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Speaker Bios

Karla Aldinger, Architect in Training, Joseph P. Larrivee Architects, Bismarck, ND. Karla is a 2005 Graduate of NDSU Fargo, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture and Environmental Design, and a Minor in Art. Karla’s design talent has been awarded with BWBR Competition ‘Top Ten in 2003’, Marvin Windows Competition ‘Top Ten in 2003’, and Flad Highrise Competition ‘Top Ten 2004’. A native of Glendive, MT, Karla has provided her expertise to a wide range of projects from governmental to residential.

George Amann, Barnes County Historical Society, Valley City, ND. Amann has been a local farmer for 50 years. He has been a life-long member of the St. Mary’s Catholic Church Parish, rural Dazey. Amann has served as chairman of the church board and continues to serve on the cemetery board. He has also served as President of the Barnes County Historical Society in the past and continues to serve on that board. Amann has been involved in several local preservation efforts including the Ladbury Church, Rosebud Railroad Car, and St. Mary’s Catholic Church.

	Doug Anderson, Director of Marketing and Communications for Valley City State University, Valley City,ND. His background includes over 20 years experience in marketing, primarily for companies in high-technology sectors. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Northwestern University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Minnesota.
	Val Anderson, Art Consultant - Jefferson and Washington Elementary Schools, Valley City, ND. She has a B.S. degree in Art Education K-12, a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education and she is currently working on her Ph.D. at North Dakota State University. In addition, Val teaches classes in Art Education at Valley City State University. She writes grants for the Artists in Residence program, is involved with the President’s House Preservation Society, Sorority, and Bridges Arts Council.
	Wes Anderson, Curator - Barnes County Historical Society Museum, Valley City, ND. Born in Valley City, ND in 1975, Anderson graduated from Valley City High School in 1993. He attended college at Valley City State University graduating in 1997. He has been employed with the Barnes County Historical Society since 1997. Anderson recently won an excellence in local history award from the State Historical Society of North Dakota in Bismarck. He has provided presentations at the Valley City State University planetarium since 2002.
	Dale Bentley, Executive Director - Preservation North Dakota, Buffalo, ND. Bentley, a native of MN, grew up on a farm in MN. He studied Theater at MSU-Moorhead, Design and Theater at NDSU, as well as History and Art History at Valley City State University. Involved in Historic Preservation since 1990, he has served on a variety of local, regional and state boards. Restoration work on the “Old Stone Church” won a 1999 National Trust Honor Award. Since 1997 he has served Preservation North Dakota as 1st V. Pres., Pres. and currently as Exec. Dir.. He is co-curator of the Prairie Churches of ND Exhibit.
	Lyle Bjone, Fort Ransom Museum, Volunteer Bjone grew up in Fort Ransom and attended school there. He was a Marine in WWII and when he returned he worked for 30 years in Fargo as a warehouse manager. Lyle returned to Fort Ransom when he retired and now spends a lot of his time working at the Fort Ransom museum. He is also very involved with the Veterans History Project. He works at the Barnes County museum interviewing veterans. Lyle is married and has two children.
	Michael J. Burns, AIA, President - Michael J. Burns Architects, LTD., Moorhead MN/Fargo ND. Burns attended Minot State College and NDSU, Fargo. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies with a History Minor and his Bachelor of Architecture degree. Burns founded his firm in 1983, specializing in historic preservation/renovation/restoration. He was awarded the 1997 AIA ND Merit Award for the Great Northern Depot in Fargo, and 1999 AIA ND Merit Award for the Whitnack Building (MJBA offices). His firm did the award winning design and renovation of the NDSU downtown building.
	Dr. Ellen-Earle Chaffee, President - Valley City State University, Valley City, ND. From 1993-2002 she was also president of Mayville State University. The universities were among the first in the nation to integrate information technologies into the learning process. VCSU has been a U.S. News top college for eight straight years. Dr. Chaffee has been national president of two major higher education associations, written five books on strategic management, quality, innovation, and leadership, and her community service focuses on rural economic development. She earned a Ph.D. in higher ed. administration at Stanford University.
	Joel Davy, AIA, JLG Architects, Fargo, ND. Davy received a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture from NDSU and earned a Master’s Degree in Architecture and Urban Design from Columbia University. Some of his award winning projects include: ND Heritage Center, Exxon/Esso New Generation Gas Stations, and Ducks Unlimited Great Plains Regional Headquarters, Bismarck, ND . Davy served on the ND Historic Preservation Review Board from 2000 - 2004 and work on historic preservations projects in Fargo includes: Plains Art Museum, 220 Broadway (Monte’s Restaurant), Herald Square, Graver Hotel, and Hotel Donaldson.
	Evelyn Modahl Emberson, Green School Community Center. Emberson is retired after 42 years in accounting and secretarial work. She attended Green Consolidated School, graduating from there in 1941. She enjoys researching for family history and heritage and has an extra special interest in preserving Green Consolidated School, not only because she is an alumna, but also because her mother was one of the first teachers and her grandfather was a member of the first school board. Among her many other interests, she serves as Secretary-Treasurer of the Green School Community Center Executive Board.
	Milton Hanson, owner - Old School Bed & Breakfast, Arnegard, ND. Hanson graduated from Watford City High School in 1978 and graduated from the University of Mary in 1983 with a Bachelor's degree in Music Education. He obtained a degree in Band Instrument repair from Red Wing Technical College, and spent 12 years in Georgia and South Carolina as a repair technician and as a business owner. He moved back to North Dakota in 1998 to renovate the Arnegard School into the Bed and Breakfast facility he now owns and operates. Hanson still runs his band instrument repair business, Uncle Milty's Band Instrument Repair.
	Jan (Olstad) Haugen, owner - Country Junction, Valley City, ND. Haugen is a Valley City native. After graduating from Valley City High School, she attended Valley City State College. Haugen lives in Bismarck with husband, Mike, an Adjutant General of the ND National Guard. They have two sons. In 1998 they purchased King School, the one-room country school where she attended grade school, and opened Country Junction as a consignment art and gift shop. The shop features ND products from area artists as well as specialty food items, and is located on the Sheyenne River Valley National Scenic Byway.
	Rebecca R. Heise, Treasurer - Preservation North Dakota, Valley City, ND. Heise also serves as Co-chair and Secretary of the President’s House Preservation Society, President of the Valley City Pioneer Daughters, Historian for Sheyenne River Valley National Scenic Byway, Historian for the Rosebud Visitor Center Interpretation Project, Valley City Image and Beautification Committee, and Researcher for the Barnes County Historical Society, Valley City.
	Bobbi J. Hepper Olson, AIA, owner and principal - Hepper Olson Architects Ltd., Grand Forks, ND. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture and Environmental Design and a Minor in Landscape Architecture from NDSU-Fargo in 1991. Olson has worked on numerous rehabilitation and renovation projects in ND, MN, and SD. She is President of Buxton In Bloom, a non-profit entity formed to rehabilitate an 1890s granite bank on main street in Buxton, ND. Olson also serves on the Traill County Planning Commission, Buxton City Building Committee, and a member of the Preservation North Dakota Advisory Council.
	Mary Humstone, Historic Preservation Consultant, Fort Collins, CO. Humstone teaches architectural history and historic preservation at the University of Wyoming. She is a consultant and freelance writer in historic preservation. Humstone, the former assistant director of the Mountains/Plains Office of the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Denver, has been involved in rural preservation for 20 years. In 1985, in partnership with Successful Farmingmagazine, she developed BARN AGAIN!, a national program to preserve historic farm buildings and managed the program for the National Trust from 1986 - 1999.
	Dr. Tom Isern, Professor of History at NDSU, Fargo, ND. Isern is a native of Kansas, holds a B.A. from Bethany College as well as M.A. and Ph.D. from Oklahoma State University. Prior to coming to NDSU in 1992, Isern served eleven years at Emporia State University, KS. Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at NDSU from 1992-95, Isern's academic specialty is the history and folklore of the Great Plains, with particular interest in farming, ranching and rural life. He explores this interest in lectures, concerts and authors a weekly newspaper column, Plains Folk. He is the author or co-author of six books.
	Dr. Steven King, Assistant Professor of History and Department Chair of Social Science Department at Valley City State University. Dr. King received his MA at St. Cloud State University and DA at the University of North Dakota. King’s interest is in Medieval and Renaissance Church history. He has interest in local history as well. King has researched and presented a paper on the influence of the KKK in North Dakota. He is currently researching the use and impact of “Poor Houses” in North Dakota.
	Bobby Koepplin, Manager of Rural Development - Cass County Electric Cooperative, Valley City, ND. He also serves as Project Coordinator for the construction of Rosebud Visitor Center (Byway Portal) and serves as Chairperson, Project Coordinator, and lead grant writer for the Sheyenne River Valley National Scenic Byway. Bobby has been involved with the writing of grant applications that have been successful in securing millions of dollars worth of grant funds.
	John Kwapinski, Park Manager at Fort Ransom State Park, Fort Ransom, ND. Kwapinski is originally from Albany, New York. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Recreation Resource Management from the University of Montana at Missoula. He has been Park Manager at Fort Ransom State Park for 22 years. Kwapinski is also Vice-Chairman of the Sheyenne River Valley National Scenic Byway. He enjoys kayaking, cross-country skiing and cruising the byway in his classic GTO.
	Barbara S. Lang, Co-President - Preservation North Dakota, Jamestown, ND. Lang is a retired banker and cable TV operator. She serves as Co-President of Preservation North Dakota, Treasurer of the State Historical Society of ND Foundation, Treasurer of the 1883 Stutsman County Courthouse Committee, and is a former ND Advisor to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Washington DC. She is an advisory member of the Renaissance Zone Committee in Jamestown, and board member of the Jamestown/Stutsman Development Corporation.
	Ed Ledohowski, Heritage Designation Officer - Manitoba Historic Resources Branch, Winnipeg, MB, Canada. Ledohowski is a native of Manitoba. He attended the Universities of Winnipeg and Manitoba where he studied geography, agriculture, and resource management. Employed with the Manitoba Culture, Heritage and Tourism since 1981, Ed has published research and articles on historic architecture and heritage tourism. Ed has planned and guided heritage bus tours for the Manitoba Multicultural Resources Institute, Jewish Historical Society, The Brofman Foundation and Manitoba Historical Society.
	Becky Leonard, owner - Rolette County Abstract, Inc., Rolla, ND. Leonard graduated from Valley City State University. In the Real Estate Title Industry since 1982, she owns the Rolette County Abstract, Inc.. She has served in numerous volunteer positions, including: St. John Economic Development Director; Turtle Mountain Tourism Association; Board of Directors - Rolette County Historical Society; and a variety of regional and local boards. She and husband Larry have two kids Larissa and William, living on a 5th generation family farm east of the International Peace Gardens on the Turtle Mountain Scenic Byway.
	Jim Lindberg, Director of Preservation Initiatives - Mountains/Plains Office of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Denver, CO. A native of Iowa, Lindberg received his B.A. in the Growth and Structure of Cities from Haverford College in 1981 and his M.A. in Historic Preservation from the University of Vermont in 1991. Since 1991, he has worked with the Trust to strengthen statewide and local organizations in an eight state region and establish statewide Main Street programs in Nebraska and Colorado. In 2002, Lindberg co-authored, “Protecting America’s Historic Neighborhoods: Taming the Teardown Trend.”
	Alfred Jason Lindell, owner - Sundog Glass Design, Park River, ND. A native North Dakotan, his work is intrinsically tied to the prairie landscape. In 2002, he returned to his hometown of Park River and purchased a 1920 Greco-Roman church, renovating it into a living space and a studio of traditional leaded glass fabrication and restoration. Fascinated by the processes and possibility of design, he taught himself the art of fusing. He is currently ND’s only professional fuser. Lindell is a founding member and Vice-chair of New Bohemia, ND, and a governor appointed board member of the North Dakota Council on the Arts until 2010.
	Jeff Matson, Barnes County Historical Society, Valley City, ND. has earned a B.A. in Business Education from Minot State University and a B.S. in Human Resources Management and Valley City State University. Jeff was a volunteer at the Barnes County Museum for 3 years and served on the board as Treasurer for 1½ years until becoming director of the Steele County Historical Society at Hope. He is currently employed as a guard at the correctional facility in Jamestown, ND.
	Gordon Menzies, Restoration Grants Technologist - Province of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada. Menzies has worked in the heritage restoration field as a Restoration Technologist since 1977. He has worked on many projects extensively in Manitoba, Alberta, the Yukon, and Nunivut Territory, as well as overseas in Australia and New Zealand. He began work as Restoration Grants Technologist in 1986, where he works with owners of designated heritage buildings and construction trades in the planning and undertaking sensitive construction and restoration work in the Designated Heritage Building Grants Program.
	Veronica Miller, Affiliate Coordinator - Preservation North Dakota, Buffalo, ND. Miller grew up in Fosston MN, and has a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education, with a minor in Theatre from the University of Minnesota - Duluth. Her interest in preservation began when she moved to Buffalo, ND in 1991. She was involved with the development of the Buffalo Heritage Center which won a National Trust Honor Award in 1999. Miller has served on the Preservation North Dakota board since 2000, and helped to create PND’s Local Affiliate Program. She is on the board of the President’s House Preservation Society in Valley City.
	Amy Munson, Grants and Contracts Officer - State Historical Society of North Dakota, Bismarck, ND. Munson earned a Master of Arts Degree in Management from the University of Mary - Fargo campus and a Bachelor of Art Degree in Art History from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN. She has been with the SHSND for nearly 3 years, where she administers the Historic Preservation Fund awarded annually by the National Park Service to the State. The program provides competitive grants for preservation, restoration and rehabilitation of structures listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
	Lieutenant Governor (Ret.) Rosemarie Myrdal, ND Advisor - National Trust for Historic Preservation, Edinburg, ND. Myrdal was Lt. Gov. of ND from 1992-2000. She is an Advisor to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, board member of Preservation North Dakota, a board member for the Northeastern ND Heritage Association of the Icelandic State Park, committee member for “North Dakota House” at the Icelandic Emigration Center in Hofsos, Iceland and a member the Red River RC & D Agri-Tourism Committee. Rosemarie enjoys baking bread with Dakota Maid Flour and belongs to Rendezvous Region Bird Club.
	Mary Lee Nielson, Marketing Coordinator - Sheyenne River Valley National Scenic Byway, Valley City, ND. Nielson received a B.S. in Education from VCSU. She lives in Valley City with her husband Steve, and three sons. They operate a family farm, have rental properties and the Quilted Ceiling store. Nielson is also Course Director for Corporate Adventures at the Kathryn Center. She is a member of the City Commission for Valley City. Nielson serves on numerous boards, including: Central Dakota Tourism Partnership, Convention and Visitors Bureau, Image and Beautification Comm., and Grant Writers Roundtable.
	Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) Shirley J. Olgeirson, Army National Guard. Olgeirson attended the University of North Dakota, receiving a Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice, Radio-TV Broadcasting, and Public Administration with minors in Record Managements and German. Olgeirson enjoys photography, hiking, reading, and going to movies. She has served as volunteer Sports Commissioner at the Prairie Rose State Games since 1986. Olgeirson works with the Icelandic Communities Association, Preservation North Dakota and various other organizations. She also recently restored her family farm home.
	Merlan E. Paaverud, Jr., Director - State Historical Society of ND, Bismarck, ND. Paaverud graduated High School in Finley, ND. He has a M.A. in Anthropology from Ball State University in Indiana, and a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of ND. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1969 to 1972. Paaverud was Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer and Director of the Society’s Historic Preservation Division, which includes the State Historic Sites. He has also served as the agency’s Grants and Contracts Officer and is a former Site Supervisor at Historic Fort Totten near Devils Lake, ND.
	Carol Peterson, Resource Conservation and Development Coordinator, assisting the Sheyenne James RC&D Council. The Sheyenne James RC&D Council Inc. is a 501c 3 organization which services Wells, Foster, Griggs, Barnes, Stutsman, Dickey, LaMoure, McIntosh and Logan counties with public benefited projects which are based on water and land conservation and community development projects.
	Susan Quinell, Review and Compliance Coordinator - State Historic Preservation Office, State Historical Society of North Dakota, Bismarck, ND. She reviews 1,500 projects a year and comments on any impact they may have on historical or architectural resources. Prior to this, she ran the Architectural Preservation Institute at Colorado State University, Fort Collins, giving workshops statewide for the historic preservation community. She holds an MA in History and an MS in Construction Management with Historic Preservation emphasis. She enjoys gardening and touring vibrant communities that value their heritage.
	Riley H. Rogers, Mayor - Valley City, ND since June 1994. Born in Chicago. Illinois, Riley served as an aviation machinist in the United States Navy during WW II. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Biology, 1952 from Jamestown College, Jamestown, and a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy, 1957, Rho Chi Honor Society North Dakota State University, Fargo. He has been employed as a Compliance Officer, North Dakota State Board of Pharmacy from 1989 to present. Riley is married to Olive Ann and has three children and five grandchildren.
	Annette Schilling, Cultural and Heritage Tourism Director - North Dakota Department of Commerce Tourism Division, Bismarck, ND. Schilling has worked in the field of marketing and the travel industry in Minnesota, Alaska and North Dakota. Since 2003, she has acted as the Lewis & Clark Coordinator. She is originally from Bismarck. She is very proud to be a former student at Valley City State University before going on to earn her Bachelor Degree in Marketing and Public Relations from NDSU and her Masters in Management and Human Resources from the University of Mary.
	Mark L. Schlenvogt, Assistant Area Director - USDA Rural Development in Valley City, ND. He graduated from North Dakota State University, Fargo in 1975 with a Bachelor of Science Degree. Schlenvogt has been employed with USDA for 23 years in various positions. The basic loan and grant programs offered by USDA are Rural Housing, Community Facilities, Rural Utilities and Business and Industry.
	Christine Sheppard, program director - CSi technology, Jamestown, ND. Sheppard lives in Jamestown with her husband Roy. She is the program director for CSi technology and one of the proprietors of this family business located in the Technology Center at Historic Franklin School in downtown Jamestown. Christine teaches computer classes. The Sheppard’s restoration of the Historic Franklin School won a Preservation North Dakota 2004 “Preservation Excellence” award.
	Susan Sigurdson, Co-President - Preservation North Dakota. Sigurdson, a native of northeastern North Dakota is a registered Dietitian. She is past President of the Fargo/Moorhead Icelandic Klub, an active Board member of the Nordic Culture Clubs, Vice President of Thingvalla Cemetery Association - Mountain ND, and a Cass County Extension Service Master Gardener.
	Joe Stickler, Chair of the Division of Mathematics, Science, and Health & Physical Education at Valley City State University. Stickler has been teaching chemistry and astronomy at VCSU for 25 years. He was formerly the Director of the VCSU Planetarium. He has a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Illinois and completed his undergraduate work at Ohio Wesleyan University. Stickler previously worked at the University of Colorado at Denver and at the College of Ganado on the Navajo Indian Reservation in Arizona. In 1992, Professor Stickler and his students began the construction of Medicine Wheel Park.
	Jan Stowman, Co-Chair - President’s House Preservation Society, Valley City, ND. Stowman has been involved in much of the development of the community of Valley City and its efforts to market the area as a tourist destination. Her many projects include the Bridges tour, Barnes County Historical Museum, the Scenic Byway, and the Rosebud Visitors Center. She is a past member of the board of directors for Preservation North Dakota. Stowman’s current interests are the President's House Preservation Society, Convention and Visitors Bureau and the VCSU Foundation Board.
	Melanie Thornberg, Executive Director Walhalla Area Chamber of Commerce, Walhalla, ND. A graduate of Gustavus Adolphus College in Saint Peter, Minnesota with a Bachelor of Arts Degree, Cum Laude, with Majors in English and Education. Member of North Dakota Humanities Council, active in the Heart of North America Trail Phase One Task Force, member of the North Dakota Nature & Rural Tourism Association, and the North Dakota Farmers’ Market & Growers Association. She is married to Bob Thornberg and they have five children and one grandchild. Thornberg enjoys skiing and traveling.
	Sarah Vogel, Attorney - Sarah Vogel Law Firm, P.C., Bismarck, ND. Vogel served as ND Commissioner of Agriculture from 1989-1996. She was co-founder of Marketplace of Ideas, the nation’s largest rural development conference. She also served as the Assistant Attorney General of ND, during which time she was selected by the American Bar Association as one of the twenty young attorneys whose work made a difference to the country. She was counsel for the State Historical Society of ND, and she worked on the case which helped save the historic Stutsman County Courthouse, the oldest courthouse in the state.
	James Wolberg, co-founder - Roberts Street Studio, Fargo, ND. Wolberg was born in Bismarck and raised 100 miles west Dickinson. In 1995, he attended Minnesota State University Moorhead. While studying painting, he became more engaged with clay. He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2003. In early 2004, Wolberg attended an architectural ceramics workshop with Peter King of Stonehaus Studio in Pensacola, Florida. In 2005, co-founded Roberts Street Studio, an artist-run cooperative housed in a former auto-detailing garage in downtown Fargo. James is an active board member of New Bohemia, ND.