GRAND RAPIDS, Minn. (March 29, 2011) – Blandin Foundation trustees have elected three community leaders to their ranks: Hayden Creque, Sartell; Heidi Korstad, Bigfork; and Liwanag Ojala, Mankato. The new trustees joined the Blandin Foundation board as of January 1, 2011, following their election in late 2010.
“We are delighted to welcome Hayden, Heidi and Liwanag to our board,” said trustee Dr. Timothy Bonner, who led the search process. “We are fortunate to gain their perspectives, backgrounds and experiences as the Foundation works to strengthen rural Minnesota communities, especially the Grand Rapids area.”
“This is an outstanding group of new trustees,” echoed Marian Barcus, chair of the board. “They each bring to the Foundation’s work deep experience in areas critical to rural Minnesota’s future and our work will be amplified through their insights.”
Creque
Vice president and general counsel and corporate secretary for W3i Holdings, LLC, in Sartell, Minn., Hayden Creque is part of a rapidly growing high-tech business. W3i was founded in 2000 and specializes in the distribution and marketing of online applications.
Creque has been recognized for professional innovation and community involvement, recently receiving the 2011 “Five Under Forty” award from ROI Central Minnesota magazine. He is a graduate of University of Wisconsin Law School, Edgewood College, and Madison (Wis.) Area Technical College. He has held positions with Lindquist and Vennum, PLLP, in Minneapolis and TDS Telecom, Madison, Wisc.
Korstad
Dr. Heidi Korstad is a resident of Bigfork, Minn., where she is a member of the medical staff of Bigfork Valley Hospital, medical director of the Bigfork Ambulance Association and physician for Scenic Rivers Clinic.
Korstad has worked as a volunteer in communities around the world, including Liberia, Guyana and Tanzania. She has been a driving force behind Bigfork’s acclaimed Edge of the Wilderness Performing Arts Center, teaches family medicine, and provides rural immersion opportunities for third-year medical students. She is a graduate of University of Minnesota-Duluth and its medical school.
Ojala
Liwanag Querijero Ojala, North Mankao, Minn., is president of Pear Tree Greetings, a Minnesota-based online personalized stationery start-up.
She was recently recognized by Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal as a “40 under 40” honoree. Prior to joining Pear Tree Greetings in 2009, Ojala was president of SimonDelivers, an online grocery delivery service in the Twin Cities, which became CobornsDelivers, and was legal counsel at Nash Finch Company. She was an attorney in the business law section at Briggs & Morgan, P.A. and is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School, Northwestern University (Ill.) and Holmdel public schools (N.J.). Ojala has served a variety of organizations that support those living in poverty, diverse communities, education and the arts.
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“We are delighted to welcome Hayden, Heidi and Liwanag to our board,” said trustee Dr. Timothy Bonner, who led the search process. “We are fortunate to gain their perspectives, backgrounds and experiences as the Foundation works to strengthen rural Minnesota communities, especially the Grand Rapids area.”
“This is an outstanding group of new trustees,” echoed Marian Barcus, chair of the board. “They each bring to the Foundation’s work deep experience in areas critical to rural Minnesota’s future and our work will be amplified through their insights.”
Creque
Vice president and general counsel and corporate secretary for W3i Holdings, LLC, in Sartell, Minn., Hayden Creque is part of a rapidly growing high-tech business. W3i was founded in 2000 and specializes in the distribution and marketing of online applications.
Creque has been recognized for professional innovation and community involvement, recently receiving the 2011 “Five Under Forty” award from ROI Central Minnesota magazine. He is a graduate of University of Wisconsin Law School, Edgewood College, and Madison (Wis.) Area Technical College. He has held positions with Lindquist and Vennum, PLLP, in Minneapolis and TDS Telecom, Madison, Wisc.
Korstad
Dr. Heidi Korstad is a resident of Bigfork, Minn., where she is a member of the medical staff of Bigfork Valley Hospital, medical director of the Bigfork Ambulance Association and physician for Scenic Rivers Clinic.
Korstad has worked as a volunteer in communities around the world, including Liberia, Guyana and Tanzania. She has been a driving force behind Bigfork’s acclaimed Edge of the Wilderness Performing Arts Center, teaches family medicine, and provides rural immersion opportunities for third-year medical students. She is a graduate of University of Minnesota-Duluth and its medical school.
Ojala
Liwanag Querijero Ojala, North Mankao, Minn., is president of Pear Tree Greetings, a Minnesota-based online personalized stationery start-up.
She was recently recognized by Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal as a “40 under 40” honoree. Prior to joining Pear Tree Greetings in 2009, Ojala was president of SimonDelivers, an online grocery delivery service in the Twin Cities, which became CobornsDelivers, and was legal counsel at Nash Finch Company. She was an attorney in the business law section at Briggs & Morgan, P.A. and is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School, Northwestern University (Ill.) and Holmdel public schools (N.J.). Ojala has served a variety of organizations that support those living in poverty, diverse communities, education and the arts.
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