ANNE BLACKHURST

President Minnesota State University Moorhead Moorhead, Minn

Anne Blackhurst became the 11th president of Minnesota State University Moorhead on July 1, 2014. She is known on and off campus as a leader, collaborator, connector to the greater community, strategic thinker, marathon runner and avid social media user. As president, and in her previous role as provost and chief academic officer, Blackhurst led campus conversations to define mission, core values, vision and priorities and then refined and focused these high-level, broad concepts into statements that can be used to guide daily efforts to focus on student success and service to the region. Before her appointment as provost at Minnesota State University Moorhead in 2011, Blackhurst served at Minnesota State University, Mankato as acting vice president for academic and student affairs from 2010 to 2011, as interim dean and dean of graduate studies and research from 2006 to 2010, as chair of the department of counseling and student personnel from 2000 to 2001 and 2005 to 2006, and as professor in the department of counseling and student personnel from 2004 to 2011. She holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Boise State University in Boise, Idaho, a master’s degree in counseling from the College of Idaho in Caldwell and a doctorate in college student personnel from Ohio University in Athens. Blackhurst and her husband, Joe, have a son and daughter-in-law, Evan and Paige.

President Midwest Marketing Rapid City, S.D.

After graduating college with three degrees in marketing, Dawn Claymore joined Lee Enterprises in its Classified Sales department. She quickly advanced, working for three of its newspapers in Wisconsin, Minnesota and South Dakota. In 1998, Claymore became the in-house advertising agency for McKie Automotive in Rapid City, S.D. She worked through many acquisitions, and at one point marketed 16 different franchises and businesses under the umbrella. In 2005, Claymore pursued her dream of owning her own advertising agency, with her first client being the automotive company she had been working for. Her company grew quickly, as did the change in the marketing landscape. Claymore has continued to lead her company to be on the forefront of technology. Midwest Marketing led the digital media front by becoming the first Inbound Certified Company in South Dakota and has received many awards for its work. Midwest Marketing received the Best of Rapid City Marketing Consulting Services five years in a row. Claymore and her husband, Troy, also are partners in Granite Automotive. She is the vice president of the Black Hills Works Foundation and secretary of the Rapid City Rush Foundation. She has also served on several other boards, including United Way, Youth & Family Services Board and Rapid City Chamber Diplomats Board. The Claymores have two adult daughters.

EMILY JOHNSON

Strategy and Implementation Director KLJ Solutions Bismarck, N.D.

Emily Johnson began her career at KLJ managing proposal development more than five years ago. She was promoted to marketing manager in 2011, where she continued to manage the proposal process in addition to leading corporate marketing and communications. She led the company through a rebrand, which included brand positioning, a new graphic identity and the recommendation to formally align the company name from Kadrmas Lee & Jackson to KLJ. Shortly after the redesign in 2013, Johnson was promoted again and transitioned into an implementation and resource role. Today, she works alongside the corporation’s senior executive staff as strategy and implementation director for KLJ Solutions and its family of companies. In this role, she is instrumental in the implementation of the corporation’s annual and three-year strategic plans, as well as goals, objectives and key strategic initiatives. Johnson earned a master’s degree in business administration with a concentration in human resource management and a bachelor’s degree in business administration and English from the University of Mary in Bismarck. She serves on the Bismarck Public Schools Foundation Board of Directors and the ServeYes! Advisory Council and is also involved with Marketplace for Kids and United Way’s Adopt a Classroom program. Johnson has also been involved with the Sanford Health Savor the Flavor Planning Committee and Sanford Health Great American Bike Race. Johnson and her husband, David, have two children, Olivia and Edward.

Executive Vice President/ Chief Culture Officer Bell State Bank & Trust Fargo, N.D.

As executive vice president and chief culture officer for Bell State Bank & Trust, Julie Peterson Klein is responsible for leading the mission of “Happy Employees! Happy Customers!” She inspires passion in Bell team members to live the company’s values of promoting a family atmosphere, providing unequaled personal service and paying it forward by giving back to the community. Peterson Klein has 25 years of banking and management experience, the past 17 with Bell, where she leads the company culture and human resources teams, numbering 1,000. Peterson Klein was instrumental in implementing Bell’s Pay It Forward program, which has given more than $8 million to date. She encourages employee mentorship, serves as liaison between employees and managers and ensures team members are recognized for employment anniversaries, personal milestones and outstanding customer service. Peterson Klein is a certified senior professional in human resources and a member of the Fargo Moorhead Human Resources Association, Agassiz Valley Human Resources Association and Society of Human Resources Management. She is Bell’s United Way coordinator and a Key Club member. She has served as a host for TEDxFargo, serves on the steering committee and is the volunteer coordinator. Peterson Klein has also been selected the past two years to volunteer at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. She and her husband, Tate, have three children, Ava, Lola and Cruz.

Jolene Kline

Executive Director North Dakota Housing Finance Agency Bismarck, N.D.

Jolene Kline started working at the North Dakota Housing Finance Agency in 1985 as an eligibility technician for the Housing Assistance Program and worked her way up to lead the organization, which has 43 employees and more than $800 million in assets. She served as the state’s coordinator for the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program, which has become the largest producer of affordable housing for low-income families in the nation. Her efforts with the program were recognized by the National Equity Fund and the National Council of State Housing Agencies in 2010. She was selected as the first director of the planning and housing development division when it was formed in 2006, and was instrumental in developing and administering the agency’s affordable housing programs. Kline was named acting executive director in June 2013 and was appointed as its first female executive director in December 2013. Under Kline’s leadership, the agency was recognized in 2013 by the National Council of State Housing Agencies with an Award for Program Excellence in Rental Housing Production and in 2014 by the Urban Land Institute as a finalist for the Robert C. Larson Award for Housing Policy Leadership. Kline currently chairs the state’s Interagency Council on Homelessness and the Housing Branch of the state’s Multi-Agency Coordination Center for Disaster Recovery. Kline, a mother of two, earned degrees in business administration and accounting from the University of Mary in Bismarck.

Chief Administrative Officer/ General Counsel

Western State Bank

West Fargo, N.D.

Michelle Kommer serves as chief administrative officer and general counsel at Western State Bank, leading the human resource, information technology, legal and loan/deposit operations functions. Before joining Western, she served in executive roles at Noridian/ BlueCross BlueShield of North Dakota, Otter Tail Corp. and Community First Bankshares Inc. Kommer received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Mayville State University in Mayville, N.D., a master’s degree in management from the University of Mary, Fargo, N.D., and a law degree from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. Kommer has been a passionate advocate for child welfare in North Dakota, as a foster and adoptive parent and in founding the North Dakota Heart Gallery, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness of the need for adoptive homes for North Dakota children. She also serves on the board of directors for the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber of Commerce. Kommer and her husband, Toby, have three daughters.

Amanda Mckinnon

Amanda McKinnon got her start in marketing as communications director for a branding firm in 2003. From there, she went on to various marketing roles with H2M, Catalyst Medical Center, Sanford Health and Dale Carnegie before launching her own branding and marketing company, MSPIRE, in 2012. She graduated from Minnesota State University Moorhead with a Bachelor of Science in Communications. In 2015, McKinnon took second place in the North Dakota Women’s Start-up Weekend with her MISFIX business concept, was nominated for the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber Choice Entrepreneur of the Year and highlighted as a Top 20 Entrepreneurial Risk Taker in the FargoMoorhead community by Fargo Monthly. She is a board member of the Hope Lutheran Church Foundation and helped with the rebrand of the TNT Kids Fitness & Gymnastics annual fundraiser “In Their Shoes.” She has also served on the board of the Rape & Abuse Crisis Center, various United Way committees and chaired events for Plains Art Museum and March of Dimes Bowls for Babies.

Kristi Magnuson Nelson

President Hugo’s Family Marketplace Grand Forks, N.D.

While Kristi Magnuson Nelson grew up working in the family grocery business, she worked with at-risk youth at Tri-County Community Corrections in Crookston, Minn., after graduating from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice. In 1998, she came back to the family business as director of marketing and advertising at Hugo’s. Following the passing of her father, Magnuson Nelson took over the reins of day-to-day operations. She has led Hugo’s through continued expansion to include a total of 10 grocery stores and five liquor stores, in addition to ongoing improvements at each location. In 2014, Magnuson Nelson was awarded the National Grocer’s Association Spirit of America Award, and in 2015, she received the North Dakota Grocer of the Year Award. Magnuson Nelson is active with the Grand Forks/East Grand Forks Chamber of Commerce, currently serving as past chair of the Board of Directors. She also serves on the board of directors for the local Prairie Harvest Foundation, the North Dakota Grocers Association and the Minnesota Grocers Association. She is also involved with the local United Way, UND and North Dakota Museum of Art. Magnuson Nelson and her husband, Bob, live in Grand Forks.

Becky Newell

Co-Founder/ Vice President of Development Stoneridge Software Barnesville, Minn.

Becky Newell is a co-founder and vice president of development at Stoneridge Software, a consulting firm and reseller of Microsoft Dynamics accounting and operations software for mid-size to enterprise businesses. Originally from Onida, S.D., Newell earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota, Morris and began her career as a technology consultant at Anderson Consulting in the Twin Cities. Newell became a founding member of Stoneridge Software in 2012 after spending more than 14 years at Microsoft in Fargo. In her time at Microsoft, Newell spent most of her years in support, first for Dynamics GP, then as a developer support engineer for Dynamics AX. She also worked on the Dynamics platform development team, learning the foundation of the product and how to develop in a team atmosphere. Newell coaches youth athletics with her husband, teaches Sunday school and vacation Bible school, is a board member for her community’s Junior Olympic volleyball program and a mentor for the Barnesville Community Fund’s philanthropic youth initiative, Trojans Give Back. She has also served as a judge and mentor in the Stoneridge Software-sponsored Barnesville Business Pitch contest. Newell and her husband, Eric, have two daughters, Katie and Amelia.

Partner/Attorney Vogel Law Firm Fargo, N.D.

In addition to Tami Norgard’s busy law practice, she has spent the past seven years as one of the managing partners for Vogel Law Firm, North Dakota’s largest law firm. In her management role, Norgard chairs the firm’s marketing committee, directs the firm’s marketing strategy and manages the firm’s external relations. She previously spent time as the attorney recruiting chair and regularly mentors many of the firm’s new lawyers. Norgard’s law practice focuses primarily on energy, land use and natural resource issues across the state, serving as lead counsel on some of North Dakota’s largest water projects. She is legal counsel for Cass County Electric Cooperative and other electric cooperatives and utilities. Norgard regularly handles oil and gas issues, landowner rights and pipeline safety issues in the Bakken. Best Lawyers in America has repeatedly acknowledged Norgard’s work with water, natural resource and energy law by identifying her as a Best Lawyer in natural resources law and environmental litigation since 2008. She has been recognized by Superlawyers since 2011 and has been listed by Chambers USA as a leading civil litigation attorney since 2012. Norgard has regularly served as an adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota Law School in Minneapolis, University of North Dakota School of Law in Grand Forks, North Dakota State University in Fargo and Bismarck (N.D.) State College. Norgard graduated from UND and received a Master of Environmental Policy and her law degree from Vermont Law School in South Royalton, Vt. Norgard and her husband, John, have three children.