Spring 2022. Peace Building through Mindfulness: Transformative Dialogue in the Global Community. This class specifically looks at restorative justice dialogue, international practices of peace building, and the role of contemplative, mindfulness engagement from the heart, versus the intellect. My project was focused on community conflict and healing.

Fall 2021. Arts in Health and Healing. Specifically looked at the various forms of art, from music, dance, and fine art as a form of healing, collaboration, and community connection.

Summer 2021. Humphrey Capstone Project (like a thesis): Leadership for Community & Organizational Change. Client, Green Lands Blue Waters

In this research, my student capstone team explored agricultural practices that improve soil health and retention while benefiting farmers, specifically by improving training for providers of technical assistance. We focused on agricultural practices known as continuous living cover (CLC). At its core, CLC is the idea that you always have living roots in the soil.

This research focused on three primary questions:

1. In places where CLC adoption has been successful, how have technical service providers played a role?
2. How are technical service providers trained?
3. Is CLC implementation currently part of a technical service provider’s expectation and performance evaluation?

For our final presentation, my area of focus was on relationship and trust between the farmer and technical service providers and how these dynamics affect social change.

Spring 2021 Qualitative Research Methods and Analytics. For my semester project I explored the intersection between economics and nature engagement.

Fall 2020 Nature Heals: Exploration of various types of green and blue spaces, the effect of nature on our health and well-being, community connection, with a focus on issues of social equity. Urgent awareness of the need for nature engagement to inspire behavioral changes and governmental biodiversity commitments. Created a state-wide program for mental and physical health in our state parks.

Spring 2020 Whole Person, Whole Community: The Reciprocity of Well-Being. An exploration of the relationship between individuals and their community, including such topics as social justice, equity, safety, and trust, as well as historical trauma and healing. Created a program that would intersect our local health facility and hospital with economic development. Essentially, looking at mental and physical health, post Covid 19 and imagining what it means to explore our interconnectedness and reimagine our collective assets as a community.

Fall 2019. Qualitative Research Methods & Analysis. My semester topic was titled, “What are the Perceptions Held by Highly Creative Women Regarding the Prairie and its Impact on Their Creative Expression?”

This research explored the intersection of the prairie landscape and highly creative women who are social and environmental activists in West Central Minnesota. Understanding what contributes to their success, innovative thinking, and sustainability of engagement informs not only the participants, but offers a larger cultural understanding of the role these women play and–others like them–as “rural changemakers”. Vibrant and engaged communities are important to the future of Minnesota’s cultural and economic success. Exploring the narrative these selected participants hold of their rural experience challenges assumptions held regarding rural women and their life choices.

Fall 2019. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, “Managing Conflict: Negotiation” course taught by Margaret Anderson Kelliher. In a class of approximately 45 students, won two course awards, which were student nominated: tied for first place for most improved negotiator and tied for second place for best team player. The acknowledgment prizes were a collection of memorabilia from the Spam Museum. Big smile!

Fall 2018-Spring 2019. Created a self-designed leadership project for my graduate work. This project explored four different forms of leadership engagement: small group, radio show incorporating the arts and nature, public presentation, and a regional cumulative event celebrating arts and leadership. This project was partially funded through the generosity of The Blandin Foundation, and the project itself was hosted through Ortonville Economic Development.

This leadership project included the following: 

1. A book club focused on Dare to Lead by best-selling author, Brené Brown. This group attracted participants from an hour radius of Ortonville that included South Dakota. One session was devoted to the conversation of race and rural living, and I presented my Underwood presentation (as follows).
2. A regional radio show titled, Artistic Leadership from the Prairie. This show aired through June on KDIO in Ortonville and KLQP in Madison, giving it an ample West Central Minnesota sweep.
3. A public presentation, White Privilege, at The Underwood Unitarian Church, in Underwood. This presentation took place in March, approximately 60 to 70 people attended.
4. A culminating event, in Ortonville, on June 2, celebrated the completion of this leadership project. The Director of the Public Affairs Department, at The Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, Dr. Kevin Gerdes, attended. The celebration included the final book club meeting and an outdoor event with music, poetry reading by Lauren Carlson of Dawson, and of course food (nothing like a Minnesota potluck!). Invitations were extended from Fergus Falls, south, to Farmington, and east to Minneapolis/St. Paul. Approximately 50 to 60 people attended the afternoon and evening event.

As part of the celebration, Dr. Kevin Gerdes and I exchanged an interview regarding rural leadership, how leadership is changing, and what is being called for in leaders at this historical moment in time.

March 2018. Accepted into the University of Minnesota, Humphrey School of Public Affairs to attain a Master of Public Affairs. Through the University of Minnesota, honored with a merit-based Humphrey Fellowship Award. This award was through the Thomas H. Swain Fellowship in Public Leadership. The “… fellowships are given to highly competitive incoming students who embody Hubert H. Humphrey’s legacy of commitment to serving the public good by showing great promise in academics, leadership, and service.”