About Me

I grew up in Champlin, Minnesota, a northwest suburb of Minneapolis. After high school, I attended Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, Minnesota and then Salem International University in Salem, West Virginia and obtained my Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. After college, I joined the Peace Corps and served for two years in rural Paraguay. Upon returning to the US, I worked for nearly four years with the Salvation Army in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. During that time, I attended the Humphrey School of Public Affairs and earned my Master’s Degree in Public Policy with a Concentration in Nonprofit Management.

During my Master’s program, I had a strategic planning class with John Bryson, a foremost leader in strategic planning for public and nonprofit agencies. The class had a tremendous positive impact on me. After graduating, I became the Executive Director of the Beltrami Humane Society in Bemidji, Minnesota. When I started, the organization was in a tough place. Mismanagement had led to financial struggles and broken relationships. One of the first tasks I embarked on was to create and implement a strategic plan to guide the organization. I used the tools and skills I had learned from my class to lead the strategic planning sessions.

In a few short years, the health of the organization turned around. We quickly wiped away debt, improved relationships, and began to grow. Today, Great River Rescue (formerly the Beltrami Humane Society) is a thriving community nonprofit with a great reputation. In my mind, the key to the turnaround was the implementation of the strategic plan, and successive plans. While I am no longer employed at Great River Rescue, I am committed to supporting nonprofits and public agencies thrive. 

I have 11 years of Executive Leadership experience with Great River Rescue, in addition to my other nonprofit and community development experience. I believe that my experiences and strengths are uniquely suited to help nonprofit and church leaders in the process of strategic planning. Please contact me to talk more about how I can help you and your organization. 

My Beliefs

I believe that having a plan for your organization is crucial to its success. I believe that  if you don’t know where you are going, you’ll never get there. Or, perhaps Yogi Berra said it best:

“If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up somewhere else.” 

I also believe that strategic planning is not difficult. The concept can be daunting to some, but it really boils down to answering three basic questions: 1) What do we want to accomplish? 2) How will we do that? and 3) What will happen if we do those things?

I believe that I can help you create, implement and follow through on a plan. With the right guidance and tools you and your organization will soon be impacting your community more than ever thought possible. 

My Core Values

Trust – We must be able to rely on one another while putting our full faith and hope in the Lord. 

Commitment – Let your “yes” be “yes” and your “no,” “no.”

Humility – I am a servant and am here to serve. 

Community – We need each other. We were created to be in relationship with one another. 

“Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.”  –Proverbs 15:22

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