A dynamic duo: We are thrilled to announce our TWO opening keynote speakers for the MBA Conclave Curriculum & Teaching Conference:
- Ty Tonander, Partner/VP of Brand Design at Ultra Creative
- Ashley Junghans-Rutelonis, PhD, founder of AJR & Co. Consulting & Bold Wellness
Both based in Minneapolis, Ty and Ashley are teaming up to help us better understand the post-pandemic workplace, its impact on our health and well-being, and innovative ways that smart leaders are responding. We are especially excited to learn how these changes translate to both the business world and the classroom.
Don’t miss this powerful presentation—Conclave registration opens May 1!
Ty J. Tonander is Partner/Vice President of Brand Design for Ultra Creative. He is a Brand Advisor and has been in the creative industry for over 20 years—including roles at CBX, FutureBrand North America, and Weber Shandwick Worldwide. He has led numerous redesigns and innovation projects for companies such as General Mills, Starbucks, Amazon, Mars, Pernod Ricard, Foster Farms, Georgia Pacific, Well’s Dairy, Jack Link’s, and Chattem. He’s also worked with many small entrepreneurs to help bring their brands to life.
Ty believes packaging should tell a story, engage consumers in wanting to purchase your product, and be tethered to consumer insights. He’s a trend fanatic and has led numerous trend-hunting expeditions for clients to help uncover the latest and greatest in product, design, and innovation in any category.
Ashley Junghans-Rutelonis, Ph.D. is the founder of AJR & Co. Consulting and a licensed clinical psychologist. She works with high-achieving professionals across the country to reinvigorate resiliency, implement wellbeing plans, and improve core leadership skills. During her years in clinical practice and healthcare leadership, she came to a startling realization: many people are skilled at seeing their end goals, but they have no idea how to get there. Individuals AND organizations benefit from education, support, and accountability. By respecting culture, providing instruction in core areas of need, and implementing her approach to change management ~ Assess, Train, Pivot, Implement, Repeat ~ Dr. Junghans-Rutelonis has successfully reshaped training, performance management systems, leadership strategies, data-informed decisions, and program roll-outs across health systems.
Previously, Dr. Junghans-Rutelonis was an Assistant Professor of Psychology in the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine and a Clinical Director for a large Minnesota mental health system. At the onset of COVID-19, she proudly led medical and mental health crisis teams in 30+ hospitals, increasing the access to telemedicine in remote areas of the Midwest. Dr. Junghans-Rutelonis has partnered with healthcare teams for over 15 years. She has authored numerous peer-reviewed articles, presented more than 50 times to medical and psychological professionals, and received accolades for her teaching and staff engagement strategies.
Born and raised in Minnesota, she grew up fishing and spending time outdoors. After living in Illinois and Oklahoma, she returned to Minnesota in 2013 and continues to live there with her husband (a hydrogeologist who loves rocks and water), her 6-year-old son (who always has rocks in his pockets), and their two dogs (Macy, a wise Golden Retriever, and Murphy, an energetic Lab-mutt rescue). In her spare time, she reads, camps with her family, and tries to keep her houseplants alive.