Inspiring Women

Inspiring Resilient Women

Hosted by Blaze Credit Union, the free Inspiring Women event empowers women leaders by providing engaging speakers, an inspiring environment, unique experiences, and give back opportunities.

We are thrilled to welcome Amanda Brinkman
as our RESILIENT keynote speaker!
Learn more about Amanda

After Amanda's message, we have an amazing all-women panel who will share the resilient achievements they've accomplished throughout their lives.

Plus, hear from more inspiring women in the afternoon, and of course, the presentation of the 2025 Inspiring Woman Award! To wrap up our time together, we have a fun surprise and celebration planned. You won't want to miss it!

2024 Inspiring Bold Women

Inspiring Bold Women featured DJ Sophia, engaging speakers, and a surprise fashion show.

Lisa Lehman
Vice President of Marketing, Blaze Credit Union

As the Vice President of Marketing at Blaze Credit Union, Lisa oversees the advertising strategy of the Blaze brand and leads an amazingly talented team of marketers.  She is an executive committee member for America’s Credit Union and Chair of the Marketing, PR, and BD Council Conference Committee.  In 2021, Lisa was selected as a Credit Union Rockstar, honored as a notable person in marketing by Twin Cities Business Magazine in 2022, and was awarded a 2023 Top Women in Finance from Finance and Commerce. 

Lisa serves on the boards of The Bond Between, the Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Blaze Foundation.

As a mother of two kids and a recent empty nester, Lisa and her college sweetheart husband, Mark, are looking for dog-sitters for their two pups so they can do more traveling!

Danielle Pfeifer
Vice President of Relationship & Service Experience, Blaze Credit Union

Danielle is the Vice President of Relationship and Service Experience at Blaze. In 2021, she received her graduate degree in banking. For over a decade, she has led Blaze's fearless frontline of nearly 250 employees to achieve and deliver exceptional service standards, receiving top awards and recognition. 

A boy mom to a 7th grader, 5th grader, and a golden retriever—all three keep her energized and constantly on her toes, aka heels. 

For the second year in a row, Danielle was elected to the Next-Up Strategic Council of Top Innovators in Banking and served as vice chair of fundraising and community events on her children’s school board from 2019-2021. 

Danielle has entered into a new stage in life AAA—traveling baseball, football, and basketball. She is contemplating adding professional chauffeur to her resume.

Amanda Brinkman
Producer, Film-maker, and Branding Expert

Amanda shares her “Do Well By Doing Good” philosophy on stages around the country. She has held C-level positions in Fortune 500 companies. She produced, and hosted, the Small Business Revolution—an amazing series that ran on HULU for six seasons and was nominated for multiple Emmys.

Amanda has won numerous awards from Women in Business accolades to 40 under 40 and has been featured in major national publications for her incredible career achievements and perspective. She is passionate about purpose and helping others identify their superpowers so we can all feel like we are able to do good in the World.

We will hear more about Amanda’s passion for bringing “goodness” and “business” together, and how we can all pursue our purpose.

Presenter

Tina Rae VanSteenbergen
Professional Speaker

Tina has been speaking professionally since 2013 with a fairly simple message: women need women. To be successful in the workplace. To feel understood. To feel less alone in the world…women need women. And that’s the message she flies thousands of miles to spread. Her speaking style gives women permission to open up, have honest conversations, and connect. With a combination of authenticity, storytelling, and humor, she’s been able to help hundreds of thousands of women tear down the walls we’ve built between us. Together with her audience, she helps women build relationships with one another, believe in themselves, and take up space at companies, campuses, and organizations. Her work sets her soul on fire. So does a good nap. An excellent pour of bourbon. A beautiful snow. A peaceful and reflective sunset flight. A well-written West Wing quote. Her husband, her son, her dog, and a Minnesotan accent, of course.

DJ & Emcee

Sophia Eris
Musician, Artist, Teacher, and International DJ

Sophia Eris is a renaissance woman. Graduating with a degree in Music Business from IPR, she is an artist, touring DJ for Lizzo, and radio host. In her career, Sophia has launched groups such as The Chalice, GRRRL PRTY, Absynthe, The Reception, and her recent, MAKR AN ERIS. She has worked with Prince and can be found as a feature on the SPECTRUMELECTRUM album in the song "BOYTROUBLE". She recently released MAKR's second album "ME 2" under MAKR AN ERIS. Sophia is limitless and will never stop allowing herself to follow her curiosity within the arts.

Carrie Tollefson
US Olympian, Media Personality, Podcast Host at C Tolle Run, and on Team Blaze
Panel Moderator

As an influential figure in the running community, Carrie Tollefson knows what it means to help others meet their goals. Her personal successes are the direct result of her “go for it” spirit.

Born and raised in Dawson, Minnesota, Carrie won 13 state championships setting a national record of five consecutive individual cross-country state championships plus eight state track championships. She attended college at Villanova University where she won five NCAA championships individually and was a member of the 1999 NCAA Cross Country Championship team. Carrie was named NCAA Indoor Track Athlete of the Year in 1998 and was the first person in NCAA history to win both the 3k and 5k.

In her post collegiate career, Carrie was a three-time national champion and after winning the 1500m trials in 2004, she represented the United States at the 2004 Olympic Summer Games in Athens, Greece. In September 2013 Carrie was inducted into the USA Track and Field Minnesota Hall of Fame. 

As a wife and mother of three, Carrie continues to be an active member of the Twin Cities running community, serving as a coach for Moms on the Run and Girls on the Run as well as hosting running camps and clinics.

Christine Cordell, CCE
SVP/Chief Project Learning Officer, Blaze Credit Union

Christine is an innovative credit union executive with over 30 years of experience in driving operational excellence through strategic project deployment and comprehensive learning. She has experience in directing transformative projects, including projects in support of the largest credit union merger to date in the state of Minnesota at Blaze Credit Union. Christine brings a data-driven approach to solving complex challenges while optimizing performance across credit union operations.

Throughout her career, Christine has been a founding member of two newly formed credit union foundations, and the Minnesota Credit Union Women's Leadership Network. With a passion for learning, Christine has a proven record track record for designing and executing innovative programs devised to empower associates to invest in their career development, promoting a highly engaged workforce.  

Christine is the Blaze Credit Union Foundation Board Chair, National Credit Union Foundation Secretary, Minnesota Credit Union Women’s Leadership Network Ambassador, City of St. Paul’s Office of Financial Empowerment Community Committee Member, Spare Key Board Member, and Filene Research Institute’s Think Tank Member.  

Ethelind Kaba
Executive Director, Ann Bancroft Foundation

As the Executive Director of the Ann Bancroft Foundation, Ethelind oversees the efforts of the Foundation to make life-changing opportunities available to early childhood and adolescent girls in Minnesota.

Before joining the Foundation, Ethelind was the Vice President of External Affairs at the Center for Economic Inclusion, the nation’s first organization exclusively dedicated to advancing economic inclusion across all sectors in a major metropolitan area.

Passionate about advancing equity, human dignity, and potential, Ethelind previously founded The Stargirl Initiative, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering teen and tween girls, for which she was named a Changemaker by MN Women’s Press. She also offers her experience and talents to several organizational committees and boards including The Jeremiah Program, Augsburg University, Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, as well as previous volunteer roles at the Edina Public Schools Legislative Action Committee and TPT Community Resiliency Advisory Council.

Ethelind’s formal educational background includes a bachelor’s degree in Legal Studies from Hamline University, a master’s degree in Strategic Communication at the University of Minnesota Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication, and a Policy fellowship at the University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs. In 2022, Ethelind was selected to represent the Twin Cities region at Harvard Business School’s Young American Leaders Program.

In 2024, Ethelind was included on the Twin Cities Business 100 List and also recognized as one of 50 Black Leaders to know in Minnesota.

An immigrant from Ghana, Ethelind lives in Edina with her family, where she is still trying to figure out how to fall in love with road trips.

Rachel Mairose
Founder & Executive Director, The Bond Between

Rachel is the Executive Director and Founder of The Bond Between, formerly Secondhand Hounds, an animal (and human) wellbeing organization based in Minnesota. Rachel has been animal crazy from a young age and fell in love with animal rescue during her time at Washington University in St. Louis, where she earned her degree in Environmental Conservation.

Having been diagnosed with anxiety disorder and panic disorder, Rachel is passionate about mental health and the benefits of being around animals. Because of this, The Bond Between has a holistic approach to animal welfare and believes that animals should be kept in their loving homes whenever possible.

The Bond Between is a unique organization that combines an animal rescue, social services programs, and a veterinary center together, which results in one common goal: fostering the human animal bond through adoption, reunification, and outreach.

Colleen Rooney
Police Sergeant, St. Paul Police

Colleen is a dedicated mother and wife, an engaged community leader, and a Police Sergeant with the Saint Paul Police Department. Throughout her distinguished career, she has balanced family life with public service, earning recognition as the first female officer to receive the prestigious Richard H. Rowan Award while leading innovative community programs that make a lasting impact on those she serves.

Her journey into law enforcement began at the University of North Dakota, where she received her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a minor in special education. During college, she secured a competitive internship with the Denver Police Department, gaining firsthand experience in urban policing.

In 2011, she joined the St. Paul Police Department. Her first four years on patrol taught her the fundamentals of policing while building community relationships and handling high-pressure situations. These formative years shaped her understanding of St. Paul's diverse neighborhoods.

A turning point came when Colleen was selected for the K9 Unit. This began a seven-year partnership with her exceptional dual-purpose K9 partner Gilly, whom she trained as a locating tool for persons and explosives.

In 2021, after retiring her K9 partner, Colleen earned a promotion to sergeant. Her journey through investigative ranks began with burglary and auto theft before being selected for the Gang and Gun Unit—one of the department's most important units.

Colleen has received two awards for providing life-saving measures to two individuals under high-stress situations, two letters of recognition for leadership during critical incidents as a canine handler, and two unit citations for both a national K9 championship and for leading a team in addressing gun violence. Colleen also received the Richard H. Rowan Award from the St. Paul Police Department. This prestigious honor, named after Chief Rowan who led the department from 1970-1979, embodies Integrity, Leadership, Courage, and Innovation.

Colleen leads the St. Paul Police Department Pink Patch Project, a nationwide public awareness campaign that has officers wear specially designed pink versions of department patches during October's Breast Cancer Awareness Month. 

Her most challenging yet rewarding role is being a mother to three incredible children. She coaches all of her kids' sports and plays competitive women's flag football. She is married to an amazing man who shares the same religion, morals, and interests as she does.

Mary Hogan
Community Relations Officer, Dept. of Homeland Security

Community engagement is necessary in building trust between law enforcement and the communities where they serve. Mary has been a Community Relations Officer since September 2016.

Before her Community Relations position, Mary worked in Victim/Witness services for almost twenty years. Mary helped manage a local non-profit assisting victims of relationship abuse and providing resources to assist in violence awareness. She served on the local Board of Education for twelve years as both a member and Vice President. Mary is also a veteran of the US Army Military Police.

As a Community Relations Officer, Mary represents the agency to the public as well as community leaders and organizations. She provides information and education on the various responsibilities of the agency, and her goal is to create and maintain strong partnerships with a variety of stakeholders.

Shannon Barrett
Director of Fraud Operations & Disputes, Blaze Credit Union

Shannon serves as the Director of Fraud Operations & Disputes at Blaze Credit Union, where she leads the strategic development and execution of fraud detection, prevention, and education initiatives. With over two decades of dedicated service at Blaze, Shannon has held a variety of roles and was instrumental in establishing the credit union’s fraud department. Her deep commitment to protecting members and promoting fraud awareness is reflected in her proactive approach and leadership.

Shannon holds a degree in Criminal Justice and earned her Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) designation in 2018, further solidifying her expertise in the field. 

Outside of work, Shannon enjoys spending quality time with her family, including her son, daughter-in-law, and beloved grandson. A true Minnesotan at heart, she embraces the winter season—especially ice fishing adventures with her husband, Joe.