On July 6, North Dakota Senator Heidi Heitkamp joined more than 30 Bismarck-Mandan Young Professionals Network (YPN) for coffee and open discussion at the Peacock Alley.

Heitkamp, the first female Senator elected from North Dakota, took the oath of office on January 3, 2013 as the ND  State Senator. Heitkamp started in politics at the age of 28 and served as North Dakota’s Tax Commissioner at the age of 30. She encouraged the young professionals at the table to run for office and get involved early. She added that many whom are involved now don’t fully understand young families.

Heitkamp stressed the importance of finding your voice and speaking up on issues that you believe in. She encouraged YPN members to write letters to the editors, organize meetings with legislators and added she would love to collaborate with the YPN on new ideas for the state of North Dakota.

Heitkamp also gave a brief policy update in the areas of energy, education, healthcare and transportation. She then went on to discuss the importance of innovation. “We need more innovators and that is why the YP is so critical. How can we support each other? How can we make the next turn?”

“The ‘Coffee with…’ event platform is a great opportunity for young professionals to have open dialogue with dignitaries on issues that concern young professionals. We are grateful that Senator Heitkamp took the time to sit down with us and it was great to see so many of our members in attendance,” said Amber Ruzicka, YPN President.

The Bismarck-Mandan Young Professionals Network would like to thank Senator Heitkamp for joining us for this event and sharing her knowledge of ND politics with our group!