Community service is an
important component of
Hagerty's career and ministry.
she also served as pastoral minister at Grace Lutheran Church
in Driscoll. Recently, she completed the seminary’s Theological
Education for Emerging Ministries (TEEM) program and was
ordained as a minister of word and sacrament in June. “I’ve accepted
a call to serve as pastor for Heart River Lutheran Church. I will lead
worship and work with the church as it ministers to a congregation,
to the youth and staff at the Youth Correctional Center (YCC), and
to the community.”
Heart River Lutheran Church is a congregation of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), serving Mandan, Bismarck,
and YCC. The congregation worships weekly with incarcerated youth
in Hope Chapel on
the YCC campus and
helps youth transition
into healthier situations
upon leaving YCC.
Hagerty at
her ordination
on June 17.
Hagerty says her
experience on the
bench is helping her
to transition to her
new ministry and role at Heart River Lutheran Church and YCC.
“My understanding of corrections and the dynamics of addiction
will assist me as I work with a church which provides a community
for young people who are residents at YCC,” says Hagerty. “My
understanding of grace impacts the lens through which I view the
world.”
Community Involvement
Hagerty is a member of SBAND and served as its president in
2012-2013. She served on the Judicial Nominating Committee and
currently serves on the Legislative Committee. She is also a member
of the American Bar Association. Hagerty serves as a Uniform Law
Commissioner and has held numerous leadership positions within
the national Uniform Law Commission (ULC). “I currently chair the
Justice Reform Monitoring Committee for the ULC,” she notes.
member and past president of the Bismarck Rotary Club, and board
chair for LifeSource, the organ procurement organization for a
three-state region. She has been an active volunteer with Boy Scouts
of America, and has served on the board of directors for the School
of Hope, a non-profit organization which provides educational
opportunities for children with special needs. “I have also been on
many church boards and committees,” Hagerty notes.
Hagerty is married to former North Dakota Supreme Court
Justice Dale Sandstrom, and they have three children: Jack Golden
is pursuing a master of fine arts at the University of Maryland,
after several years of designing sets for professional theater; Carrie
Sandstrom recently graduated from Brooklyn Law School and
will begin working for a law firm this fall; and Anne Sandstrom
completed her second year of medical school at UND.
Hagerty says during the summer season she enjoys Raging Rivers
water park in Mandan, where she has been a season ticket holder for
many years. In her free time, she also enjoys reading, baking, and, as
she notes, “baking some more.”
Changing Careers
As she transitions onto her new career path, Hagerty says she misses
the day-to-day interaction with her colleagues and with attorneys,
but she plans to remain involved in the judicial system. “I have been
appointed to act as a surrogate judge and will continue my work with
the ULC and with SBAND,” she notes.
“A legal education prepares you for many careers,” Hagerty continues.
“Don’t be afraid to continue your education or to plan for a new
challenge.”
She also served as president of the Big Muddy Bar Association, the
State’s Attorney’s Association, and chaired the Judicial Committee.
She also chaired the North Dakota Judge’s Association, as well as
the North Dakota Legal Counsel for Indigents Commission and the
North Dakota Pattern Jury Instruction Commission.
Hagerty has remained active throughout the community as a
Hagerty with her family, left to right, Carrie Sandstrom, Anne Sandstrom, Jack
Golden, and Dale Sandstrom.
SUMMER 2020 9