Dr. Henry Emmons

Henry Emmons, MD, is a psychiatrist who integrates mind-body and natural therapies, mindfulness and neuroscience into his clinical work. Henry is the author of The Chemistry of Joy and The Chemistry of Calm, and founder of NaturalMentalHealth.com, a website devoted to making integrative mental health resources more accessible, affordable, and empowering. You can hear him on his weekly Joy Lab podcast at JoyLab.coach.

Mike Scanlon

Mike is a former city manager who has served in mountain resort, urban and rural communities from Missouri to Colorado.

He has used storytelling to move communities, councils, boards and donors to action. He’s written and presented for the International City/County Manager’s Association (ICMA) on the topic of storytelling and its power. In addition, Mike has delivered dozens of sessions and lectures on the use of storytelling at the local government level. 

He has won numerous national awards for projects related to affordable housing, sustainability, strategic leadership and innovative public financing, all of which he says “had great stories behind them.”

Mike currently sits on the Affordable Housing Advisory Council for the Federal Home Loan Bank of Topeka (FHLBTopeka) that serves the states of Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado and Oklahoma.

He has his own planning and consulting firm and also works as a management consultant for Shockey Consulting out of Overland Park, Kansas. 

Sybil Dunlop

Sybil Dunlop is a litigation partner at the law firm of Greene Espel PLLP. Her practice affords her substantial first-chair trial and arbitration experience, representing clients in both the private and public sector. She represents Fortune 100 companies, startups, and public sector entities, including cities accused of Monell liability and police officers accused of exercising excessive force. Sources share that “she is brilliant, responsive and seeks to understand business objectives.” (Chambers and Partners, 2022). And Minnesota Lawyer has twice recognized her as Attorney of the Year. Bringing her skills to bear, Sybil successfully leads teams in litigations around the country.

In addition to her active litigation practice, Sybil is a national thought leader on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.  She co-founded Greene Espel’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion legal practice, which helps workplaces design and implement strategies and programs to meet their goals. As part of this practice, Sybil offers award-winning diversity trainings which receive rave reviews from audiences around the country. In recognition of her efforts, Minnesota Lawyer selected Sybil as one of its Diversity & Inclusion Honorees, and the Hennepin County Bar Association awarded her its Excellence Award for Advancing Diversity and Inclusion.

Prior to joining Greene Espel, Sybil clerked for the Honorable James M. Rosenbaum, United States Judge for the District of Minnesota, and attended Vanderbilt University Law School where she graduated order of the coif.

Kevin Kling

Kevin Kling graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College with a BA in Theater in 1979.  He has written many plays for children and family audiences including Lyle, Lyle Crocodile, by Bernard Waber, (premiered at the Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis), Busytown, by Richard Scarry, (premiered at Seattle Children's Theatre) and Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse, by Kevin Henkes, (premiered at SCT).

He has also written original works including Mississippi Panorama, (CTC), Perfectly Persephone, (Imagination Stage) and Best Summer Ever, (CTC).

His one person shows Home and Away, 21A, and How How, Why, Why, Why and his full cast plays Lloyd's Prayer and The Ice Fishing Play have been produced in regional theaters, including The Guthrie, Seattle Rep, Cincinnati Playhouse, the Goodman, Kennedy Center, Denver Center and off Broadway at Westside Arts and Second Stage Theater.

Orchestral commissions include the Minnesota Orchestra's Home for the Holidays and Joyful Echoes. Collaborating with composer Victor Zupanc: For the Birds for the Zeitgeist ensemble and The Burning Wisdom of Finn McCool and The Twelve Dancing Princesses for the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra.

Awards include the Whiting Award, NEA, McKnight, Bush Fellowship, Jerome Foundation, Minnesota State Arts Board the A.P. Anderson Award, the VSA Jeahny, and the Eric Peterson Award.

Kevin is a frequent performer at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, TN. He has written five books and appears often on PBS and Minnesota Public Radio. His PBS autobiographical documentary Kevin Kling: Lost and Found won a Regional Emmy as a teacher, playwright, performer.  He was named the Minneapolis Storyteller Laureate by Mayor RT Rybak in 2014.

Kevin is most proud of his work as a teacher, playwright and performer with Interact Center, a company that creates art in the spirit of radical inclusion.  His website is: www.kevinkling.com.