RIVER KEEPERS VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR AWARD

 recognizes outstanding volunteer work in promoting the goals of River Keepers.  Our 2025 award was presented to Danielle Hagen.

Danielle started volunteering in 2022 for our T-shirt to Tote Project. She then signed up for the Red River Water Festival helping to fill and organize the classroom resource bags.  We quickly realized she was organized and thoughtful about making the process efficient and done well.  Since then, she has helped with almost all aspects of the water festival.

Last year when our Reforest the Red partners wanted to hold the event during the Red River Water Festival, we knew we’d need some extra leadership help. Danielle immediately came to mind.  We’re so happy she said yes to this new challenge as her reliability and logical thinking made her a trusted asset to our team.

Danielle has also helped with the Storm Drain Marking Program, T-shirt to Tote project, water quality monitoring, some Monthly Volunteer Series events, and said some nice words on video to help recruit other volunteers.  This year, Danielle went through training to become an official River Keepers Outreach Ambassador as she’d already been assisting us at many outreach events anyway.  Danielle is always willing to help wherever needed.  Sometimes she even finds those tasks on her own and completes them.

We want to express our sincere gratitude for Danielle’s contributions to River Keepers.  We are thankful she has chosen to share her time and talents with us.

Three new board members were elected to three year terms.

Andrew is a Branch Manager at Magnifi Financial in Fargo, North Dakota. Originally from the Upper Midwest, Andrew settled in the Red River Valley in 2012 and now lives in Fargo with his wife, Ashley. He is actively involved in River Keepers community initiatives, including Reforest the Red, the Lil’ Anglers Fishing Derby, and Race the Red. Andrew also serves as an Activity Assistant and recently embraced a new role as an Outreach Ambassador. Outside of Andrew’s River Keepers engagements, he serves on the Connections Committee for the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber’s Young Professionals Network. With strong leadership and a passion for educating and teaching, Andrew is enthusiastic about advancing the mission and vision of FM River Keepers and contributing to the sustainability and appreciation of the Red River

Kevin is the VP of Regulatory, Quality and R&D for Swanson Health Products.  He was born and raised in Western ND.  Attended NDSU where he received his BS, MS and MBA.  He and his wife Danelle have 4 adult children and currently reside in S Fargo.  Kevin is an outdoors enthusiast and has recreated on the Red as far back as the 1980s.  He has participated in Reforest the Red for the past 4 years and is excited to get even more involved in all of the good things that River Keepers does.

Jenn Sweatman was re-elected for a three-year term. Jenn is an Associate Professor at Concordia College where she serves as the director of the Environmental and Sustainability Studies Program. She teaches classes in biology and environmental science and conducts research on microplastics in waterfowl and Prairie Potholes of North Dakota. In her free time she likes hiking, camping, and birdwatching with her husband, 6-year-old son, and their dog across MN and ND.