These Are Your Neighbors

Miranda Klatt is a passionate advocate for mental health, community connection, and accessible wellness. With a background rooted in fitness and a deep commitment to helping others, she has dedicated her work to breaking down barriers that prevent individuals from prioritizing their well-being.


As the founder of a nonprofit organization focused on providing access to exercise services for individuals facing mental health and substance use challenges, Miranda believes that movement is more than physical—it is a powerful tool for healing, connection, and personal growth. Her organization works to ensure that financial limitations do not prevent people fr...

Mary Soucie began the duties of State Librarian on January 6, 2014. Mary moved here from Illinois, where she was born and raised. She received her undergraduate degree from Illinois State with a Bachelor of Science in Education with a Minor in Reading. Later, Mary went on to receive her Master’s in Library and Information Science from Dominican University in Illinois.Mary’s passion for libraries started young. She began volunteering at the library at the age of 12, and by 18 was leading story time. She also spent school breaks volunteering at her local library. Mary’s passion for libraries is in her blo...

Taylor is a 27-year-old public health professional from Bismarck who is running for the North Dakota House of Representatives in District 35. Her public health education opened her eyes to the impact of policy on health, and has been driven to improve health policy ever since. Through her campaign, she hopes to not only win, but also hopes to get more young adults in Bismarck engaged in politics and demonstrate how we can all improve our community.

Dan is a 4th generation resident of Bismarck. Dan’s great passion is caring for his community and especially the people who call it home. Dan entered the real estate industry nine years ago and became a high-performing Realtor who believes in providing the highest level of service to his clients. He credits his success to his diverse knowledge of the area, relationships throughout the real estate and mortgage industry, and deep-rooted community involvement. 

Dan is very involved in the community.  His community involvement includes being a member of the Bismarck School Board, Bismarck Public School Foundation, and the...

Born and raised by two public educators in Klamath Falls, Oregon—the “City ofSunshine”—Dana Henry’s life has been shaped by lifelong learning, showing up,stepping in, and serving wherever she lands.

A driven student and athlete, Dana graduated high school in three years and attendedthe University of Nevada, Reno, becoming the first unrecruited walk-on under CoachDevin Scruggs eventually working her way up to earning a division I scholarship herjunior year. She competed in two NCAA national tournaments, earned All-WACAcademic honors three times, set weight room records, served as a student senator,and was named Outstanding Senior for the un...

Molly McLain is an artist, educator, and advocate originally from Valley City, ND.She has worked in the arts, public policy,national and statewide political campaigns, and with non-profits. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Arts and a Minor inPiano Pedagogy from Valley City State University with an emphasis in psychology fromthe University of Montana at Missoula.
For a time, she served as the Executive Director for Dakota West Arts Council (DWAC).

Molly worked with farmers and ranchers in the Western and Central part of the state forseveral years where she advocated for family...

Thomas Lawler is the Director of the Lottery Division with more than 23 years of service in the North Dakota Army National Guard, including 21 years on active duty. Throughout his career, he’s held a variety of leadership roles in readiness, aviation operations, human resources, training, and logistics, most recently as a Readiness NCO and Senior Aviation Operations Specialist with Detachment 42.

In addition to his military service, Thomas taught human resource management and business research and writing as an adjunct instructor at the University of Mary from 2020 to 2024. He earned both his MBA and bachelor’s degree in business admi...

Julie Horntvedt has served as the Executive Director of the North Dakota State Council on Developmental Disabilities for the past nine years. In this leadership role, she is responsible for the overall strategic direction, administration, and daily operations of the Council, a 23-member body appointed by the Governor to advocate for system change and promote inclusion and independence for individuals with developmental disabilities across the state.
 
Julie provides executive oversight for the Council's federally mandated initiatives, including the development, implementation, and evaluation of a comprehensive five-year State Plan. She is responsible for authoring the Council's annual federal performance r...

Morgan Turner is an LCAC (Licensed Clinical Addiction Counselor) and Clinical Supervisor practicing in Bismarck, ND. She is currently in her 11th year of counseling. She earned her Bachelors degree through Minot State University. She completed her 1400 training hours through the Missouri Valley Training Consortium and started her career at the Bismarck Transition Center (and for 6 years to follow) then to the Heartview Foundation from 2020 to mid 2025. 

Throughout her career, she has worked in many areas of addiction, to include evaluations, group therapy, individuals, grief therapy, trauma informed care, client centered therapy and now focusing on women specific t...

Chad Oban is a Bismarck, North Dakota native with decades of experience in government relations, politics, and public advocacy. Over the course of his career, he has worked on campaigns at every level of government—from presidential races to local city council contests—giving him a deep understanding of both grassroots organizing and statewide policy work.

Chad currently serves as the Executive Director of North Dakota United, the state’s largest union representing educators and public employees. In this role, he leads statewide efforts to strengthen public education, protect workers’ rights, and advocate for strong public services for all Nort...

Amanda Peterson serves as the Director of Educational Improvement and Support at the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (NDDPI), where she leads and supports a wide range of statewide initiatives. With expertise in strategic planning, data analysis, resource allocation, and individualized instruction, Amanda helps districts navigate the evolving needs of diverse learners.

She serves as the Federal Liaison, oversees the state’s accountability process, and directs improvement efforts for underperforming schools. Amanda also manages several federal programs, including Title I, Title IV, and Homeless Education, and partners with agencies statewide to promote continuous and system-wide improvement. Prior to...

Mike Chaussee. Mike’s top values are Freedom, Thoughtful Action, and Play. Not necessarily in that order. He tries to work those values into everything he does, including at his current job, which is  as Executive Director for a non-profit called North Dakota Assistive. He’s been there about six years and loves the fact he gets to help people across the state discover freedom and play by finding solutions to some of the challenges they face. He helped define the organization’s current vision, to “Put Assistive Technology in Reach of Every North Dakotan.”

He believes everyone needs to kn...

Kalen Ost is a seasoned communicator with a passion for crafting compelling narratives that drive engagement, build trust, and support organizational goals. With a strong foundation in content development and stakeholder engagement while delving more into strategic communications, Kalen brings a thoughtful and creative approach to projects. Throughout a career spanning journalism, marketing and now government communications sectors, he helps teams translate complex ideas into accessible communications. Known for his collaborative spirit and attention to detail, Kalen excels at aligning messaging with mission—whether through internal communications, public relations, or digital content strategy. 

In his current role, Kalen part...

Heather was raised in Youngstown, Ohio. She moved to the northwest corner of the state to earn her B.A. in Latin and Classical Art History at Bowling Green State University.During that time she was a member of the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve.Heather moved to Dayton, Ohio, where she would live for 20 years. Heather was hired at Technicolor Cinema Services in their Wilmington, Ohio production facility. After 5 years with Technicolor, she was hired at University of Dayton in their Department of Teacher Education.

During Heather’s time at UD, she volunteered for the Marianist Environmental Ed...

Born and raised in Bismarck, Tom Gerhardt brings a lifelong passion for storytelling, community, and public service to his role as Executive Director of Dakota Media Access. He graduated from the University of North Dakota with a degree in television broadcasting and kicked off his career in sports at KMOT-TV in Minot. From there, he moved to KXMB-TV in Bismarck, where he spent the next two decades as a reporter, anchor, and eventually news director.

Tom covered some of the region’s most memorable stories—everything from the 2011 Missouri River flood and the Craig Cobb saga to the Bakk...

Sarah Kolberg grew up in McKenzie, North Dakota. She is a news anchor and lifestyle host on KFYR-TV. She anchors Country Morning Today, co-hosts ND Today, and anchors First News at Noon. She loves sharing stories that highlight the people, places, and moments that make North Dakota home. This new adventure in news has been so much fun — and she doesn't even mind the early mornings!Outside of broadcasting, she’s been a Mary Kay Beauty Consultant for 20 years.

She is passionate about skincare and helping women feel confident and connected — and playing with skincare and makeup never gets o...

Our guest today is Kate Herzog. Kate grew up in Mandan, ND and graduated high school there.  She then graduated from the University of North Dakota with honors, earning a BA in Communications while working at the Grand Forks Herald and living in Downtown Grand Forks.  She moved back to the Bismarck area and worked for the Bismarck Tribune before volunteering and then working for the Downtown Business Association starting in 2010.  
From there she became the Chief Operating Officer, as well as the Founder and President of the Downtown Bismarck Community Foundation 501c3 development arm, and President and Foun...