SUNSHINE MEMORIAL FOUNDATION
Developing Visions…Bringing Awareness…Making an Impact
Board Member Bios | Interests…Affiliations…Motivations
Alice Hoffert - Board Chair
Affiliations
Current: Greater Grand Forks Senior Citizens Center Board of Director
Current: LISTEN Center Board of Directors
Former UND Associate Vice President for Enrollment
Former Grand Forks and East Grand Forks United Way Allocation Committee and University Coordinator
Former Pine to Prairie Girl Scout Council Board of Directors
Motivation:
“Giving back to the community that has given so much to me and my family is a priority. The privilege of being part of the Sunshine Memorial Foundation allows me to actively contribute and aligns directly with this priority. It is exciting to be able to know that a hospitality home in Grand Forks is becoming a reality.”
Bruce Gjovig - Vice Chair
Affiliations
CEO Emeritus, Founder & Entrepreneur Coach UND Center for Innovation Foundation, a program focused on innovation, entrepreneurship and private investment that received 18 national and international awards for excellence..
Chair, Bioscience Association of North Dakota (BioND),
Chair. Delta Tau Delta Educational Foundation
Chair, American College of Norway Foundation USA
Chair Emeritus of the North Dakota Museum of Art in Grand Forks
Appointed to the Civic Leaders Group of the US Air Force by the Secretary of the Air Force ad Chief of Staff
*** In Feb 2014, Gjovig was presented with the national Ronald Reagan Award for promoting entrepreneurship, innovation and free enterprise for 30 years.
***In October 2008, Gjovig was knighted by King Harald V of Norway.
***In 2001, Gjovig inducted into the North Dakota Entrepreneur Hall of Fame
Motivation
“The Sunshine Memorial Foundation is providing an nonprofit opportunity for donors to build a first-rate hospitality home to serve hundreds of families in our region who are having a medical crisis. There is nothing more important than being close to a loved one in a family setting when there is a family crisis. We want to help these families that come from far and near. I like the entrepreneur aspect of the Sunshine Memorial Foundation, and I want to support Van Larson, his family and the board members in this social entrepreneur adventure. Our community and our medical services are going to greatly enhanced.”
Kenton McGregor - Treasurer
Affiliations
Current: CPA, Phil Thompson & Associates LLP
Current: Greater Grand Forks Senior Center
Current: Delta Tau Delta House Corporation
Current: South Forks Lions
Carma Hanson - Director
Affiliations
Current: RN, Altru Health System/Coordinator of Safe Kids Grand Forks
Current: North Dakota Republican Party Vice Chairwoman
Current: Adjunct faculty member with the University of North Dakota, College of Nursing
Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Honor Society
Motivation
“Whether as a nurse, a mom or the Coordinator of Safe Kids, promoting health, wellness and safety has always been a passion of mine. Getting involved with the Sunshine Memorial Foundation was a perfect fit with my current profession and much of the work Safe Kids Grand Forks does around dehydration and other safety related topics. This desire to be involved was enhanced even more when the SMF took on the Sunshine Hospitality Home project. Over the years, I have worked with very tiny babies and seen how devastating it is for parents to have to leave their bedside because there was nowhere for them to stay or they could not afford accommodations on top of their expensive medical costs. I longed for a place that would offer the caring and compassionate accommodations that were so vital to caring for the whole patient and their families. I am blessed to be a part of this organization that brings so many of my “loves and passions” to life!!
Mary Glessner - Director
Affiliations:
Current: UND Aerospace
Current: Cheerful Givers
Current: Grand Cities Woman Magazine
Motivation:
“My passion and interest in the Sunshine Hospitality Home project has given me the opportunity to serve on the Sunshine Memorial Foundation Board. Being involved in the community in which we live is a priority. It’s exciting to help advocate for the hospitality home project because of the impact it will have on Grand Forks and the surrounding region.”
Dan Traynor - Director
Affiliations
Current: Shareholder and Attorney at Traynor Law Firm in Devils Lake
Current: Chairman of the Disciplinary Board of the North Dakota Supreme Court
Current: Member and former President of the North Dakota Economic Development Foundation
Current: Board of Governors of the State Bar Association
Current: ABA House of Delegates
Current: Defense Research Institute
Current: North Dakota Defense Lawyers Association
Current: American Bar Association
Current: Elected Member of the American Law Institute
Cam Tweton - Director
Affiliations
Current: Village Homes Developer
Current: Coldwell Banker Forks Real Estate
Former: Choice Health and Fitness Superintendent
Theresa Carlson - Chief Executive Officer
Affiliations
Current: American College HealthCare Executives
Current: Volunteer Emergency Medical Technician
Current: Warroad Woman of Today
Former: LifeCare Medical Center Advisory Board – Board Member
Former: Roseau Area Diabetes Foundation – Financial Director
Former: Altru Health System – Administrator
Motivation: “There is a great need for the Sunshine Hospitality Home and I have witnessed this through my personal and professional experiences in healthcare. I am so honored to be a part of this project and to see it come to fruition.”
Donovan Larson - Architectural Manager
Affiliations
Current: ICON Architectural Group
Former North Dakota American Institute of Architects – Executive Committee Associate Director
Former Preservation North Dakota Board – Director
***Govenor’s Trustee – North Dakota State Historical Society
***1997 AIA North Dakota Special Recognition – Re-Imaging Downtown Greater Grand Forks
Motivation
“I greet each day knowing that my sister, Shannon, is looking down and hopefully I can do everything in my ability to make a difference in other’s lives. Moving the Sunshine Memorial Foundation forward helps me to bring awareness to her senseless death and make a meaningful impact in honor of her helpful and caring spirit.”