Kari Niedfeldt-Thomas is the President & CEO of Better Business Bureau, Minnesota & North Dakota. BBB, Minnesota & North Dakota, is the first in the world, founded in 1912, and it launched a movement to drive an ethical marketplace of trusted business practices. With over 7,000 members across the region, the BBB, Minnesota & North Dakota, connects informed consumers and ethical business leaders.

Kari has decades of executive leadership across corporate, nonprofit, and civic sectors, with deep expertise in corporate responsibility, sustainability, and stakeholder trust. Kari served as Managing Director & COO at Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose (CECP), advising Fortune-ranked companies on integrating purpose-driven strategies into business success.

Previously, Kari was Executive Director of The Mosaic Company Foundation, leading global corporate responsibility and sustainability efforts. She also serves as Mayor of New Brighton, Minnesota, demonstrating her commitment to community and inclusive governance. Kari holds a bachelor’s degree from The American University and an MBA from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management, for which she was awarded a prestigious Bush Fellowship.

Dr. Elizabeth M. Adams is a Responsible AI strategist, educator, and author whose work examines the relationship between technology, culture, and human values. A fifth-generation Minnesotan, she has spent more than a decade advising organizations across sectors on responsible AI design and development, with a broader focus on helping leaders consider purpose, long-term impact, and how individuals and communities can thrive alongside emerging technologies.

Her doctoral work in employee stakeholder engagement led to the founding of the Minnesota Responsible AI Institute, advancing workforce development, sustainability, and positive long-term societal outcomes.

She currently serves part-time as Faculty Director of the Applied Business program at the University of Minnesota’s College of Continuing & Professional Studies, where she oversees program development and contributes to AI-infused curriculum design. Dr. Adams is the author of In the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Choosing Purpose Before Code.

Through her academic, professional, and public work, she supports cross-sector dialogue that encourages thoughtful, human-centered approaches to technological change.

Nicholas J. Kasprowicz is General Counsel for Wolf River Electric, where he provides strategic legal leadership across the company’s operations. He advises on litigation, regulatory compliance, contracts, risk management, and corporate governance, partnering closely with executive leadership to support growth and manage legal and business risk.

A military veteran with 15 years of service, Nicholas brings disciplined judgment, practical problem-solving, and a mission-focused approach to his work. He is currently spearheading Wolf River Electric’s AI defamation lawsuit against Google, placing him at the forefront of an emerging area of U.S. litigation involving generative AI. In addition to his corporate legal leadership, he is the owner of Kasper Law PLLC, a small firm primarily focused on pro bono work.

His prior experience includes practicing at a civil litigation firm focused on business defense and serving as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Robert Friday. Nicholas earned his bachelor’s degree from Bemidji State University and his Juris Doctor from the University of North Dakota.