November 2nd, 2008

Former Minnesota Congressman Tim Penny

Former Minnesota Congressman Tim Penny is the President of the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation. Tim Penny represented Southeastern Minnesota's First Congressional District from 1982 through 1994. He served on the U.S. House agriculture and veterans affairs committees and the Select Committee on Hunger, heading the foreign agriculture and hunger subcommittee. While in Congress, Penny founded and co-chaired the Democratic Budget Group and drafted deficit-cutting initiatives. He continues to work in the areas of federal budgeting, agricultural policy, trade issues, and rural development. He is a board member and policy chair of a budget watchdog group, the Concord Coalition, and is an advisory board member for a clean-campaign project, the Minnesota Compact. Co-author of two books, Common Cents and Payment Due, he is a regular public speaker, radio commentator, and editorial writer. Penny has a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Winona State University.

Email: timp@smifoundation.org

also....

Dr. John Gray

John Gray, Ph.D., is the author of 16 best-selling books, including Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus, the number one best-selling book of the last decade and the number one relationship book of all time. In the past 15 years, over 40 million Mars and Venus books have been sold in over 45 languages throughout the world.

An expert in the field of communication, Dr. Gray’s focus is to help men and women understand, respect, and appreciate their differences in both personal and professional relationships. In his many books, CDs, DVDs, tapes, workshops, and seminars he provides practical tools and insights to effectively manage stress and improve relationships at all stages and ages by creating the brain chemistry of health, happiness, and lasting romance. His latest book, Why Mars and Venus Collide, reveals how men and women can improve relationships by understanding how they cope differently with stress.

Dr. Gray has appeared on Oprah, The Today Show, CBS Morning Show, Good Morning America, The Early Show, The View, Politically Incorrect, Larry King, and others. He has been profiled in Newsweek, Time, Forbes, USA Today, TV Guide, People, and New Age Journal, among others.

In addition to being a Certified Family Therapist, Dr. Gray is a consulting editor of The Family Journal, and a member of the Distinguished Advisory Board of the International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors. In 2001, he received the Smart Marriages Impact Award.

Dr. Gray lives with his wife and three children in Northern California.

For a more detailed biography of John Gray, click here.