Advisory Committee
We would like to gratefully acknowledge the members of the Advisory Committee below. Bringing perspectives and expertise from an array of different professional fields, these experts helped inform the structure and content of this competition.
Arlette Preston
Former Fargo City Commissioner Arlette Preston earned a nursing degree at St. Luke’s School of Nursing, Fargo; a Bachelor’s of Nursing at Minnesota State University Moorhead; and a Master’s in Community Health Nursing at Texas Woman’s University, Dallas. She worked for MeritCare (now Sanford) Health Systems in Fargo for 21 years before starting her own business. She operated her business, Home Instead Senior Care, for 16 years in providing services for seniors in their homes. Preston served on the Fargo City Commission from 1992-2000 and on the Board of Education for the Fargo Public Schools from 2002-2006. She was again elected to the Fargo City Commission June of 2020. While in office, she held the Planning and Development Department and the Public Health Department in her portfolio.
Susan Schaefer Kliman
Dr. Susan Schaefer Kliman is a registered architect with over 30 years of comprehensive industry and academic experience. Her recent focus has been on the academic side, where she has overseen architecture and sustainability programs at both North Dakota State University and the University of the District of Columbia. She has taught a variety of undergraduate and graduate classes, including design studios, research methods, ethics and practice, and construction systems. Her own research interests include the mitigation of the urban heat island effect through appropriate building design, and the integration of landscape with structures. She maintains a small practice, Klimatic Architecture, specializing in high performance buildings. Susan is involved in several professional organizations, focusing on the training of emerging professionals and the next generation of architects; the regulation of practice; and the accreditation process for architecture programs.
Dave Flohr
Dave was appointed Executive Director of the North Dakota Housing Finance Agency in 2019. Previously he was the Agency’s Homeownership Division Director from 2006 until 2019. NDHFA operates a mortgage purchase and administration operation focused on first time home buyers with assets exceeding $2 Billion. The Agency assists in the funding/financing for new construction and rehabilitation of multi-family and single-family homes, provides Contract Administration services for the Department of Housing and Urban Development for housing projects across the state, and is the administrator for the North Dakota Homeless Continuum of Care, Emergency Solutions Grant program. and the ND Homeless Grant program assisting homeless assistance providers statewide.
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Dr. Margaret Fitzgerald
Dr. Margaret Fitzgerald holds the Anne Stegner Endowed Professorship in the Department of Human Development and Family Science (HDFS) at North Dakota State University in Fargo. She currently teaches courses in personal and family finance, advises students, and conducts research on family businesses. Dr. Fitzgerald has served in numerous leadership positions at NDSU including Provost and Dean of the College of Human Sciences and Education. She currently serves on the Executive Council for North Dakota AARP.
Kathi Schwan
Kathi Schwan lives in West Fargo, and became an advocate of affordable housing during her tenure as ND AARP Volunteer State President. She participated in AARP‘s National Livable Cities events, where missing middle housing was a central to the discussion. The collaboration of stakeholders forming partnerships, identifying barriers, and commitment to overcome them, were proven keys to success. She currently serves as AARP Regional Volunteer Director of the Central States, as well as a West Fargo Planning & Zoning commissioner.
Paul Gleye
Paul Gleye is a retired faculty member of the NDSU architecture department.
