The University of Minnesota Crookston recently welcomed new members to its Campus Advisory and Advancement Board (CAAB) which include Gail Yutrzenka of Argyle, Minn., Carrie Michalski of Warren, Minn., Tom Anderson of Alexandria, Minn., Theresia Gillie of Hallock Minn., and Jason Carlson of Crookston, Minn. Learn more about the members below.
Yutrzenka grew up on a farm in Minneota, Minn. and ventured to the U of M Crookston where she majored in accounting. After graduating, she worked at Ecolab for 12 years as the accounts payable manager and office procedure trainer. Yutrzenka met her husband, Don, who is also a U of M Crookston alum, and moved to a farm in Argyle, Minn. where they raised three sons. She currently works at United Valley Bank in Argyle as a loan assistant and has been active in church, community, and school. Yutrzenka was on the Stephen-Argyle Central Board of Education for 23 years serving as vice chair the last few years. She and her husband were previously involved in the Emerging Leadership Program and have attended numerous U of M Crookston events and activities.
Michalski began her healthcare leadership career as the administrator of Hillcrest Nursing Home in 1994 after receiving her degree in health administration from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn. She has spent the last 29 years with RiverView Health moving from vice president of senior services overseeing the long term care and home care operations to vice president of operations, and finally as RiverView’s president and CEO since 2013. Michalski is LEAN certified and embraces its principles applied to health care and improvement work. Outside of healthcare, Michalski and her spouse, Jay, own and operate a third generation family farm and have three college aged daughters. Snowmobiling, ice fishing, gardening and solitude top her list of leisure pursuits.
Anderson has owned and operated the Anderson Funeral Home in Alexandria for 33 years. He has been involved in numerous business enterprises and served in various capacities on organizational boards including Wells Fargo Bank of Alexandria, Knute Nelson Senior Living campus in Alexandria, Ethos Home Care and Hospice in Fargo, The Alexandria Community Foundation, the University of Minnesota Foundation, and as a board member of the University of Minnesota.
Gillie graduated from the University of Minnesota Crookston in 1983 with an associate degree in accounting and continued on as a Class II graduate of Minnesota Agriculture and Rural Leadership Program (MARL). She is a successful business owner in Hallock, Minn. and currently serves as a commissioner for Kittson County. Additionally, Gillie serves as state director of Minnesota Soybean Growers Association and has held many positions with the organization including president, vice president, secretary, chair of industry affairs, chair of advocacy, chair of membership and co-chair of corporate relations. She has also served as treasurer of the Kittson County Fair Board, Kittson County Soybean Growers, and Kittson County Farm Bureau. Although Gillie holds seats on multiple boards and committees, perhaps the most important is the seat of her combine farming 950 acres in northwest Minnesota on the Gillie grain farm.
Carlson earned his bachelor’s degree in management from the University of Minnesota Crookston and his master’s degree in business administration from the University of North Dakota. He worked six years in a rural school district before coming to Tri-Valley Opportunity Council in 2006. There, Carlson served in various roles until named chief executive officer in 2014. Tri-Valley is a community action agency providing a wide variety of services to individuals and families of all ages with most services provided in northwest Minnesota. Tri-Valley serves 78 counties in Minnesota and North Dakota, and their largest program is the migrant and seasonal Head Start program. Carlson is actively involved with several professional associations and serves on several boards in Minnesota that work to bring resources to the area and improve the quality of life for its citizens.
