Red River Regional Council
516 Cooper Avenue, Suite 101
Grafton, ND 58237Phone: 701.352.3550
516 Cooper Avenue, Suite 101
Grafton, ND 58237Phone: 701.352.3550
DAWN MANDT
Executive Director
Dawn@redriverrc.com
Dawn brings 34 years of rural development experience in North Dakota and first joined the RRRC in 1993. She has served in the roles of Disaster Recovery Coordinator, Economic Developer, SBDC Regional Director, Business Development Director and Funding Strategist prior to becoming the RRRC’s Executive Director in 2013.
She has been recognized by her peers as the Governor’s Choice for Small Cities Economic Developer of the Year and the SBDC State Star. She serves as chairwoman of the ND Association of Regional Councils. In the past, she has served on ND Rural Development Council, ND Council on the Arts, Pembina Gorge Foundation and Rendezvous Region.
Dawn has a Bachelor of Arts in business administration/economics and history/political science and a Master of Arts in leadership both from the University of Jamestown. She is certified as an Economic Development Finance Professional through Grow America (formerly the National Development Council).
Lori Estad
Office and Fiscal Manager
Lori@redriverrc.com
In 2025, Lori celebrated 29 years of service with the RRRC. She manages all the finances of the RRRC as well as our loan portfolio and financial and program management. She is familiar with regulatory and reporting requirements for grants secured for the region from multiple state and federal agencies. Lori has led fiscal management of numerous EDA grant awards as well as reporting requirements.
She earned an Associated Degree at Aaker’s Business College in Receptionist/Data Processing. She has also been the Bookkeeper for Walsh County Farm Bureau since 2003.
Lisa Rotvold
Executive Director
Red River Community Housing Development Organization
Lisa@redriverrc.com
Lisa leads the Red River Community Housing Development Organization (Red River CHDO), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization started by the RRRC in 1996.
The organization was established to help address affordable housing needs in the region. After a period of inactivity, Red River CHDO is ramping up operations to help spark new housing development in the region. She joined the RRRC with 28 years of experience in the affordable housing industry resulting in more than 1,000 housing units across North Dakota .
Lisa holds bachelor’s degrees in environmental science and architecture from North Dakota State University. She is certified as a Housing Development Financial Professional, and a Housing Credit Certified Professional through Grow America (formerly National Development Council). She also earned a non-profit management certificate from Minnesota State University Moorhead.
Lisa works remotely from Hillsboro, ND.
Anna Halvorson
Executive Director
Nelson County Job Development Authority
anna@redriverrc.com
Joining the RRRC in July 2025, Anna leads the Nelson County Job Development Authority as its Director.
Anna is a licensed nursing home administrator dedicated to person-centered well-being, staff engagement, and strong community connections. She has led skilled nursing and senior living facilities for over 10 years, guiding teams through challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic while mentoring future administrators. In addition to her healthcare leadership experience, Anna has remained active on local boards, city council, economic development and public health initiatives in ND since 2015. Anna has also supported local fundraising and development projects that strengthen healthcare and community services.
Anna holds a master’s degree in Health and Human Services with a specialization in Long-Term Care and a bachelor’s degree in Allied Healthcare Management from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. A native of Minneapolis, MN, she moved to ND in 2014. She and her husband, Aaron, have two children – Grace and Thomas.
Anna works remotely from Tolna, ND.
Angelle French
Pembina County Job Development Authority Director
Angelle@redriverrc.com
Angelle leads the Pembina County Job Development Authority (JDA) as its Director. The JDA was formally established in 1991 and has contracted for professional staff services with the RRRC since its inception.
In early 2023, the Pembina County JDA hired Angelle as its first full-time director, working from the JDA office in Cavalier. She had previously served as the Walsh County JDA director.
Angelle holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Minnesota-Crookston and a Master of Business Administration from the University of North Dakota. She currently serves as the President of the Rendezvous Region Tourism Council and an ex officio for the Pembina Gorge Foundation.
Stacie Sevigny
Executive Director
Walsh County Job Development Authority
Stacie@redriverrc.com
Stacie joined the RRRC as a Developer in September 2014, then was promoted to Director of Workforce Development for rural Region 4 in September 2022 and now serves as the Executive Director for the Walsh County Job Development Authority. In this role Stacie champions workforce development and retention initiatives and projects, leading programs and initiatives to ensure success. The position includes collaboration with North Valley Career and Technology Center as the Center’s Work-Based Learning Coordinator to lead K-12 career exploration projects and events for youth in the region.
Stacie is also a Community Champion for North Dakota’s Find the Good Life program for workforce attraction.
In her former role as Developer with the RRRC, she managed the Community Development Block Grant program, infrastructure improvement projects, housing rehabilitation projects, and hazard mitigation and disaster projects. As the Director of Workforce Development, she initiated and launched the Real. Good. Northeast North Dakota brand.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English with a minor in Mass Communications from North Dakota State University.
Kristi (Hardy) Kasprick
Real. Good. Northeast North Dakota Project Manager
kristi@redriverrc.com
Kristi is the Real. Good. Northeast North Dakota Project Manager.
Real. Good. is the first-ever rural initiative to promote Northeast North Dakota as a Real. Good. place to work, visit, and live! The primary focus is workforce/talent attraction and retention and visitor attraction. REAL emphasizes the authenticity of the people, places, and experiences and GOOD highlights the quality of life and aligning with the North Dakota’s “Find the Good Life” campaign. Kristi joined the Regional Council in February of 2024.
Kristi holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Mayville State University.
Kristi works remotely from Walhalla and West Fargo, ND.
Brenda Baumann
Hill Ave Incubator Project Manager
Brenda@redriverrc.com
Brenda is serving as the Project Manager for the Hill Avenue Business Incubator project in Grafton, leading the construction and implementation of the project.
Brenda is the owner of Envision Consulting and Planning and previously served as the executive director of The Hub, a co-working and entrepreneurship space in Warroad, MN.
Dr. Kendra Rosencrans Economic Resilience Specialist Kendra@redriverrc.com
Dr. Kendra is a part-time remote employee providing research and expertise related to interpreting business interview results, 2020 Census trend analysis, and challenging long-standing viewpoints related to rural development (in a good way!). She has also assisted with grant research and writing which led to securing $2.1 million for Frost Fire Park from EDA and is on the team that developed the concept and grant materials for a regional innovation lab to be headquartered in Grafton. Kendra holds a doctoral degree in complex organizational systems from Saybrook University, a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University, and a bachelor’s degree from North Dakota State University. A native of Hettinger, N.D., Kendra splits her time between North Dakota and Kirkland, Washington.