Alan Cattanach has worked in cooperative research efforts in the past with 8 scientists from Northwest Research and Outreach Center and 6 from the University of Minnesota, St. Paul. He has served on U of M search committees and Extension planning teams and committees. He has participated in numerous sugarbeet and soil fertility extension meetings with other U of M Extension specialists and county extension agents and served as liaison to NWROC and St. Paul campus scientists for Sugarbeet research programs of interest to American Crystal Sugar Company.

Working as part of the Sugarbeet Research and Education Board of Minnesota and North Dakota, Cattanach has helped to provide extensive funding of projects at the NWROC and to St Paul campus scientists, as well as involved in an EPA grant partnership with NWROC (Biological control of Cercospora Leafspot) and provided gift funds to NWROC in support of sugarbeet research projects.

He earned his doctorate in soil science from the University of Minnesota, and master's of science, and bachelor's of science also in soil science from North Dakota State University (NDSU) and University of Wisconsin-Madison respectively. He has been general agronomist at American Crystal Sugar Company since July 1998 and prior to that worked for North Dakota State University and the U of M as Extension sugabeet specialist.

Over the years, Wayne Goeken has worked with a number of personnel at the U of M, Crookston primarily with River Watch and watershed education and monitoring efforts. Recently he has worked with associate professors Katy Smith and Brian Dingmann on a river sediment research project involving high school and university students.
Goeken has been involved in ongoing work with the Northwest Regional Sustainable Development Partnership and Executive Director Linda Kingery in promoting the Red Lake River Enhancement Project, including leading a canoe/kayak trip of the entire 195-mile length of the Red Lake River to raise awareness of its cultural attributes and recreational potential. He continues to work with the NRSDP on development of initiatives to connect people to nature, especially children, including promoting nature-based interactive play spaces for children.

He coordinates the annual River Watch Forum on the U of M, Crookston campus during spring break, with high school River Watch teams coming from 25 schools throughout the Red River Basin to share their results and learn about current topics in watershed science. He also conducts annual training and certification workshops each spring for personnel from natural resource agencies who are involved in water quality monitoring, the only certification program of its type in Minnesota.

Goeken earned his bachelor of science in agribusiness and his master of science in economics from South Dakota State University in Brookings.

Named for the river that provided its first source of power, Otter Tail Power Company was incorporated in 1907. The company began producing electricity in 1909 at Dayton Hollow Dam on the Otter Tail River near Fergus Falls, Minnesota, and home to the company's headquarters.

Today, Otter Tail Power Company is a subsidiary of Otter Tail Corporation. Its approximately 790 employees provide electricity and energy services to more than 129,000 customers in 422 communities and in rural areas in an un-crowded 70,000-square-mile service area in western Minnesota, eastern North Dakota, and northeastern South Dakota. The company has customer service centers in Crookston and ten other communities in its service area.

Otter Tail Power Company's mission is to produce and deliver electricity as reliably, economically, and environmentally responsibly as possible to the balanced benefit of customers, shareholders, and employees and to improve the quality of life in the area in which we do business. To learn more about Otter Tail Power Company visit www.otpco.com.

Otter Tail Power Company has supported the University of Minnesota, Crookston over the years through scholarships, the Campus Energy Challenge, and various sponsorships.

Cris Oehler director of public relations for Otter Tail, accepted the award on behalf of Otter Tail Power Company.

Bob Nelson, Ph.D., came to the University of Minnesota, Crookston in 1987 as the vice chancellor for student affairs and director of financial aid. In 1996, he became registrar along with his duties as vice chancellor, a combined role he held until 2005, when he added the director of institutional research to his role as registrar.

Over the years, Nelson has held significant roles in the transition of the campus to a baccalaureate institution from a two-year technical college and the conversion from quarters to semesters. He led efforts on the Crookston campus for web-based student self-registration, the University (U) Card, Academic Progress Audit System (APAS) for academic advising, the campus institutional research program, the student center design and construction project, and the "one-stop" student service center among others.

He has been very active in the community serving from 2003 to 2008 on the RiverView Health board of directors, a member of Crookston Rotary Club and serving as president in 1997-98, president of the Crookston Chamber of Commerce in 1992, and a member of the Crookston 2000 Community Design Team. Nelson was awarded the Linda Schrempp Alberg Outstanding Contribution to Minnesota Higher Education award by the Minnesota College Personnel Association in 1995 and was named the Northwest Minnesota Counselors Association Administrator of the Year for 1990-91.

Kathleen O'Brien has served as vice president for University Services since October 2002. Under her leadership, University Services has been transformed into a campus leader in accountability, efficiency and outstanding service. University Services, with a $394 million annual operating budget and more than 3,000 employees includes Facilities Management, Capital Planning and Project Management, Auxiliary Services (Bookstores, Dining Services, Housing and Residential Life, Parking and Transportation, Printing Services, and University Stores), Public Safety (University Police Department, Central Security , and Emergency Management), and Environmental Health and Safety, and Building Codes.

Vice President O'Brien has system-wide leadership responsibilities on issues related to emergency preparedness, facilities, sustainability, campus master planning and environmental health and safety. Vice President O'Brien directs the University's efforts on the Central Corridor Light Rail Transit line which will travel though the heart of campus on Washington Avenue. From 2003 to 2009, she and Athletics Director Joel Maturi led the construction of TCF Bank Stadium, the first Big Ten football stadium built in more than a generation.

Li Shuming has served as president of Zhejiang Economic and Trade Polytechnic (ZJETP) since 2000. ZJETP in Hangzhou, China, is a partner university with University of Minnesota, Crookston. For the past ten years, President Li has paid special attention to building ZJETP's relationships with institutions overseas. He successfully strengthened ties with international education partners when he signed a cooperative agreement with the University of Minnesota, Crookston. This agreement established a ZJETP-UMC joint English as Second Language (ESL) program as well as two joint programs in agriculture business and computer software technology and allows ZJETP students to transfer to the U of M, Crookston to earn their bachelor's degrees.

President Li has been awarded Outstanding President by the National Marketing and Supply Group. Under his leadership, ZJETP has grown to offer four international cooperation programs, two language centers, and is now in collaboration with more than 10 institutions overseas.

Susan Brorson, Ph.D., is a professor and head of the Business Department at the University of Minnesota, Crookston. Her work on the campus spans more than 30 years and serving as head of the Business Department for the past six years. Brorson has embraced and nurtured educational innovation.  First, through teaching as the U of M, Crookston transitioned to a technology-focused baccalaureate campus in the 1990s and most recently, through her work as an administrator. Under her leadership, the Business Department has grown to offer five baccalaureate degrees online and serve more than 400 degree-seeking students.

Phil Baird is an associate professor in the Agriculture and Natural ResourcesDepartment at the U of M, Crookston where he has served since 1979. An innovative and dedicated instructor, Baird has served as an advisor to countless students. For the past 28 years, Baird and Tom Feiro have taken his students each spring to the Deer River District on the Chippewa National Forest for a long weekend of planting trees and experiencing the meaning of service, hard work, teamwork, and responsibility. Their crews have planted more than 155,000 trees.

David Hoff joined the teaching staff at the University of Minnesota Technical College in Crookston in 1967. He is responsible for starting the ag business program in 1970. Over the years, he was involved in many of the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA) Judging Conferences over the years serving as judging team coordinator from 1988-2004.

Orlyn Miller has worked for the University of Minnesota for 22 years and is currently director of planning and architecture. He plays a major role in the development and management of the capital planning and budgeting processes at the university. For the past two decades, he has provided assistance on capital planning and campus planning issues at the Crookston campus including Bergland Laboratory, Early Childhood Development Center, Kiehle Hall renovation, Student Center, and the two most recent residence halls, Evergreen and Centennial. Prior to his work at the university, Miller was a member of a landscape architectural/engineering firm, where he obtained broad experience in strategic planning, project design, project management and governmental relations. Miller and his wife, Sharon, have two children and four grandchildren.

Jim Sims was head football coach at the U of M, Crookston from 1976-1995. During his tenure, the U of M, Crookston Technical College won three division team championships, and he was named division coach of the year twice. Sims taught health, physical education, and recreation and was the program manager for two years. He went on to serve as the co-curricular activities director for the high school in Thief River Falls, Minn., until he retired in 2007. In 2002, Sims was inducted into the U of M, Crookston’s Athletic Hall of Fame, and in 2008, he was inducted into the Minnesota High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Sims, and his wife, Sharon, have two children and three grandchildren.

Erma J. Vizenor, Ph.D., was elected as the chairwoman of the White Earth Reservation in 2004 and is the first woman to lead the largest tribe in Minnesota.  As chairwoman, she represents all districts on the White Earth Reservation. Vizenor has worked her entire career in education on the White Earth Reservation.  She holds an undergraduate degree in elementary education; a master's degree in Guidance and Counseling; and a specialist degree in education administration from Minnesota State University Moorhead.  A Bush Leadership fellowship gave her the opportunity to earn a master's degree in community decision-making and lifelong learning; and a doctoral degree in administration, planning, and social policy from Harvard University.  Vizenor has two daughters and four grandchildren.

Stephanie Helgeson , has served as the director of athletics at the Crookston campus since 2003. She began her career at the U of M, Crookston working as the office specialist in athletics and later became the sports information coordinator. In September of 2000 she was named the assistant director of athletics. Helgeson attended the U of M, Crookston for two years in the early 90s before transferring to the University of North Dakota to complete her bachelor's degree in business administration and where she is currently pursuing a master of science in educational leadership. Her leadership of Golden Eagle Athletics at the NCAA Division II level and as a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) emphasizes academic excellence and the development of student athletes as leaders. She and her husband, Tom, reside near Mentor, MN.

Senator Rod Skoe, represents District 2 and has been serving in the Minnesota Senate since 2002. He served as a representative in the Minnesota House from 1998 until his election to the senate. Senator Skoe earned a bachelor of arts from Augsburg College in Minneapolis, MN, and has been involved in farming since 1985. Senator Skoe is a member of a number of senate committees including property tax division, chair; agriculture and veterans; business, industry and jobs; finance - agriculture and veterans budget and policy division; transportation budget and policy division. He and his wife, Sarah Hoagberg, live in Clearbrook, MN, and have two children.