Building Communities That Work for Everyone for Corporate Teams & ERGs
Leadership offsites · executive teams · employee resource groups
Translated for executive teams: irreversible decisions under pressure, leading when the answer isn't in the playbook, and what values-driven leadership looks like when it costs something. For ERG and company audiences, the refugee-to-mayor story lands as a direct conversation about who gets to lead.
Brooklyn Center is one of the most diverse cities in Minnesota — Liberian, Hmong, Latino, and African American communities sharing a working-class suburb. Leading it meant building coalitions across communities that rarely shared a table.
His community-centered approach predates office by years: before running for mayor, he organized and established the Brooklyns Youth Council — a joint youth council for Brooklyn Center and Brooklyn Park — serving as its original advisor and facilitator.
This talk is about the practical work of belonging: how institutions can genuinely include the communities they serve, why representation changes what a city prioritizes, and what 'community engagement' looks like when it's more than a checkbox.
What corporate teams & ergs take away
- Practical inclusion — beyond statements and proclamations
- Coalition-building across immigrant, faith, and neighborhood lines
- How diversity changes what a city actually does
Book this talk
Mention “Building Communities That Work for Everyone for Corporate Teams & ERGs” in your request — or ask Mike to tailor it to your audience.