DoPT Team Gathers for Annual Staff Retreat
Written by DoPT’s Administrative Coordinator, Sara Marshall
Photos by DoPT’s Communications Director, Elisa Franco
In early June 2026, Department of Public Transformation hosted its annual staff retreat! Our team has grown quite a bit since the last staff retreat, so it was a great opportunity for some people (including me!) to meet everyone in person for the first time. This was also my first time visiting Minnesota, and I was so excited to see the people and places I have worked alongside for a little over a year now in person.
On Monday, we arrived at Bug-Bee Hive Resort in Paynesville, Minnesota, in time for a welcome dinner of walking tacos prepared by Ash and Hannah. We grounded ourselves with a check-in, sharing how DoPT’s 2026 theme of Courage and Care has shown up in our daily lives. The resort is a delightful series of log cabins along Lake Koronis, with amenities such as a fire pit, beach access, an indoor pool and hot tub, and a playground. After a long day of travel (for me, at least) and enjoying a hard-won fire made of wet wood (thanks, Eric!), we rested up for the night.
On Tuesday, we had a full day of strategy sessions and staff activities! After some morning yoga with Ash and a light breakfast, we discussed how we can better break down silos at DoPT, brainstorming how our programs overlap and how we can better route somebody through our organization’s offerings. For lunch, Sierra and I made personal pizzas for the group!
After lunch, we decided to take advantage of the beautiful day and spent the afternoon on Lake Koronis, boating around the three in-lake islands and jumping into the frigid waters (pro tip: the west side of the lake was MUCH warmer than the east side!). When we returned ashore, we had a conversation about how we can better navigate power dynamics and lead with confidence and humility. Luwaina and Elisa made us a fantastic spaghetti bolognese for dinner, and we ended the night around the campfire, making s’mores and doing tarot readings (I brought my beloved Neopets deck with me—late-90s kids, iykyk).
On Wednesday, we really honed in on our strategy sessions. After breakfast, we did a facilitated program area round robin—each program shared one topic with the group (such as new ideas to brainstorm, challenge areas to work through, or big picture strategies to consider). Then, we broke off into program pods to target program-specific issues—Elisa, Vivian, and I had a jam session about Amplify Rural. For lunch, Vivian and Sarina set out an assortment of goodies for a build-your-own-sandwich line.
In the afternoon, we talked about how to tell our impact story across sectors, then reflected on how advocacy shows up in each of our roles—from equitable resource distribution, to the arts as civic infrastructure, to finding joy in rural places. While Shy, Holly, and Holly’s partner Eric prepared a fancy dinner of Vietnamese Noodle Bowls and Wojapi (Native berry pudding). After returning and enjoying our last dinner together as a team, we spent the rainy evening indoors, belting karaoke until late into the night.
Thursday morning, we gathered one last time around the (unlit) fire pit to reflect on our few short days together, and all the ideas, inspiration, and camaraderie we had. While staff who are local packed up their cars to return home, Ash, Hannah, Elisa, Vivian, and I continued to The YES! House in Granite Falls!
Driving from Paynesville to Granite Falls, I was struck by how familiar the landscape felt to my home of Northern Indiana—gentle rolling hills, miles of farmland in each direction, and lakes galore (Land of 10,000 Lakes, according to Minnesota license plates). I later told my friends that it was like being home, except for the birds—seagulls instead of Canadian geese, common loons instead of mallard ducks. In Granite Falls, we perused the Makers Market along the Minnesota River—a heavy rainstorm almost blew some tents away, but we persevered! We ended the night at Bluenose Gopher Public House, enjoying a somewhat lighter rainfall outside of the gazebo.
On Friday, we had a full workday at The YES! House, taking meetings and savoring the last few in-person worktimes we had together. We wrapped up the workday with a tour of Alma’s Church in Granite Falls and by meeting a dear friend of the organization, Scott Marquardt of Southwest Minnesota Initiative Foundation, for pizza in Montevideo. Before retiring for the night, we stopped in to Bluenose one last time for their weekly Bluenose Presents Music Series.
Saturday morning, we said our final goodbyes as Hannah took Elisa and me back to Minneapolis to catch our flights. With some time to spare, we first visited the Walker Art Center and enjoyed some lovely exhibits, both inside and outdoors. As our jam-packed week finally came to a close, Elisa, Hannah, and I said our goodbyes at MSP and moseyed on to our respective homes.
I am still absorbing all of the wonderful and inspiring sessions, activities, people, and landscapes from my week in Minnesota. While the days were long and busy, I feel reinvigorated after spending in-person time with such thoughtful, genuine, smart, and passionate people that I am privileged to work alongside at DoPT.