LET US HELP
At LifeStories Matter, we believe that people from Mogadishu to Minot, from Mississippi to Manhattan, can learn to value and respect diverse people, perspectives, and experiences. The work of our organization is to utilize the tools most appropriate to support you in improving your cultural fluency and learning to appreciate the many life stories all around us.
LifeStories Matter collaborates with a highly qualified group of experts to achieve your cultural fluency goals.
Lynnette Engeswick, Ph.D.
Consultant
Lynnette Engeswick’s passion is to increase intercultural fluency within the health care sector, especially in rural communities. She is a Professor in Dental Hygiene at Minnesota State University, Mankato, MN with 40 years of clinical experience and 20 years of experience teaching in higher education. Dr. Engeswick has established community oral health outreach partnerships to increase access to dental care in elementary schools in southern MN. She works to develop student cultural competency through undergraduate research, community outreach activities, and travel abroad opportunities.
Laura G. McGee, Ph.D.
Consultant
Laura G. McGee is a consultant, independent scholar, and artist. She has degrees in German from Davidson College, The Ohio State University, and the University of Washington in Seattle. Dr. McGee oriented US employees to German culture and practices when a new German-owned company opened in her community. This experience, plus her commitment to preparing students to work in increasingly diverse environments, led her to become actively engaged in the use of the IDI for intercultural development. As Head of Modern Languages at Western Kentucky University from 2009-2020, she supervised a diverse faculty from 11 different countries.
Elizabeth J. Sandell, Ph.D.
Consultant
Elizabeth J. Sandell is a professor in the College of Education at Minnesota State University, Mankato, MN, USA. She received her B. A. (Social Work), M. A. (Educational Administration), and Ph. D. (Education) from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN. Her life mission is to teach, organize, and host people in transition, so they grow in faith and hope, control their own decisions and resources, and use their gifts and talents. Her research interests include cultural competence of university students in the United States and in the former Soviet Union.