The Leadership Fargo Moorhead West Fargo program is centered on creating leaders through community exploration and leadership development. The program is designed to expose emerging and existing community leaders to the issues that face our region

while engaging participants to strengthen the community and themselves through personal development and civic engagement.

Chelsea Agather — Discovery Benefits Manager—Account Management | Fargo As the Manager—Account Management with Discovery Benefits, Chelsey oversees a Client Services team who assists our employers, brokers, and consultants with their needs. Chelsey has graduated from the DBI Leader-ship Program and is currently a mentor at DBI. Born and raised in Fargo, North Dakota, Chelsey enjoys spending summers in lakes country. In her spare time, Chelsey enjoys being outside, listening to music, and spending time with friends. Chelsey also plays in a kickball league. Education: B.A., Communications and Art History, Concordia College Volunteer & Professional Activities: Young Professionals Network member, Women’s Connect, DBI Volunteer Committee, DBI Mentorship Program

Vanessa Anderson — Vogel Law Firm Attorney | Fargo At Vogel Law Firm, Vanessa focuses her practice on employment law and general civil litigation. Vanessa also serves on the firm’s recruitment committee and is the firm’s Summer Associate Coordinator. When she is not at work, Vanessa enjoys spending time with her family and friends exploring the Fargo, Moorhead, and West Fargo area and playing with her two Golden Retrievers. Education: B.A., Sociology and German, Minot State University; J.D., University of North Dakota Volunteer & Professional Activities: Cass County Bar Association, Defense Research Institute, State Bar of North Dakota, Minnesota State Bar Association

Sarah Arnston — Dakota Medical Foundation Communications Manager| Fargo Sarah creates resources for DMF to build community awareness and involvement. She promotes events includ-ing Giving Hearts Day, provides training in effective communications to nonprofits and encourages collabora-tion and networking between nonprofit communications professionals. Sarah is from Sioux Falls, SD, but feels like she grew up in the Red River Valley because she spent so many weekends and vacations on her grandpar-ents’ farm near Great Bend, ND. She’s lived in the Fargo-Moorhead area for 23 years, minus a quick profession-al detour to Wisconsin. Sarah and her husband, Dave, are raising two daughters in West Fargo. She likes library books, Netflix marathons, good company and road trips. She lets her dogs sit on the furniture because they are cute and way better than a blanket when her toes are cold. Education: B.S., Mass Communications, Minnesota State University Moorhead Volunteer & Professional Activities: North Dakota Heart Gallery board of directors, Giving + Learning Pro-gram volunteer, North Dakota Professional Communicators

Nikki Berglund — Luna Fargo & Bernie’s Wines & Liquors Owner & Wine Manager | Fargo As the owner of Luna Fargo and Wine Manager of Bernie’s Wines and Liquors, Nikki gets to spend every day enjoying her favorite things. She starts the day with the best cup of coffee in Fargo, and then gets to think, talk about and indulge in food and wine all day long. This past year she took her wine education one step further when she passed her Level One Sommelier Certification. Nikki is also the 3rd generations proprietor of Bernie’s Wines and Liquors which was started by her grandfather in 1953. When she is not working, Nikki spends her time with her husband, their 3 year old son, and their 3 dogs living on their farm in the middle of nowhere (Horace). Education: B.A., English Literature, Metropolitan State College of Denver, Minor in Computer Science Volunteer & Professional Activities: Nikki is active in Rotary and does a lot of volunteer work through the or-ganization. She has travelled to Guatemala a number of times to help with the building of schools in impover-ished areas of the country. She also donates her time to a variety of organizations through wine tastings includ-ing March of Dimes, Dress for Success, the FMSO, and The Arts Partnership among others.

Dave Bietz — Fargo Park District Foreman of Park Operations | Fargo

As the Foreman of Park Operations for the Fargo Park District, Dave works with the general maintenance and upkeep of all parks throughout the Park District. Dave has been a part of the Fargo Park District team for 20 years. Dave grew up in Fergus Falls, MN. He, his wife Ronda and their two boys currently reside in West Fargo. Dave likes spending time with his family and friends. He enjoys watching and participating with his son’s in their activities. Dave also enjoys hunting and fishing and being outdoors getting close to nature. Education: Dave has some college education but never attained his degree. He spent one year at the Uni-versity of Minnesota; Crookston Campus and two years at NDSU pursuing a degree in Zoology and Natural Re-sources. Volunteer & Professional Activities: North Central Turf-grass Association: member and volunteer on the

board of directors, North Dakota Recreation and Parks Association member, National Recreation and Parks

Association member.

Donna Block — GOLDMARK Property Management, Inc. Area Manager | Fargo Donna is responsible for the hiring and development of the apartment site office staff. She also serves as a communication liaison to the owners of the properties on budget projections, project needs, and occupancy updates. She was born and raised in Volga, SD which is only about 3 hours south on I-29 from Fargo. She moved to the Fargo area to attend NDSU in the fall of 2005 and fell in love with everything the community has to offer. She still attends as many Bison sporting events each year as possible. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her 1 year old daughter Drew, husband Justin, and pet lhasalier (half lhasa apso/half king Charles cavalier dog) named Benni. She will travel any chance she gets and especially to Las Vegas to visit her sister-in-law. Education: BS, Bachelor of University Studies, emphasis Social Sciences and Communication, North Dakota State University Volunteer & Professional Activities: Greg Holder Leadership Program Graduate and Facilitator, Jail Chaplains Ministry, National Apartment Leasing Professional Designation

Chad Brousseau — Cass County Electric Cooperative Manager of Energy Services | Fargo As the manager of energy services at Cass County Electric, Chad provides leadership and direction to the ener-gy management team. The team of four dedicated employees provides professional assistance to cooperative members and area contractors in the areas of energy rates, off-peak systems, energy use, efficiency and con-servation. Chad has called North Dakota home for his entire life, growing up in Steele, ND and living the Fargo/Moorhead area for the past 16 years. He enjoys calling the Fargo/Moorhead area home and believes it’s the quality of the people that live in this community that make it a great place to live and work. In his free time, he enjoys playing softball, golf and spending time with family and friends. Education: Associates Degree, Electronics Technology, North Dakota State College of Science Utility Line De-sign – Certificate, Minnesota State Community and Technical College, Journeyman Lineman –Certificate, Mer-chant Job Training and Safety Volunteer & Professional Activities: Emergency Food Pantry Volunteer; Milsoft Outage Management Adviso-ry Committee Member (2013);

Chantel Carlson — United Way of Cass-Clay Community Engagement Manager | Fargo Chantel is employed with the United Way of Cass-Clay as their community engagement manager. As someone who recently moved to the area, she has enjoyed being able to meet new people while building her base in the community. A born Minnesota girl, she loves going to the lake on weekends, and partaking in all of the water activities she can. When not working, Chantel also enjoys going on early morning runs, cuddling up on the couch with a good book, and baking extravagant cakes. Education: B.A. Anthropology and Religious Studies, University of North Dakota Volunteer & Professional Activities: March of Dimes Signature Chefs Auction Committee Member, Critical Conversations Facilitator for Pi Beta Phi Women’s Fraternity, Vice President of Membership Advisor for the Uni-versity of North Dakota Pi Beta Phi Chapter

Jordan Cook — Choice Financial Assistant Vice President—Business/Ag Banking | Fargo As an AVP of Business/Ag Banking in Fargo, Jordan’s primary job duty is to build and retain customer relation-ships within the Commercial and Ag sectors. This includes managing some of the most complex and profitable relationships within Choice Financial. Jordan was born and raised in Wahpeton, ND prior to attending North Dakota State University for college. In his free time Jordan enjoys golfing, running, watching sports and spend-ing time with family and friends. Most weekends you can find Jordan at his family’s lake cabin on Ottertail Lake.

Education: B.S., Business Administration with a Concentration in Finance and a Minor in Economics

Volunteer & Professional Activities: Current VP of the North Central Risk Management Association Chapter,

Team Makers Fundraising Committee

Shane Cullen — Park Co. Realtors Realtor | Fargo As a Realtor in the Greater Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Area, Shane uses his professional experience and knowledge to educate, guide, and facilitate for buyers and sellers throughout the home buying process. He makes it a point to get to know his clients, their needs and their best options moving forward. Shane doesn’t consider himself a salesperson, but an expert in building relationships and problem solving. Born in Fairbanks, AK, raised in Northern MN, Shane enjoys outdoor activities including fishing and hunting. He played the violin growing up, and continues to enjoy playing guitar and singing. Relationships are of upmost importance, and he is proud to say that he remains close with his Grandfather and immediate family. Shane is constantly looking to meet new people and develop new, lasting relationships. He believes relationships are what make the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo area great. Education: Studied Architectural Drafting and Design at NCTC, AAS MSCTC, Studied Business at MSCTC Volunteer & Professional Activities: President of Master Networks- Downtown Fargo Chapter, Instructor for ND Real Estate Pre-license Courses, Volunteer Auctioneer for RPAC, Volunteer/panel member in support of Rebuild-ing Together, Serves on various Committees within Park Company, including Co-Chair of Education Committee, FMAAR Public Relations Committee Chair, Technology Committee Member, RPAC Committee Member and Gov-ernment Affairs Committee, Instructor of Technology Courses Certified in ND and MN for Continuing Ed Credits, NDAR Membership Services Committee and Technology Committee

Kelsey Erbes — Eide Bailly LLP Marketing & Communications Team Lead—Manager | Fargo As the Marketing & Communications Lead for Eide Bailly Technology Consulting, Kelsey Erbes excites and moti-vates a team of professionals focused on designing and executing campaigns, events, and thought leadership initiatives that generate awareness and interest in the marketplace. Erbes is a connector and responsible for ensuring the diverse practice, across multiple geographies is moving forward strategically and her team is deliv-ering on business priorities. With eight years in marketing, Erbes strives for continuous improvement both per-sonally and professionally by saying ‘yes’ to new challenges, volunteerism, and leading by example. Education: B.B.A., Marketing, University of North Dakota Volunteer & Professional Activities: United Way of Cass Clay participant in 35 Under 35 & volunteer, Junior Achievement volunteer for 2nd grade "Our Community”, Defender Dash volunteer coordinator & committee member, Eide Bailly Ambassador Program program facilitator, YWCA volunteer, TNT Fitness volunteer

Andy Erickson — Kinetic Leasing, Inc. Business Development/Account Executive | Fargo As an Account Executive at Kinetic Leasing, Inc., Andy provides equipment finance products and solutions to municipal and commercial entities. His duties at Kinetic Leasing, Inc. include managing a portfolio of existing vendor and client relationships, in addition to obtaining and developing new relationships. Originally from a small town in southwest Minnesota, Andy enjoys the small town feel that Fargo presents with the benefits of large city amenities. In his free time Andy enjoys spending time with friends and family, golfing, and watching all Minnesota sports. Education: Business & Economics – Finance, Concordia College

Amanda Even — Dress for Success Red River Valley Program Director | Fargo As the Program Director of REACH’s Dress for Success Red River Valley, Amanda is responsible for client, volun-teer, and donor relations, corporate partnerships, event planning, grant writing, and overall program manage-ment. Born and raised in Aberdeen, South Dakota, she has always had a passion for nonprofit work. In her free time, Amanda enjoys baking, bike riding, canning, snowboarding, paddle boarding, gardening, and pretty much any other outdoor activity. Oddly enough, Amanda’s green thumb does not extend to flowers. Her garden in plentiful but she struggles to keep any plant alive she cannot consume. She loves to travel the world and expe-rience how other cultures live firsthand. Education: B.A., Public Relations and Spanish, North Dakota State University Volunteer & Professional Activities: Rebuilding Together Communications Committee & Claws for A Cause volunteer/committee member, International Association of Impact Assessment volunteer, Universidad de Bur-gos language exchange volunteer

Jenna Frost — American Crystal Sugar Company HR Coordinator | Moorhead As the HR Coordinator at American Crystal Sugar Jenna’s main job is to facilitate our pension program and is the main point of contact for our retirees. Along with retirement functions, Jenna also helps with our wellness program and the Crystal Sugar Women’s Connect program. She is a born and raised North Dakotan and proud NDSU alum, Go Bison! Much of her free time is spent with her husband trying to keeping up with their three year old daughter. However when she gets a free minute she enjoys reading, outdoor activities such as snowboarding and snowshoeing and the occasional shopping spree. Jenna looks forward to meeting and learning from other leaders in our community. Education: B.S., Business Administration, North Dakota State University

Volunteer & Professional Activities: Community Service committee and Mentorship committee at American

Crystal Sugar, Ronald McDonald House Share a Meal program, Special Olympics of MN and United Way of Cass/

Clay.

Kayla Gefroh — Wanzek Training and Development Manager | West Fargo As the Training & Development Manager for Wanzek Construction, Kayla is responsible for the planning and implementation of training and development programs. She is actively involved in program management, as well as developing and executing strategic initiatives including learning management system upgrades, new employee onboarding, and emerging leaders. Kayla grew up primarily in Minnesota and moved to the Fargo-Moorhead-West Fargo area in 2001. She is a mom of three rambunctious boys and in her [very small amount of] free time she enjoys reading, cooking, and spending as much time as possible outdoors. Her idea of a per-fect weekend involves a good book, fishing and a campfire at the lake with her family. Education: B.S. Education Valley City State University and North Dakota State University, Masters of Man-agement Information Systems and Project Management Keller Graduate School Volunteer & Professional Activities: Junior Achievement volunteer teacher, Association for Talent Develop-ment member

Teran Germscheid — Wimmer’s Diamonds Sales Associate | Fargo Teran works at Wimmer's Diamonds as a certified sales associate. Aside from selling, she is in charge of schedul-ing for both store locations. She grew up in Grand Forks, ND but has lived in Fargo since April 2015. Teran en-joys theatre and dance, and loves going to local shows in her free time. Her favorite pastimes include cooking, gardening and hanging out with friends and family. Education: Attended the University of Minnesota, Duluth

Jamie Grant — Microsoft Technology Solutions Professional| Fargo In the role of Technical Solutions Professional with the Microsoft, Jamie engages with customers and sales reps to concept, prove and deploy customer business solutions into the Microsoft Cloud for Business. His main focus revolves around Microsoft Dynamics CRM which is an application that focuses on sales productivity and busi-ness processes. This year marked Jamie’s 15th year with the company in various roles ranging from support, development to sales. Born and raised in North Dakota, he enjoys spending time with his wife (Jennifer) and their eight-year-old son (James). During the summers, the family enjoys spending a great deal of time at the family lake cabin as well as taking vacations around the country. During the winter he enjoys attending UND hockey games as well as watching his own son participate in hockey (he has been playing since age of 4). Education: Masters, Business, University of Mary, Masters, Business Management, University of Mary , Mas-ters, Software Engineering, North Dakota State University (currently enrolled) Volunteer Activities: Fargo Youth Hockey Association member and volunteer, Junior Achievement volunteer, and United Way volunteer.

Matt Gruchalla — Bell State Bank & Trust Vice President—Business Banking | Fargo As a Commercial Lender at Bell Bank, Matt is responsible for managing and growing a portfolio of client relationships. He serves as the “point man” for matching banking products with client needs. Born and raised in Fargo, Matt enjoys traveling, grilling, time at the lake, hunting and sports. Matt also enjoys spending as much time as possible with his 6-year old and 2-year old daughters and his wife, Stephanie. Education: B.A., Business Administration and Psychology, Augustana University, Sioux Falls, SD Volunteer & Professional Activities: Great Plains Food Bank, Shiloh Lodge No. 1 member, volunteer youth soccer coach and Hopekids teaching volunteer., member of the El Zagal Shrine.

Brandon Haney — Midco Field Service Manager | West Fargo As the Field Service Manager with Midco, Brandon leads, develops, and manages a team of Field Technicians across the Fargo/Moorhead/West Fargo area. He moved to the FM area two years ago. Prior to that he was born and raised in Grand Forks, North Dakota. He enjoys hunting, fishing, and spending time at the lakes. In his free time, he likes trying new things such as the Fargo Escape Room, spending time with friends and family, attending UND hockey games (sorry Bison fans) and a solid video game session. Being relatively new to the ar-ea, he is excited to meet new people and find out what opportunities Fargo, Moorhead, and West Fargo has to offer! Education: Attending the University of North Dakota part time for a bachelors in Financial Economics.

Volunteer & Professional Activities: Recently participated in the United Way school supply drive, Spin for Kids, and an Apodt-a-Highway cleanup.

Mark Honzay — JLG Architects Project Manager| Fargo Mark is a Project Manager/Project Architect for JLG Architects in their Fargo office. In this role, Mark manages many Architectural projects, ownership groups, and design teams in the three state region. Mark was born and raised in Central Minnesota, but relocated to Fargo nearly 12 years ago. Mark enjoys spending time with his wife; Alysia, 1 year old son; Will, and dog; Penny, in their Fargo home. In his free time, Mark enjoys spending time in the backyard, working on the house, going to the lake, hunting, exercising at the YMCA, and enjoying a new restaurant. Education: Master of Architecture, North Dakota State University Volunteer & Professional Activities: YMCA of Cass and Clay Counties Buildings and Grounds Committee member, YMCA of Cass and Clay Counties Partner of Youth volunteer

Paul Jarvis — United Capital Managing Director | Fargo As a Managing Director, Paul works with both individual and corporate clients with an emphasis on retirement planning and family transitional wealth. His overarching goal is to help clients better understand their financial life and make objective and informed decisions. He loves challenging the status quo and believes that clients are best served when they play an active role in the design and creation of the personal plans and strategies. Paul’s responsibilities include advancing and coordinating the advice and financial planning activities at the Fargo office. His specialties lie in integrating and enhancing the advice and planning process and working strategically with clients on a variety of wealth counseling issues . Education: Bachelor’s Degree from the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN

Volunteer & Professional Activities: CFP Board Ambassador, March of Dimes volunteer and past board

member, Financial Planning Association Member, AreaVoices contributor

Cortnee Jensen — Mind Shift Director of Community Relations and Development | Fargo As the Director of Community Relations and Development with Mind Shift, Cortnee is shifting the societal per-ception of adults with autism from one of disability to one of uncommon and substantial ability and business value. The funding she raises supports finding uniquely suited careers for adults with autism within local busi-nesses. Additionally, Cortnee is a local, small business owner. She runs a small art jewelry business in West Far-go. She is also a Founding Member of Lift UpLift, the first global alliance for women owned businesses, dedicat-ed to creating more opportunities for women worldwide. Most importantly, Cortnee is (along with Ash, her hus-band and best friend) shaping the thoughts, characteristics and knowledge of her three young children. Having lived in 9 communities in 5 states, she believes that the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo community is unique in its interconnectedness, spirit of innovation and commitment to the economic strength of the region. Cortnee is proud to call this community “home.” Education: B.A., Biology, Winona State University Volunteer & Professional Activities: Red River Valley Autism Asbergers Network Board of Directors, Game ON Facilitator, Triumph LBC Confirmation Leader, BOLD, Social Entre

Mitch Johnson — Minnesota State University Moorhead Assistant Director—First Year Programs | Moorhead

In the Assistant Director role, Mitch coordinates Dragon Welcome Week, leads the Student Orientation Coun-selors, assists in the development and implementation of New Student Orientation, and coordinates a variety of parent and family programs at MSU Moorhead. Growing up in central Minnesota around the lakes area, Mitch has a joy for the lakes and any activity that comes along. Outside of Minnesota, Mitch loves to travel and see different parts of the country. With the rest of his free time, he enjoys running, getting involved in the com-munity and leading Kaleidoscope, a LGBTQ youth group. His favorite thing about the area is the community feel and the constant changing and growth of the community. Education: M.S., Counseling and Student Affairs, Minnesota State University Moorhead; B.S., Mass Commu-nications: Public Relations, Minnesota State University Moorhead Volunteer and Professional Activities: Co-facilitator of Kaleidoscope, North Dakota Leadership Seminar Leader-ship Coach and Board Member, National Orientation Directors Association

Toby Krone — Moorhead Police Department Sargent, Patrol Division | Moorhead Toby has been a patrol sergeant for the past 8 years, Toby works both daytime and evening shifts and directly supervises the patrol officers working with him. Toby began his career with the Moorhead Police Department in 1995 and has held a variety of assignments and positions to include; bike patrol, youth explorer advisor/coordinator, training officer, use of force instructor, SWAT team member, detective, and drug task force officer. He grew up primarily in North Central South Dakota but moved to the F-M area and proudly graduated in the last graduating class of the Dilworth High School…..GO LOCOS! Toby stays busy with his 20 month and 11 year old sons. When he is not changing diapers or traveling all over to watch his son play hockey, he enjoys hunting, fishing, motorcycling, gardening, and cooking. Education: AAS, Law Enforcement, Alexandria Technical College, Business Management – University of Mary, Fargo Volunteer & Professional Activities: Clay County Family Violence Committee, Domestic Violence Court Plan-ning Team member, and a Domestic Violence Instructor.

Thomas Loegering — Wanzek Business Development Manager | West Fargo

As Business Development Manager and Registered In-House Counsel with Wanzek Construction, Thomas over-sees all business development efforts for Wanzek’s Industrial Group as well as assists Wanzek’s legal team with contract review and negotiation, risk management, and any other company-related legal issues. Thomas is also Head JV and Assistant Varsity Football Coach at Sheyenne High School. Spending six years in Denver Thomas appreciates the outdoors and exercising in many forms. When he’s not running or riding his bike he spends his time curling, trap shooting or chasing around his son. He enjoys great food but enjoys great beer even more. Thomas loves spending time with family and friends as well as meeting new people and has enjoyed being back home in North Dakota and particularly Fargo with everything it has to offer. Education: B.A. Communications & Sociology, University of North Dakota ; J.D., University of Denver Sturm College of Law Volunteer & Professional Activities: Junior Achievement, F/M/WF Chamber Young Professionals, United Way Community Investment Committee, United Way Community Investment Review Panel, Habitat for Humanity

Kurt Lysne — Moore Engineering, Inc. Water Resources Group Leader | West Fargo As the Water Resources Group Leader with Moore Engineering, Inc., Kurt leads a production team of nearly two dozen engineers, technicians and interns to develop and support regional water resource projects. Kurt is also the company’s practice leader for the water resources discipline and enjoys recruiting, hiring, and mentoring new staff. He was born in raised on a family farm near Pillsbury, ND, about an hour northwest of Fargo-Moorhead. Kurt is proud of being a lifelong North Dakotan and values the region’s character, traditions, and even weather – especially crisp fall mornings. He currently lives in Fargo with his wife and three young children and enjoys time with family grilling, exploring the outdoors, hunting, and attending Bison football and basket-ball games. Education: B.S., Civil Engineering, North Dakota State University Volunteer & Professional Activities: Volunteer for youth activities and monthly men’s breakfast coordinator at Triumph Lutheran Church, Former officer on the Park Christian School Parent Association, Salvation Army Bell Ringer, Meals on Wheels, FM Engineers Club member (former president), ND Society of Professional Engineers member, National Society of Professional Engineers member, Association of State Floodplain Managers mem-ber, Minnesota Association of Floodplain Managers member, Association of State Dam Safety Officials member

Amanda Maslowski — VOLT Workforce Solutions Senior Branch Manager | Fargo As the Branch Manager for Volt, Amanda has her hand in everything from sales to recruiting, from payroll to answer-ing the phones - she is responsible for the overall success of the Fargo branch and loves working with her team to make that happen! She started at Volt over 10 years ago as a recruiter and was quickly promoted to recruiting man-ager and finally into her current role of Branch Manager. Amanda grew up in a small town in Minnesota and Fargo was the “big city” nearby, which is why she moved here for college! She lives in West Fargo with her husband Seth, two children, Chloe and Jack, and puppy Maggie. A second puppy is in her near future! In her free time, she attends as many concerts as she can fit in because live music is best! In the summers, she and her family go camping most weekends, soaking up as much sun as they can because she knows that Winter. Is. Coming. (She is also a big fan of “Game of Thrones” on HBO.) Education: B.A., Communications, Public Relations & Advertising, Concordia College, Moorhead, MN Volunteer & Professional Activities: United Way – Emerging Leaders in Giving, Loaned Executive, 35 Under 35 Wom-en’s Leadership Program Application Committee; FM Area Contact Center Council Organizer; Fargo-Moorhead Hu-man Resources Association; YMCA Brighter Futures; Toys for Tots

Kevin Mehrer — Northern Lights Council, Boy Scouts of America District Director | Fargo As the District Director in the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Area – Kevin is responsible for growing the Scouting Movement. Growth in the areas of: youth involved in the avaible programs, growing fundraisers and product sales, along with overseeing everything from training, advancement, camping and engaging the community in Scouting. Kevin was born and raised in Minot, ND where he was a Cub Scout in pack 419 – and his secret is that he was a Boy Scout dropout! He started his Career in the Boy Scouts as a District Executive and was there for the past five years. He enjoys spending time with his wife Kelsey, getting into the outdoors or playing a new board game with friends. Education: B.A., Public Relations, Minot State University (Go Beavers!) Volunteer & Professional Activities: Minot Noon Rotary Member, City of Minot Planning Commission, Previ-ous Four years selected to attend the Boy Scout’s Central Region High Achiever’s Conference, Leadership team for Northland Harvest Church.

Kelly Napoli — Obermiller Nelson Engineering, Inc. Marketing Coordinator | Fargo As the Marketing Coordinator with ONE, CxS & FJJ, Kelly is responsible for the production of the quarterly newsletter, marketing materials, presentations, press releases. She is also in charge of proposal coordination, novelty coordination and photography coordination. Born and raised in central Iowa, she enjoys all four sea-sons and the activities that come with each one. In her free time, she likes to run, practice yoga, and play slow-pitch softball. She loves meeting new people and getting show them around the city. Education: B.A., Corporate Communications & French, Simpson College Volunteer & Professional Activities: Young Professionals Network Member Engagement Committee, Young Professionals Network Leadership Committee, Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant

Allyson Peterson — NDSU Development Foundation & Alumni Association Senior Vice President of Finance & Operations/CFO | West Fargo As the Senior Vice President of Finance and Operations, Allyson leads the Accounting, Donor Compliance Services, Human Resources, and Information Services teams at the NDSU Foundation and Alumni Association. She oversees the Foundation’s assets and ensures best practices in financial and donor stewardship are followed. She was born in Ortonville, Minnesota and has lived in West Fargo for over 20 years. Allyson and her husband Brian have a dog and two cats. In her free time, she enjoys being at the lake, spending time with family and friends, reading, golfing, and cheering for the Minnesota Wild, Minnesota Vikings, and NDSU Bison teams. Education: B.S., Accounting, Minor in Fraud Investigation, North Dakota State University Volunteer & Professional Activities: Member of American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, North Dakota Society of CPAs, and Fargo-Moorhead Society of CPAs

Rob Riness — Mortenson Construction Senior Project Manager | Fargo As a Senior Project Manager my main responsibility to plan, organize, lead and direct the project, deliver a complete project management program, with coaching and guidance in the development of team mem-bers. Born in the lower peninsula of Michigan, growing up in northern Arizona with a return to the beautiful bluffs of La Crosse, WI for nearly a decade before moving ‘west’ of the Mississippi. Our family weekends through the summer involve camping and racing motocross in Wisconsin and Minnesota. The Fargo-Moorhead area has provided countless experiences for me over the years with the access to community events, access to parks and walk/bike paths, and meeting young professionals through numerous organizations. Education: B.A., Psychology, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Volunteer & Professional Activities: March of Dimes - mission critical initiatives, fund-raising initiatives; Salva-tion Army team leader - Development and implementation lead on space programming of Dementia Clinic, Mayo Health. Leadership - Strategic Planning and Team Building participant and Market Group Leader; MN ISD Junior Achievement Volunteer; United Way volunteer

Adam Rudd — Houston Engineering Professional Engineer | Fargo

As a civil engineer with Houston Engineering, Inc., Adam facilitates and coordinates the design of various infra-structure improvement projects in the region. Adam has designed several major roadways throughout the re-gion, including long stretches of I-29 north of Fargo. Born and raised in central Minnesota, Adam spends much of his free time outdoors, playing and watching sports or hunting and fishing. In the summer, Adam can be found enjoying the weather and swinging clubs on the golf course; and, in the fall, cheering on the Bison at the Fargodome as they pursue their sixth consecutive National Championship. Education: B.S., Civil Engineering, North Dakota State University Volunteer & Professional Activities: FM Engineers Member

Melissa Rystad — Rasmussen College Regional Manager of Student Financial Services | Fargo

As the Manager of Student Finance with Rasmussen College in Fargo/Moorhead, Melissa helps staff and students through the financial aid process to make sure Federal regulations are being met. Born and raised on a farm in North Dakota, she experienced the farming lifestyle and continuously spent time playing outside. She still enjoys peaceful evenings outdoors riding bike, walking, or meeting up with friends. In her free time you’ll find her travelling on a new adventure or at the lake with family. She also loves meeting new people and being involved with networking and pro-fessional development events. Education: Bachelor of Arts and Communication-Public Relations

Volunteer & Professional Activities: Loaned Executive for United Way, Homelesness Connect Project Volunteer, An-

nual Rasmussen Community Service Day, River Keepers Red River Water Festival Volunteer.

Maria Steen — Lakes & Prairies Community Action Partnership Early learning Scholarship Manager | Moorhead As the manager of the Early Learning Scholarship Program for west central Minnesota’s nine county region, Ma-ria collaborates with parents and area early education programs to ensure that low-income children have ac-cess to high quality learning experiences in preparation for Kindergarten. After growing up in several states across the Southwest, Maria returned to Minnesota, the land of her birth, to attend college and reconnect to her Midwestern heritage. She is mother to 4 ½-year-old Isaac, meaning she has little free time that doesn’t re-late to parenting. However, when not at swim lessons or t-ball games, Maria revels in reading a good book, dreams of her next travel destination, and torments the weeds that try to overtake her garden. She also enjoys biking, baking, camping, and finding new avenues for exploring the lakes, rivers, woods, and prairies surround-ing the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo metro area. Education: B.A., Psychology, Macalester College (St. Paul, MN) Volunteer & Professional Activities: City of Dilworth Park Board member, Clay County Early Childhood Initia-tive member and volunteer, Probstfield Organic Community Garden member and volunteer, Junior Achieve-ment volunteer, Child Care Advocates Ready to Emerge graduate, Joint Religious Legislative Coalition member, National Association for the Education of Young Children member

Erik Stenehjem — First International Bank & Trust Commercial Loan Officer/Director | Fargo As a Director of FIB&T, Erik helps oversee and advise the Board of Directors on the operations of the bank, this includes business development, credit approval and strategic planning. He also assists the CFO with the overall finances of the bank. Born and raised in Watford City, North Dakota Erik enjoys many activities including, hunting, skiing, hiking and watersports. Education: Bachelor’s Degree from Concordia College, Majoring in Accounting Volunteer & Professional Activities: FM Athletics volunteer coach, Great Plains food bank, member of the Independent Community Bankers of North Dakota Emerging Leaders group

Caitlin Stoecker — The Village Family Service Center Major Gifts Officer & Development | Fargo As a Major Gifts Officer and Development Strategist, Caitlin works with community partners to find mutually benefi-cial partnerships through volunteer, in-kind, and major gifts opportunities, to help ensure the vital work of The Vil-lage remains available to kids and families across the region. In the Development Strategist side of her positon, she also works with department and agency leadership to ensure the work of the development departments is strategi-cally minded, aligned with the mission and goals of the agency, and progressing toward success. Caitlin was born in Minnesota, but has lived all over the United States due to her father’s time in the military. Her family returned to Minnesota when she was a young child where they lived in Pelican Rapids and Albert Lea, MN before settling in Rolla, ND, where Caitlin graduated High School before moving to Fargo to attend NDSU. In her free time, she enjoys contin-uing her education and spending time with family and friends. Education: B.A. in Management Communication, from North Dakota State University. Currently pursuing a M.A. in Communication, emphasis in Organizational Communication with research interests in corporate social responsibility and strategic communication.

Volunteer & Professional Activities: Soon-to-be Chair of the FMWF Chamber Young Professional Network Member-ship Engagement Committee, Board Member of the FM Cosmopolitan Service Club, Member of Young Nonprofit Pro-fessional Network Fargo, Member of 20/20 Fargo

Tim Stokka — Gate City Bank Business Development Officer | Fargo As a Business Development Officer for Gate City Bank’s South Fargo and West Fargo Regions, Tim is responsible for establishing and maintaining relationships with business customers and providing service expertise. Tim was born and raised in Fargo, ND. He enjoys cooking, hunting, fishing and spending time with his wife, their daughter and dog. Education: B.S., Business Administration, Bemidji (MN) State University, A.S., Criminal Justice, Bemidji (MN) State University, M.B.A., University of Mary Volunteer & Professional Activities: Teach Children to Save Day, ND Retriever Club, Habitat for Humanity, United Way Day of Caring.

Jenna Studt — Flint Group Senior Account Manager | Fargo Jenna moved to the FM area in 2012 after spending nearly 10 years in North Carolina. She brings that unique East Coast perspective to her current position as senior account manager at Flint Group, where she thrives on combining strategy with creative to help bring brands to life. Prior to working at Flint, Jenna was the director of marketing at TMI Hospitality. In her free time, Jenna loves to learn, travel, enjoy the arts, take in a hockey game, and spend time with friends and family.

Education: B.A., Marketing & Merchandising, Academy of Art University, San Francisco, CA MFA, Branding & Marketing, Academy of Art University, San Francisco, CA

Volunteer & Professional Activities: The Arts Partnership, AAF- ND

Jennifer Swenson — TMI Hospitality Director of Purchasing Operations | Fargo As the director of purchasing at TMI Hospitality, Jennifer is responsible for the operational effectiveness of the Procurement department and ensures the hotels receive the required quality products and services in a timely matter at the best price. She grew up in Milnor North Dakota, but has called Fargo her home since she started college 28 years ago. Fargo, with its blend of small town culture and large city opportunities has been a won-derful place to raise her daughters. In her spare time, she enjoys running and fitness challenges, spending time with family at the lake, quiet time enjoying the birds and flowers in her back yard (thanks to her husband), and spending time with her 21 and 17 year old daughters. She enjoys meeting new people and is always amazed how everyone in the Fargo, Moorhead, and West Fargo area are connected in some way. Education: B.S., Fashion Merchandising with Business focus, North Dakota State University Volunteer & Professional Activities: Junior Achievement volunteer, United Way, Meals on Wheels volunteer,

Churches United volunteer

Sam Wheeldon — John Deere Electronic Solutions Technical Manager—Test Design Engineer | Fargo As the Technical Manager of the Test Design Engineering Department at John Deere Electronic Solutions, Sam manages a global team of engineers and technicians responsible for designing and building test equipment solu-tions. Additionally he serves as the Regional Coordinator for the John Deere Inspire Initiative which manages and coordinates the JDES community STEM based initiatives, one of which is FIRST Robotics, where he is active as a coach, judge and mentor. Born and raised in the upper Midwest, he enjoys all of the aspects of flyover country including the close knit community atmosphere and friendly, hardworking Midwestern values. He is the father of two great kids and in his free time, enjoys volunteering at his children’s sports and academic activi-ties, attending sports events, live music, and time with family and friends. Education: B.S., Electrical Engineering , University of North Dakota, M.S., Electrical and Computer Engineer-ing, Marquette University Volunteer & Professional Activities: Regional Coordinator for John Deere Inspire, First Lego League Coach and Mentor, Park District Flag Football Coach, FLL Regional Competition Committee