Allison Barmann started as the Executive Director of Genesys Works Twin Cities in January 2021. Previously, she was the Strategy & Learning Vice President at the Bush Foundation where she oversaw grantmaking in education, native nation-building and social business.  Previously, Allison was a strategy consultant with McKinsey & Company and directed the Itasca Project, an alliance of CEOs and civic leaders addressing economic competitiveness in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area.  She also worked at a technology start-up in San Francisco and as a Plant Engineer at 3M.  She earned her MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT, where she was an all-American gymnast.    

Allison loves to bike and ski, with her husband and her three children.  She has participated in nine WorldLoppet cross-country ski events and has ridden her bike across several states. She also loves to read and is a devoted member to two book clubs.   

Arman Jaffer is the CEO of Brisk Teaching, a teacher tool that leverages artificial intelligence to increase the quality and efficiency of instruction. Brisk is directly integrated within educators' existing tools and offers four functionalities: differentiating texts, creating content, giving feedback, and authenticating writing. Brisk is used by one million teachers and is the most popular AI-powered Chrome Extension for educators. In 2025, Arman was honored as one of Forbes' 30 Under 30 for his innovative contributions to education technology. Prior to founding Brisk, Armanstarted and led the Notebooks team at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative for five years. Before CZI, Arman held positions at the White House, the Aspen Institute, and Google; he has degrees in Computer Science and Economics from UC Berkeley.

Keith R. Krueger is CEO of the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), a nonprofit organization that serves as the voice of K-12 school system technology leaders in North America, empowering educational leaders to leverage technology for engaging learning environments.

A recognized thought leader in educational technology, Keith has been named to multiple influential lists including Ed Tech's 2019 30 K-12 IT influencers, Technology & Learning's "big 10" most influential people in edtech (2016), and eSchool News' ten people with profound impact on educational technology (2008). He received Special Recognition from the Council of Great City Schools in 2016.

Keith has organized senior-level U.S. delegations to examine ICT best practices globally across Australia, Asia, Europe, and South America. He conducted a Work-Study on Digital Equity as an Associate in Practice at Harvard's Graduate School of Education (2015) and serves as co-principal investigator of the Driving K-12 Innovation series.

He holds a Masters from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota and is a Certified Association Executive with extensive nonprofit management experience.

Dr. Manjeet Rege is a distinguished academic and industry leader in the fields of data science and artificial intelligence. He has made substantial contributions to the academic world, evidenced by his recognition as a Leading Academic Data Leader for 2023 by CDO Magazine. 

As the director of the Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence, he oversees initiatives that blend academic research with practical applications in AI. His expertise is acknowledged internationally, demonstrated by the establishment of a chair professorship and analytics lab in his name at Woxsen University in Hyderabad, India, to celebrate his significant contributions in analytics. 

As a thought leader, author, mentor, and keynote speaker, Dr. Rege is often featured in the media, offering his expert thoughts and opinions on the latest developments in machine learning and AI.

Dr. Rege serves as an advisor to various organizations to provide guidance on data strategy and imparting technical AI expertise. His work has been published in various peer-reviewed reputed publications, he serves on the editorial review board of journals and regularly participates on the program committees of various international conferences.He’s made substantial contributions to the academic world and his expertise is acknowledged internationally. His work has been published in several peer-reviewed and reputable publications. 

Senior Advisor at XQ Institute, Mary Ryerse, brings her results-driven education leadership to the MN Thought Leaders AI Summit this year. Ryerse has over 25 years of consistent success in education. She co-authored Smart Cities that Work for Everyone: 7 Keys to Education and Employment with Tom Vander Ark and has contributed to numerous papers, briefs, and blogs.

Earlier in her career, Mary served as an EdTech executive following 15 years of deep experience in public education - as a teacher and administrator at the school, district, and state levels in both Washington and Minnesota. She holds a B.A. from Gustavus Adolphus College, an M.Ed. in Education Administration from Whitworth University, and a Superintendent’s Credential from Gonzaga University. She also served as an adjunct professor in the educational leadership program at Gonzaga.

Mary currently chairs the board of Education Evolving, lives in the Twin Cities, and enjoys spending time with her husband and three sons. Don’t miss out on a chance to learn more! Link to bio page.

Senator Aric Putnam brings a unique blend of academic expertise and legislative leadership to his role as moderator for the MnGAIA Ideas Institute Opening Forum. Since 2021, he has represented Minnesota's Senate District 14, which encompasses the St. Cloud region.

As a scholar and educator, Dr. Putnam has served as Professor of Strategic Communication at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University since 2003, where he teaches and researches rhetorical history, criticism, and theory. He holds a Ph.D. in Rhetorical Studies from the University of Minnesota, an M.A. in Communication and Media Studies from the University of Maine, and a B.A. in Communication Studies from San Francisco State University.

Senator Putnam resides in St. Cloud with his wife Laurie, who serves as Superintendent for District 742 Schools, and their two children.