The Experts

Meet the health, community, and longevity experts who have helped transform Albert Lea, Minnesota, into a place where people live longer, better.

	Dan Buettner Dan Buettner, Blue Zones founder and co-director of the Vitality Project, is the New York Times best-selling author of The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest. Buettner is an internationally recognized explorer, educator, and public speaker, and he is the co-producer of an Emmy Award-winning travel documentary. He has appeared as a longevity expert on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Good Morning America, the Today Show, ABC's World News, CBS's The Early Show, and CNN.
	Leslie Lytle Leslie Lytle is the co-director of the AARP/Blue Zones Vitality Project. She is an expert in children's health promotion and childhood obesity prevention. She has worked with schools and communities to successfully improve foods and activity offerings and will be the lead project expert in Albert Lea working with schools, families, and employers on a regular basis. She also maintains a full research and teaching schedule at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. Along with being a registered dietitian, Lytle holds a B.S. in biological health and medical dietetics from Pennsylvania State University, a M.S. in education from Purdue University, and a Ph.D. in health behavior/health education from the University of Michigan.
	Joel Spoonheim A leader in community change, Joel Spoonheim is the director of health initiatives at Blue Zones and project manager for the town makeover. He will manage the makeover strategy and coordinate all activities in Albert Lea. Spoonheim has over 15 years of community development experience, including six years as a planner for the City of St. Paul, Minnesota, and three years as the economic and redevelopment director for the City of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. Spoonheim is also co-founder of the nonprofit leadership development organization, Civics Connection.
	Dan Burden Dan Burden is our expert at making Albert Lea a more walkable and bikeable community. TIME recognized Burden in 2001 as "one of the six most important civic innovators in the world" for his vision of making the places we live, work, and play better. Dan advised over 2,500 towns in creating safe, healthy, pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly communities. He founded the nonprofit organization Walkable Communities, served 16 years as state bicycle and pedestrian coordinator at the Florida Department of Transportation, and worked as a bicycle consultant in China for the United Nations. Burden is currently a principal planner with the urban design firm Glatting Jackson Kercher Anglin.
	Barbara Hoese The choices we make determine the life we have; Barbara Hoese helps people make purpose-based choices to create their best life. A highly sought-after executive coach and workshop leader, Hoese will lead a series of workshops in Albert Lea to help people realize their gifts and how to best express them. She is the president of The Inventure Group, a coaching firm, and an adjunct faculty member at the University of Minnesota Carlson School's Executive Development Center.
	Richard Leider We know that people with a clear sense of purpose live longer; Richard Leider helps people find that purpose. Leider is a world-renowned author and executive coach. In Albert Lea he will lead a series of workshops to help people realize and express their gifts and talents. He has written eight books, includingThe Power of Purpose: Creating Meaning in Your Life and Work. Leider is the founder of The Inventure Group, a coaching firm, and The Purpose Project at the University of Minnesota's Center for Spirituality and Healing. He also holds a master's degree in counseling and is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Minnesota Carlson School's Executive Development Center and at Duke Corporate Education.
	Brian Wansink Brian Wansink was the executive director of the United States Department of Agriculture's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion under President George W. Bush. Wansink is an expert in food psychology and teaches people how to eat better and consume fewer calories just by making small behavior changes. In Albert Lea he will work as a project co- director with restaurants and businesses and in citizens' homes teaching simple tricks to eat less. He is the author of several books on nutrition, including the bestseller Mindless Eating, in which he demonstrates how Americans eat more than they think. Wansink's research contributed to changes in the grocery aisles; he helped formulate the idea of the ubiquitous "100-calorie" packages which, he says, prevent overeating. Wansink is a professor of consumer behavior at Cornell University and holds a B.A. from Wayne State College, an M.A. from Drake University, and a Ph.D. from Stanford University.