Speakers

Michael Bolsoni has dedicated his entire professional career to the students, families, and staff of the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan Public Schools, and has served as the district’s superintendent since July 2024.

In 1973, Bob Kaitz, an economics teacher at the Breck School, launched a pilot project with the aim of creating an experiential curriculum that connected education to the world of business. The positive impact of a hands-on approach was apparent, and in 1976, BestPrep was officially established as a nonprofit dedicated to helping students and teachers in Minnesota gain business and career skills through experiences.

With the initial volunteer and financial support of 3M, Cargill, Ecolab, and General Mills, BestPrep was at the forefront of a national trend of connecting students and educational institutions with members of business, government, and social services. By connecting students with the Minnesota business community, participants improve their understanding of the world of business as well as becoming better prepared for the future.

BestPrep is now a statewide organization that serves 35,000 Minnesota students annually and mobilizes more than 5,800 volunteers from the business community. We have reached more than 1.7 million students through our six innovative programs that focus on business skills, financial literacy, and career exploration. As we look to the future, our vision is to ensure all Minnesota students are college prepared, work ready, and career bound.

Erin Dietrich and her husband, Chris Rea, are a Minnesota couple who walked across the United States in 2021 to support the Ann Bancroft Foundation.  They began in Cape Henlopen, Delaware, on March 3, 2021, and trekked across the country. Instead of traditional backpacks, they pushed strollers loaded with supplies. Erin's mother, Linnea Dietrich, joined them for the first 800 miles of the hike across the Appalachian Mountains. The trio relied on the kindness of strangers, frequently sleeping in tents, breweries, behind churches, in barns, and in the wide open desert. The massive undertaking caught national attention for its endurance and the couple's dedication to mentoring and empowering girls