Theme: Life on Purpose

Join us for an evening of entertainment, great conversation and networking, while experts in diverse fields - visual arts, ethics, business, among others - share ideas worth spreading on living inspired, purposeful lives.

American Swedish Institute
2600 Park Avenue
Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55407
United States

Beth Luwandi Lofstrom

Psychotherapist and Master Communicator

Luwandi Lofstrom, a 1992 graduate of Gustavus, is a private practicing psychotherapist from Cincinnati, Ohio, who works with couples and individuals to navigate the most painful of human experiences. She has been discussed at PsychCentral, is a regular presenter on love, loss and relationship in the Cincinnati area, and has a podcast, Midlife Love Bytes.

Bethany Ringdal

Theologian and Organizer

Ms. Ringdal is currently a student at Luther Seminary and is a candidate for ordination in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, as well as a member of the Gustavus Adolphus College class of 2011. While previously a director of a wilderness camp, Ringdal now organizes with #DecolonizeLutheranism, blogs at Saying-Grace.com, and enjoys her studies of living faith and dead languages while at seminary.

Betsy Byers

Artist and Professor

Holding a Master of Fine Arts in Visual Studies from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Ms. Byers has been exhibited nationally and internationally, showing her art at the National Galleries of Scotland, Minnesota Museum of American Art, SCOPE International Art Fair, and the Devos Art Museum. Her success as an artist has allowed her to receive the Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grant in 2009 and 2015 while Byers is represented by the Kolman & Pryor Gallery and Rosalux Gallery in Minneapolis.

Dave Kamper

Labor Strategist and Organizer

Having completed an M.A and a Ph.D. in History from the University of Illinois and an M.S. in Labor Studies from the University of Massachusetts, Dave Kamper (Gustavus Class of 1996) works as a strategist, writer, and organizer for the American labor movement. Through his studies, Kamper has published articles on labor unions and the power of organizing to create stronger communities.

Michael Walters

Strategist and Innovator

Mr. Walters is the President of studio503, Vice President and National Account Director of the Coin-Tainer Company, and in 2013 became a member of the Board of the Swedish American Chamber of Commerce in Minnesota (SACC-MN). Through his work, Walters challenges the status quo, inspires paradigm shifts in both business and individual lives, and mentors many young professionals all while sharing his passion and abilities to ideate, engage, lead change, and deliver measurable results.

Sheila McNellis Asato

Imagination Coach and Teaching Artist

A certified embodied imagination coach, dreamworker, and teaching artist, Asato (Gustavus Class of 1982) works as a lecturer at the Center for Spirituality & Healing at the University of Minnesota and a faculty member at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts. In 2006, Asato received the International Association for the Study of Dreams’ International Student Research Award, reflecting her love of helping people find the healing role of creativity when facing challenging life events.

Tommy Valentini

Ethics Professor and Tennis Coach

Attaining a Masters in Theological Studies from Emory University and his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota, Valentini, a 2002 graduate of Gustavus, is the Steve Wilkinson Endowed Professor of Tennis and Sports Ethics at Gustavus Adolphus College. Valentini is head coach of the Gustavus men's tennis program, Assistant Director of Tennis and Life Camps, and a faculty member in the Department of Philosophy where he researches moral education used in and through sports.