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Tri-Valley Opportunity Council CEO Jason Carlson to take job as Northwest Service Co-op Executive Director

Tri-Valley Opportunity Council recently announced that Jason Carlson, its Chief Executive Officer, will be leaving the organization. Carlson is taking the job as Executive Director of Northwest Service Co-op, which is headquartered in Thief River Falls. The co-op serves school districts, cities, counties, and a few non-profits with a variety of services.

What kinds of services does the co-op provide? “Health insurance is the biggest line of services there, so we cover an awful lot of city, county, and school district employees in a self-insured pool,” says Carlson. “There is some support for educators. We house the regional center of excellence, now known as Compass, that covers a large part of  Northern Minnesota, and do things that some people aren’t aware of that are associated with the co-op, such as spelling bee and knowledge bowl.”

Why is Carlson choosing to make this change at this point in his career? “I was on the board at the co-op for over ten years. I stepped away last year to create a little more time for my kids,” says Carlson. “While on the board, I was heavily involved with Health Insurance. I was the chair of the Joint Powers Board, which created the state-wide health insurance pools that leverage the seven regional co-ops that are members. I found that I miss that, but I needed that time for my family.” Carlson says he received an email when the Executive Director job opened up. “I received an email from someone at another co-op that made me think about it a little harder, and here we are.”

Carlson’s shoes are not easy to fill, and the Tri-Valley Board has been working hard to secure an interim while searching for the right person for the job. “Last week, the board took two very important actions here at Tri-Valley,” says Carlson. “Number one was they decided to engage a search firm, Pierson Henry, out of Duluth, that has done a lot of work with some rural organizations in Minnesota and Wisconsin.”

The Tr-Valley board named Corky Reynolds, the interim CEO. “For those who aren’t aware, Corky was our attorney from 1979 until he retired from law. He ended up being the city administrator here,” said Carlson. “But since he ended that role with the city, he has acted as a consultant for us. He’s very familiar with our programs, worked with us extensively as our attorney, so it was a very good fit and a wonderful opportunity that he happened to be available.”

Looking back over his almost 20 years with Tri-Valley, we asked Carlson what some of his greatest accomplishments were. “I’ve been able to work with a lot of great people, first and foremost, both internally and externally, I’ve had great success just getting folks in the different communities we serve to dig in and help us out and do something that I’m very proud of,” says Carlson. “One of the big examples of that would be the Agassiz Townhome project a few years ago here in Crookston. That was a wonderful community project. It’s a nice addition to the community, and it’s just one thing I’m really proud of because so many different folks were involved.”

Working with the City Council over the years has been a pleasure, Carlson said, and he is very thankful for the relationship that formed between the City and Tri-Valley. “Tri-Valley has enjoyed tremendous support while I’ve been here from the council,” says Carlson. “We’ve been able to do just some neat things. We’ve tried different housing things; some have worked, some haven’t. A lot of folks wouldn’t know this, but the rental rehab project that worked in town for many years, we helped get that started. There’s just been a huge number of things we’ve done in Crookston because Crookston is our home, so to speak.” Tri-Valley serves two states and a large geographical area, but much of what they have done has revolved around Crookston.

Carlson says he will be around to help Reynolds become familiar with the day-to-day activities at Tri-Valley. Even though his new position is based in Thief River Falls, he is staying put here in Crookston. “The Northwest Service Co-op covers the 12 counties in Northwest Minnesota. I’ve enjoyed working with school superintendents in my role here at Tri-Valley, but I will be doing that on a different level with the co-op,” says Carlson. “I will be headquartered in Thief River Falls, where my office will be. I will still work with Dr. Bergquist here as the Crookston School District is a member of the co-op, and other area districts, so I’m thankful for that.”

Carlson came to Tri-Valley by way of the Win-E-Mac school district. He has been a member of the Crookston School Board while working at Tri-Valley. He still takes days off to substitute teach at Win-E-Mac and says he looks forward to a role that is closely connected to public schools, along with being in a role where he feels it will be more predictable. “I will be able to make more time for the kids and their activities because that’s really starting to pick up for them,” says Carlson. “As hard as it was to decide to leave Tri-Valley, I’m becoming more at peace with it.”

Carlson will be with Tri-Valley until June 20 to work closely with Reynolds to ensure a smooth transition as Tri-Valley searches for the right person to take over the position permanently.

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