Meet the Candidates
We are pleased to present the candidates for the 2024 Sons of Norway International Board of Directors election.
An official ballot containing voting instructions will be sent via mail on September 1, 2024 and you will have until September 30, 2024 to submit your vote electronically. Election results will be tabulated and certified by an independent company and approved by the Sons of Norway Board of Directors by October 15, 2024.
Please review the information for each candidate below to help you determine the best candidates for the Sons of Norway Board.
Mary Andersen
Ms. Andersen’s dynamic leadership in the employee benefits industry spans three decades across multiple disciplines including consulting, business strategy, financial performance, risk management, legal and accounting. She served as President of ERISAdiagnostics, Inc., an employee benefits consulting firm specializing in compliance, consulting and special projects. Prior to that role, she was a principal for Vanguard, a leading mutual fund company. Mary currently serves on the Board of Directors of Sons of Norway as Treasurer and is Chair of its finance and audit committees. While leading teams of actuaries and attorneys, she has learned how to effectively work with others and position teams for success. As a leader in District Three, Mary has served in many leadership roles including District President, Vice-President, Publicity Director and Counselor. As District President, Mary served as President of the District Presidents’ Council and was a member of the governance and leadership committee. She received her B.S. in Mathematics from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, MI.
“My track record of success both in the corporate/consulting world and within Sons of Norway demonstrates my ability to get the job done. I am no stranger to continual learning and hard work, both of which are key attributes of an effective Board member. As a Sons of Norway member. I want to see our organization thrive and succeed as we move forward.”
–Mary Andersen
Merv Eriksson
Mr. Eriksson has led multiple engineering and volunteer organizations during difficult and challenging times. He has worked at the lodge and national level and has a thorough understanding of the fraternal side of Sons of Norway. Merv has served on a Thrivent board and understands the function and operation of a not-for-profit company.
Merv served on the Foundation Board of Governors for six years and has a good understanding of the Foundation’s investments and investment policy. He has managed an LLC Partnership and as well as a significant family investment portfolio. Merv earned his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of North Dakota.
“I think preserving and highlighting the culture and heritage of Norway, and other Nordic countries is important for us and our communities. Sons of Norway is at a critical period in its history, and I think I have the skills, knowledge and abilities to help guide the organization through this critical time.”
–Merv Eriksson
Luella Grangaard
Ms. Grangaard holds extensive leadership experience in the medical industry spanning four decades across multiple roles within the field of occupational therapy. She has held leadership roles responsible for managing within the federal and state guidelines for staffing and hospital program management. Duties included adhering to regulations for staff licensing, training and patient care as required by guidelines set by insurers. Luella has held various leadership roles for both the State and National Occupational Therapy Association including both president and secretary. She was honored to be appointed by the Governor of California to serve on the first California Board of Occupational Therapy, responsible for the drafting of state regulations and hearings to set future policy. Her skills include but are not limited to strategic planning, governance, budgeting, legal, ethics and communications. Luella received her B.S. degree from Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO. Luella also earned her M.S. degree from University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA.
“I have been involved in several organizations and have participated in re-writes of governance documents. While serving on the Sons of Norway International Board I participated in the major revision of the Charter and Constitution to the Charter and Bylaws and the Policies and Procedures. With this revision came the change from a delegate assembly to a board-driven organization and voting from all product owners. I have been active in helping our district learn how to market and communicate to different generations and to take the different generational needs into consideration.”
–Luella Grangaard
Chris Jenkins
Chris Jenkins is a senior learning and marketing professional with experience in creating and implementing culture change management from the ground up. Cutting edge industry visionary and leader with a passion for developing team strengths resulting in bottom-line growth. Excellent interpersonal communication skills cultivated from an extensive history of directing learning cultures, performance management, sales and marketing, training, research and public presentation. Coach/mentor to financial advisors and growing leaders. Practice management programs geared to growth and effective teaming.
“Helping organizations grow and live their mission is at my core as a leader. Alignment to that mission in all that I do for the organization is very important to me and my leadership behavior. Fraternal organizations are the best example I know of in the insurance world to live and support the mission of the organization and the members they serve.”
–Chris Jenkins
Andrew Mathisen
Mr. Mathisen is an accomplished professional with 30+ years of telecommunications industry experience. Throughout his career he demonstrated success in collaborating with cross-functional teams to drive projects to completion. In addition, Andy has served the Sons of Norway District 3 Board over the past eight years as Sports and Cultural Director. He also held the following leadership positions at his Noreg Lodge 3-466 over the years: President, Vice President, Treasurer, Social Director, Sports Director, Cultural Director and Counselor.
Andy has a desire to leverage his expertise in finding cost-cutting measures thereby improving profitability for Sons of Norway. Andy has traveled extensively within the U.S. and Brazil designing, planning and constructing telecommunications networks. In addition, he has served his Sons of Norway lodge as both a sports and cultural director. Andy holds both a Bachelor of Arts degree from Richmond College, NY and a Master of Science from Lesley College, MA.
“I have over 40 years’ experience creating company budgets, analyzing financial performance and making effective cost-cutting measures to gain profitability for companies. I believe my skills in these areas will be an asset for the Board of Directors.”
–Andrew Mathisen
Dean Stiller
Mr. Stiller has been a member of Sons of Norway since 1998 and has served on the International Board since 2022 as an appointed board member, serving on the audit committee for the board. Mr. Stiller has in-depth knowledge and experience as an actuary focused on both life insurance and annuity pricing and product development. While serving as the lead actuary for Sons of Norway for over 20 years, he was responsible for financial reporting, analysis and product development. Dean is a member of the American Academy of Actuaries and a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries. These two organizations are the main professional and educational organizations for actuaries in the United States.
“I have over 40 years of experience working as an actuary for life insurance companies, with increasing levels of responsibilities at each company. I believe my background in the industry can provide the board of directors with insights into the financial and insurance management for Sons of Norway.”
–Dean Stiller