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, we are 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. 

I have 11 years of Executive Leadership experience with Great River Rescue (formerly Beltrami Humane Society). I want to help more organizations grow and thrive through the use of strategic planning. I believe that I am uniquely fitted to help nonprofit and church leaders in the process. 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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