Our board of directors
2024-2025
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Rod Kurth Metamora, IL President & Newsletter Editor
Bio to come Kathy Johnson Madison, WI Director of Membership
Kathy Johnson grew up near Lakeville, MN, graduated from Augsburg College in Minneapolis, and has lived in Madison, WI since 1967. She is a retired teacher, community volunteer, and president of the Sognefjordlag as well as membership chair of the Solørlag. Her husband Doug is also on the Solørlag board serving as treasurer. She is the mother of two, grandmother of three and is 7/8th Norwegian and 1/8 Swedish. She has connected with four sets of 4th cousins in Norway and has visited there 5 times. |
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Denny Kalvig Richfield, MN Secretary
Denny grew up in Des Moines, IA and graduated from Waldorf College (Forest City, IA) and Concordia College (Moorhead, MN) with B.A.s in Computer Science, Math, and History. Most of his career was with a Belgium based company called SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications), which handles international transfers of money electronically. He started off as a systems programmer and ended as a Senior IT Manager; 25 years in Virginia and two years in the Netherlands. Early retirement lets him spend more time on genealogy, which his grandmother started him on as a teenager. One of his eight great grandparent lines is from the Brandval area. |
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Doug Johnson Madison, WI Treasurer
Doug was raised in a small town on the North Dakota prairie, graduated from Augsburg College in Minneapolis with a degree in physics and moved to Madison where he taught high school physics for 35 years before retiring. In addition to Solørlag involvement, he keeps busy with activities at church, with volunteering as an usher at Madison's Overture Center for the Arts, with some volunteer duties for the League of Women Voters (it’s not just for women!), supervising a polling place on election days, and supervising student teachers for a local, private college. He is married with two grown children and three grandchildren. His ancestors hail from Åsnes, Solør and Gubrandsdahl. |
Elaine Helgeson Hasleton Salt Lake City, UT Director of Genealogy
Elaine is an Alexandria, Minnesota native, who currently works as a Deputy in the Chief Genealogical Office for FamilySearch in Salt Lake City. She is currently the Bygdelagenes Fellesraad President and enjoys working with all the bygdelag. Her passion is Finnskog and Solør research, having made numerous trips to Norway, including Hedmark county, Norway and also Värmland county, Sweden. Elaine and her husband, Jim, also from Alexandria, have three daughters and six grandchildren.
Elaine is an Alexandria, Minnesota native, who currently works as a Deputy in the Chief Genealogical Office for FamilySearch in Salt Lake City. She is currently the Bygdelagenes Fellesraad President and enjoys working with all the bygdelag. Her passion is Finnskog and Solør research, having made numerous trips to Norway, including Hedmark county, Norway and also Värmland county, Sweden. Elaine and her husband, Jim, also from Alexandria, have three daughters and six grandchildren.
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Jean Berg Willmar, MN Publicity
Bio to come |
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Julie Clausen New Brighton, MN Director-at-Large
Bio to come |
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Andy Berg Willmar, MN Director-at-Large
Andy Berg grew up on a farm near Willmar. He holds a BA degree from Augsburg College and an MSW from the U of Georgia Graduate School of Social Work. He is retired after having spent nearly 40 years in the social work profession. He and his wife of 50 years, Jean, enjoy traveling and have made several trips to Norway and other European countries as well as having traveled to all 50 states. They have 4 children and 8 grand children. They are active in their church and enjoy camping, hiking, volunteering, and participating in various Norwegian/American activities. |
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Mary Martin Minneapolis, MN Director-at-Large
Mary Martin grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She graduated from North High School where she took two years of Norwegian and also graduated from Augsburg College with a BA in Scandinavian Studies. In 1985 she became a member of Solørlag. She also belongs to Gudbrandsdalslaget and Trønderlaget. Activities include Nidaros Lodge 1-001 Sons of Norway and volunteers at Mindekirken. She is retired and has a grown daughter and son. Mary's father was born in Kirkenær, Grue, Solør and her mother's ancestors come from East Gausdal, Gudbrandsdal, England and Sweden LeAnn Hookom Eden Prairie, MN Director-At-Large
LeAnn grew up in Eden Prairie, MN. She recently retired from Scherer Bros. Lumber where she worked as an estimator and sales assistant. LeAnn’s keeps busy with church activities, golfing, going on Rebuilding Mission Trips each year, playing guitar and piano, and all things Norwegian. She has traveled to Norway and Sweden many times and studied Norwegian Language for many years. Her Hedmark ancestors come from Grue. Shanna Kurth Metamora, IL Library Materials Manager
Shanna Kurth was born in Juneau, Alaska and raised in Kahala, Hawaii. She graduated from Kalani High School and Brigham Young University, where she earned a BS, MS, and PhD in psychology. She is a clinical neuropsychologist in Peoria, IL, where she resides with her husband, Rod. They have 5 lovely children and 7 perfect grandchildren. She is an avid hiker, kayaker, bicyclist, and genealogist. As evident from her photo, she is much more comfortable behind the camera than in front of it. |
Previous Board Members
