By: Todd Ford, Public Information Coordinator

In March of 2023, we featured an article that welcomed several new employees to our Cook County MN staff. Some grew up here, others came from afar. All had interesting stories to tell about what compelled them to come to Cook County and work with us. By sharing their profiles and photos, we felt that would be a nice way to introduce them to our community. We were thrilled with the warm reception they received from the welcoming members of our community. It is interesting to learn about the diverse backgrounds and experiences that help to shape the unique collection of dedicated professionals who serve our community.

Area employers can certainly identify with the ongoing staffing challenges we face here in Cook County. We applaud the tireless efforts of our Cook County MN Human Resources staff for finding creative ways to recruit and hire the very best employees from near and far. 

Gratefully, we have added more new hires since our March article, so we would like to introduce you to Cook County MN’s newest employees.

Please welcome:

Jana Kokemiller-Berka, Executive Administrative Assistant, Administration: Jana provides administrative and technical support to the County Administrator and the Cook County Board of Commissioners. She grew up in a small town in central Iowa and has lived in Grand Marais since 2007. Shortly after moving here, Jana started a part-time job with WTIP Community Radio (she was mostly a stay-at-home mom at the time). After a few years at WTIP, her position increased to full time and that's what she has done until recently. Jana started working at Cook County on April 10, 2023.

Part of the reason for changing careers at this point in her life was being inspired by people who work for the County. A few examples are the care and concern that Public Health showed our community through the challenges of COVID and the willingness of various departments to regularly share with the public what they are working on.

Jana has four children (three older and one younger) and a partner. When she finds the time, she likes (in no particular order): cooking, drinking coffee and watching birds on Saturday mornings, taking pictures on her phone, camping, watching Lake Superior, gardening, and on rare occasions sewing, knitting, or creating things.

Grand Marais has been a great place for Jana to live – not only because of the surrounding beauty, but also because people in the community are so caring and supportive. She is very thankful to be here.

Dana Logan, Mental Health Worker, PHHS: Dana is responsible for establishing therapeutic relationships with adults in the community to teach skills to improve mental health and provide education about mental illness, treatment, and recovery.

She has lived and worked in Grand Portage for over 30 years. Dana completed her A.A., A.A.S. in Human Services, and Chemical Dependency Certificate at Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College. She is currently finishing her studies at St. Scholastica for her BS degree in Social Work.

Dana loves to spend time with her family and three beautiful granddaughters that she absolutely adores. Baking is also something Dana enjoys; it relaxes her.

When Dana finishes her bachelor’s degree in 2024, she is planning to continue her education and get her master’s.

Working at Cook County Public Health & Human Services has been a great experience so far and she really enjoys working with a great staff that are all so dedicated to the people of Cook County.

Brenda Port, Substance Use Disorder, Co-Occurring Case Manager, PHHS: Brenda received her bachelor’s degree from Bemidji State University in Criminal Justice with a Chemical Dependency Certificate. She has over 15 years of experience working with chemical dependency and mental health disorders. Brenda has worked with children as well as adults and has been trained and certified in Crisis Intervention.

In her off-time Brenda enjoys time with her family. Brenda and her fiancé have four grown children that spend their time in the outdoors, four-wheeling, camping, and hunting. 

Lillian Carlson, Social Worker, Family Services, PHHS: Lillian’s role as a Family Services Social Worker is to help families in Cook County by assessing their needs and strengths, help families and youth advocate for themselves, and refer them to helpful services and resources. Alongside this, she helps support the overall needs of youth in the community.

She grew up on a hobby farm in the small town of Houston, MN and attended Luther College where she majored in psychology and minored in music.

She always loved visiting Cook County with her family and, when the opportunity presented itself last summer, she decided to move up to live and work in Grand Marais. While here last summer, she became even more appreciative of the natural beauty in Cook County and the people who reside here. Her experiences at Luther College helped her solidify that she wanted to work with youth in some way, so she was happy to apply for this position to help youth and families in the Cook County community.

Lillian enjoys singing and acting, baking, drinking coffee, canoeing, hiking, and hammocking.

Lillian would like to continue working with youth in some capacity. She would like to go back to school at some point to obtain a master’s degree, although she is still figuring out what she’d like to focus on.

Everyone in the Cook County office has been so welcoming and helpful since she started at PHHS. She is excited to get to know everyone better and to continue to meet people in the community!

Please join us in welcoming these and all our valued new employees to Cook County MN.

Cook County MN continues to recruit for vacant positions! Please view current openings and apply at: https://secure3.entertimeonline.com/ta/6130510.careers?CareersSearch or call Human Resources at 218. 387.3676.

County Connections is a column on timely topics and service information from your Cook County government. Cook County – Supporting Community Through Quality Public Service.