Board of Directors

Marisa Nygord
President

Marisa Nygord is a Director of Development at the NDSU Foundation. She grew up across five states, but considers North Dakota home. Marisa graduated from North Dakota State University with an undergraduate degree in Hospitality Management and the University of North Dakota with a Master of Public Administration.

Marisa enjoys spending time with her husband, Aaron, kayaking, and of course, reading! Two of her favorite books are Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut and The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah.

Kathy Vander Vorst
Vice President

Kathy Vander Vorst is a retired librarian, serving 16 years as a Reference and Teen Librarian at the Bismarck Public Library and 5 years as Adult Programming and Collection Development Librarian at the West Fargo Public Library. While at West Fargo she served on the Fargo area 1 Book 1 Community Committee and on MSUM’s Comstock-Gag Children’s Book Award Committee. She has an undergraduate degree from NDSU in Home Economics Education and a master’s degree from the University of Northern Texas—Denton in Library and Information Science.

She loves music of all kinds and has been a choir accompanist, church musician, and piano instructor. Kathy has also been a volunteer in the North Dakota 4-H program for many years.

Kathy loves history—especially North Dakota, Minnesota lake country, flower gardening, travel, sewing, reading, crafts, and libraries.  She also loves discussing books with anyone who will listen—especially her 8 adorable grandchildren. 

Juli Munro
Treasurer

Juli Munro is a Technology Solutions Director for the Clean Energy and Infrastructure Group of MasTec, Inc. She grew up in Osakis, Minnesota and graduated from Concordia College (BA) and North Dakota State University (MBA).

Juli loves trying out new recipes, books and golf courses, traveling and tackling a good home improvement project.

Steve Anderson
Secretary

Steve Anderson is an Ophthalmologist at Sanford Health. He holds a BS from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, an MBA from Purdue's Krannert School of Management, and an MD from the University of Michigan.  

He moved to Fargo in 2010.  He enjoys spending time with his family, bike riding and exploring new places.

Andrea Dorfmeister
Board Member

Andrea Dorfmeister, born and raised in Munich, Germany, worked as a teacher before moving to the United States with her husband in 2003. 

In 2011, they settled in Fargo, where her husband joined the Math Department at NDSU. Over the years, Andrea has been actively involved in the community, volunteering in schools and soccer clubs, running a small business, and working at the NDSU preschool center when her daughters were young. Currently, she is a Realtor with Park Co., REALTORS.

In her free time, Andrea enjoys cooking and baking, reading a variety of books, taking long neighborhood walks with her husband, and shuttling her children to their activities.

Bob Jansen
Emeritus Board Member

Bob Jansen is a retired writer and editor. After working for three North Dakota newspapers, he served eight years as press secretary to Governor George Sinner. He co-authored the former governor’s memoir Turning Points. Bob studied journalism at the University of North Dakota and has a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing degree from Minnesota State University-Moorhead.

He loves reading, cats, and baseball.

Michele Anderson
Board Member

Michele Telech Anderson is a retired Procter and Gamble finance manager. She graduated from the University of Cincinnati, BBA and Xavier University, MBA.

Her family moved to Fargo in 2010 and have been fans of the Fargo Public Library ever since. She is happiest when hanging out with her husband, Steve, and their three kids. She enjoys meeting people, learning new things, taking walks, and reading books.

Rhonda Ubben
Board Member

Rhonda Ubben is a retired professional with experience in marketing, communications and sales. She earned her degree in Marketing from Minnesota State University Moorhead. After graduation, Rhonda began her career at PepsiCo and later worked for Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota, contributing her skills and expertise in various roles throughout her career. A lifelong resident of the FM area, Rhonda resides in Fargo with her husband, Ralph. Together, they have four children and eight grandchildren. Rhonda enjoys spending time with family and friends, attending her grandchildren’s sporting events, reading and maintaining an active lifestyle.

Sam Benshoof
Board Member

Sam Benshoof is a senior writer/editor with Bell Bank. He is from Bemidji, Minnesota, and graduated from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. Sam was a reporter with the Forum of Fargo-Moorhead from 2011-2013, and after spending seven years in the Twin Cities, moved back to Fargo in October 2020.

Sam enjoys trivia (he appeared on Jeopardy! in 2019), traveling, reading, and spending time outdoors.

Leah Ecklund
Board Member

Leah Ecklund is the Senior Graphic Artist at the NDSU Foundation, where she blends visual storytelling with mission-driven design to directly support higher education. Originally from the Twin Cities, Leah has called the Fargo-Moorhead area home for over a decade and is a proud graduate of Minnesota State University Moorhead.

A lifelong reader and community connector, Leah is passionate about creating spaces — both physical and social — where people feel supported and engaged. She leads a local book club, participates in civic-minded community groups to advance accessibility and knowledge of local politics, and enjoys supporting local groups and businesses through freelance creative work. She especially loves the strong sense of community, care, and creativity found in the Fargo-Moorhead area — it was easy to call it home after college.

Leah finds joy in gardening, hiking and camping, traveling to new places, watching movies, and learning new things through books, podcasts, and the people around her. At the end of the day, she loves spending time at home with her partner, Michael, their rescue dog, Marty, and chatty tuxedo cat, Hamms.