MSU to honor four with Golden Award, one with Young Alumni Achievement Award

MINOT, N.D. - The Minot State University Alumni Association is pleased to announce it has selected four individuals for the 2026 Golden Award and one individual for the 2026 Young Alumni Achievement Award.

The honorees include Brekka (Nybakken) Kramer '98, Bob Skabo '60, Jerry Sinn '67, and Steven Wood '69. The Young Alumni Achievement Award winner is McKenna (Larson) Gudmunson '13.

The MSU Alumni Association will honor the 2026 class at its annual awards dinner on Thursday, Sept. 17, at 6 p.m. in the Minot State Student Center Conference Center.

"The Alumni Association is excited to celebrate the achievements of our Golden Award and Young Alumni Achievement Award winners," said Courtenay Brekhus, MSU's director of alumni engagement. "Their dedication and contributions to Minot State and their respective communities are an inspiration to our current students and alumni."

Brekka (Nybakken) Kramer
Kramer is the president | CEO of the Minot Area Chamber EDC. She was named president | CEO in 2022 following a 20-year career with Odney.

For Kramer, community has never simply been a place to live; it has been a lifelong calling. A proud Minot native and MSU graduate, she has dedicated her career to strengthening the community that helped shape her, bringing people together to advance economic opportunity, improve quality of life, and ensure Minot remains a place where future generations can thrive.

She graduated from Minot High School in 1994 and earned her bachelor's degree in marketing with a concentration in art from Minot State in 1998. She began her career at Lowe's Printing before joining Odney in 2001, where she ultimately became a partner and vice president of the firm.

In 2022, Kramer became president | CEO of the Minot Area Chamber EDC, where she continues to lead efforts to strengthen the regional economy through economic development, workforce development, community development, member investor services, and military support. She has more than two decades of experience advancing community initiatives, building strategic partnerships, and moving public policy forward through trusted relationships at the local, state, and national levels.

Throughout her career, Kramer has served on and chaired both the former Minot Area Chamber of Commerce and Minot Area Development Corporation boards, as well as the Minot Area Community Foundation and Minot Public School Foundation. She has also served on numerous statewide and national organizations, including the Greater North Dakota Chamber, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Minnesota and Dakotas Board, JDRF National Advocacy Team, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Ninth District Advisory Council.

She currently serves on the Minot State University Board of Regents Executive Committee and the boards of the Economic Development Association of North Dakota, North Dakota Center for Employee Ownership, and Souris Basin Planning Council.

Kramer also holds several civilian leadership roles supporting our nation's defense. The Secretary of the Air Force appointed her as a U.S. Air and Space Forces Civic Leader, and she is the only active member from North Dakota. Since 2015, she has also served as an Air Force Global Strike Command Civic Leader. Her additional leadership roles include the North Dakota Military Commission, Strategic Deterrent Coalition Board of Directors, and the Association of Defense Communities, where she serves as the State of North Dakota Advisor and co-chair of the U.S. Air and Space Force Defense Community Council.

Her leadership has been recognized through numerous honors, including Prairie Business magazine's Top 40 Under 40 in 2008 and Top 25 Women in Business in 2017. In 2023, the Greater North Dakota Chamber named her to its inaugural 15 Women You Need to Know in North Dakota Business.

Minot State has always been woven into Kramer's life. She comes from a family with deep, multigenerational ties to the University. Her parents, Colette and Jack Nybakken and Ken and Barb Boyeff, all graduated from Minot State. Ken and Jack are members of the Minot State Athletics Hall of Fame for football. As a child, she spent countless hours on campus visiting her mother, Colette, who worked in the library, and her grandmother, Ardell Boyeff, who devoted years to recruiting students through the admissions office. Her partner, Jonn Knecht, is also a Minot State graduate.

Above all else, Kramer considers her greatest accomplishment being the mother of two incredible daughters, Haley and Emma. Whether advocating for her community, mentoring future leaders, or helping shape the future of North Dakota, she remains driven by a simple belief: the greatest investment any of us can make is in people and the communities we call home.

Robert "Bob" Skabo
Skabo is a retired optometrist who practiced for 46 years before retiring in 2010. Skabo and his wife, Jo Ann, have been married for 66 years and live in Fargo.

Skabo graduated from Grenora High School in 1956 and earned a Bachelor of Science from Minot State University in 1960, double majoring in mathematics and business education. He taught secondary math, coached basketball, and served as assistant football coach at Mentor High School in Mentor, Minnesota, from 1960-63. In 1961, he received a post-grad National Science Foundation grant in mathematics and attended Oregon State University. He also received an in-service grant to Bemidji State University.

In 1963, he changed careers and attended the Illinois College of Optometry in Chicago, where he earned a bachelor's degree in ocular science and a Doctor of Optometry, Cum Laude, in 1966. While there, he served as junior class president and, his senior year, president of the student body. He practiced his profession in Joliet and DeKalb, Illinois, for 45 years.

He served as president of DeKalb Optometric Associates, the DeKalb County Optometric Association, and the Northern Illinois Optometric Association for two terms. During that time, Skabo also held several offices of Beta Sigma Kappa International Optometric Honor Society, including three terms as president. He served on a vision advisory panel for the Hauser-Ross Eye Institute, as a vision consultant for the Northern Illinois University athletic department, and participated in in-office trials for the development of soft contact lenses. He is a 62-year member of the Illinois Optometric Association and the American Optometric Association.

Skabo was an active participant in several community organizations in DeKalb, serving on the Board of Directors of the Kishwaukee Health System and as chairman of the Board of the Ben Gordon Mental Health Center. He was a charter member of the Kishwaukee Kiwanis Club for 42 years and served on and chaired several community fundraising efforts for various groups. Skabo was an active member of his church and served three terms as president of the church council.

At Minot State, Skabo is currently a member of the Board of Regents and President's Club. He and Jo Ann are members of the Slaaten Sandberg Legacy Society and the Old Main Society at the Leader Level.

Jerry Sinn
Sinn is a decorated Lt. Gen. (retired) in the U.S. Army. He served as director of the Army budget and worked as the military deputy for budget to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Financial Management and Comptroller.

He was born in Minot in 1945 while his father, John, was serving with the Army Engineers in Czechoslovakia during World War II. Growing up in Garrison, he was shaped by a family rooted in hard work and service as his father built homes and churches, farmed the land, and later joined the Corps of Engineers. Sinn worked paying jobs from elementary school onward: paper boy, ranch hand, and ground runner for a crop duster. He excelled in mathematics and athletics, setting a school record in the discus throw that stood for years.

In 1963, he received a U.S. Senate appointment to West Point, but the academy turned him away because his eyesight required prescription glasses, which it did not permit at the time. Sinn enrolled at Minot State College instead, following in the footsteps of his mother, Olive, and sister, Lois - both Minot State graduates - earning a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics.

After graduation, Northwestern Bell Telephone recruited him for his engineering and math background, but the Vietnam War was underway, and the draft called his number.

In 1968, Sinn was drafted into the United States Army as an enlisted soldier. Rather than simply serve his obligation, he attended Officer Candidate School and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers. Deployed to Vietnam with the 1st Infantry Division - the famed "Big Red One" - he was selected for one of the war's most dangerous assignments: serving as a "tunnel rat." Tunnel rats entered Viet Cong underground complexes, often alone and armed with only a pistol and a flashlight. In a 2006 Congressional Record tribute entered upon his retirement, Congressman Jerry Lewis described tunnel rat duty as "one of the deadliest missions in that conflict." He also commanded Rome Plow units: massive, armored bulldozers used to cut through jungle for combat operations. Wounded in action multiple times, he was awarded two Purple Hearts and four Bronze Stars, two with the Combat Distinguishing Device "V" for valor.

He chose to make the U.S. Army his life's work. Over 38 years, Sinn rose from enlisted soldier to Lieutenant General, a three-star rank. He served as a mathematics instructor at West Point - the same academy that had turned him away two decades earlier - and went on to command at every level before serving as the Army's top uniformed budget official at the Pentagon after Sept. 11, 2001.

After retiring from the Army in 2006, Sinn held senior leadership roles at DRS Technologies and later served as vice president for finance and administration of the Association of the United States Army.

Steven Wood
Wood retired from the company he started, CenturyPacific, more than 30 years ago, gifting the company back to employees in 2021.

Wood graduated from Minot State in 1969. He was Student Association President his senior year and a member of the Mu Sigma Tau Fraternity. He then attended the University of North Dakota Law School and graduated with distinction in 1972. While at UND, he served as editor-in-chief of the Dakota Law Review and was named to the Order of the Coif.

After law school, Wood served as a Captain and Judge Advocate in the U.S. Marine Corps. He was stationed at Parris Island, South Carolina, and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

After the Marines, he worked as a trial lawyer for the Internal Revenue Service in Los Angeles. In 1979, Wood returned to the Midwest to work as tax counsel for Burlington Northern Railroad (BNSF) in St. Paul, Minnesota. He moved to Seattle in 1981 as part of a corporate reorganization and transitioned to Glacier Parks Company as its general counsel. Glacier Park was BNSF's real estate subsidiary and managed its vast portfolio of nearly $4 million annually in 22 western states. Wood was promoted to chief operating officer in 1985. He managed a group of about 75 development and management professionals across numerous offices.

Wood founded CenturyPacific, LP in 1989 and has spent the last 37 years as founder and principal at the firm. CenturyPacific is a non-law affiliate of Davis Wright Tremaine, a 600-plus-lawyer law firm based in Seattle. It provides a range of real estate advisory services, mainly to high-net-worth clients. During his time at CenturyPacific, Wood has been involved in over $4 billion in transactions on behalf of its clients. In 2021, Wood gifted his interest in the firm to its longtime employees. He continues to work for the new owners as a part-time employee.

Wood and his wife, Mary, are celebrating their 40th anniversary in 2026. He has four children and two grandsons, and lives in Seattle.

McKenna (Larson) Gudmunson
Gudmunson is a realtor and the owner of 701 Realty, along with 701 Healthcare, in Minot.

A Minot native, business owner, and community volunteer, Gudmunson has built her career around serving others. A graduate of Minot High School in 2009, she earned her degree in business education and marketing from Minot State in 2013. While her path ultimately led her outside the classroom, the desire to educate, support, and connect with people has remained at the center of her work.

She began her career in marketing and human resources at Ackerman-Estvold before joining her husband, Andrew, in several business ventures. Together, they founded 701 Realty, Inc. in 2018, expanded into residential construction through HG Homes, and established 701 Development to help create additional housing opportunities in Minot. They also restored the historic Auslander Building in downtown Minot, preserving a piece of the city's history while creating new space for local businesses.

In 2023, Gudmunson founded 701 Healthcare Solutions, where she helps individuals and families understand their Medicare and health insurance options. She enjoys simplifying what can often feel like a complicated process and believes that taking the time to educate clients helps them make informed decisions with confidence.

Mentorship has become one of the most rewarding parts of Gudmunson's career. Through her businesses, she has worked with numerous college interns, offering opportunities to gain real-world experience while encouraging their personal and professional growth. She values the relationships she has built with these students and enjoys staying connected as they begin their own careers.

Outside of work, Gudmunson has dedicated much of her time to organizations that strengthen the Minot community. She has been actively involved with Minot State University, helping organize and support the annual gala and currently serves as vice president for outreach on the Minot State University Alumni Association Board. She appreciates the opportunity to help strengthen relationships between alumni, students, and the University.

Her community involvement has also included serving as a Junior Achievement classroom volunteer, Dollars for Scholars board member, Young Professionals Network chair, Chamber Ambassador, Sunrise Rotary member, YMCA Board member, Community Foundation CIA member, Power of the Purse board member, Chamber of Commerce member, and Give 360 participant.

The Gudmunsons are raising four children - Liv, Quinn, Kollins, and Baker - and enjoy spending time together at Rice Lake whenever they can. Whether through her work, volunteer service, or family life, Gudmunson values building relationships, supporting others, and finding ways to contribute to the community she has always called home.

The Golden Awards are the highest award bestowed by the Minot State University Alumni Association. Selections are based on outstanding service to the University, alumni association, or their community, and distinguished leadership in the recipient's career or community. The Young Alumni Achievement Award recipient is between the ages of 21 and 39.

For more information on the Golden Awards and to purchase tickets, visit the Alumni Association at MinotStateU.edu/alumni.