One year ago today, I became Minnesota DFL Outreach Officer. Together with many incredible volunteers and leaders across the state, we built new resources, expanded training opportunities, and strengthened our statewide structure to support outreach and inclusion in every unit.

Some highlights from the first year:

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• Convened nine meetings of the Outreach & Inclusion Committee

• Hosted two statewide Outreach Officer listening sessions with local Outreach Officers (with more to come in 2026).

• Created and facilitated trainings on De-escalation, covering techniques for addressing conflicts; Safety Planning, focusing on event preparedness and member wellbeing; and Restorative Practices, emphasizing methods to repair harm and build stronger relationships within our units.

•Developed a new Outreach Officer Guidebook for both new and returning Outreach Officers, along with the Outreach Officer 101 training, which has to date trained nearly 40 Organizing Unit Outreach Officers and Vice Chairs, with more trainings scheduled this spring.

• Convened the Accessibility Subcommittee, which produced an Accessibility Best Practices Guide and a Convention Accessibility Scorecard

• Led development of the 2025 to 2027 Statewide Outreach and Inclusion Plan, approved by 96% of the State Central Committee, along with a framework for local unit outreach plans

• Designed and launched a pilot mentorship program and supporting resources

• Collaborated with fellow DFL officers to support community caucus outreach efforts.

• Traveled across Minnesota to meet with DFL members, along with the other party officers

• Created the Outreach & Inclusion resource hub at www.dfloutreach.org, which houses printable resources, training recordings, and additional information relevant to O&I work.
 

Thank you to everyone who has fueled this incredible progress. I'm also thankful for the work of our Chair, Richard Carlbom, and the other party officers who have supported my work over the last year.

Together, we will continue to elevate the DFL, foster a truly inclusive community, and achieve historic victories in 2026 and beyond