Meet Elizabeth Bjork, our new Accounting and Finance Manager
We're delighted to introduce Elizabeth Bjork, our new accounting and finance manager! Elizabeth hails from Buffalo, Wisconsin and joined our team in February after serving in various finance roles at other nonprofit organizations.
Elizabeth manages all of our financial accounts, as well as flow-through funds for Minneapolis Public Schools that are managed by Achieve. She also supports other tasks such as reporting, auditing and budget reconciliation and tracking.
We asked her to share some stories about her life, her favorite memories from school and what she enjoys most about working at AchieveMpls:
What was some good advice you received as a young person that changed your life?
There are two pieces of advice that have most impacted my life. The first is that it's okay to say "no"; you don't have to do everything. The second has to do with understanding how my personal values affect how I look at, react and respond to different situations. This has been an important connection for me as I navigate frustrating situations.
When you were in elementary school, what did you want to be “when you grow up”?
I wanted to be a mom!
What is your best memory from your senior year in high school?
I have a few great memories from senior year band! The first one is when our band took a trip to Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, Missouri, for a band competition. So much fun – and my first time traveling outside of Minnesota! My second memory was from our huge pops concert and dinner. The last song we played was “The Stars and Stripes Forever” by John Philip Sousa, and at the end, balloons were dropped from the ceiling. I remember feeling goose bumps.
If you could “hang out” with one of your K-12 teachers as an adult, who would you want to hang out with and why?
I would want to hang out with Mr. Dickerson, who was my calculus and physics teacher. He really pushed me to do my best and is the reason I ended up going to school at the University of Minnesota.
What was your favorite activity to participate in during your summer breaks?
I grew up in a small town that had a public outdoor swimming pool. After lunch we would all get on our bikes and head straight to that pool. We would swim all afternoon until it was time to go home for supper and sometimes we even went back in the evening for more swimming!
What do you like most about working at AchieveMpls (so far)?
I have enjoyed learning more about the mission and the impact we have on the communities we serve. I have also enjoyed getting to know the staff - everyone is so welcoming!