Rather, for her, the work of equity is a way of life.
Her formal educational training started with an associate degree in marketing from Southeast Tech in Sioux Falls, S.D. From there, she pursued a Bachelor of Arts in project management from Minnetosa State University Moorhead (MSUM). After receiving her bachelor’s degree, Keeler earned her master’s degree in educational leadership from MSUM.
Beyond her formal education, Keeler has participated in numerous trainings and workshops; a sample of these efforts includes: the Blandin Foundation Community Leadership Training and the Bush Foundation’s BushCon.
Keeler has also worked in many facets of equity work within the region. She led the Human Rights Task Force for Moorhead Area Public Schools, served as the vice chair of the Moorhead Native American Commission, and developed programming that laid a foundation for the Moorhead School District to hire a director of Equity and Inclusion position.
In November 2020, Keeler was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives for District 4A representing Moorhead, Minn. This historic election cannot be underestimated, as she is the first Native LGBTQIA+ woman serving rural Minnesota in the legislature. This momentous accomplishment became a reality due to her unwavering commitment to foundational issues of education, equity, and healthcare for all.
Levi Bachmeier
Levi Bachmeier ’14 believes in the power of public service. After graduating from Concordia with a degree in social studies education, he began his career as a Teach for America corps member, teaching high school social studies at Tasunke Witko Owayawa, on the Pine Ridge nation within South Dakota. From there, he joined Doug Burgum’s gubernatorial campaign in North Dakota and then served the state as Gov. Burgum’s policy director until Fall 2019. Bachmeier currently serves as the business manager for his hometown school district, West Fargo Public Schools, and remains active in state politics. His free time is spent hiking the Dakotas and Minnesota with his wife, Rachel, and dog, Sunka.
Rachel Stone
Chicago native Rachel Stone moved to the Fargo-Moorhead area almost 18 years ago. She serves as a member of the Moorhead School Board and runs the nonprofit she founded, P's & Q's Etiquette. Her journey of service began with several years of involvement on SENDCAA Head Start’s Parent and Policy Committee, she soon became a national spokesperson for the Head Start program. In 2006, she made history when she became the first African American woman to be crowned Mrs. North Dakota International. Stone has previously worked for both Fargo and Moorhead Public Schools. It was there that she saw the many issues, gaps, and struggles between the students and teachers. This led her to create her own youth empowerment nonprofit called P's & Q's Etiquette LLC, where she focuses on teaching elementary, middle, and high school youth leadership skills.
James Hand
As the business development leader of the Construction Engineers Fargo, N.D., office, James Hand is responsible for new business strategy and project acquisition in Fargo-Moorhead and the surrounding area. His focus is on building relationships with existing and new clients and strengthening the organization’s community ties. Hand believes in building community through service to others and civic engagement and has been fortunate enough to serve on several community boards, including the YMCA of Cass and Clay Counties, Moorhead Parks and Recreation, Moorhead Economic Development Authority, and the Moorhead Business Association. He also enjoys serving on various task forces and committees in the area. His most recent community project is supporting the YES 56560 initiative, which aims to pass a Local Option Sales Tax this November that would fund a new Moorhead Community Center and Public Library.
Hand grew up in Willmar, Minn., and has called Fargo-Moorhead home for the past 15 years. He enjoys spending time with his family, golfing, camping, biking, and weekends at the lake.