The 2020 NDWN Woman of the Year is...

​Susan Wefald Named 2020 NDWN Woman of the Year

​Susan Wefald of Bismarck has been named the 2020 Woman of the Year by the North Dakota Women’s Network (NDWN). A banquet will be held on Saturday, October 3, at the Municipal Country Club in Bismarck to celebrate her lifetime dedication to public and community service.

 

Susan was the first woman to serve on the North Dakota Public Service Commission. Appointed by Gov. Ed Schafer in 1993, she went on to serve for 16 years, being elected to the office three times. While on the commission, Susan focused on the formation of regional electricity markets and the need for additional transmission in our region. She supported environmentally responsible energy development in North Dakota and participated in siting the first wind farms in the state.

 

Prior to her appointment to the PSC, Susan served for four years as an elected member of the Bismarck Public School Board, including one year as president. She also served on the Bismarck Public Library Board of Trustees for six years. Susan was a licensed social worker and has worked as a certified consumer credit counselor.

 

Susan has a record of dedicated community service. She has been active in Girl Scouting since she was 7 years old. From 2015- 2018 she served as president of the Dakota Horizons Girl Scout Council. She recently served on the ND WWI Centennial Committee and presently serves on the ND Woman’s Suffrage Centennial Committee and the Board of Directors of Friends of the Rail Bridge. She is also a violinist in the Bismarck Mandan Symphony. She is the author of the books, “Spectacular North Dakota Hikes – Bring the Dog,” and “Important Voices – North Dakota’s Women Elected State Officials Share Their Stories, 1893-2013,” both published by the Institute for Regional Studies at North Dakota State University. She enjoys historical research and is the author of four articles that have been published in ND History, The Journal of the Northern Plains.

 

She is married to Robert O. Wefald and has two grown daughters and one deceased son.

 

Previous NDWN Woman of the Year recipients include Dina Butcher, Connie Hildebrand, Bonnie Palecek, Judy DeMers, Kylie Oversen, Karla Rose Hanson, Cheryl Bergian, Nancy Johnson, Ellen Chaffee, Kathy Fick, Kathy Hogan, Karen Ehrens and Ruth Buffalo.

*** The pandemic has brought challenges for us all, exercising our patience and flexibility, especially for last-minute changes. Due to COVID-related circumstances, we have made the difficult decision to postpone the October 3rd Woman of the Year tea honoring Susan Wefald until the spring of 2021.

Only the tea celebration following the annual meeting is being postponed; our annual meeting will be held virtually October 3 as planned, including the board election and education events. We hope you will join us!

We apologize for any inconvenience and will provide refunds to those who were attending just for the Woman of the Year celebration. If you would like to request a refund, please contact Kristie@ndwomen.org