Christin Fine

Age: 37

Director of Environment, Health, & Safety Energy & Environmental Research Center

Grand Forks, N.D.

Christin Fine, director for EHS at the EERC, focuses on leading the EERC’s Environment, Occupational Health, and Safety Programs. She holds an M.S. in Safety, Security & Emergency Management from Eastern Kentucky University, a B.S. in Occupational Safety and Environmental Health from the University of North Dakota and is a certified safety professional and certified instructional trainer. Her professional development studies focus on human performance in the workplace to develop management systems which help to prevent incidents.

Fine is passionate about the sharing of safety knowledge to improve workplace environments. She is actively involved in a variety of professional organizations where she mentors young safety professionals, coaching them in how to find solutions to hazardous worksite situations.

She participates in webinars and panels focused on being a professional female in a male dominated industry, encourages her employees to present at conferences on technical and management topics, and is well-respected by her peers. She is involved in nonprofits throughout the region.

Drew Flaagan

Age: 36

Vice President/ Commercial Loan Officer

First International Bank and Trust Watford City, N.D.

Drew Flaagan currently serves as vice president / commercial loan officer at First International Bank & Trust. He began his career in 2009 as a credit analyst, shortly after graduating from North Dakota State University with a bachelor’s degree in Finance. Throughout his career, he has helped support main street businesses that work to improve the quality of life for his community.

Outside of work, Flaagan has served as a referee for high school football and basketball, as well as a scheduling coordinator for fellow referees in Northwest North Dakota. He dedicates much of his spare time to refereeing and has officiated multiple state football and basketball post-season contests. In addition, he has served on the Fox Hills Golf Board and had an instrumental role in the project to expand the course to 18 holes.

Jake Fisketjon

Age: 30

Retail Manager and AVP Senior Mortgage Loan Officer

Gate City Bank

Bismarck, N.D.

Jake Fisketjon started with Gate City Bank in his hometown of Williston, North Dakota, and has devotedly shared in the bank’s mission of providing a better way of life for customers, team members and communities. He exemplifies the philanthropic spirit of giving bank and volunteers with several local organizations including Missouri Slope United Way, Bismarck Emergency Food Pantry and Great Plains Food Bank. Jake also serves on the board of directors for Northern Plains Dance.

In his role as retail manager, AVP of Bismarck Country West and Mandan, Fisketjon enjoys working with an exceptional team committed to making a difference and providing a brilliant customer experience.

Fisketjon holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Mississippi State University and Master of Business Administration from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. Outside of work, Fisketjon and his wife, Megan, are proud parents of three boys, and enjoy raising their family in the heart of North Dakota.

Age: 36

Vice President of Operations

North Star Community Credit Union Maddock, N.D.

Yvonne Fossen is the vice president of operations at North Star Community Credit Union, the 5 th largest credit union in North Dakota. She began her career there in 2005 as an Intern, at which time the credit union was less than $80 million in assets and had only 4 locations. Now, NSCCU is over $411 million in assets with 13 locations.

Fossen has held various roles from member services representative, IT, human resources manager, & interim branch manager, to her current role of vp of operations, overseeing IT, Cards, ACH/Share Drafts, Human Resources, Core Services, and general Operations for all locations and 106 employees.

She holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Business Administration and Management, and a Human Resources Management Certificate from Dickinson State University. She also has multiple other professional certifications including Professional in Human Resources, Certified Credit Union Executive, Certified Credit Union Financial Counselor, and Credit Union HR Compliance Professional.

Fossen is active in her church, local credit union chapter, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Mitchell and their two daughters, Vada, and Vyvyan.

Matt Gehrtz

Age: 34

Principal Construction Manager

Gehrtz Construction Management Fargo, N.D.

Matt Gehrtz is a principal construction manager at Gehrtz Construction Services. He has a Bachelor of Civil Engineering from NDSU, a Master of Business Administration from the University of Colorado in Denver and is a licensed civil engineer. Throughout his career, has worked on many highly impactful community projects across the region. He fully devotes himself to the mission of each client’s project and encourages his teams to see the overall goal and mission of each building.

In his role, Gehrtz leads through the process of building or renovating a project. He coordinates communication, schedules, budgets, timelines, and the overall organization and problem solving needed to complete a project successfully. GCS prides themselves on always being on the client’s side of the table and being a strong, trustworthy resource for whatever needs arise. Gehrtz embodies this spirit through his work by staying in close contact with his clients throughout the entire construction process, and often after.

He and his wife, Kjerstin, and their three young children, Vivienne, Solveij and Ivor, reside in Fargo.

Jordan Grasser, PE

Age: 37

Operations Manager

AE2S

Grand Forks, N.D.

Jordan Grasser, PE, manages AE2S’ largest office and corporate headquarters with a staff of 81 people. He has been an engineer at the 100% employee-owned consulting engineering firm for a total of 12 years and was promoted to operations manager five years ago.

In addition to his management duties, he oversees important regional drinking water projects, such as the Grand Forks Regional Water Treatment Plant project where he served as lead engineer.

Prior to arriving at AE2S, Grasser earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Chemical Engineering from UND. Born and raised in Grand Forks, he has devoted his career to the betterment of drinking water in the region and his free time to creating opportunities for local kids to be involved in Cub Scouts.

Grasser and his wife, Erin, have two sons. Five years ago, the couple helped start a Cub Scout Pack at their sons’ school. Over the years Grasser has served as Cub Scout Committee chair, cubmaster, and den leader, as well as coordinating the annual winter camp and other camp events.