Amber Lewis initially joined the Northspan team in July 2021 for a two-year fellowship through Lead for Minnesota/Lead for America. With the conclusion of the fellowship program in August 2023, Amber took on the new role of Northspan consultant and Welcoming Community program manager.
Here’s a Q&A with Amber:
Week to week, what are some of your main areas of focus? 
Welcoming Community initiatives are the main focus! Three years ago, we began with a vision, some ideas, and a lot of unknowns. We have learned so much in that time and have found programming elements that have become pillars of the work of building inclusion and belonging in our region.
I also engage in some of Northspan’s consulting work with communities, businesses, and organizations. I’m excited to continue to build the relationships across our region that have begun over the past three years, and develop new ones!
Can you share any details with us about key projects?
We hosted the fourth annual Equity Summit in October! We used input from participants and community members to design an event that’s unique and interactive. The most recent summit highlighted stories related to inclusion and belonging and featured five young people across the Northland as our keynotes. We also had workshops that were action-based and focused on engaging the wisdom from the participants in each room. These elements made this year’s equity summit a transformative experience.
Our initiatives also include the Duluth Lyceum and area Inclusion Learning Cohorts. There’s also the Rural Minnesota Community Safety Project, which we offer in coordination with Nonviolent Peaceforce, where community members focus on harm reduction and conflict intervention skill-building.
What keeps you busy outside of the projects we just covered?
I began serving on the Fuse Leadership Council in 2023. I am enjoying living in Duluth with my husband and five children and being close to family, many of whom still live in my hometown area of the Iron Range. My favorite pastime is getting to know more about the communities in the Northland and spending as much time as I can visiting Lake Superior through its many moods and changes throughout the year.
You can connect with Amber at alewis@northspan.org or (218) 481-7737