Peace Programs at Norway House

Guest Speakers:

Dr. Susan Brower is the Minnesota State Demographer and directs the MN State Demographic Center. Susan became the State Demographer in February 2012. In that capacity, she travels the state talking with Minnesotans about the new social and economic realities that are brought about by recent demographic shifts. Susan's work applies an understanding of demographic trends to changes in a range of areas including the state's economy and workforce, education, health, immigration and rural population changes.

Susan joined the State Demographic Center after working as a researcher on the Minnesota Compass project at Wilder Research in St. Paul. Prior to that, she worked at the Population Studies Center at the University of Michigan.

Susan earned her Ph.D. in sociology at the University of Michigan, specializing in demography and family sociology. She also holds a master's degree in public policy from Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.

Kent D. Lee co-founded Eastview Information Services in 1989. He serves as president and CEO. Lee received a master's of international affairs from Columbia University in 1988, completed his doctorate coursework in political science at Columbia’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and received his B.A. from the University of Minnesota in 1985. He previously worked as a research associate at the Institute for Defense Analyses in Alexandria, Virginia; a research assistant at the Institute for East-West Security Studies in New York; and a teaching assistant at the International Security Studies Program at Columbia University.

Dr. Luke Pardue is Policy Director at the Aspen Institute’s Economic Strategy Group (AESG). He obtained his PhD in economics from the University of Maryland and, before joining AESG, worked as an economist at Gusto, a small business payroll platform. Before Gusto, Luke held research positions at the US Census Bureau and Federal Reserve Board. His research focuses on finding policies and practices that help businesses, workers, and families thrive. His work and commentary have been featured in outlets including the New York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal. Luke currently lives in Washington, DC.

Dr. Nicholas Eberstadt holds the Henry Wendt Chair in Political Economy at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he researches and writes extensively on international security in the Korean Peninsula and Asia, demographics, and economic development. Domestically, he focuses on poverty and social well-being. Dr. Eberstadt is also a senior adviser to the National Bureau of Asian Research.

His many books and monographs include Men Without Work: Post-Pandemic Edition (2022); Russia’s Peacetime Demographic Crisis: Dimensions, Causes, Implications (2010); The Poverty of “the Poverty Rate” (2008); The End of North Korea (1999); The Tyranny of Numbers (1995); and Poverty in China (1979). His latest is Lessons for an Unserious Superpower: The “Scoop” Jackson Legacy and US Foreign Policy (2024).

He has offered invited testimony before Congress on numerous occasions and has served as consultant or adviser for a variety of units in the US government. His frequent media appearances include major radio, television, and podcasts. His presentations have attracted millions of viewers online.

Dr. Eberstadt has a PhD in political economy and government, an MPA from the Kennedy School of Government, and an AB from Harvard University. In addition, he holds a Master of Science from the London School of Economics and Political Science. In 2012, Dr. Eberstadt was awarded the prestigious Bradley Prize. In 2020, he received the Irving Kristol Award, AEI’s highest honor.