Honoring King's Inspirational Leadership
Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Today we honor the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the changes inspired by his words and deeds. His leadership has revolutionized our nation and his articulation of his dream has provided a roadmap for the alleviation of injustice.
It was Dr. King who instructed us that "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere," and that "a genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus."
You and I know our country has made great progress in many ways since the tumultuous times of the 1960s, but we continue to struggle with serious challenges. War, terror, and natural disaster remain ever-present threats. Still, our country leads in answering these challenges. the most recent of which we see in Haiti. My website, KristinHedger.com has a link where I am hoping we can continue to foster that spirit of "loving our neighbors as ourselves" by humbly pitching in.
Dear Friends,
I am writing to reconnect after quite some time. I hope all has been well with you.
In light of recent events in North Dakota politics, you may be wondering if this is a campaign letter -- the answer is "no." Having been encouraged by many people to resume my newsletters, I'm simply doing so. Actually, I'm trying to make good on a goal I had already set for the New Year; namely, to stay in touch a bit more and share my perspectives on small business issues. I hope to send these newsletters approximately every other month.
My primary focus for these newsletters will be on small business issues that affect North Dakota and the country. I have been honored to participate in a number of forums with the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board (PERAB), at the White House and the Department of the Treasury. It's been gratifying to provide a North Dakota perspective in these meetings. Many times COMMA policies leave out the perspectives of the heartland, overlooking them while addressing those of more urban areas.
This past year was challenging indeed: floods, thunderstorms, and economic trials. In spites of these obstacles, we saw the ways we can come together. Whether Fargo floods or tornado recovery in Dickinson, our state is truly close-knit and responsive.
This next year is proving to be interesting as well. For now, I am very focused on KMM, my family's aerospace company. My grandfather has delegated much of the leadership to me and I have been honored to be working with our KMM team to do an even better job for our customers -- and have more fun doing it.
With the Workforce Investment Act re-authorization on the horizon, I will be working with interests in our state to get our perspectives considered by the PERAB and the Treasury Department. Much of the focus thus far has been on how to enable existing programs to be more efficient and effective -- especially the workforce investment boards under the Small Business Administration.
Among the issues we have discussed has been empowerment training through community colleges or online public/private partnerships for quick job-specific training. So many in our nation are jobless and looking to refine their skills or start their own business.
I would appreciate hearing your thoughts on all these issues.
Incidentally, I've cleaned up my website a bit (www.KristinHedger.com) and would also value your thoughts on that. On the site, you can find this and previous newsletters as well as other content and I will be adding new information frequently.
Best Regards,
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