The Minnesuing Group is member-led and focused on forging strong relationships and distinctive development among senior communication leaders. With an agenda tailored each year to topics of most interest to the membership, every member participates and drives part of the conversation. Central to the membership experience is an annual, week-long, immersive session at The Lodge at Minnesuing Acres in northern Wisconsin.

The Minnesuing Group is better experienced than explained … This private and intimate assembly of top communications thought leaders fosters the richest sharing of best practices, ideation on trends … and support for each other’s professional and leadership growth and development … it’s unlike any communications or leadership group I’ve ever participated in. My advice to anyone who has been invited: move heaven and earth to join and attend …  

— Vice President, Fortune 500 Technology and Specialty Materials Company 

Time & Location

October 5-10, 2025
Lake Nebagamon, Wisconsin

Who Should Attend

The ideal candidates for The Minnesuing Group are Chief Communication Officers and the most senior leaders of internal or leadership communication functions. The Minnesuing Group is invitation-only and limited to 25 members each year. Membership remains largely constant from year to year, allowing members to form meaningful connections that endure. Several member relationships span nearly twenty years since the inaugural season in 2004.

Facilitators

Alan Nelson is Co-Managing Partner of CRA | Admired Leadership and co-founder of The Minnesuing Group.

Ben Stringfellow​ is a Partner in CRA | Admired Leadership’s Strategic Communication Practice and former head of Communications for McDonald’s USA.

Carolynne Thomas is a Partner in CRA | Admired Leadership’s Strategic Communication Practice and co-founder of The Minnesuing Group.

Kellie Hamrick is a Managing Director in CRA | Admired Leadership’s Strategic Communication Practice and leads the firms’ Research Center of Excellence.

Nancy Voith is a Managing Director in CRA | Admired Leadership’s Strategic Communication Practice, former Washington D.C. Press Secretary, and Global Head of Communication for EDS.

Accommodations

The Lodge at Minnesuing Acres is a four-star private lodge located on Lake Minnesuing near Lake Nebagamon in northern Wisconsin. Minnesuing Group members are the only guests in residence at the lodge during the week and find it a truly remarkable place: exemplary service, incredible food, stunning Autumn scenery, and an intimate atmosphere where work gets done and relationships flourish. Members can either travel to Duluth, Minnesota where lodge staff will greet them and take them by private shuttle to the lodge (about a 45-minute drive), or to Minneapolis where they may rent a car for a scenic three-hour drive through the beautiful fall foliage.

The Lodge at Minnesuing Acres
8084 Minnesuing Acres Dr.
Lake Nebagamon, WI 54849

The Core Sessions

Our team curates agenda topics for Minnesuing Group sessions each year based on member input and current context. That said, typical elements and recent topics include:

  • Case Studies
  • Reverse Panels
  • Scenario-Based Workshops
  • Topic-Specific Deep-Dives
  • Trendspotting
  • Behavioral Research Highlights from Academia and CRA | Admired Leadership®

Special Guests

E​ach year CRA | Admired Leadership welcomes a professional outside the field of communication to attend the annual session at the lodge as the group’s Special Guest. In addition to providing outside perspective during a time slot on the agenda, Special Guests attend multiple days of the program alongside members, affording members unique access to distinctive expertise and experiences. Past Special Guests and their areas of focus include:

  • Marilyn Carlson Nelson, CEO of Carlson Companies and Chair of the World Economic Forum on leadership
  • David Allen, author of Getting Things Done and Making it All Work on time management
  • Dr. Mike Merzenich, neuroscientist, member of the National Academy of Sciences, and expert in neuroplasticity on behavior change
  • Dr. Rufus Fears, David Ross Boyd Professor of Classics at the University of Oklahoma on leadership and the leadership of Winston Churchill
  • George Lange, noted portrait and editorial photographer on seeing, editing, and establishing rapport
  • David Logan, Senior Lecturer, Management and Organization, Marshall School of Business, USC, and author of Tribal Leadership on driving organizational change
  • Dr. Jessica Payne, Professor of Psychology at the University of Notre Dame and Director of Notre Dame’s Sleep, Stress, and Memory lab on the science of sleep
  • Alex Gregory, Olympic rower for Great Britain and winner of five World Championships and two Olympic gold medals on teamwork and communication
  • Dr. Dan Rock, Assistant Professor at the Wharton School and leading expert in general purpose technologies on the likely economic impacts of generative artificial intelligence
  • Dean Thompson, machine learning and artificial intelligence expert, software engineer, and former lead AI developer at Yelp! on best practices for generative artificial intelligence

Recreational Activities

The Lodge offers a range of complimentary activities and amenities, including golf, tennis, kayaking, an indoor pool, fitness center, outdoor hot tub, archery course, trout fishing, bike trails, and a world-renowned sporting clay course.

Next Steps

Membership to the Minnesuing Group is limited to 25. To learn more, or to be considered for membership, please email experiences@crainc.com.