By ND Business Watch

Advice from Brenna Daugherty: “Cultivate a broad range of connections, because opportunities you hadn’t anticipated often present themselves.”

Home: Bismarck

Age: 28

Position: Program and resource coordinator, North Dakota Humanities Council

Family: Husband, Jonathan Fleischer; daughter, Rowan Fleischer Daugherty; two Irish Setters, Evgren and Argus.

Hobbies: Kayaking, traveling and reading philosophy and literature.

Community involvement: Local chapter of American Association of University Women, Great Books Reading Discussion Group at Bismarck Public Library, and attending as many cultural events as possible.

Career path: Nonprofi t administration Mentors: Dr. Elna Solvang of Concordia College, Dr. Patrick Provost-Smith of Harvard University

What motivates you? I fi nd my current job particularly satisfying, because its core objective is community building. The ultimate goal of the council is to strengthen communities through public conversation, stimulate local economies, improve education and literacy, and encourage civic engagement.

What’s the biggest risk you’ve ever taken? Studying abroad in Greece for the fi nal semester of college immediately following 9/11. The state department was issuing high level security warnings on a daily basis, especially directed toward foreign travel. However, Greek citizens are extremely well versed in history and global politics, and love nothing more than to engage in debate. I learned as much in those fi ve months as I did during my fi rst three years of college.

Motto: Be swifter than life.

What do you see yourself doing in 10 years? Working as an administrator in either the public or private sector.

What advice would you offer 2008 college graduates about the possibilities of staying in North Dakota to further their careers and lives? Because of the size of the state, there is great potential for networking. Cultivate a broad range of connections, because opportunities you hadn’t anticipated often present themselves.

Briefly, tell us something about yourself: I graduated with honors from Concordia College with degrees in psychology and religion. While in school I completed two leadership internships that allowed me to develop and coordinate literacy programs for children and families from low-socioeconomic backgrounds. In 2005, I completed my master’s degree from Harvard Divinity School with an emphasis on philosophy and ethics. Throughout my time there I remained active in student organizations and co-coordinated a conference on immigration and labor with faculty from Harvard and Notre Dame. In the fall of 2005, I began working for the North Dakota Humanities Council and am currently responsible for implementing the council’s state-wide public programming, including North Dakota Reads book discussions, Smithsonian traveling exhibits, and the “Waterbuster” film premier in North Dakota.