North Dakotan uplifts women at work
For Michelle Kommer, distance really did make her heart grow fonder when it came to her home state.
She grew up in North Dakota, the daughter of educators, and moved 11 times before she graduated from high school. She stayed in the state for college, then took off for far-off adventures and professional challenges in Washington, D.C., and then overseas, where she audited U.S. embassies.
“But I came back. There’s a country song I heard recently. Something like, ‘Sometimes you’ve gotta leave home to know where home is,’ ” Kommer said.
“And that really explains why I came back to North Dakota. It was home, and I had to go away to appreciate it.”
Kommer came back to be close to her parents, Mike and Marilyn Worner, and raise her three daughters. Two are grown now and one is 17.
Her path after two decades of highprofile legal and human resources roles in the private sector also led her to be tapped in 2016 by North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum to serve in his Cabinet as commissioner of labor. Then in 2019, she became state commissioner of commerce. In both roles, she spearheaded efforts to address the state’s workforce shortage.
In light of Kommer’s distinguished work in the public and private sectors while also uplifting other women, she is being highlighted as USA TODAY’s Woman of the Year for North Dakota.
An attorney, she didn’t set out to lead company human resources departments, she said, but that’s where she kept landing.
“I joke around and say, ‘I’ve tried to quit HR three times,’ ” she said with a laugh. “But circumstances always led me back there.”
Her family calls such circumstances “Godwinks.”
Kommer earned her undergraduate degree from Mayville State University, her master’s from the University of Mary in North Dakota and, as an adult student, her law degree from the University of North Dakota School of Law.
Kommer speaks openly about a controversy during her tenure as commerce commissioner, when a state audit accused her department of mismanaging state money and violating public bidding requirements, a case that was referred to the attorney general. No criminal charges were filed. Kommer has characterized the audit as a waste of money that caused fear and distraction on her staff.
She pushed for legislation, later enacted, that prevents state auditors from releasing information about a matter forwarded to the attorney general or a state’s attorney until probable cause for prosecution has been determined.
After leaving state government, Kommer founded HighRoad Partners in Fargo in 2020, which offers human resource and benefits solutions for small businesses.
Passionate about championing healthy female relationships at work, Kommer in 2019 presented “Women FOR (not vs.) Women” at TEDx Fargo.
“‘What can I learn from her? And how can I help?’ are two questions we should ask ourselves to help us have healthy, supportive, authentic relationships with women in the workplace,” Kommer said. “Understanding female relationships in the workplace has changed my life. It has improved my friendships, my relationships with women I work with and even my relationships with men.”
This interview has been edited for context and clarity.
Question: Who paved the way for you?
Answer: First of all, it’s my parents, because they made sure I believed I could do anything I wanted. There were no limitations. Zero.
And then in the real world, it was Mona Flaten, my first boss. I learned so much from her, and she gave me opportunities that I wasn’t qualified for on pa-* per. And I’d like to think that because of her, I was really motivated to learn more about the importance of female relationships in the workplace.
That’s something I’ve invested in. I speak about it. I practice it. And I hope that it has had some influence on others. I’m now a business owner, and I practice creating a place for people to work where they can bring their best selves.
What is your proudest moment?
It is absolutely breathtaking to watch your children become adults with their own viewpoints and their own thinking processes and their own passions. My proudest is not a single moment; it’s an accumulation of moments observing my daughters in their journey into adulthood. They are all different and they are all unique, but I’m just so proud of who they are.
Is there a guiding principle or mantra you tell yourself? How do you overcome adversity?
My company is named HighRoad Partners. While I was working for the state, I was not a politician. I am not a politician now. I never learned to play the game. I just approached that work the same as I approach everything, which is tell the truth, work hard, try to do good things.
It was mostly a wonderful experience. But during challenging times, I just had to remind myself and my whole team: What does it look like to take the high road?
“Invest in your friendships. You’ve got to be a good friend to have good friends. Invest in that because it makes a world of difference in the quality of your life.”
What advice would you give your younger self ?
Two things, and one is kind of tongue in cheek, and that’s don’t force it. If you’re trying to get a drawer open and something is stuck, it’s going to break if you force it. Metaphorically, I think that travels into real life, too.
Remember, God has a plan for you. Try to listen.
The second thing is invest in your friendships. You’ve got to be a good friend to have good friends. Invest in that because it makes a world of difference in the quality of your life.