Watermark’s Executive Director, Lori Forshee-Donnay, was featured in inBemidji magazine’s recent cover story Leading the Way: Celebrating Women in Leadership in Our Community.
The article interviewed several female leaders in the region, asking about each woman’s inspiration/motivation, the importance of women in leadership, barriers for women in leadership and advice to young women.
Forshee-Donnay answered, in part:
“I am inspired by the artists and volunteers I work with. They motivate me to push myself every day. I enjoy collaborating and bringing people together while building unique relationships. Watching the organization grow to meet the needs of the region is exciting. I feel fortunate to be able to guide the Watermark through such a significant transition.”
The article profiled 15 local women who work in the areas of politics, education and business. Read the rest of Forshee-Donnay’s statements, as well as those by other leaders, in the magazine.
Other featured leaders included were:
- Rita Albrecht, mayor of Bemidji
- Dr. Faith Hensrud, president of Bemidji State University
- Annette Johnson, Red Lake Tribal Council treasurer
- Lori Paris, president of Bemidji Area Chamber of Commerce
- Penny Echternach, director of the Sanford Health Foundation of Northern Minnesota
- Shelly Geerdees, CEO of Pinnacle Marketing Group
- Karen Weller, executive director of Bemidji Regional Airport
- Tiffany Baer Paine, president and CEO of Security Bank USA
- Kay Mack, Beltrami County Administrator
- Colleen Bakken, general manager of Harmony Natural Food and co-president of the Bemidji Downtown Alliance
- Denae Alamano, executive director of the United Way of the Bemidji Area
- Nancy Vyskocil, president of the Northwest Minnesota Foundation
- Annie Claesson-Huseby, Ninth District Judicial Court judge
- Sandy Hennum, executive director of Village of Hope