Ordinary Magic 2024

John Harrington

Chief Harrington is a current Wilder Board Member and the CEO of Micro Grants & LightsOn! He has held many public leadership roles and has served as the Commissioner for the Department of Public Safety for MN, Chief of the Metro Transit Police, a member of the MN Senate, and Chief of Police for the City of St. Paul.

Sheriff Dawanna Witt

Sheriff Witt is the first woman and person of color elected as Hennepin County Sheriff. Throughout her career she has focused on reaching out to young people and communities that have historically had poor relationships with the police. Sheriff Witt also serves seasonally as a Minnesota State Fair Police Officer and on advisory panels including the State of Minnesota Legislative Task Force on Child Protection and the State of Minnesota Task Force on Law Enforcement Education Reform.

Armando Camacho

Armando Camacho is the president and CEO of the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation. He leads the organization’s work to improve lives today and for generations to come through services, research and community building. He is the seventh president in the foundation’s history.

Derrick Yang

Derrick is a Peer Support Specialist with Wilder’s Mental Health & Recovery Services. He is a certified mental health and substance use disorder peer support specialist and is bilingual in Hmong and English. Derrick works with adults presenting with mental illness, addiction, and homelessness and shares his own experience of managing co-occurring disorders with others to encourage growth and knowledge and inspire hope. 

Xee Xiong

Xee Xiong is a proud mother of four children and lives in Saint Paul. Xee moved to Saint Paul from Laos over 30 years ago. She is a member of the Hmong Group at Wilder’s Center for Social Healing and has been building community and meaningful relationships with others at Wilder for more than ten years. These relationships have inspired her and helped strengthen her and her family.

U. Kevin Harris

Kevin is the Director of Lending at Mni Sota Fund and has worked in consumer lending for more than two decades. Kevin has a passion for helping people of color first time home buyers accomplish their financial goals. Volunteering and serving his community is very important to him.  Currently he's President of the Downtown Minneapolis Next Generation Lions Club and Service Officer for the Brooklyn Center American Legion.

Laverne Cross

Laverne is a lifelong Saint Paul resident and proud mother of a teenage son. Her journey with Wilder has led to greater housing stability for her family, and her work ethic and determination motivates her to advocate for better affordable housing for more families around the city.