Speakers

Whether you're an AI pro or are curious about getting started, during this meeting you’ll learn some tips and tricks to help you get the most out of AI technology. 

Sarah Arendt-Beyer, a member and past president of the Rotary Club of La Crosse-Downtown, is passionate about using emerging AI technologies in her professional capacity as Marketing Communications Manager for Nortek Air Solutions, and as a consultant with the Small Business Development Center at UW La Crosse. Sarah also avidly uses AI in her personal life - for productivity, personal development, and just for fun! 

Burrowing mayflies are a key water quality indicator on the Mississippi River, supplying trillions of calories to fish, birds, and other wildlife. Recent observations (weather radar, benthic invertebrate surveys, public reports) are showing substantial mayfly population decline over the past 15–20 years, coinciding with shifts in river flow, habitat, and pesticide use. Recent Wisconsin water samples frequently exceed acute and chronic benchmarks for the neonicotinoids clothianidin and imidacloprid and contain complex mixtures of pesticides. Sediment sampling also reveals diverse pesticide mixtures and elevated concentrations of the synthetic pyrethroid bifenthrin, with some Mississippi River sediments exceeding 10-day lethal concentration benchmarks for lab organisms. Mayfly tissues now contain similar pesticide mixtures. The Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee recently listed imidacloprid, clothianidin, thiamethoxam, and bifenthrin among its top contaminants of concern.

Shawn Giblin is the Mississippi River Water Quality Specialist for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. A Brice Prairie native, he developed a deep connection to the Mississippi River through early years spent hunting, fishing, hiking, boating, camping, and canoeing on the river. Before joining the Wisconsin DNR in 2006, Shawn worked with the University of Wisconsin–Center for Limnology, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Colorado State University’s Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands. His research focuses on channel connectivity and its influence on water quality, drivers of water clarity, ecological thresholds affecting free-floating plants and algae, interactions among water quality, fish and wildlife populations, pesticides and emerging contaminants, and climate change adaptation.

Shawn lives in rural West Salem with his family. When he’s not in the field, he enjoys hunting, fishing, cross-country skiing, camping, and canoeing.

For 16 years, the School District of La Crosse and the Hmong Cultural & Community Center (HCCC) have worked together to give every 4th grade student a meaningful introduction to Hmong history and culture. Through the Hmong Education Project—aligned with state standards and district curriculum—more than 500 students and teachers each year experience a powerful, half-day immersion at HCCC that brings learning to life in an authentic and culturally grounded way.

In 2024, the program expanded to serve Onalaska, Holmen, and G-E-T School Districts, adding two additional weeks fully staffed by dedicated volunteers. This growth not only broadens access, but strengthens regional understanding, connection, and appreciation for the Hmong community—impacting students, families, and classrooms across our area.

Mai Tia Yang was born in Laos at the end of the Vietnam War and came to the United States as a refugee in 1978. After living in California, she settled in La Crosse in 2003, which she now proudly calls home. Over the years, Mai Tia has gained experience in both the legal and medical fields. In 2024 she began volunteering with the Hmong Cultural and Community Center, where she now serves as Board Secretary and Program Manager.

Deeply committed to women’s wellness, community health education, and preserving Hmong cultural traditions, Mai Tia hopes to build sustainable programs that empower Hmong women and foster strong intergenerational connections for future generations.

Laura Simon approaches life from humanitarian lenses.  She is an ordinary person trying to do extra “ordinary” things in her circumstances.  By sharing her experiences with generational poverty and complex trauma, she hopes to advocate for awareness, connect resources, and call for action.  She coaches others navigating through divorce, domestic abuse, and other challenging life circumstances.  She teaches skills to reframe challenges into opportunities and to practice resiliency. Her main goal is to Grow Hope to help others transform from surviving to thriving.