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
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
Keith Lund, President & CEO of the EDC, works with partners to create an environment that supports business investment in agribusiness, UAS, manufacturing, and technology, and helps in regional efforts to address workforce challenges and enhance entrepreneurial support. Before joining the EDC in 2006, Lund was with the City of Grand Forks Urban Development office for nine years, managing housing programs and special projects and serving as the deputy director for two years. Lund has served as the president of the Economic Development Association of North Dakota, is chair of the North Dakota Public Finance Authority Advisory board, represents Grand Forks on the Red River Regional Council board of directors and serves on the Altru Health Foundation board.
701-746-2722
Matt Perdue farms with his family near Ray, ND, where they raise wheat, canola, lentils and soybeans. He previously worked at North Dakota Farmers Union (NDFU), where he led the organization’s public policy efforts. He also oversaw the organization’s work with cooperatives, managed a small trucking company, and worked on several business development projects. Prior to his time at NDFU, Matt worked at National Farmers Union and USDA-Rural Development in Washington, D.C.
Matt serves on the executive committee for North Dakota Agricultural Mitigation and previously served on the executive committee for the North Dakota Transportation Coalition and on the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute Advisory Council. Matt has two bachelor’s degrees from Dickinson State University, a master’s degree in agricultural economics from Purdue University and an MBA from Indiana University.
701-641-3303
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
Tyler Neether is the Vice President Ag & Commercial Lending Manager at Town & Country Credit Union in Minot ND. He has played an integral role in the successful expansion of the organizations Commercial and Agricultural portfolio. Tyler serves the industry as the Vice Chair of the Dakota Credit Union Associations Governmental Affairs Committee. He serves his community in many ways as an Honorary Commander with the Minot Airforce Base, Xcel Energy Advisory Board, and active with the Minot Area Chamber EDC. Tyler is a member of the American Petroleum Institute Bakken Chapter and Minot State University Board of Regents.
701-420-6723
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
Zac Smith has served as the Communications and Government Relations Director and General Counsel for the North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives (NDAREC) since 2014. With a deep passion for supporting rural communities and advancing the mission of cooperative utilities, Zac plays a key role in helping NDAREC fulfill its vision of empowering member cooperatives to enrich the lives of their members and strengthen the communities they serve.
701-667-6414
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
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
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
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