Minnesota PRSA is providing an opportunity for local practitioners to develop critical skills to bridge ethical issues – and grow your readiness to demonstrate value to senior leaders. Increasingly, ethical dilemmas and the leadership skills to navigate them dictate the direction of brands, organizations – and careers.
Morning Ethics Skills Development, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
For the morning session, develop your acumen with three of the top skills that national research shows are most troubling for practitioners, including building a personal ethical framework, earning trust and a seat at the leadership table and providing sensitive counseling on ethical concerns.
- Jim Lukaszewski, America’s Crisis Guru, who helped re-create the PRSA code of ethics in 2000
- Margaret Ann Hennen, retired communications executive from health care and public radio, who served on the Board of Ethics and Professional Standards for PRSA
- Joel Swanson, Minnesota PRSA Ethics Officer
Skills Development Practicum
- Building a Personal Ethical Framework (Joel Swanson)
- Why Should the Boss Listen to You (Jim Lukaszewski)
- Ethics Counseling/Raising Concerns (Margaret Ann Hennen)
Senior Leader Lunch Panel, 12:00 – 1:30 p.m.
For those of you who are or aspire to senior leadership, a special lunch panel will share how these ethics skills helped them rise to their leadership levels. You don’t want to miss this rare opportunity to hear the stories of these local communications career leaders!
Senior-level executives from different career paths will share how ethical skills drove their success.
- Chris Gade, Vice President for Communications, University of Minnesota
- Dan Jasper, Strategic Advisor, Mall of America
- Jane Di Leo, Vice President, Global Brand & Corporate Marketing, Medtronic
- Matt Kucharski, APR, President, Padilla
Ethics Skills Coaches:
Jim Lukaszewski, ABC, Fellow IABC; APR, Fellow PRSA; PRSA BEPS Emeritus 2015
James E. Lukaszewski (lew-ca-chev-ski) is a well-known writer, author, teacher, scholar, ethicist and lecturer in American Public Relations. He is a Minnesota native whose PR career began in 1974, as a Deputy Press Secretary in the office of former Minnesota Governor Wendell R. Anderson. He joined PRSA, the Public Relations Society of America, the same year – yes, he is a 50-year member. He joined IABC, The International Association of Business Communicators in 1999.
Jim has always worked at senior levels, generally on the toughest ethical problems organizations and their leaders face. He is the author of 14 books, e-books and manuals, and hundreds of articles. He was an adjunct assistant professor of communication at New York University and a civilian advisor to the U.S. Marine Corps for more than 20 years.
From 1986 through 2011 his practice was based in New York. He had clients in every continental US state and many countries around the world.
He has been told that wherever one studies Public Relations on the planet you will likely see, read, hear or study something by Jim Lukaszewski. His 15th book,
Influencing Leaders, is expected in Spring 2026.
At 83 this year, he is in graduate school at Metro State University in Minnesota studying Advocacy and Political Leadership, publishing articles, newsletters, and again making public appearances. His new podcasts will begin in January 2026.
Margaret Ann Hennen, APR, Fellow PRSA
Margaret Ann has been a mentor to many in the local public relations industry. She is a retired communication and public relations professional with experience in Minnesota business communities. She has a history of delivering desired results for corporate and community organizations. An organized and strategic leader, Margaret Ann helps seemingly unrelated entities find common ground and aligns employees, customers and programs to business goals, helping to achieve strategic results.
An active member of PRSA since 1984, she is a former Minnesota PRSA chapter president and its ethics officer. Margaret Ann has served on the national PRSA board of directors, the College of Fellows executive committee, including as its 2022 chair, and on the PRSA Board of Ethics and Professional Standards. Her PRSA service has been recognized locally, regionally and nationally.
She is accredited by the Public Relations Society of America and is a member of its prestigious College of Fellows.
Joel A. Swanson II, APR, MACT
Joel leads marketing and corporate communications for Affinity Plus, including overseeing the Affinity Plus Foundation. A proud member of PRSA since 1991, Joel credits PRSA with helping him grab his first internship, earn his first job and step up his career ladder into strategic and leadership roles. Joel currently serves on the Board of the Minnesota Chapter as Ethics Officer.
In his seventh year at Affinity Plus, Joel has built an integrated communications and marketing function of a dozen mighty practitioners who continue to drive record new member and financial growth through fresh branding, data-driven automated marketing, market-dominating digital marketing execution, and a modern community engagement strategy. Previously, Joel held strategic leadership roles at UnitedHealth Group, RisdallMarketing Group, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota. He’s a member of PRSA’s Banking and Finance Section, the Minnesota Credit Union Network, and Callahan & Associates Marketing Roundtable. Joel’s career spans more than 30 years of guiding communications and marketing strategy in highly regulated, fast-changing industries. In his personal time, Joel fights for space in the back yard to play catch with his four sons while fending off affection from the family’s 260 pounds of dog (a Saint Bernard and a Newfoundland).
Chris Gade
Chris Gade is Vice President for Communications at the University of Minnesota. Gade leads the central University Relations marketing and communications teams responsible for bringing awareness and understanding of and inspiring engagement in the University of Minnesota System’s contributions to local communities, the state and the world. He works with University of Minnesota leaders to strengthen the University’s communications, marketing and branding, while also elevating its reputation as one of America’s leading research universities. Gade is responsible for the development and implementation of comprehensive and aligned strategies and clearly defining system wide priorities and messages. Gade serves as a member of President Cunningham’s cabinet and executive team.
Chris has nearly 35 years of experience in public affairs, with over 32 years at Mayo Clinic. During his time at Mayo Clinic, Chris helped shape the organization’s strategy in a variety of settings. He served as Mayo Clinic’s Chief Public Affairs Officer, leading teams responsible for Mayo Clinic’s earned, owned and social media; staff engagement; practice, research and development communications; reputation management; community engagement; government relations; and thought leadership strategies.
At Mayo Clinic, Gade led the establishment of the Mayo Clinic Executive Office. The team provided principal support for the President/CEO and other executive leadership and their visibility with key stakeholders inside and outside of Mayo Clinic. He was instrumental in bringing to fruition The Mayo Clinic, a two-hour documentary presented by Ken Burns which aired nationwide on PBS.
Gade retired from Mayo Clinic in 2021 to become vice president for marketing and engagement at Rush University Medical Center (RUSH), an academic medical center based in Chicago. At RUSH he led the 60-person marketing communications department, while implementing comprehensive strategy in marketing, external and internal communications, digital and community engagement. Additionally, Gade oversaw updates top RUSH’s executive visibility and crisis communications plans.
Chris and his wife Marne are the proud parents of a son, Mitchel and daughter, Meredith. In their spare time, they enjoy time together as a family, hiking, gardening and are sports enthusiasts.
Chris received his Masters of Public Affairs from the University of Minnesota, Humphrey School of Public Affairs and his undergraduate degree from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. He is a member of the Luther College Board of Regents and served as a member of the Minnesota Super Bowl LII Host Committee Advisory Board.
Dan Jasper
With great respect for the history of Mall of America and the impact it has had on our region, Dan leads the MOA teams whose responsibility and focus is to share those stories in an authentic and responsible manner. These areas include public and media relations, social media, community relations, international and domestic tourism, as well as the Mall’s communication hub ESP (Enhanced Service Portal), His other responsibilities include the overall communications strategy for the Mall, crisis communications management, public affairs, building strong national, regional, and local media connections, and serving as primary spokesperson.
Dan serves as senior executive leading communications and related areas within the marketing group. He also advises sister properties American Dream NJ and West Edmonton Mall on strategic communication issues.
Jane Di Leo
Jane Di Leo is the Vice President of Global Brand & Corporate Marketing at Medtronic. In her role, Di Leo is focused on driving durable growth through direct to consumer (DTC) and masterbrand marketing campaigns, as well as elevating the Medtronic brand across all touchpoints. Prior to joining Medtronic in 2022, Di Leo spent nearly nine years at American Express in New York, most recently serving as the Vice President and Chief of Staff, Corporate Affairs & Communications. Earlier in her career, Di Leo led PR and internal communications for Tough Mudder, was a freelance writer at
Women’s Health magazine,
FunWorld magazine and Delta
Sky magazine, served as a communications officer at Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH) and as an editor for several publications while working at MSP Communications. Di Leo received her bachelor’s degrees in journalism and Spanish, as well as her master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Matt Kucharski, APR
Matt leads Padilla, one of the most respected mid-sized strategic communications agencies in the US, with 7 offices across the country. He has planned and implemented communications, brand building and reputation management programs and projects for a wide spectrum of Padilla clients, from global Fortune 500 enterprises to promising category challengers in a range of sectors including health, technology, manufacturing, nonprofits and professional services. Some of the clients benefiting from Matt’s experience include Rockwell Automation, Cargill, Mayo Clinic, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota, CommonSpirit Health, Medtronic, Abbott, NMDP, Tyco, 3M and numerous others.
He is a continuous trend watcher, learner, educator and innovator, as well as a highly skilled facilitator with a knack for simplifying the complex. Through his career, he has been the driver behind many of the firm’s strategic initiatives, including Padilla’s Purpose to Action
SM brand and communication planning methodology, which has been successfully executed on hundreds of client engagements. Previously, Matt was responsible for agency services including Research + Insights, Crisis + Critical Issues, Media Relations and Social Media teams, and led the agency’s technology practice. He also is a member of Padilla’s Crisis + Critical Issues team, advising clients on critical-issues communication. He spent more than 15 years as an adjunct instructor in undergrad and master’s programs at the University of Minnesota, and serves as a panelist, guest speaker and moderator on a range of strategic communication, marketing and business strategy topics.
Active in the community, Matt volunteers his time to several nonprofit and professional associations. He has served as chair of both Pheasants Forever/Quail Forever, one of the country’s largest and most respected wildlife conservation organizations and the Worldcom Public Relations Group, the industry’s largest network of independent public relations firms. He also has been on the board of directors of the Greater Twin Cities United Way and has volunteered as Business Champion for the Minority Business Growth Alliance. He currently participates on the boards of the Science Museum of Minnesota, the Public Relations Council, Ehlers Companies (as chair) and 4-Creeks Holdings, and is a member of the Arthur W. Page Society and an accredited member of the Public Relations Society of America.
When not working or volunteering, you’ll find Matt walking a native prairie with his dogs, riding a bike, blowing bubbles over a coral reef or on some other adventure where he can breathe “big air” and see and experience new things.
Date & Time:
Friday, Sept. 19, 2025
10:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Central
Location:
BI Worldwide Headquarters
Building 4 - The Design Center
7625 Bush Lake Road
Edina, MN 55439
See map for directions to the building. Attendees are welcome to park anywhere in the lot. Enter at the front door.
Registration:
PRSA Members: $40
Non-Members: $60
Students and Professionals in transition: FREE, but space is limited!*
(*limited to the first 10 requests who register using the code ETHICS2025 – apply coupon code at checkout)
Thank you to our Annual Sponsors!
