Tammy_Miller-web.jpgTammy Miller, CEO of Border States Electric, the eighth-largest electrical distributor in the United States, was the keynote speaker at a leadership summit held on the campus of Mayville State University Thursday, April 7. In addition to Miller’s keynote presentation, breakout sessions were presented by Julie Hanson, Director of Nursing at Luther Memorial Home in Mayville; Terry Kemmer, Mayville State professor emeritus of business and coordinator of the Larson Leadership Program; Jeff Morris, mathematics teacher and cross country and track coach at Perham (Minn.) High School; Kelly Kornkven, director of the Mayville State Byrnes-Quanbeck Library; and Kari Yates, program manager for literacy and English learners in the Moorhead (Minn.) Area Public Schools.

In her keynote address, Tammy Miller encouraged those in the audience to be leaders that others want to follow. She shared experiences that have influenced her approach to leadership and discussed attributes and actions of good leaders that motivate others to follow. Border States Electric (BSE) has grown substantially under Miller’s guidance, which has included executing an aggressive growth strategy. She began her work at BSE as an accountant in 1991 and she became chief executive officer in 2006. The company provides products and supply chain solutions to the construction, industrial, and utility markets. Headquartered in Fargo, BSE has 80 branch locations in 16 states.

Julie Hanson’s presentation was titled Leadership and Management = Flexibility. Julie is currently the president-elect for the North Dakota Center for Nursing and is past president of the National Association Directors of Nursing Administration in Long Term Care. She serves on boards for nursing programs at Lake Region State College and Mayville State University.

Terry Kemmer has researched and studied leadership. During his tenure at Mayville State University, he practiced leadership on campus, in the Mayville-Portland community, and in his church. He presented a session in Leadership 101 as a pre-summit activity on the morning of April 7, and led a highly interactive breakout session, Communicating and Connecting While Leading, during the afternoon summit.

Jeff Morris talked to summit participants about how they could use coaching as a platform to teach leadership. He has coached athletes to 22 state titles and was named the 2012 and 2015 national coach of the year by the National High School Coaches Association.

In her breakout session, Kelly Kornkven facilitated a book discussion on “Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead” by Sheryl Sandberg. The book examines the root causes of the lack of women in leadership roles and offers solutions to help empower women to reach their full career potential.

Kari_Yates-web.jpgKari Yates is a teacher, author, speaker, coach, staff developer, mother, grandmother, wife, daughter, and friend. Her experiences in these roles - the wonderful, the challenging, the painful, and the amazing - have touched and shaped her. Throughout her 30+ years in education, she has worked as a classroom teacher, special education teacher, reading recovery teacher, elementary principal, and curriculum and staff development specialist in literacy. Kari has roots in the Mayville-Portland community and earned her Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education from Mayville State University. She has authored “Simple Starts – Making the Move to a Read-Centered Classroom” and “Eat Your Broccoli.” She visited with summit participants on having the courage to lead in today’s schools.

The Larson Leadership Program is funded with the assistance of the Edson and Margaret Larson Foundation and is designed to promote leadership enhancement on the campus of Mayville State University, as well as in the Mayville-Portland community. For more information, contact Terry Kemmer, coordinator of the Larson Leadership Program, 701-788-4777 or terry.kemmer@mayvillestate.edu. 

Photo Captions 

Top: Tammy Miller, CEO of Border States Electric, was the keynote speaker for the leadership summit held at Mayville State Thursday, April 7.

Bottom: Kari Yates, a native of the Mayville-Portland area, who is an author and program manager for literacy and English learners in the Moorhead (Minn.) Area Public Schools, was a presenter at the leadership summit. Kari spoke on the courage to lead in today’s schools. Pictured above (l-r) are MSU student Miranda Petersen, MSU Director of Academic Records Pam Braaten, Kari Yates, and MSU student Brenna Swanson.