Tuesday, Sept. 30 | 7 p.m.
The Truth, the Divide, and the Journey to Rebuilding Trust
A Finding Forward Event with Duchesne Drew, Steve Grove, and President Rob Vischer
Tuesday, Sept. 30 | 7 p.m.
A Finding Forward Event with Duchesne Drew, Steve Grove, and President Rob Vischer
Kicking off the 2025-26 season of Finding Forward is a conversation at the heart of our democracy and public trust in institutions. Has the media played a role in deepening today's divide in public discourse? What role can it play in healing that rift? These are questions we'll tackle at the next Finding Forward event with two of Minnesota's most influential media members: Duchesne Drew, President of Minnesota Public Radio, and Steve Grove, CEO and Publisher of the Minnesota Star Tribune.
They join University of St. Thomas President Rob Vischer for an engaging discussion about the growing challenge of polarization in our communities. Through their unique leadership roles in public media, journalism, and higher education, they'll explore how storytelling and civic dialogue can help us bridge deepening divides and rebuild public trust at a time when confidence in media is eroding and various institutions face growing economic and political challenges.
These leaders will also reflect on the unique opportunity Minnesota has to model a different way forward—where collaboration across difference, a commitment to the common good, and community-rooted leadership can help pave the way for national healing. The conversation will examine what's at stake for our democracy and what it takes to restore faith not only in these institutions that connect us, but also restore faith in one another.
Tuesday, Sept. 30
In-Person: 7-8 p.m., reception to follow
Location
O'Shaughnessy Education Center Auditorium
University of St. Thomas, St. Paul campus
2115 Summit Ave., St. Paul, MN 55105
Parking
Paid parking is available in the Frey Hall Parking Garage, a short walk from O'Shaughnessy Education Center (OEC). Additional parking options are available.
The cost of visitor parking is $2.10/hour before 4 p.m. and $1.55/hour after 4 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 30
6:50-7 p.m. Livestream waiting room opens
7-8 p.m. Program
Register for the free livestream to get the livestream link.
Duchesne Drew is Senior Vice President at American Public Media Group and President of Minnesota Public Radio. In this role, he leads the teams that produce MPR News, The Current, APM Reports and YourClassical.
Before joining American Public Media Group, Duchesne led the Bush Foundation’s leadership programs, community innovation and communication teams and built networks across the region as its Community Network vice president.
Prior to his role at Bush Foundation, Duchesne was managing editor of operations at the Minnesota daily newspaper the Star Tribune, where he began as a summer intern and rose to one of the most senior roles in the newsroom. In 2019, he was honored with the Widening the Circle Award by ThreeSixty Journalism, recognizing individuals who have contributed to the next generation of journalists, particularly while promoting inclusion and diversity. And in 2021, he was inducted into the Hall of Achievement at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. Duchesne was awarded the 2022 Spurgeon Award for outstanding community leaders, and he was named in 2022 and 2024 to The Root 100, an annual list of the most influential Black Americans in the fields of arts, community, business, entertainment, media and politics. Duchesne serves on the Board of Directors for the McKnight Foundation and is an alumni and member of the Columbia University Board of Trustees.
Steve Grove is CEO and Publisher of the Minnesota Star Tribune, where he leads the company’s operations and directs its strategy. Alongside a new management team, he is leading the transformation of storied Minnesota institution towards a new vision – to become the leading model for local news in America.
Before becoming CEO in April of 2023, Grove served as Gov. Tim Walz’s commissioner of employment and economic development, where he led the administration’s efforts to grow and protect the Minnesota economy during a dynamic and challenging four years in state history.
Prior to that, Grove spent 12 years as an executive at Alphabet’s Google and most recently was the founding director of the Google News Lab, which he developed to help media companies and startups drive innovation in the news industry.
Grove also led Google’s civic engagement work, including the company’s nonpartisan voter information and get-out-the-vote efforts. He previously built YouTube’s news and politics team, launching the first partnership programs for news organizations, nonprofits, and political candidates. Before that, Grove was a journalist for The Boston Globe, ABC News, and the Northfield (Minn.) News, his hometown newspaper.
A Minnesota native and a graduate of Northfield High School, he earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and economics from Claremont McKenna College and a master’s degree in public policy analysis from Harvard. Steve and his wife Mary are the co-founder of Silicon North Stars, a nonprofit that helps underserved youth find career pathways in technology. They moved to Minneapolis from Silicon Valley in 2018 and are the proud parents of seven year old twins, a yellow lab, and two farm cats.
Grove is the author of a forthcoming book published by Simon & Schuster called How I Found Myself in the Midwest: A Memoir of Reinvention, a book about moving back to his home state and leaving tech for government and then media.
Robert K. Vischer is the 16th President of the University of St. Thomas, Minnesota’s largest private university. He assumed the role in June 2022 after previously leading the School of Law as dean for nearly a decade. A graduate of the University of New Orleans and Harvard Law School, Vischer joined St. Thomas in 2005 as a law professor and quickly became known for his commitment to faith, leadership, and community.
As president, Vischer is guiding St. Thomas through a period of growth and transformation while staying rooted in its Catholic mission.
Finding Forward is a speaker series hosted by the University of St. Thomas in partnership with the Star Tribune. Together, we explore difficult topics through civil dialogue, with the goal of building trust, overcoming division and unlocking paths toward progress.