Brandon Bochenski was elected in June 2020 amidst a 100-year public health pandemic and uncertain economic outlook. His time in office has been spent successfully leading the community through the COVID-19 pandemic, closely monitoring the City’s budget performance and economic growth, and successfully focusing on community-wide economic development and other strategic community initiatives. Mayor Bochenski leads from the front and enjoys his ongoing and frequent personal engagements with citizens, partners, and stakeholders in leading a growing and dynamic Grand Forks community.
In 2001, Brandon Bochenski moved to Grand Forks after receiving a hockey scholarship to play for the University of North Dakota and received a bachelor’s degree in Business Economics. He became an all-American and Hobey Baker finalist as one of the nation’s best collegiate hockey players. He married his college sweetheart Jenny and is now a proud father to their daughter Sylvia and sons Henry and Charlie.
Mayor Bochenski serves on the North Dakota Economic Development Foundation Board, Vice Chair of the Lake Agassiz Water Authority Board, North Dakota Interagency Council on Homelessness, UND School of Medicine Simulation Center Advisory Board and leads the community’s base retention and investment efforts. He and his family are active members of Hope Church in Grand Forks.
701-746-2607
Tom Campbell is the founder of Campbell Farms. Campbell Farms is a 1st generation potato farm which has locations throughout the US that provides potatoes to retail stores and restaurants.
- Campbell was a ND State Senator Dist. 19 from 2012-17.
- Chairman of the board of directors of Choice Banks with assets of $2.2 Billion.
- Past Chairman Florida Potato Growers Association. Partner of Campbell Property Group.
- Past Board member of the Grand Forks Mission for homeless.
- National Outstanding Young Farmer award.NDSU alumni board.
- Past Director National Potato Board.
- Unity Medical Center Hospital Board.
- Board member Pembina Gorge Foundation.
Wife Lori of 33 years, son Thomas who manages the MN farm & daughter Monique who is a Counselor in Bismarck.
Tom has started 11 farms in 6 states, bought banks in smaller cities and moved charters to larger cities, succeeded & closed many business including restaurants, hotels, apartments, & potato chip factory. Tom has been doing prison ministry for over 19 years along with work with homeless missions. Tom ran for the U.S. States Senate & Congress this past year. Tom graduated from NDSU with a bachelor degree in economics.
701-352-3116
Megan Langley is the Executive Director of Strengthen ND and has served in this position since August 2015. Langley is a graduate of Minot State University with a B.A. in Mathematics and has obtained a Certificate in Fundraising through the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University. Langley areas of expertise include board and staff development, fundraising planning, grant writing, strategic planning, organizational action planning, program design and evaluation, succession planning, and meeting facilitation. Before founding Strengthen ND, Langley was employed at the Minot Area Community Foundation as the Finance & Program Director. In addition to the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, Langley is a 2014 Bush Foundation Fellow and has participated in professional development activities through the Harvard-Kennedy School of Government, Midwest Academy for Social Justice, Independent Sector, and TED. In addition to her position at Strengthen ND, Langley is active in the community and across North Dakota by serving in leadership positions with North Dakota Rural Development Council, Minot Young Professionals, Visit Minot, Minot Family YMCA, Minot Alliance of Nonprofits, Magic Day of Giving, USDA-Rural Development Livability Steering Committee, Sunrise Rotary, and Rotary District 5580. Through her experiences, Langley has been able to refine her approaches to rural community fundraising, organizing, and advocacy.
701-303-0840
Robbie Lauf is the Executive Director of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, where he leads efforts to celebrate the life and enduring legacy of one of America’s most influential presidents, raising over $400 million to construct the institution in Medora, North Dakota. His career spans leadership roles in both the public and private sectors. He has served as a senior advisor to former North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, worked in the office of Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell, and worked as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company.
701-261-8235
Vicki Monsen is the Market President of Cornerstone Bank in Watford City, ND. She currently serves on the Watford City Economic Development Corporation Board, the Watford City Housing Authority Board and the Watford City High School Cooperative Work Experience Advisory Board. She has served on the Watford City of Chamber of Commerce and Rural Leadership North Dakota Council, Vicki and her husband, Clayton, live on a farm near Arnegard, ND, where they raise small grains. Vicki has been recognized by North Western Financial Review as an Outstanding Woman in Banking. She was also honored by Prairie Business Magazine as a "Top 25 Women in Business."
701-444-8205
Mike Seminary (former Commissioner and Mayor of Bismarck is the Business Development Manager for Houston Engineering, Inc. and brings 30 years of Business Development & Client Relations Management experience to the foundation board. His public policy experiences included serving as Commission Vice-Chair and Chairman of MEDAG. Mike’s portfolio assignments included Economic Development, Administration, Community Development, Planning and Zoning Commission, County Planning Commission, Intergovernmental Relations/MBBM. He has served as President of Missouri Valley YMCA, and board member for the United Way, Bismarck-Mandan Chamber of Commerce and Marketplace for Kids. Mike continues to serve the community with involvement in his church, trustee of the Sauer Dynasty Trust, and as Chair of Civic Arena Productions.
701-323-0200
Paul Steffes P.E. is the CEO and chief innovation advisor for Steffes LLC, an American manufacturer of oilfield products, off-peak electric thermal storage (ETS) heating systems and contract manufacturing.
Steffes has grown from 2 to 450 employees and sales from zero to over $120 million since 1973. Paul is known for his innovation and entrepreneurial spirit which has won him many local and national awards to include North Dakota’s Small Business Person of the Year awarded by the federal Small Business Administration. Through his participation and support of various local organizations and economic development efforts, Paul has become a respected leader of his community and inspiration to his family, peers, and employees. His name is on many patents. Paul is focused on successful succession in using the owner board management (OBM) system to help ensure its success.
701-483-5400
John Nagel is the Chief Security Officer for BEK Communications and President of CyberNet Security by BEK. Nagel was the founder of CyberNet Security, LLC, which was acquired by BEK in 2021. CyberNet Security by BEK provides professional, project and managed security offerings to infuse information security standards and practices into everyday business. His extensive experience in strategic-minded technology and business development has led him to serve in several senior positions in Fortune 500 companies. With over 25 years of experience, his credentials also encompass venture capital, funding and developing internet start-ups, software product development, ecommerce, and global business experience.
Nagel is on the Board of Directors for the Technology Council of North Dakota, Computers and Office Technology for Bismarck State College and President of InfraGard North Dakota. He was appointed by Governor Burgum to North Dakota’s Economic Development Foundation in 2021 and is a founding member of CyberConND, North Dakota’s only critical infrastructure cyber security conference. Nagel is a Six Sigma Black Belt, Certified Project Management Professional and a graduate of General Electric’s Accelerated Leadership Program and Bismarck State College.
701-475-1331
Kevin Miller, PE, MBA, is the founder of ITCB Consulting and author of Finding Ways to Win: Mastering the Success Potential Formula. With nearly 30 years of management experience, Kevin’s expertise is widely diverse, from construction foreman to engineering management, regional and national sales manager, and GM. Taking his success in athletics to the business world, he has brought about growth factors of 60%, 200%, 300%, and 500%, in different industries and each in less than 5 years. As manager of the overseas liaison team for Bobcat, he wrote Bobcat’s initial acquisition and due diligence guidelines. Kevin specializes in strategic planning and management consulting with leadership and boards as well as management and leadership and sales training. Kevin believes that an organization’s corporate culture is the biggest competitive advantage, and that culture starts with good leaders.
701-527-1315
Ron Day has recently retired from a 30 plus year career in the refining industry, with the past 20 years at the Mandan Refinery. Ron’s career was focused mainly in the area for Environmental, Health and Safety and most recently in the area of Public and Government Affairs. He spent time at several different refineries across the mid-west and he also spent time in Wyoming in the upstream side of the oil and gas business as well. Ron has bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and physic from Chadron State College, Chadron, NE. Ron and his family enjoy the outdoor riches of North Dakota and they plan to make North Dakota home in his retirement.
Lindsey Narum started her position as an Implementation Project Manager for National Information Solutions Cooperative (NISC) in 2020. NISC is an industry-leading consumer billing, accounting, and engineering & operations technology solutions cooperative. She earned her marketing degree from North Dakota State University, which has given her the opportunity to take up small marketing and photography projects in her free time.
She currently lives in Mandan, ND, her roots lie in Bowman, ND on her family’s farm. While living in Bowman, she worked for the Bowman County Development Corporation for several years. Her background and passions have led her to develop a strong sense of pride for North Dakota and rural America. Her ultimate goal is to continue to practice servant leadership in her personal and professional life.
701-206-0762
Thomas Stromme is an Assistant Vice President Business Banker at First International Bank and Trust in Fargo. Thomas holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Mary, with a Certification from the Harold Schafer Leadership School. He is a graduate of the Dakota School of Banking, hosted by the North Dakota Banker’s Association, and is a 2015 graduate of the Iacocca Institute‘s Global Village for Future Leaders in Business and Industry on the campus of Lehigh University.
He currently serves on the Board of Directors for ND Dollars for Scholars, is a graduate of the FMWF Chamber of Commerce Leadership Program,and has previously served on the Fargo Forum Reader’s Board and the Independent Community Banks of North Dakota. Thomas and his wife Jadin live in north Fargo.
701-390-4291
Frank Matus, Director of the Air Traffic Control (ATC) Sector, Americas, for the Thales USA Inc., Airspace Mobility Solutions has over 20 years of leadership experience establishing strategy and development initiatives for emerging air traffic management concepts and solutions in the United States and the global aviation market.
Matus moved to Fargo, ND, to proactively engage with the State of North Dakota to implement the Vantis Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) program and overseeing the delivery of the Grand Sky ground-based sense and avoid capability that supports larger UAS platform integration into the NAS, eliminating the need for chase aircraft for these types of missions.
315-664-9510
Anna Nelson, Director for the Williston Chamber of Commerce, has given Nelson the opportunity to serve the community and the surrounding area by connecting with its members and beyond, engaging with its businesses and citizens, and helping it grow by tapping into its infinite potential and leading it into the future.
Nelson returned to North Dakota in 2018, she worked as a news producer and anchor at KFYR-TV in Bismarck; then assumed those roles for the station, in Williston, ND, KUMV-TV, in 2021.
She is so proud of the work that she and her team are doing for the business community in the Williston area. None of it would be possible without the support of the Chamber’s board of directors, staff, and members; the community as a whole; her family; and her loving husband, Eric.
701-577-6000
Cassidy Hjelmstad, is the Chief Executive Officer/General Manager of SRT Communications in Minot. She champions economic development for the region, digital inclusion and education for customers, advocacy for telecommunications at state and national levels, and financial stability for the health of the broadband cooperative and its employees and members. Cassidy previously served SRT as Chief Marketing Officer, and was Director of Community Relations for the Phoenix Suns prior to joining SRT in 2010. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications-Journalism and Communications Studies from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. Originally from Newburg, North Dakota, Cassidy and her husband, Travis, live in Minot with their three children: TJ, Thomas, and Claire.
701-858-1200
Spencer Marchand, as the Economic Development Director for the City of Harvey, and Director of the Marchand Retail Group, Marchand is a fifth generation North Dakotan, working hard to preserve the rural way of life.
Marchand serves on the Harvey City Council, the Harvey Public School District Board of Education, and is vice-chairman of the South-Central Dakota Regional Council.
Marchand also keeps active in his community serving as Grand Knight of his local Knights of Columbus council, a member of the Wells County Job Development Authority, and vice chairman of the Harvey Wildlife Club.
701-324-2000