2010 Communicator of Achievement Karen Stensrud

Karen Stensrud, Fargo, vice president of marketing and communications at State Bank & Trust, has been named 2010 North Dakota Communicator of Achievement by NDPC. The Communicator of Achievement award honors its recipients for accomplishments in the communications field, service to the community and contributions to NDPC and NFPW.

Before joining State Bank & Trust in 2004, Stensrud owned Words That Work, a business that put its stamp on the communications of more than 70 organizations. Stensrud’s extensive communications experience includes working as a marketing specialist at Dakota Medical Center, Fargo, and as a reporter in Alexandria, Minn.

A native of Madison, S.D., Stensrud earned a bachelor’s degree in English writing from Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn., and an M.F.A. in creative writing from Minnesota State University Moorhead.

Stensrud served three consecutive terms as president of NDPC and has won numerous state and national contest awards. She is in her third year as an NFPW Education Fund board member and co-chair of NFPW’s high school contest.

As a community volunteer, Stensrud co-founded the Women’s Business Exchange of Fargo-Moorhead, providing education and mentorship for business women. She is also in her second year as co-chair of the Women’s Fund of the Fargo-Moorhead Area Foundation, a permanent endowment to improve the lives of women and girls.

NDPC honored Stensrud at its annual convention in Fargo. 

In August, Stensrud was named the 2010 NFPW Communicator of Achievement in Chicago.

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