A nationally known professional speaker, author, businesswoman and entrepreneur whose enthusiastic approach to life’s challenges has delighted audiences for over 30 years. Janie’s motivational message and warm, energetic style create a comfortable and fun atmosphere for groups of all kinds. She has guided over 3,000,000 people through the ups and downs of life’s journey with humor. Her accomplishments and recognitions are numerous. Janie also was an instructor at Hennepin Technical College during the early 1980s.

More on Janie www.janiespeaks.com

Chez originally is from Poland, and participated in the Solidarity Movement that contributed to the end of the Cold War. He left his homeland as a political refugee in 1985. After spending almost a year in a refugee camp in Austria, he sought asylum in the United States. He arrived in this country in December of 1985 and became a US citizen in 1991. In 1998, Chez attended Hennepin Technical College and graduated with a C programming Diploma allowing him to work in the software industry as a computer programmer.

More on Chez www.raginiak.com

Alex was named interim fire chief of Minneapolis on March 11th, 2008 by Mayor R.T. Rybak. Alex will replace the current fire chief, Jim Clack on March 29th, 2008 as the city searches for a new fire chief. Alex has worked for the Minneapolis fire department for 27 years and has been the overseer of the department’s administrative operations. Alex is a past president of the African-American Firefighters Association and also a comedian.