What was your first job and what did you learn from it?
I have had several "first jobs" that have been important in defining myself as a working woman. The first job as a wage earner was as a waitress in a café owned by my aunt. Our small town café was more than just a place for a quick meal. It was a community center with a cast of regular customers from all walks of life. The job exposed me to to a demanding work ethic at a very early age. It required a long, tiring day with a never-ending need to prepare, to serve and then to clean up. It also allowed me to see a cross section of a small town on a daily basis and to build a lasting impression of the diversity of human needs and expectations.

My "first professional job" is still the job I have today. I am a professor of Management in the Center for Business and Technology at the University of Minnesota, Crookston. This job is a learning experience with endless innovations and opportunities. Over the years I've learned to not get too comfortable in what I know. My colleagues, students, and the employers of our graduates expect that I challenge all who I work with to be creative, adaptive and visionary. To meet that expectation, I have to work hard through a focused program of study and interaction with education, business, and government leaders at all levels.

Who is your hero, mentor or person you most admire? Why?
I actually most admire not one but a small group of four women; my mother and her three sisters. Each were strong, capable, and entrepreneurial. All three of my aunts were widowed at young ages. Two of them had small children and they raised them and provided good homes and college educations. The third aunt took care of my grandmother. Each owned businesses; two had restaurants and the other operated a beauty salon. My mother worked weekends at the beauty salon and supported her other sisters in any means that she could. I was surrounded by an extended family of independent, hard-working women. They took control of their lives, supported each other and created both a family and work life that was valued by everyone they touched. They're all gone now but the strength of character and caring personalities continue to live. I strive each day, in my personal and professional life, to have as positive an impact on others as they had on me, the rest of our family and those that they served in our community.

What is your favorite book?
"Giants in the Earth' by O.E. Rolvaag. I read this book every decade or so and marvel at the changes in my perspective of the story. I grew up in a community of people (mainly descendents of Norwegians) who were only a generation or two removed from the characters in the story. The main characters go forward in a new land to homestead and find challenges that broke many people but through faith and hard work pursued a dream of bettering their lot in life.

What advances in your field do you envision over the next 10 years?
Education will probably become more personalized. With improvements in curriculum development processes and assessment methodologies, universities have taken significant steps to assure quality and accountability. We are now much more cabable of meeting the needs of a wider range of learning styles and instructional needs. It appears to me that we still have a ways to go but it will be important that we continue to focus efforts to meet and exceed the expectations of our student learners.

Advances in technology have also provided us with new tools for reaching a broader and more varied clientele. Geography will not be a limit to pursuing an education. Technology will spawn creative opportunities for the self-disciplined to acquire a world-class education in business. Maybe more importantly once a student has the skills and knowledge they will be able to remain in their home communities and develop viable businesses that will give many small towns new leases on life. Technology will level the playing field for women in many ways. E-commerce is just beginning and it has the potential to make communities, states and nations look at future with a global perspective.

What do you see as the single most interesting element of your work?
I love the interaction I have with students. Each semester I get to work with, and to watch, young men and women as they learn and grow personally and professionally each day. Over the four years of a college eduction I also have the priviledge of advising students as they make progress towards the completion of their studies. It is rewarding to see each develop into productive adults with a purpose and career goals. Teaching is much like a river; you can stay in the same place but your surroundings always are in the motion of change. Students bring me a new series of challenges and, more importantly, they refresh me with their youth and eagerness to learn.

What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment?
My children are my greatest accomplishment. I am lucky to have a wonderful husband and four terrific kids. The two oldest graduated from college this year. Each one of the children is a source of pride and joy. They are good people with values and senses of humor. I like them as people.

What was your greatest challenge and what did you learn from it?
It was a great challenge to return to graduate school to pursue a Ph.D. I had to balance a full-time teaching position, with a young active family, and the demands of meeting the academic requirements for the degree. What I learned from this is that setting a goal and achieving it was a wonderful sense of accomplishment. I also learned how far an individual can stretch to achieve success. This period of time also gave my family a real test of core values. Everyone supported and helped as we worked together. Today I like the fact that my husband beams when we are introduced as Mr. and Dr. Brorson.

What strategies do you use to maintain balance in your life?
I set goals. Some are more extensive than others but my goals give me direction and allow me to feel a sense of accomplishment. To help me along the way, I'm a fanatic at creating daily/weekly to-do lists. These lists are always balanced with personal and professional interests. They seem to allow me to more managed and less crisis-driven.

I also often seek new challenges that will allow me to continue to grow. Over the past six years I've served my community as an alderman on the city council. I led community efforts to bring high-speed Internet services to our small rural community and helped the council understand some of the challenges of managing operations effectivly in changing times of economic growth and governmental conservativism The experiences of this service has enriched my classroom discussions and had a positive impact on University and community interaction. I'm not sure where my next significant challenge will come from, I still have much work to do with the city.

Finally, while my goal setting and the current community service help me balance my professional growth, it is knowing that I go home to a wonderful family that keeps me focused on what really matters.

What advice would you give to young women who want to enter your field?
Don't be dissuaded from following your dreams. Realize that it sometimes takes years to get to where you desire but be goal focused in practice, not just in philosophy. I would also advise young women to invest in their education as a lifelong committment. Education provides a person with the tools and exposes us to new opportunities important in developing a personal value system for making professional and personal decisions.