NMF Board and Staff Visit Mahnomen (August Board Meeting Recap)

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NMF Board and Staff downtown Mahnomen
On August 18, 2017, the NMF Board Members and Staff traveled to Mahnomen for the quarterly board meeting and community visit. In-person board meetings are held in the cities that the board members call home on a rotating basis, and each county in the northwest region is represented. This time Pete Haddeland, current Board Chair, hosted the board meeting in his hometown of Mahnomen at the White Earth Tribal and Community College (WETCC). Board and Staff members arrived at WETCC at 8:30 AM for coffee and breakfast, and then boarded two vans for a tour of Mahnomen led by Michael Neusser, White Earth Economic Development Director and Mitchell Berg, Mahnomen City Administrator.

As the vans weaved through the streets of Mahnomen, NMF Board and Staff members had the opportunity to see first-hand all of the projects and initiatives that have been funded by the Foundation. Since 2013, for every $1 the city received from NMF, the city was able to leverage $1.35 from other grants and funding sources.

Here are a few of many projects NMF has funded over the years:
After the tour, everyone returned to WECC for presentations by Berg and Neusser and to hear from a number of guest speakers: Tracy Clark, interim President of WECC, Tara Mason, Secretary/Treasurer of the White Earth Reservation Tribal Council, Jeff Bisek, Superintendent of Mahnomen School District, and Karen Ahmann, Mahnomen County Commissioner.

The board meeting commenced around 11:30 am. Karen White, NMF's VP of Programs, kicked off the meeting with a presentation about the Foundation's strategic planning process. Board members spent time asking questions and will take action on the plan at their next meeting in September. Lunch was catered in from Shooting Star Casino and everyone enjoyed the walleye with wild rice and fry bread.

Guest Speakers from left to right: Joe Allen, Michael Neusser,
Karen Ahmann, Jeff Bisek, Mitchell Berg, Mike Triplett

Mahnomen is a unique community that has made great strides in improving their quality of place thanks to strong leadership and key partnerships in the region. It's evident that the residents of Mahnomen are committed to ensuring the future of the town is bright for the next generations to come. If you'd like to make a gift to one of Mahnomen's various funds and support their great work, follow the links below!


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