Tell us about yourself.
I grew up in Fargo, graduated from NDSU, and live with my family in West Fargo. I have three kids: Reese, a sophomore at NDSU studying HR; Bella, a junior at Sheyenne High School; and Bridger, 7th grade at Liberty Middle School. My husband and I met at NDSU and have been married for almost 22 years. We have two adorable French bulldogs, Dash and Brutus. We love spending time with family, watching our kids, nieces, and nephews play sports, spending time at the lake in the summer and IF we can get to the mountains, we love to snowboard. I was fortunate enough to participate in the very first 35 Under 35 Women’s Leadership Program in 2009!
Tell us about your career path since participating in the United Way 35 Under 35 Women’s Leadership Program.
When I was accepted into the program, I was a part of the HR team at Bell Bank where I had worked for 15 years. Since that time, I led HR teams in the trucking, farm, and construction equipment industries before joining the SCHEELS team in 2013. When I joined the SCHEELS team, I was the first official HR team member. Since that time, we’ve developed HR teams across all 34 SCHEELS locations in 16 states across the US. I started as the HR Leader, later becoming the VP of HR, and most recently joined the Executive Committee/Board of Directors. I feel incredibly fortunate to be a part of this team!.
What were some of the most important things you learned?
I used to be terrified of public speaking! We had many opportunities to speak in front of groups and that continues to be a staple in the program. I learned even more about our community, different businesses, and non-profit organizations that need strong partnerships to build a strong community. Overall, I was able to further develop my leadership abilities by continuing to volunteer with the program by leading planning committees and also using my HR skills and experience to develop and formalize the application and interview process and experience of the program.
Tell us about what you do and the value it provides to our community/your clients/those you serve etc.
I have been given the opportunity of a lifetime to develop HR processes and teams for SCHEELS. As a result of that, I’ve had the ability to create HR jobs for hundreds of HR professionals across our company. The work we do in HR directly impacts the culture and work environment of our associates and ultimately their families. We accomplish this through hiring great people and providing them with training and development opportunities to grow their careers as well as benefits that will support their families and ultimately help them to become great community partners. After all, our greatest asset is our people and HR is at the heart of finding great people for SCHEELS. When a business is good to its employees, good to its customers, and is a leader in giving back to the community, everyone wins!
