Valerie directs the Foundation’s Leadership program area, which has served more than 5,200 rural leaders in 340 rural Minnesota communities over the past 22 years.

Valerie most recently worked with the Oklahoma Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics program on the Oklahoma State campus in Stillwater, Okla.  She also has been a consultant providing leadership training, cultural diversity workshops and strategic planning assistance to communities throughout the United States.  Valerie is a graduate of University of Nebraska, including a master’s degree in educational psychology.  She also holds the doctorate of philosophy with a focus on educational psychology from Oklahoma State University.  Raised on the Pine Ridge Reservation of South Dakota, Valerie joined the Foundation in August 2007 and will continue to advance the Foundation’s work in rural community leadership development.