Angela J. Smith, NDSU professor of history, has been nominated for the YWCA Women of the Year Award.
Angela J. Smith, NDSU professor of history, has been nominated for the 2025 YWCA Women of the Year Awards, which honors women making significant contributions to the Fargo-Moorhead-West Fargo community. Smith is among 37 nominees recognized for leadership and service.
Since 1973, the YWCA Women of the Year Awards have celebrated over 2,000 honorees for their dedication to community service, advocacy for women and children, and contributions to various fields. This year’s awards event, presented by Sanford Health, will be held on April 28 at Delta by Marriott in Fargo. Winners will be announced live at the event.
“It is an honor to be nominated for the YWCA Woman of the Year. I am humbled that the nominators recognize my passion for teaching public history and my dedication to uncovering and sharing local stories with the community,” Smith said. “My greatest achievement has been collaborating with students to bring these stories to light, ensuring their availability and impact. Through public exhibits and documentaries, my work bridges the gap between academic study and real-world engagement, making history a shared and meaningful experience.”
Smith is a professor of history and director of the public history program at NDSU. She specializes in public history, museum studies and 20th-century American history. Since joining NDSU in 2012, she has led multiple public history field schools in North Dakota, curated local history exhibits, produced documentaries and created the Fargo History Project, a digital resource exploring the region’s past. She played a key role in launching NDSU’s first university museum, designed to catalog and exhibit over a million artifacts. She also serves as the secretary for the Bonanzaville/Cass County Historical Society Board of Directors.
The YWCA Cass Clay operates the largest shelter for women and children in North Dakota and northwest Minnesota, providing emergency and supportive housing services. The organization supports survivors of domestic violence and homelessness through trauma-informed programs focused on health, employment, and education.
The 2025 nominees represent various sectors, including healthcare, education, business, and community service.
Doors for the awards event open at 5:30 p.m., with the program beginning at 6:30 p.m.
More information on the YWCA Women of the Year Awards is available online.
YWCA Women of the Year nominees:
- Wendy Allen, Warm Blanket Hugs; The Preferred Savings Guide
- Heather Arntson, Moorhead High School
- Amber Blomberg, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota
- Becky Boyle Jones, Minnesota State University Moorhead
- Eloise Breikjern, Fargo Moorhead Community Theatre
- Vel Rae Burkholder, North Dakota AARP
- Jane Linde Capistran, FM Symphony
- Martha Castañon, Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota
- Christy Dauer, North Dakota Women's Business Center
- Nancy Demarais, Sanford Health
- Jae Dewald, Holiday Inn Fargo & Holiday Inn Express- West Acres
- Chandler Esslinger, FM Coalition to End Homelessness
- Pam Foss, Clay County Attorney's Office
- Jacqualine Gervais, Ridge Treatment & Reentry Center
- Grace Halvorson, Concordia College
- Ashley Ham, Dear NICU Mama
- Anna Hanson, ByteSpeed
- Elizabeth Hilt, Consensus Council
- Linda Hinrichs, Small Business Accounting Services FM LLC
- Anne Hoefgen, Legal Services of Northwest Minnesota
- Christine Holland, River Keepers
- Emery Holland, Central Cass Public School
- Michelle Horan, Moorhead Country Club
- Danelle Johnson, Breakthrough T1D; NAU Country
- Kristen Jones, Sanford Health
- Nicole Larson, Fargo Theatre
- Ok-Hee Lee, Minnesota State University Moorhead
- Elizabeth Medd, 463 Foundation
- Teresa Perleberg, Bear Creek Felting
- Sarah Ring, Sanford Health; Minnesota State University Moorhead
- Sunet Rubalcava, Concordia College - Center for Student Success
- Mary Sem, Legacy Children’s Foundation
- Angela J. Smith, North Dakota State University
- Andrea Solberg, Landon's Light Foundation; Essentia Health
- Marie Swanson, Heart of Clay
- Dr. Jane Vangsness Frisch, Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber of Commerce
- Terri Zimmerman, Packet Digital, LLC