By Jillian Lagasse, PD Team Co-Lead

This month, we are welcoming four established Bismarck-Mandan professionals to take part in our annual YP Mentor Panel. The event, scheduled for August 20, gives our young professionals a chance to ask questions and get to know local business people. This year’s panelists are:

Mike Mabin: As the owner and president of Agency MABU in Bismarck, Mike possesses over 30 years of leadership experience, including 20 years of administrative experience with a nationally-recognized medical center in North Dakota. He is a leader in developing and implementing large-scale projects for clients, including government agencies, non-profit organizations, and Native American/Tribal entities. Currently, Mike directs Agency MABU’s strategic priorities, ensures programming excellence and provides oversight of personnel, finance, events and materials management. Mike has received degrees from the Minneapolis College of Arts and Design, Mary College and the University of Mary. He has served as the president/owner of Agency MABU since 2001.

Larry Skogen: Dr. Larry C. Skogen serves as the Interim Chancellor of the North Dakota University System (NDUS), with his appointment currently set to run until July 2015. Governed by the State Board of Higher Education, NDUS consists of 11 colleges and universities across the state of North Dakota, the system office at the State Capitol and Core Technology Services that connects the organizations. Dr. Skogen became president of Bismarck State College in March 2007.  He will return to that position upon completion of his appointment as NDUS Interim Chancellor. A native of Hettinger, N.D., Dr. Skogen holds degrees from Dickinson State University (B.S. in secondary education); University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg (M.A. in history); and Arizona State University, Tempe (Ph.D. in history).

Niles Hushka: Niles currently serves as President and CEO of KLJ, one of the largest, regional, multi-disciplinary engineering and planning firms. Hushka joined KLJ in 1978 during North Dakota’s first oil boom. After leading various groups, including marketing and business development, Hushka joined the board of directors in 1985, and become the CEO in 2008. He is a registered professional engineer in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Michigan, and a graduate of North Dakota State University’s Civil Engineering program.

Pamela Schmidt: Schmidt Insurance was founded in 1979 by Pamela’s husband, Gene Schmidt. Six months later, Pamela Schmidt left her position as a broadcaster at KFYR-Television to develop a lead program and marketing strategies for Schmidt Insurance, as the need for Long Term Care Insurance (LTCi) continued to grow. Schmidt Insurance quickly became a recognized leader and sales/service center for Senior Health Insurance products in ND, SD, and MT. SIA Marketing was established in 1986, when insurance companies recognized the success of Schmidt Insurance in the tri-state region and asked Gene and Pamela to take their sales andmarketing strategies to more states. SIA (Schmidt Insurance Agency) Marketing, Inc. was created to provide education, training, and products in all 50 states. SIA is often referred to in the Long-Term Care industry as the “Walt Disney of Long-Term Care.”       

Join us on August 20 at 5:30 p.m. to hear the words of wisdom and valuable lessons these experienced professionals have learned over the years. This event will take place at the  Bismarck State College National Energy Center of Excellence. Click here to RSVP!