We at Mayville State University are blessed with many great colleagues. These faculty and staff members are making an impact at the university, as well as in the community and beyond. From time to time, I feature someone from the faculty or staff so that you can learn a bit more about them. This week I have chosen to feature Laura Nelson, who recently joined the Mayville State family as a member of the staff.
Laura Nelson came on board as controller at Mayville State on July 1. In her role, she oversees the accounting functions for the university. Throughout each year she will monitor the funds to make sure spending is within the budget. Annually, she will prepare the financial statements for Mayville State.
Nelson was most recently employed with the University of Mary in Bismarck. She started there as a senior accountant and was promoted to the director of finance accounting. Preparing internal financial statements and reports for the university’s finance and investment committees was among her duties at the University of Mary.
Laura has 13 years of accounting experience. Three of those years were spent in public accounting, and two and a half were in higher education. She’s a 1999 Mayville State University graduate, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration. She’s just earned an MBA from the University of Mary.
“It’s nice to be back,” says Laura. “The people at Mayville State are friendly and willing to help others. I like working in higher education and I feel the controller position at Mayville State will give me the opportunity to grow in my career, and take me where I’d like to be in the future.”
As the controller, Laura will encourage the staff of the business office to provide great customer service, for both internal and external customers who visit the office daily. “I believe the business office is the support that helps the rest of the university departments to accomplish their objectives and goals,” she said.
In her spare time, Laura likes to spend time with her family. Her hobbies include scrapbooking, cross stitching, and knitting. She is married to Matthew Nelson, also a graduate of Mayville State. The couple has two sons, Henry, age 8, and Benjamin, age 4. The boys like wrestling, riding bike, and playing outside. The family has recently moved to Portland.
At “The School of Personal Service,” our people are our greatest asset. We are happy that Laura has come “home” to join us in our endeavor to provide the best possible educational experience for our students. We know that through her work, she will be making a difference for everyone in the Mayville State family.