Helbling earns Master's degree

Sarah Helbling, employee services coordinator for Innovative Energy Alliance Cooperative, graduated in April from the University of Mary in Bismarck with her Master's of Science degree in business with a concentration in human resources. She went back to school to further her personal and professional development.

A Mandan native, Helbling was hired by the Alliance in July 2017. She provides human-resource services to employees working at the member-cooperatives of KEM, Mor-Gran-Sou, Roughrider and Slope Electric Cooperatives, as well as the Alliance, 3C Construction, West Dakota Utility Services and Maintenance Solutions Cooperative. Her duties include coordinating benefits and salary items, staffing, new-employee onboarding and orientation, and serving as the daily contact to answer questions related to human resources. 
 

Helbling also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in human resource management from Dickinson State University. She initially studied political science, but after learning her passion was helping people, she switched majors with support from her mother, who made a career working in human resources.
 

Going back to school has always been a “bucket list” item for Helbling, who says it was difficult to continue with school during the pandemic, while balancing work and family.
 

“Graduation means a great deal to me personally and professionally. It served as a reminder that I could achieve anything once I committed and was dedicated to the process,” she says. “What I have already received is immeasurable.”
 

Congratulations, Sarah, on your hard work and determination, on behalf of our members.