Meet Catherine (Cat) Jones, our nominee for Vice President of the YPN!

Voting for Vice President will take place at our Annual Cinco Awards and Anniversary Celebration on May 5th.

Where are you from: I grew up in the small town of Golden Valley, ND. It was about 150 people at the time I lived there. I went to school in Beulah which was about 20 miles west.

Place of Employment: NISC (National Information Solutions Cooperative) in Mandan, ND Job Title: HR Analyst

Fun fact(s) about you: I love baking and will find any excuse to do so. While in 4-H growing up I won a County Fair Grand Champion ribbon at the Mercer Count Fair for angel food cake. I also enjoy gardening, but hate all the weeding involved.

How long have you been in the YPN? Since November 2016.

What is your involvement like within the Bismarck-Mandan Young Professionals Network (YPN)? I started as a general member attending a few events here and there. As time went on I became more involved with the different committees. I decided to applied for an opening and joined the board in May of 2019 as service focused member. I’ve enjoyed working with the non-profit partners and planning service events that allow the Network to give back to the community.

Why do you want to be the Vice President of the YPN? I’ve gained so much personal and professional growth during that past few years and feel it is my turn to give back to the Network. It is my hope as VP to help with strategic planning that will create a roadmap for steady growth of our membership and increased quality of events that are offered. I feel that developing a comprehensive communication plan that utilizes multiple platforms will help the YPN effectively reach not only its members and partners, but also the community as community focus is a big part of the Network’s mission and vision.

How has being in the YP Network impacted you personally and professionally? Being in YPN has helped me create additional professional connections as well as personal friendships. The great thing about the variety of events is that you can connect with like-minded individuals whether it be community service, professional development and networking, or from a social perspective. Personally, I love the various sports teams (especially volleyball) as it brings together groups of people that you might not otherwise meet.

How can YPN progress to add more value to its members? I feel it is important to analyze past events to identify those that are successful with members and why. That way we can continue to offer relevant activities. It is my hope to standardize the methods utilized by the Network to communicate with members and our partners. I feel the same information should be found on platforms used by YPN so that everyone has access to the same information regardless of how they choose to access it. As part of the Executive Team, I hope to draw on both the history of the Network and hopes for it’s future to ensure we are meeting the needs of it’s members today as well as tomorrow.

What strengths as a leader will you bring as VP of the YPN? I’ve had the privilege of working in positions that require high levels of collaboration. Communication is key to this being successful, along with a mindset that it’s about the team objective and not personal credit. Being able to listen to others and be open to new ideas is a skill I’ve learned over during my HR career and I know this will be crucial in a leadership role like Vice President.