Lake Superior College Interim Dean of Business and Industry Hanna Erpestad has been recognized with a Minnesota State Outstanding Academic and Student Affairs Administrator Award. She recently received the notable state-level award at the Minnesota State Academic and Student Affairs Awards ceremony.

Erpestad was raised in East Africa, England, and Finland by Finnish parents who ingrained the importance of education in her early on, something Erpestad believes in wholeheartedly to this day. Like many students, her journey was not always a straight path. Thanks in part to an ALISS grant, she re-entered higher education at Duluth Community College Center where she completed her AA degree. She returned to that same place, now named Lake Superior College, first as a full-time faculty member, then division chair, and academic dean.

Erpestad has served as a dean for 11 years, primarily as dean of liberal arts and sciences and most recently as interim dean of business and industry. She is enthusiastic about her work, in part because of the complexity it offers every day. She remains curious about the next new thing she can help others explore, and she is rewarded when she sees how her efforts make a positive difference in someone’s life.