Northwest Minnesota Foundation ~ Developing Community Assets ~ Serving 12 Counties WINTER 2008
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Number 45
Nancy Vyskocil Named President of NMF The Northwest Minnesota Foundation (NMF) board of directors has named Nancy Vyskocil as its next president. On January 2, Vyskocil began her duties as the third president since NMF was established in 1986 to help vitalize northwest Minnesota communities. “On behalf of the board, we are very pleased that Nancy has been selected as our next president,” said Board Chair Eric Bergeson. “Nancy is committed to the region, has strong roots in the northern Clearwater County area and has a passion for her work.” Vyskocil served since 2001 as the Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of the Lake Region Electric Cooperative, Pelican Rapids, MN, with over 25,000 members and $67 million in assets. Previously, she worked as the assistant controller and director of administration for Arvig Enterprises, Inc., a family of communication companies, and as the general manager of Royale Leasing, Inc., a human resource consulting and employee leasing firm, both located in Perham, MN. She earned a Master of Business Administration degree from North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, and a Bachelor of Science degree from Bemidji State University. According to Vyskocil, her new position with NMF is the culmination of the natural path her career has taken. First with finance and human resources in private business, then as CFO in a cooperative business model, her work involved leadership, relationshipbuilding, financial acumen and piloting organizations through phenomenal growth. Now, she brings her skills to the world of nonprofits and philanthropy, allowing her to give back to her home region through the skills she has acquired in the business world. (Continued on page 2)
Applicants Sought for First Session Do you have a desire for greater impact in the world? Are you seeking ways to be more fulfilled with the way things are in your life and work? The new NMF LeaderImpact© program may be just the solution for you. This program was born out of the foundation’s desire to create the best leadership program for the world and to enhance its vision of Quality of Place. The decision to change curriculum was driven by comments from participants in the long-standing NMF Leadership Development program, who said that its 4½ day schedule was too demanding. This was reflected in NMF having trouble filling the sessions. And even though the program was highly rated, the curriculum was dated back to 1986. To select a team for designing and delivery of the new program, proposals were requested from a variety of sources. NMF selected Distinctive LeaderOptions, with Dr. Okokon Udo as CEO, together with Northland Community and Technical College (NCTC) as the ultimate design team.
Pilot participants and trainers. (Continued on page 4)