Paige Stensrud

I grew up in the newly developed Apple Valley, Minnesota, where my dad was the first dentist. I remember playing in the vast fields out back flying kites and playing capture the flag with the neighborhood kids. I enjoyed camping with my family on the weekends during the summer and skiing in the winter especially in Big Sky, Montana! In 2017 my then boyfriend, MikKael and I spent all our weekends at the family cabin in Grand Rapids, and soon fell in love with the area, the woods and the people. In 2019 we decided to get married at our cabin, and in 2020 made the decision to move permanently to Grand Rapids! We have a sassy cat named Cuda, who is a purebred Hyland Linx and is an avid hunter of the outdoors. My husband and I enjoy exploring northern Minnesota, camping, hiking, boating on Pokegama Lake with family and friends, bonfires and just being outside under the stars.

I have more than 20 years of administrative assistance experience working with top-level executives in corporate settings. My role at Blandin Foundation will build on my passion to help others succeed in their roles and achieve a higher sense of accomplishment. Helping others is the bottom line of the foundation, making sure that everyone has a voice, an opportunity and a role in our community which is about helping rural Minnesota move forward. I love the work Blandin Foundation does for rural communities and the vision of the foundation is what pushes me to work harder, “We envision rural Minnesota places that welcome diversity, address injustice, and embrace change to create a sustainable and equitable future.”