Leadership Minute #5: Dr. Barbara McDonald

For over two years I had the privilege of working for Dr. Barbara McDonald while she served as President of North Hennepin Community College (NHCC). She has now landed at The College of Saint Scholastica in Duluth, Minnesota as their new President, and they are very fortunate to have her leading their institution into the next chapter of its mission.

At first, I was not very interested in coming to NHCC, even though the opportunity to turn around the NHCC Foundation was appealing after it had gone through a significant setback. However, the turning point was when a friend and colleague of mine suggested that I meet with Dr. McDonald before making a decision to formally seek the opportunity. After spending an hour with Barbara I knew I wanted to join her team. She was easy to talk with, very personable and refreshingly open and transparent. 

After accepting her offer to join the team, I have come to experience one of the best leaders I have ever worked for in my professional career. She is supportive, stops by just to say hello, is always available to connect or talk about ideas and strategies, but most of all, she truly cares. She genuinely cares about students, faculty, staff, community partners, various other constituencies, but most of all, she truly cares about me as a person.

The best leaders are those who truly care about others. They take time to listen, to give credit when due, to challenge as needed, and are willing to open up themselves so as not to appear robotic in their actions or decisions. Leaders deal with humans, and leaders are human. It is amazing what can be accomplished when a leader is humane!

Dale M. Fagre has over 25 years of non-profit leadership experience and currently serves as Executive Director for the North Hennepin Community College Foundation. This institution was founded in 1966 and serves over 10,000 students while offering more than 70 different academic programs. In 2018 and 2019, Dale created and hosted the NHCC BOLD Leadership Summit which is held annually on campus each February. This event focuses on leadership through education and sharing inspiring true life leadership stories, while offering a networking opportunity for NHCC Alumni, donors and community members.