FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MINNEAPOLIS and PRIOR LAKE, Minn. (Feb. 21, 2025)—More than 1,500 single mothers, educators, and system changemakers will gather in-person and virtually for a 3-day annual summit March 7–9 at Mystic Lake Center in Prior Lake, Minnesota. The event is designed to shift power, celebrate resilience and provide tools for success for single moms and their children as they face systemic barriers to economic mobility. It’s hosted by Jeremiah Program (JP), a nonprofit group headquartered in Minnesota that’s renowned for its success in helping households headed by single women disrupt the cycle of poverty two generations at a time.
Since its founding in 1993, Jeremiah Program has been a leader in addressing generational poverty by providing holistic support to single mothers and their children. With nearly 2,000 families served annually, JP operates across nine campuses in Austin, Texas; Baltimore, Maryland; Boston, Massachusetts; Brooklyn, New York; Fargo, North Dakota-Moorhead, Minnesota; Las Vegas, Nevada; and Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Rochester, Minnesota. The organization’s innovative two-generation approach combines safe and affordable housing, quality early childhood education, higher education support, career training, and family coaching to partner with families on their economic mobility journeys.
“JP’s Summit Weekend is, in large part, a celebration of our most important stakeholders: JP families and alumni and single moms across the country being asked to do more with less,” said Chastity Lord, president and CEO of JP.
The summit features inspiring programs and events including:
- Spark Tank Competition: JP “mom-preneurs” will showcase their entrepreneurial ventures, inspiring others to step into their power and reclaim their stories through social entrepreneurship.
- Community Partnerships: JP will collaborate with more than 50 community organizations across nine cities, united in dismantling obstacles to economic mobility for single moms and their children.
- Celebration of Resilience: The weekend will honor the strength and determination of single mothers, providing a space for rest, connection, and growth.
In addition, nine experts will cover a variety of relevant topics:
- Geida Cleveland – 2nd Gen College 101: Preparing for the Next College Journey
- Matthew Desmond – Poverty, by America
- Jehmu Greene – Running for Office: Creating the World We Want Our Kids to Inherit
- Rhiana Gunn-Wright – Climate Justice Matters: Health, Housing and Rising Temperatures
- Key Hallmon, Ed.D. – Social Entrepreneurship: Doing Good and Getting the Bag
- Rachel Hardeman, Ph.D., MPH – Maternal Health: The Poverty & Race Tax on Women’s Health
- Janice Johnson Dias, Ph.D. – Babyhood Through Young Adulthood: Parent Like It Matters
- Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez – The Power of Organizing: Shifting Systems & Flipping Tables
- Paris Woods, Ed.D. – Building Generational Wealth: Women Achieving Financial Freedom
In addition to providing programs and services that support single mothers and their kids, JP’s governing leadership plays a critical role in the success of its mission. “We are doubling down on our commitment to leverage the insights of our moms and alumni to influence systems that impact single-mother families,” said Lord. “Our national board leadership is essential to actualizing this work. That’s why we are so proud to welcome a new group of national board officers who will help guide this work and who are instrumental leaders in the communities we serve.”
JP’s National Governing Board of Directors for 2025-2026 are:
- Newly-elected Board Chair: Meredith Moore, President, Leverette Weekes & Company, Inc.
- Vice Chair: Aaron Mann, CEO, Windgap Medical
- Secretary: Melissa Goodman, Partner, Ciresi Conlin LLP
- Treasurer: Mike Ruetz, Deputy Chief Investment Officer, Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies
- Aisha Barry, President, 3M, Personal Safety Division
- Pamela Codo-Lotti, Global Chief Operating Officer – Activism Defense & Shareholder Advisory, Goldman Sachs
- C. Nicole Mason, President & CEO Emerita, Institute for Women’s Policy Research
- Monique Miles, Vice President, Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions
- Lauren Odell, Partner & COO, Gladstone Place Partners
- Olivia Peoples, Partner, The Bridgespan Group
- Inés E. Sira, President, Medicom Group
- Kadia Tubman, National News & Disinformation Correspondent, Scripps News
“I joined the JP community 10 years ago, and I hold dear the opportunity to advocate for mothers to have the resources and opportunities they need for their families,” said Meredith Moore, newly-elected board chair and president and CEO of Leverette Weekes Communications. “As a mother myself and a champion of moms, I’m honored to serve JP as national board chair.”
About Jeremiah Program
Jeremiah Program (JP) is a nonprofit organization helping single mothers invest in themselves so they can thrive and take steps towards economic mobility by helping them access higher education, affordable childcare, housing, skills training and career development. JP offers one of the nation’s most successful strategies for disrupting poverty, two generations at a time. JP believes that no mother should have to make the untenable choice between investing in herself or supporting her children. JP’s holistic approach invites single mothers into the leadership tent and encourages families to bring all of their identities to bear in achieving their goals in pursuit of economic mobility. Founded in 1993, this year JP is supporting nearly 2,000 moms and kids across nine residential and non-residential campuses: Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Brooklyn, Fargo-Moorhead, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, St. Paul and Rochester. To find out more about JP, visit its website, on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Amy Frantti
MRPP & Associates Communications
Mobile: 612.432.5408
amybfrantti@gmail.com
Sonya Goins
MRPP & Associates Communications
Mobile: 612.388.6188
sonyagoins124@gmail.com