2011 Communicator of Achievement Julie Ellingson

Julie Schaff Ellingson, executive vice president of the North Dakota Stockmen’s Association, has received the Communicator of Achievement Award, the highest honor bestowed by North Dakota Professional Communicators. The award recognizes professional achievement, community involvement and service to the organization.

Ellingson will represent North Dakota as its Communicator of Achievement nominee at the National Federation of Press Women (NFPW) conference in September in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

A native of St. Anthony, N.D., Ellingson is a fourth-generation rancher. She graduated from North Dakota State University in 1995 and served as communications director for the Stockmen’s Association from 1995 to 2008. She was named the organization’s executive vice president in 2009 and serves as the organization’s chief financial officer and lead lobbyist for the state’s cattlemen.

Ellingson has also served as director of the North Dakota Angus Association and is a national spokesperson for the cattle industry. A member of the Livestock Publications Council and a national convention presenter, she has won many awards including the council’s most prestigious, the James Flanagan Award.

Ellingson and her husband, Chad, are partners in Ellingson Angus. They live near St. Anthony with their five children.

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