Q: Tell us about yourself.
A: Hello! I’m Annie Dafforn—mother, wife, controller, and lifelong learner. I grew up in a small town in northcentral North Dakota (Willow City) and later moved to Fargo for college. My time at NDSU made me fall in love with the Fargo community. For me, it’s the Goldilocks of places to live—not too big, not too small, and it has a Target!
I work in the accounting field and have always loved numbers and puzzles. I’ve been fortunate to work at several great places throughout my career and recently joined the team at Corwin Automotive Group. My favorite part of any job is identifying inefficiencies, fixing issues, and improving processes to make my team’s work smoother and more effective.
Outside of work, I’m a wife and mother to two incredible little humans. My daughter is four, and my son is eight months old, so we stay busy chasing them around and laughing at all the new things they come up with. We also have a Shiba Inu named Kira—she’s getting older but still adds to the chaos and entertainment in our home.
Q: Who are some people who have been influential in your journey?
A: I grew up in a rural farming community where my parents worked hard while keeping family as their first priority. My dad, a farmer, puts in long days but always does so with a smile and a positive attitude. My mom worked for the Farm Service Agency, taking great pride in her work while ensuring she was always present for my brother and me at our school activities. Their work ethic and dedication to family have shaped who I am today.
Professionally, I’ve been lucky to have great women leaders throughout my career who have shown me what it means to be a servant leader. Megan Schreiner, my former manager at Goldmark, has been a huge inspiration. She works incredibly hard, gives back to her community, and balances motherhood beautifully. She’s shown me how to keep pushing myself while prioritizing the things that truly matter.
Q: What drives you?
A: I’m driven by the desire to get better every day. I love learning, applying new knowledge to my life, and constantly improving. My kids also drive me to be a better human being and to help shape the world they will grow up in.
Q: What do you think can be improved in our business community?
A: I believe our business community could do more to support working parents, especially working mothers. Balancing daycare closings, sick kids, and the countless challenges of parenting while maintaining a career can be overwhelming. Providing resources, flexible work options, and support systems for working parents would help them stay in the workforce and be successful in both aspects of their lives.
