Paula Anderson is the Board Secretary/Treasurer of Consolidated Telecommunications of Dickinson, ND. She was elected to the board in 2009 and has received the Director Core Curriculum Certification through NTCA, the Rural Broadband Association. Paula started her accounting education at Dickinson State College and has worked as a bookkeeper in several local businesses & for the family farm. Paula and her husband of 40 years, Larry, live on a farm near Regent, farming with their son. They raise wheat, canola, corn, sunflowers, and soybeans. They are parents of 4 grown children and 3 grandchildren, all who reside in North Dakota. She is a graduate of NDSU’s Rural Leadership North Dakota Class VIII. As a Community Development project, Paula spearheaded the Cannonball Trail, obtaining grant dollars through the Industrial Commission’s Outdoor Heritage Foundation, and raising local donations and city contributions for this outdoor scenic trail along the Cannonball River in her hometown of Mott. Paula currently serves on the RDFC board providing assistance to leverage project financing to communities under 15,000 for local development groups and essential public services. She has been on the Hettinger County Historical Society board the past 15 years where they have completed several building renovation projects for the local museum. She serves on her township board and the Mott Visionary Committee. Having a passion and a heart for economic development, Paula is always eager to learn new things. She chooses to participate in rural development because she believes that it is important to maintain quality of life in rural America and to give back to the community.