Member Spotlight.

Q: What is your educational background? 

I am currently a doctoral student in Organizational Leadership and Learning at Vanderbilt University. I have my Master’s in Educational Leadership from the University of St. Thomas and my Bachelor’s in Business Marketing from UW-River Falls.

Q: How long have you been in the OD field?

I like to say I have been in OD for five years, even though I have only been a consultant within this past year. I used to lead a nonprofit as an Executive Director and took the organization through many transformations where I used OD. At the time, my Associate Executive Director (Kalista, now the Treasurer of this board) and I practiced OD throughout the transformations and changes we implemented to create long-term change.

Q: How long have you been a member of MNODN?  

About one year. I was a young Executive Director and looking for my “tribe”. I felt like I didn’t have a professional home or people I could go to in leadership positions like mine. I knew I wanted to progress my career in organizational transformation because that was my favorite part of my job, so I started connecting with the national network. My boyfriend’s dad has been involved in OD and mentioned he was part of the Minnesota Network back in the day, so I looked it up and connected with Alex! Feel free to connect on LinkedIn!

Q: What benefits do you gain from a membership?

The people! MNODN has a great network of people, and I love meeting everyone. I also think we have high-class programming with the top experts in the nation, and I learn so much from those!

Q: What special skills do you possess that make you an effective OD professional?

Working with a broad range of stakeholders in my past and currently, including students, higher education leaders, legislators, and executive leadership, I excel in understanding individuals’ different frames and lenses while solving complex problems during organizational transformation processes. I can switch lenses and look at organizations, and their people, through many different lenses.

Q: What advice do you have for people entering the field?

To find your people and network as much as you can! Everyone is willing to help and share resources and insights and provide you with even more people to connect with, and I am very thankful for that as I am in this field. Schedule 15-minute meetings with as many people as you can, and your list will grow from there. If you have no idea where to start, you can start with me, and I would love to help.