Member Spotlight.

Q: What is your current position? 

Retired - But I do “work “at a golf course and I work with several nonprofits to stay involved in my communities.

Q: What is your educational background?

Masters Degree in Organizational Management Concordia University

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

18 years

Q: How long have you been member of MNDOND?

10 years

Q: Why did you join?

I was working for a multinational company and I was the only OD person in the Twin Cities. I wanted to broaden and expand my skills and learn from OD practitioners. I also wanted to be part of a community that I could see and network with on a regular basis.

Q: What benefits do you gain from membership?

I’ve gained many friends and opportunities through the years and I’ve learned a lot of new methods and concepts from our community.

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

I don’t know if these are skills or not, but these two “ways of working” have worked well for me. First, when I enter a project, I don’t have any preconceived idea of what the answers will be. Second, I believe solutions should come from the client. So, I take clients on a creative journey, so they discover what is best for their organization.

Q: Have you been a board member/volunteer with MNODN before? If so, please share your experience/benefits.

I was the programming head for 3 years. That gave me the opportunity to seek out many different types of OD ideas and methods that were new to me. We were able to have talented presenters and interesting programming at MNODN meetings. I know I learned so much regarding OD during that time.

I also served as the CCP shadow consultants for 2 different projects. This projects were really fun and rewarding, and both were extremely challenging. The first project we started just was the pandemic hot. A;; of our carefully laid out plans had to change on the fly. we did change, and made it work! the most rewarding aspect of these CCP project were the talented and dedicated teams I got to work with, I have never seen a group of volunteers so focused and effective. The teams creatively persevered through many challenges and kept focused on the project goal.

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

I’d say stay curious about your work. Follow the energy that is in front of you and allow mistakes as well as success to guide your path. You aren’t the smartest person in the room- but you have the expertise to know how to guide those who are the leaders and experts in the room on a creative journey that meets their needs- not yours. Oh, and enjoy the ride and have fun- OD can take you to some interesting places!