KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Marianna Khauv

Marianna was born in Taiwan and immigrated to the United States with her parents at age thirteen. She did not speak English and was amazed by the new culture and environment, especially snow and below zero temperatures!

Marianna and her husband, Onn, have schools in rural villages of Cambodia where there is no running water or electricity. To Marianna, this is a true testimony of the power and potential of people working together, of Rotary called Monticello home since 1991.

Dana and Peter Smith

Hi, we are Dana and Peter Smith, married couple and owners of MinnyRow Market (MRM), a boutique grocer that specializes in locally sourced and ethically produced foods. Our goal is to create a community around the local food and products we carry. We want to simplify shopping local and provide a space with a wide array of products.

MRM is a result of the owners’ unique backgrounds, a place where customer service meets food. Dana’s background and passion is customer service. She graduated from the University of Saint Thomas, majoring in journalism. Prior to meeting Peter, Dana developed insight into retail sales as an educator at lululemon. She left lululemon to help open Nordstrom Ridgedale as a denim specialist and furthered her expertise in customer experience. Peter’s background is in food. He graduated from Le Cordon Bleu and held various kitchen jobs, most notably as sous chef at Campiello in Eden Prairie.

Michael Allen

Michael Allen grew up in Orono, MN and attended Benilde-St. Margaret’s for high school. It was at BSM where he became involved in service learning. Allen attended Regis University in Denver, Colorado where he became more involved in building community and specifically helping people experiencing homelessness. After graduation, he began working in the Twin Cities, helping families who had been homeless move into their own homes.