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Kate Black

Age: 34

Vice President

Inland Oil & Gas Corp.

Bismarck, N.D.

Kate Black is busy writing the third generation’s chapter at Inland Oil & Gas. After graduating from North Dakota State University in 2010 with a degree in mechanical engineering, she was lured back to the family’s business with hopes of capitalizing on the opportunities of the booming Bakken in western North Dakota.

Today, as vice president, she manages the exploration and drilling on Inland’s leasehold and directs future acquisitions. In addition to her operational duties at Inland, she applies her engineering skills towards appraising mineral rights for attorneys, tax and estate planners. She especially enjoys assisting mineral owners in managing their mineral assets.

Black is the past president of the Landman’s Association of North Dakota, serves on the board of directors for the North Dakota Petroleum Council, and is a member of the inaugural cohort of LeadershipND.

As a lifelong learner, “Be curious, and ask good questions!” is the mantra she recites daily to her three daughters. She and her husband, Wyatt, and their daughters are avid sports fans and enjoy staying active.

Lance Monson

Age: 38

Preconstruction Manager

Construction Engineers

Grand Forks, N.D.

Kristen Henderson

Age: 36

Business Owner/Educator

Midwest Veterinary Service

Watertown, S.D.

Kristen Henderson is an engineer, entrepreneur, and educator. With master’s degrees in engineering and business, she worked in medical device R&D in Minneapolis for nearly 10 years in various leadership roles, including an international assignment in Costa Rica.

Henderson moved back to her hometown of Watertown, S.D., to support the expansion of her family’s business, Midwest Veterinary Service, integrating three clinics into its operations in three years. In addition to managing marketing efforts for the company, she teaches leadership and business courses at Lake Area Technical College and Mount Marty University.

Henderson has devoted her talents to numerous community endeavors, including a $5 million project to save Watertown’s 130-year-old Goss Opera House from demolition.

The need to attract and retain workforce leaders inspired her to co-create Excite Watertown, which works to engage professionals through development opportunities and networking.

Henderson serves on the board of directors of the Watertown Area Community Foundation, Prairie Lakes Healthcare System, Friends of the Goss, and Watertown Area Chamber of Commerce Ag Committee. She and her husband, Brooks, have two young children.

Lance Monson is a preconstruction manager for Construction Engineers (CE) in Grand Forks and lives in Thompson, N.D., with his wife Taylor and four children. He graduated from North Dakota State University in 2007 with a B.S. in construction management and a minor in business. In the preconstruction manager role, Monson oversees all of CE’s pursuits.

Monson and his team develop detailed cost estimates at all phases of a building project’s design. He has completed over $1 billion in cost estimates and overseen an additional $750 million-plus from his team. Monson takes pride in his teams’ product, which is accurate, detailed estimates that look beyond the surface to provide owners the information they need to maximize the value of their projects.

Monson served in the North Dakota National Guard for 15 years. He deployed to Iraq as part of OIF III, and to Washington DC in support of Operation Noble Eagle. He currently serves in the Reserves as a captain. He is a board member for the Grand Forks Builders and Traders Exchange, and is involved in several industry groups.

Lauralee Tupa

Age: 39

Chief Executive Officer

Circle of Friends Animal Shelter Grand Forks, N.D.

Lindsay Mack

Age: 37

SVP/HR & Training Director Cornerstone Bank Fargo, N.D.

Lindsay Mack joined Cornerstone Bank in March 2014 as the HR director and currently serves as the senior vice president of HR & training director, and on the management board. She has worked in human resources for more than 14 years.

Mack earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting with a minor in business administration from Minnesota State University Moorhead. She earned her Professional in Human Resources certification in 2009 and her SHRM Certified Professional certification in 2015. She is a graduate of the Human Resource Management Graduate School of Banking.

Mack currently serves on the Board of Directors for The Rape & Abuse Crisis Center in Fargo and has volunteered with the United Way.

She and her husband, Chad, have three boys and reside in West Fargo. They enjoy running after kids and spending time with family and friends at the lake and in Arizona.

Lauralee Tupa has spent the past 10 years honing her skills in nonprofit development and caring for her community. After transitioning from the corporate world to the nonprofit world in 2012, Tupa has never looked back.

She enjoys lending her skills and experience to improving the lives of others -- both people and animals!

Over the past five years as CEO of the Circle of Friends Animal Shelter, Tupa and her team have faced hurdles that have turned into opportunities. Tupa and her team approach each day with the mentality of serving others and strengthening their community. Whether it is increasing community outreach programs or completing an animal medical suite, along with adding two staff veterinarians, she really does live by COFs mission: To enrich the lives of pets through healing, education, and connecting companions.

A graduate of the University of Minnesota Crookston and the College of St. Scholastica, she resides in Grand Forks with her husband, Jay, and their seven children, who inspire her every day to serve God and the community.

Luke Heck

Age: 32

Attorney Vogel Law Fargo, N.D.

Luke Heck is a partner at Vogel Law Firm. He runs a successful criminal defense practice, where he zealously advocates for his clients to achieve positive outcomes in their cases. Luke also serves on the firm’s Marketing committee and Strategic Planning Committee.

Since becoming licensed, Heck has tried over 20 jury trials, including serious felony allegations and misdemeanor offenses. Between North Dakota and Minnesota, he has handled hundreds of DUI/DWI cases, as well as multiple criminal appeals in both states. Heck has also presented at a number of continuing legal education seminars.

Heck attended the University of Jamestown, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration with concentrations in economics and global business. After graduating from the University of Jamestown, he attended the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis, where he was selected by his class to give their commencement speech.

Outside of his practice, Heck enjoys spending time with his wife, Holly, and their children, while remaining active in the Fargo-Moorhead community.

Macy Francisco

Age: 25

Marketing

BIO Girls

Fargo, N.D.

Director

Macy Francisco has a passion for positivity, creativity, and marketing. In 2018, she found all three at BIO Girls. She is the director of Marketing at BIO Girls, a nonprofit that began in Fargo, and now spans across the Midwest.

BIO stands for Beautiful, Inside and Out. The mission at BIO Girls is to improve the self-esteem of adolescent girls through empowerment of self and service to others through their proven 12-week program.

Francisco received her degree in marketing from the University of North Dakota. Quickly discovering a knack for storytelling, she has had the privilege for the last three years to share the story of adolescent girls finding their confidence through BIO Girls.

In addition to her professional role, Francisco is a mentor for UND’s Pancratz Mentor Program, BIO Girls volunteer site director, graduate of United Way’s 35 Under 35 Leadership Program, and keeps her creativity firing in her spare time by illustrating pets with her small business, Doodling Diggsy.

Francisco resides in Fargo with her fiancé, Dominik, and rescue dog Diggs.

Mark

Age: 36

Honzay

Principal Architect

JLG Architects

Fargo, N.D.

Maggie (Smith) Brockling

Age: 35

Executive Director

Evolve Grand Forks

Grand Forks, N.D.

Maggie Brockling, native Vermonter, is the executive director of Evolve Grand Forks. She is on the Greater Grand Forks Young Professionals Board of Directors; a member of the Nonprofit Business Alliance serving on their Social & Economic Impact Committee; a member of the Grand Forks/East Grand Forks Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Committee and a Chamber Ambassador.

Brockling holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of North Dakota and a Bachelor of Forestry from the University of Tennessee. Previously, she served the Board of the Chicopee Chamber of Commerce and the Young Professionals Society of Greater Springfield, Mass. She is a graduate of the Leadership Institute for Political and Public Impact from the Women’s Fund of Western MA.

Brockling is a retired yoga teacher (RYT 200hr) and a lifetime member of Girl Scouts of America, having received her Gold and Silver Awards. As an outdoor enthusiast, she enjoys hiking with her dog, Jim, and husband, Austin. She has a penchant for loose leaf teas, crafting cooking creations, and decaf coffee.

Mark Honzay, JLG Architects, is a registered Architect in North Dakota, Minnesota, and South Dakota. He earned his Master of Architecture degree from North Dakota State University in 2009 and was promoted in 2021 to principal-in-charge, specializing in the design of medical and healthcare projects with JLGmed’s practice studio.

Honzay leads high-performance planning, design, sustainable design practices, and technical execution for projects ranging from stand-alone multimillion-dollar new construction to complex renovations. His work is driven by an urgency to create impactful healthcare environments for community, understanding the broader effect on patient access to health services, as well as the health and growth of our region.

Furthering his passion for community, Honzay contributes his time to mentorship of emerging and young architects, volunteerism through regional advisory panels, as well as pro bono architectural design for non-profit organizations throughout the Midwest.

Honzay grew up on a farm in central Minnesota and has lived in Fargo/ West Fargo since 2004. He currently lives in West Fargo with his wife of nearly 10 years, Alysia, and their two children, Will and Kate.

Matthew Eaton

Age: 37

Dental Director

Family HealthCare Fargo, N.D.

Melissa Frohlich

Age: 39

AVP/Digital Banking Manager

First International Bank & Trust Bismarck, N.D.

Melissa Frohlich is the assistant vice president and digital banking manager at First International Bank & Trust (FIBT), where she leads online and mobile services for all consumer and business customers. Throughout her seven-year tenure with the bank, she has worked tirelessly to spearhead FIBT’s focused digital application with cutting-edge functionality, usability, and customer experience.

Frohlich stays in touch with trends and drives efforts to keep the bank relevant to customer demands. She has the innate ability to take complex technical ideas and make them simple and customer-friendly.

Frohlich strongly believes in financial education and spreading knowledge about digital banking throughout her organization. She developed a training platform dedicated to digital banking knowledge that helps FIBT customers Live First by banking when and how it works best for them.

Frohlich graduated from North Dakota State University in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in mass communications. Beyond her role at FIBT, she is the secretary of the Mandan Soccer Club and is a member of the local Eagles Women’s Auxiliary.

Matthew Eaton, DDS, is a Fargo native who is passionate about dentistry and his community.

His professional accomplishments include work as a dental practitioner, public health director, published researcher, and national speaker. He has earned advanced study designations in dental sleep medicine and dental implantology.

After time working as dental director for a large health system in Wisconsin, he returned to Fargo in 2015 where he accepted the position of dental director at Family Healthcare.

Additionally, he focuses on implant care and dental sleep medicine at a private office, Valley Dental, with his wife.

Family Healthcare’s dental department has more than doubled in size since his appointment. In addition to tremendous growth, his most recent achievement was obtaining the first medical/dental mobile unit within the state of North Dakota. Family HealthCare’s Dental program cares for more than 10,000 unique dental patients a year.

Dr. Eaton is the father to three busy children. He also serves as a board member of the Angels Hockey Program and the Vector Control board within the community.

Shawn Crowley

Age: 34

Architect, Office Manager

EAPC Architects Engineers Sioux Falls, S.D.

Shawn Crowley, AIA, has has been a staple at EAPC Architects Engineers since starting as a student intern in 2008, and since then has worked to continuously improve both himself and the firm. Through his hard work and determination, he quickly became a licensed architect and worked his way up to his newest role of Sioux Falls office manager in 2021.

Crowley has shown great leadership and judgement throughout his young career, allowing him to be entrusted with the management and design of many significant projects on the SDSU campus, including the Raven Precision Agriculture Center and the First Bank and Trust Arena renovation. He is passionate about design for higher education and strives to improve the campus environment for every student.

Crowley works to promote leadership and an active lifestyle through his commitment as a volunteer Cub Scout Den leader. When he isn’t at the office, he enjoys playing softball, volleyball, and doing home improvement projects.

He lives in Sioux Falls with his wife, Elizabeth, and their two children.

Skyler Severns

Age: 31 President

Fargo Moorhead Adult Hockey Club LLC Fargo, N.D.

Skyler Severns, 31, has 17 years of experience in technology, with eight years specifically geared toward excess and specialty insurance. While his professional life is quite impressive, what Severns does in his spare time shows real drive.

Severns moved to Fargo in 2017 from Seattle with his wife and quickly jumped into hockey. He played for the Fargo Parks District for a few years, but it was around 2020 that he began his club, Fargo Moorhead Adult Hockey Club (FMAHC). With more than 200 players this year, FMAHC is not like anything you have seen in the area. In addition to personalized jerseys and playing cards that display your stats, you can participate in beginner skaters/goalies training, play more than 15 games per season, and four pick-up games per week. The club rents ice at the Fargo Scheels Arena for all their practices and games; additionally, each game is broadcast online with commentary through Facebook, Vimeo, and YouTube. He says FMAHC is the perfect club for avoiding the gym and playing hockey with fellow adults.

Wylie Wenschlag

Age: 39 Engineer, Associate Director-Substation

Ulteig Fargo, N.D.

Terri Miller

Age: 37

Architect Architecture Incorporated

Sioux Falls, S.D.

Terri Miller has earned her reputation as one of the most reliable and knowledgeable architects around. She has an unrivaled work ethic and is passionate about providing her clients with the best service possible, often going above and beyond to ensure that their expectations are exceeded.

In addition to being a wife and mom of three active children, she has also taken on leadership roles within the American Institute of Architects and the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards. She juggles all of these roles without missing a beat while constantly embracing a growth mindset to stay ahead of industry trends and advancements in technology.

Miller graduated with a Master of Architecture and Bachelor of Environmental Design degrees from North Dakota State University. She was raised on a farm in southwest Minnesota, which she credits for significantly shaping her personality and how she approaches problem solving. She learned at a young age what it means to work hard, reap rewards, suffer loss, and sometimes have no control over any of it.

Wylie Wenschlag is a licensed Professional Engineer with Ulteig, where he leads multiple teams responsible for planning, design, and construction of power substations. As an Associate Director, Wenschlag oversees strategic direction at the department and enterprise-level as well as execution of technical services, resource planning, and professional development for his teams.

In 2021 a project team reporting to Wenschlag received a National Recognition Award in the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) Engineering Excellence Awards (EEA) competition for substation design.

In partnership with Ulteig’s company-wide leadership team, Wenschlag supports client relationships, quality, revenue growth, and expansion of services. He also serves as a member of the enterprise risk council and local safety committee. He consistently displays exceptional strengths in communication, delegation, empowerment, and decision-making.

Wenschlag holds a BS in civil engineering from North Dakota State University. He lives near Detroit Lakes, Minn., with his wife and two children, where he enjoys lake time with the family, sports, hunting, and fishing.