Prairie Business is proud to present the Top 25 Women in Business 2019

These women are leaders in their careers and their communities, and we salute them. Congratulations to all!

TOP

25 WOMEN IN BUSINESS

2019

Elizabeth Bjerke Associate Dean

University of North Dakota Grand Forks, N.D.

Amy Durbin

Executive Vice President of Data Strategies & Marketing Gate City Bank Fargo, N.D.

Elizabeth Bjerke, associate dean of the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences, began her career 20 years ago at the University of North Dakota — home to the world’s largest collegiate flight training organization, with nearly 2,000 students and more than 100 aircraft. Through the years, Bjerke has taken leadership roles in several UND positions. She’s also actively worked with many national organizations to find solutions to the growing pilot shortage, and she has presented her research to airline executives and military leaders at professional conferences nationwide.

These critical discussions have helped define multiple career pathway programs for students pursuing aviation degrees.

Bjerke earned three degrees at UND and is proud to be part of the steering committee that hosts UND Aerospace Community Day, an annual event that showcases to children the exciting opportunities in the aerospace industry.

Brittany Dunn

Tax Partner

Eide Bailly Fargo, N.D.

Brittany Dunn started her career at Eide Bailly as an intern in the tax department while attending Minnesota State University Moorhead in 2008. Since then, she has built her career on providing tax consulting and compliance services to clients in the dealership, manufacturing and service-provider industries.

She is a frequent speaker at industry conferences on tax-related issues and an active member of the Eide Bailly Firmwide Dealership Industry Committee. She also has been involved in Eide Bailly’s recruiting team, as a career advisor to staff and as a leader in Eide Bailly’s First Focus program, a program set up to nurture a culture where women are as likely to succeed as men.

Dunn earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance from MSUM and is a CPA. She serves as a member of the MSUM Paseka School of Business Advisory Council and mentor for their Business Mentorship program. She also sits on the board of directors of the North Dakota CPA Society. Her other titles include wife and mom to husband Jason and their two children.

Amy Durbin has more than 20 years of experience in banking and marketing and is making a significant impact in the financial industry.

Since joining Gate City Bank in 2013, Durbin has embodied the culture by embracing innovation and challenging her team to do the same. She was recently promoted to executive vice president of data strategies and marketing, where she leverages data analytics with marketing strategy.

Durbin’s passion for delivering a superior customer experience coupled with her industry knowledge directly supports Gate City’s mission of providing a better way of life.

Durbin serves on the board of directors for the Eastern North Dakota and Northwestern Minnesota chapter of the American Red Cross. She volunteers for local events with Gate City Bank and serves on the North Dakota State University Management & Marketing Advisory Board. She also has been heavily involved in both planning and participating in the annual Giving Hearts Day.

Jessica Ebeling

Executive

Vice President

of Innovation, Digital Solutions & Payments

Gate City Bank

Fargo, N.D.

Jessica Ebeling has a passion for creating a Better Way of Life for Gate City Bank customers, team members and communities. Her career successes, forward-thinking and innovative approach and history of volunteerism have made her a standout in the region.

Ebeling joined Gate City Bank in 2018 and recently was promoted to executive vice president of innovation, digital solutions and payments. In that capacity, she provides leadership and strategic direction to several areas of the bank, including the Customer Service Center and Digital Banking department.

In her role, Ebeling helps facilitate the most critical innovation teams across the bank, supporting them in “raising the bar” of their aspirations. In addition, she keeps a top-of-mind awareness on market trends and shares that knowledge with team members.

Ebeling is involved in the City of Fargo Tax Exemption Committee, Fargo-Moorhead Area Foundation Grants Committee, Sanford Health Fargo Foundation Board and Harlynn’s Heart.

Tania Falk

Chief Financial Officer

Tania Falk followed in her father’s footsteps by pursuing a career in accounting. She grew up in Jamestown, N.D., graduated from Jamestown College (now University of Jamestown) with a double major in accounting and business administration and later passed the CPA exam. She began her career in manufacturing, advancing to controller at Glenmac, Inc., a landscape attachment manufacturer. Continuing in manufacturing within the aerospace industry, she worked for Goodrich Corp.

The opportunity arose to work in the insurance industry, where Falk is now the chief financial officer for Farmers Union Insurance and North Dakota Farmers Union.

Falk is a member of American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, North Dakota CPA Society and P.E.O. (or Philanthropic Educational Organization). She serves as treasurer for the Jamestown Volleyball Boosters and the Blue Jay Junior Volleyball program and is a member of the Two Rivers Activity Center advisory committee.

Falk and her husband Jason spend many hours attending and enjoying their two children’s sports activities.

Cortney Ficken

District Sales Manager

Marco Technologies

Rapid City, S.D.

Cortney Ficken grew up on her family farm near Harvey, N.D., where she learned the importance of hard work and dedication. She graduated from North Dakota State University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and the University of Mary with an MBA.

She then relocated to Rapid City, S.D., with her husband, Steven, where they live today with their year-old son. Ficken began her career at Marco in 2014 and quickly moved up the ladder. She was promoted to sales team lead for the region in 2016 and in 2017, she became the Western South Dakota sales manager for Marco’s Copier Division.

She has participated in the CEO Mentorship Group, successfully integrated employees and customers during a local acquisition and has twice landed a coveted spot on the annual sales quota trip.

Ficken is a graduate of Leadership Rapid City, where she’s working on a community vision project.

Greta Gerloff

Business Planning

Specialist-Planning & Marketing

Altru Health System

Grand Forks, N.D.

Greta Gerloff began her career in health care while in college, filing papers in medical records at Altru Main Clinic. She has worked in various areas of health care over the past 17 years, including finance, management and planning.

In her current role as a business planning specialist at Altru Health System, she is proud of her contributions that serve the region’s patients. During her tenure, Gerloff has had the opportunity to enhance Altru’s current service lines through strategic planning, bring in new services and have several facility-expansion plans receive board approval.

She received a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of North Dakota and an MBA from the University of Mary.

Gerloff has served on a variety of boards for Sharon Lutheran Church, as well as on Altru’s Gala Committee and the Grand Cities Children’s Choir board.

Emily Holth Owner Sustainable Solution Services Grand Forks, N.D.

Emily Holth is the founder and owner of Sustainable Solution Services, a professional conflict-resolution firm headquartered in Grand Forks, N.D. SSS provides customized training for businesses, nonprofits and individuals covering a myriad of subjects, including navigating conflict, how to have difficult conversations, stress management and team building. SSS also provides mediation services for both the workplace and for families.

SSS provides conflict resolution services for clients throughout the upper Midwest, including the University of North Dakota.

After receiving her degree in psychology from UND, Holth’s career began in the financial services industry, where she found her love for training and coaching. Before founding Sustainable Solution Services, she worked at her alma mater at its Conflict Resolution Center.

She is also passionate about the work of Grand Forks’ Community Violence Intervention Center (CVIC), where she facilitated in the offender treatment program, New Choices, and served on the steering committee for the new shelter.

A native of Grand Forks, Holth lives there now with her husband, Jonathan, and their three daughters.

Melanie Jensen has worked at the Energy & Environmental Research Center for more than 30 years. She has pioneered new technologies to convert North Dakota lignite to liquid fuels and developed techniques to clean up gaseous and liquid emissions. Recently, Jensen has focused on reducing CO2 emissions from industrial sources through capture, compression and pipeline transport of the CO2 to geologic sites, where it can be used for enhanced oil recovery and/or safely stored.

Jensen enjoys the variety and challenges inherent in her job and loves working with the brilliant scientists and engineers on the EERC team. She proudly mentors those who are considering careers in STEM fields and gives back to the community by volunteering with her certified therapy dog, Rose.

Melanie has bachelor’s degrees in both chemical engineering and anthropology from UND. She is married and has two children and two grandchildren.

Erin Johnson has distinguished herself as a finance and accounting specialist, community leader, coworker and parent. She continues to immerse herself in opportunities for personal and professional growth as well as the continued growth of Widseth Smith Nolting.

Given her many contributions to the firm and her community, Widseth Smith Nolting named Johnson a shareholder in 2018.

In a firm whose highest percentage of employees are engineers, Johnson is one of just a handful of corporate business professionals who have been elevated to shareholder.

Since joining Widseth Smith Nolting in 2012, Johnson has helped steer the firm into initiatives that have preserved the company’s resources, steadied it through challenges and nurtured its continuous growth. She approaches her work with a calm presence and a sense of joy that is infectious.

By inviting her to become a vice president, Widseth Smith Nolting’s management team has recognized Johnson as one of the firm’s top professionals and next generation of leaders.

Amber Larson Senior Marketing Manager Bartlett & West Bismarck, N.D.

Amy Kleinschmit

Chief Compliance Officer

Amy Kleinschmit joined the Credit Union Association of the Dakotas in 2009. In her role as chief compliance officer for the trade association, she provides regulatory and compliance support for credit unions throughout North and South Dakota. Among her duties are fielding questions on the many rules and regulations that impact credit unions, contributing weekly compliance articles in the CUAD Memo newsletter and providing training and educational sessions on various credit union compliance-related topics.

Additionally, she advocates on behalf of credit unions, primarily at the federal level, through comment letters she prepares in response to proposed regulatory changes issued by the various federal agencies with rulemaking authority that affect credit unions in the Dakotas.

Kleinschmit earned her law degree from the University of South Dakota School of Law in Vermillion, S.D. She lives with her family in Sioux Falls, S.D.

Karna Loyland Director of Deposits

Alerus Grand Forks, N.D.

Karna Loyland began her career at Alerus in 1999, working on wealth management initiatives. In 2001, she transitioned to leading the lending and mortgage areas for Alerus.

Her technical knowledge, along with her enthusiasm, drive and natural curiosity, led her to the role of director of deposits in 2008. In this leadership post, Loyland plays an integral role in growing and leading the company in addition to managing the company’s deposit offerings and spearheading innovative technology solutions for consumer and commercial banking.

Loyland earned her bachelor’s degree in economics and Russian studies from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn. She earned her MBA from the University of Minnesota Carlson School in Finance and Strategic Management. She also studied international business at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

She serves on the board of directors for the Altru Family YMCA in Grand Forks. She and her husband, Mike, and their two sons live in Thompson, N.D.

Along with designing the financial structure at Arvig to handle the company’s tremendous growth, Staci Malikowski, the chief financial officer since 2009, is instrumental in driving a positive workplace culture that attracts top talent across the region.

Known for inspiring innovation and collaborative work, Malikowski also is an approachable executive whose leadership extends beyond her financial oversight.

The drive and tenacity she brings to her career extend to her passion for community causes. She has served on boards for the Boys and Girls Club of Detroit Lakes and Perham, Empowering Kids Perham, the Perham Area Community Center, Perham Health and Bethlehem Lutheran Church of Frazee, Minn.

Amber Larson has a number of nametags and has difficulty introducing herself because she is often representing a variety of roles.

With 15 years of communications experience, she is a senior marketing manager out of Bartlett & West’s Bismarck office, but she interacts with staff and clients on engineering projects throughout the Midwest.

Larson also is co-owner of Larson’s Tattooing – based in a historic building on Main Street in Mandan, N.D. – with her husband, Jon.

In addition, she was elected in 2018 and currently serves as a Mandan City Commissioner. Larson is passionate about giving back to her community and being a catalyst for improvement. She serves on the Mandan Architectural Review Commission, is active with the Mandan Progress Organization and is involved with various civic and nonprofit organizations in Bismarck-Mandan.

Larson holds a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from Minnesota State University Moorhead and a master’s in strategic leadership from University of Mary.

Malikowski holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, Minn., and an MBA from Regis University in Denver. She is also a CPA through the Minnesota Society of CPAs.

Monica McConkey Director of Business Development Prairie St. John’s Fargo, N.D.

Monica McConkey has 25 years of experience in the behavioral health field as a counselor, program supervisor and administrator.

The first 12 years of her career were spent providing direct therapy services to children and adolescents. McConkey then went on to work as a supervisor, assistant director and director of Stellher Human Services based in Bemidji, Minn.

In 2014, Monica joined the team at Prairie St. John’s in Fargo as their director of business development. The primary focus throughout her career has been to increase access to – and remove the stigma often attached to – mental health services through program development and education.

Most recently, McConkey founded Eyes on the Horizon Consulting, through which she does part-time speaking and training to farmers and agricultural business professionals throughout the country on the topic of emotional stress.

She lives in Detroit Lakes, Minn., with her significant other, Bill, and three teenage children.

Dr. Maria “Duffy” Meyer grew up on a ranch in Killdeer, N.D. She graduated from Dickinson State University and University of Colorado. Her career in dentistry began in 2007 in Bismarck, N.D.

In 2011, Meyer had the chance to open High Plains Dental in Dickinson and jumped at the chance to serve southwest North Dakota. She believes that everyone should have access to dental care, which is why she’s active on the North Dakota Medicaid advisory board, is the state representative for North Dakota Donated Dental Services and volunteered at the first Mission of Mercy held in North Dakota.

In addition, Meyer volunteers at four elementary schools, providing dental care for students in need.

Meyer serves on the Sacred Heart Monastery board and previously served on the Trinity Catholic Schools board and Trinity Mardi Gras committee. She credits her success to her wonderful family and staff. She feels very lucky to have found such a great community to live and work in.

Meyer and her husband, Mathew, and their children live in Dickinson.

Mary Miller

Manager of Communications and Events

National Information Solutions Cooperative Mandan, N.D.

Mary Klecker Miller is manager of communications and events at National Information Solutions Cooperative, a national software company.

Miller oversees marketing, brand development, communications, multimedia and creative services, along with national conferences and tradeshows.

Before coming to NISC, Miller served as vice president of communications and creative services for Basin Electric in Bismarck, N.D.

Miller is a graduate of Minnesota State University Moorhead and Bismarck-Mandan Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Program. She serves on the boards of the Bismarck Public Schools Foundation and CommunityWorks North Dakota.

She’s active with Brave the Shave, an areawide nonprofit supporting families in the fight against children’s cancer. She’s a past board president for the International Association of Business Communicators-Great Plains Chapter and past board member of Abused Adult Resource Center, the Bismarck State College Alumni Foundation and Missouri Valley Montessori.

She and husband Brady are parents to three children.

Ann-Marie Morrow

Assistant Vice President and Branch Manager TCF Home Loans

Grand Forks, N.D.

Ann-Marie Morrow is the assistant vice president and branch manager at TCF Home Loans in Grand Forks. In this role, she brings 20 years of experience developing business strategy and leading teams to originate residential loans.

Prior to joining TCF Home Loans, Morrow worked as the assistant vice president and branch manager at Rubicon Mortgage Advisors. She also held roles as vice president residential mortgage lending at Bank Forward and home mortgage consultant at Wells Fargo.

A graduate of Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn., Morrow holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and organizational communication. She also holds an MBA from the University of Phoenix.

Morrow was appointed and served two terms to the North Dakota Association of Realtors’ Real Estate Trust Account Committee, was chair of the Finance Committee for the Grand Forks Area Association of Realtors from 2010-2018, twice was named the Grand Forks Area Association of Realtors Affiliate of the Year and served on the Fundraising Committee at Sunshine Memorial Foundation.

Mandy Nystrom Support Team Lead Network Center

Fargo, N.D.

With more than 18 years of information technology experience, Mandy Nystrom has proven to be a leader of high-performing technology teams in the Fargo-Moorhead area. She’s passionate about IT process improvement and holds several IT Infrastructure Library certifications.

She has helped organizations implement ITIL best practices to improve IT efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery while reducing cost.

Nystrom has been an active member of the local IT Service Management Foundation for the past three years and is this year’s chapter president. She helps connect other IT professionals by organizing nationally known IT Service Management speakers to participate in events in the Fargo-Moorhead area.

She enjoys giving back to her community by teaching second-grade faith formation and is a parent leader in her children’s 4-H club.

Nystrom is a support team lead at Network Center in Fargo. She lives in West Fargo with her husband, Damion, and their two children.

Christie Obenauer was born and raised in Hazen, N.D. After graduating from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., she began her banking career at what was then Norwest Bank in Fargo. She worked for a regional bank in the Boise, Idaho market before moving back to Hazen in 2002, where she continued her banking career at her family’s community bank, Union State Bank.

Obenauer is the fourth generation in her family to lead their 111-year-old institution. She is active in many local, state and regional boards involving banking and business, including the North Dakota Bankers Association, the Bank of North Dakota, Graduate School of Banking-Colorado, Sakakawea Medical Center and the Energy Capital Child Care Cooperative. She is passionate about community banking, her community and her state.

Obenauer is the wife to Jerry and mom to three children. She loves to spend time with family and friends, volunteer, travel and read.

Erin M. O’Leary CFO/COO Energy & Environmental Research

Center Grand Forks, N.D.

Erin O’Leary began her career at the Energy & Environmental Research Center as a research technician in 1997. Since that time, she has managed both technical and financial teams, leading to her current position as chief financial officer/chief operating officer.

Her experience and creative approach to tackling challenges have been instrumental in transitioning the EERC to a new culture and business environment.

O’Leary is proud to work with a great team of people doing research and development that have positive impacts on North Dakota and the world. She’s also very active in the broader University of North Dakota community.

O’Leary holds master’s degrees in business administration and management from the University of Mary and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from UND. She is an active member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church.

She and her husband, Gary Theisen, have six children, 20 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Courtney Presthus

Co-owner Ebeltoft . Sickler . Lawyers Dickinson, N.D.

Julie Peterson

Vice President Peterson Farms Seed Harwood, N.D.

Agriculture has always been a big part of who Julie Peterson is. She was raised on a family farm in northeast Iowa. After graduating from college and moving to North Dakota, Peterson started her career at Great Plains Software in its early years. She and her husband, Carl, went on to found Peterson Farms Seed in the mid-1990s. Since then, the business has grown to become the largest independent corn and soybean seed company in the tri-state region.

At Peterson Farms Seed, Peterson is vice president, overseeing marketing and human resources for the growing company of 50-plus employees. Peterson’s “people over profits” mindset has helped establish a customer-service-centric business and a family-friendly culture for the company’s employees.

Peterson is an active advocate for agriculture education, including hosting the annual Banquet in a Field event held on the Peterson family farm every summer.

When not in the office, Peterson enjoys volunteering, snowskiing and snuggling her growing brood of grandchildren.

Erin Prochnow CEO

YWCA Cass Clay Fargo, N.D.

Erin Prochnow has served as chief executive officer of the YWCA Cass Clay since 2008. The organization runs the largest emergency shelter serving women in children in North Dakota and northwest Minnesota.

Under her leadership, the YWCA has expanded programs to encompass a full array of housing services, including homelessness prevention, emergency shelter and supportive housing.

Prochnow represented eight Midwest states on the YWCA USA National Board from 2010-12 and served on the United Way of Cass-Clay’s board from 2014-17.

Before joining the YWCA Cass Clay, Prochnow was a field representative for former North Dakota U.S. Sen. Byron Dorgan. Earlier, she coordinated leadership programs for the Fargo-Moorhead Chamber of Commerce.

A native of Wahpeton, N.D., Prochnow earned her bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in social welfare from Minnesota State University Moorhead. She lives in West Fargo, N.D., with her husband, Darin Bjornson, and their two children.

Courtney Presthus, an owner of Ebeltoft . Sickler . Lawyers in Dickinson, is a successful litigator who represents national and international oil companies in multimillion-dollar disputes and defends medical professionals in malpractice litigation. Her work as a civil litigator has garnered national recognition. She recently served as the North Dakota state representative for the Defense Research Institute, the largest international organization of civil litigation attorneys with more than 20,000 members.

In addition to her career-centered organizations, Presthus is involved with many community charitable projects and boards. She’s currently on the board of directors for the Domestic Violence and Rape Crisis Center and the Stark County Fair Board.

Presthus spends free moments either relaxing with her husband, Rick, and their six-month-old daughter, or competing in rodeos and barrel racings with her beloved horses.

F or almost two decades, Jennifer Turnbow has found solutions that balance natural and built environments. Over the course of her career, she has gone from a National Environmental Policy Act and environmental specialist to growing and managing KLJ’s cultural resources, environmental, right-of-way, and survey departments across various geographies.

In 2014, Turnbow was chosen as the senior project manager for the North Dakota Department of Transportation’s largest project in history, the U.S. Highway 85 I-94 Interchange to the Watford City Bypass. The project won regional and state awards.

Turnbow’s passion for helping her community goes beyond KLJ. When her son was diagnosed with severe food allergies, Turnbow became an advocate and resource for families in similar situations.

Turnbow has a bachelor’s degree in environmental science from the University of Idaho and is a Dale Carnegie graduate. She participates in Toastmasters, Optimist Club and the Women’s Leadership Program of the Center for Technology and Business.