Marty Welch, Owner, Children’s
Discovery Academy
Among them is Marty Welch, owner
of Children’s Discovery Academy, an
educational child care center with
locations in Vadnais Heights and Little
Canada. She started working for the
company in 1982, first as a teacher, then
as Assistant Director, then as Director, a
position she held for five years before
taking over ownership of the Academy
in 2002.
“I think it’s true in most businesses if
you haven’t started from the beginning
and developed an understanding of
how the whole process works, how
can you support those people you
lead when they have problems or
questions?” she asks.
Another piece of advice she offers.
“Don’t be afraid to get your hands
dirty and walk the walk. I think so many
people get frustrated in their journey
and want to take a shortcut, but I don’t
think you can take shortcuts. You need
to understand each step of the way in
order for you to be supportive of the
people you are supervising.”
Sara Paul, Assistant
Superintendent, White Bear Lake
Area Schools
Sara Paul, Assistant Superintendent for
White Bear Lake Area Schools, started
her career as a teacher too. “A lot of
my strength as a leader comes from
the time that I spent in the classroom,”
she said. “In learning you are teaching,
and in teaching you are learning; and
that doesn’t change when you step out
of that role and expand your sphere of
influence.”
As Assistant Superintendent, Paul
interacts with a lot of school principals,
administrators and teachers, and often
talks about the importance of having a
growth mindset, which requires you to
be open to feedback and giving others
the gift of feedback. She also talks
about the importance of seeking out
mentors.
“I look back at the times in my life when
I had career transitions. My mentors
have been the people that walked in
the shoes of a position that I aspired
to be in. I also have mentors outside
my industry who provided a valuable
point of view,” said Paul. “My mentors
have helped me continually discover
my purpose and articulate my goals.
Knowing your why is what brings out
your passion and impact.”
Vadnais Heights Mayor Heidi
Gunderson
Developing the ability to really
connect with people has been a key
factor in Vadnais Heights Mayor Heidi
Gunderson’s career as well. But if she
had to call out one factor that has really
made a difference for her, it would be
taking advantage of opportunities when
they present themselves.
“You have to roll the dice on things
and see opportunities as they present
themselves,” she said. “I feel that most
of the time if you take the opportunity,
even if it doesn’t turn out, you end up
learning more usually from failures than
successes.”
Sara Paul, Assistant Superintendent -White Bear Lake
Area Schools
Gunderson’s career path has presented
a series of opportunities to her. In 2002,
she left a career in healthcare and took
over the family business, eventually
becoming the President and CEO of
Woody’s Rebar Company. In 2014, she
took advantage of the opportunity to
run for the House of Representatives. “I
learned so much in the process. I lost
but it was okay because the connections
I made, the different opportunities that
came about, and what I learned about
myself in the process led me where I
needed to be,” she said.
Gunderson discovered she had really
deep connection to her community and
that’s where she truly wanted to serve.
So, she decided to run for City Council
and got elected. Then when former
Mayor Bob Fletcher decided to step
down to run for Ramsey County Sheriff,
she seized the opportunity to run for his
old office and won.
In 2019, both Mayor Gunderson
and Sara Paul were invited to share
their experience and expertise with
their fellow female leaders through
the VHEDC’s Women in Leadership
Series. Mayor Gunderson spoke at the
inaugural event in Feb. 2019. Paul spoke
at the event held in Sept. 2019.
About the
Women in
Leadership
Series
One of the many goals of
the VHEDC is to help grow
and expand businesses in
the Northeast Metro, and the
organization does that in a
variety of ways. Knowing that
networking and continued
education are key factors in
business success, the VHEDC
started up the Women in
Leadership Series (WIL) in early
2019.
WIL offers women—and men
who are interested in attending
the meetings—an opportunity
to connect, listen and be
inspired by women business
leaders who inspire and
transform the landscapes where
they work and serve.
For information about upcoming
events, go to VHEDC.com/
event/women-in-leadership.
vhedc.com
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