Chat with the Williston Chamber

President shares what's happening in this thriving North Dakota city.

By Kevin Litwin on August 26, 2023

Williston Area Chamber of Commerce

One of the drivers of the Williston economy is the Williston Area Chamber of Commerce. Anna Nelson began her second year as president of the organization in April 2023. Nelson, who has a retail merchandising degree from North Dakota State University, has a diverse professional background that includes working for a prominent showroom in Los Angeles, as an apparel buyer for an elite boutique in Oklahoma City and as an anchor and producer for TV stations in Bismarck and Williston.

Livability chatted with Nelson about working and living in Williston and what’s going on with the chamber.

Why the move to the chamber?
My husband, Eric, and I were married in October 2021, but my job with the TV station had a really tough schedule, so I decided to make another career move. I also have a master’s in business administration and a certificate in marketing, and I heard about the Williston Chamber position opening. But I wasn’t sure about the move.

What was your concern?
I heard that Williston had a bad rap as a trashy, oil boom town, but upon one of my early visits, I was pleasantly surprised. It has a clean downtown, there are things to do and events going on, and the community is nice and welcoming.

What would you tell someone considering a move to Williston?
Williston has a lot more happening here than you would find by doing a Google search. There is new investment, and there are several groups, clubs and leagues to join. Also, the city, county and economic development officials have all come together to get the story out that Williston is an attractive place to live.

What are you working on in 2023 as chamber president?
The chamber hosted a Teacher Appreciation banquet that featured awards to a top teacher, principal and support professional, and we organized a Lemonade Day that introduced kids to youth entrepreneurship. We also hosted a Farm to Table Dinner in appreciation of the agriculture industry that remains so important to Williston.

The chamber operates a number of committees. What are they focusing on?
We formed a Policy Committee to host forums and inform the public when elections are near, and we also have committees for Retail, Workforce, Agriculture, Energy, Education and Young Professionals.

I’m also proud that we started a Mental Health First Aid program, with a course every quarter to teach people to recognize the signs of mental health and substance abuse and how to approach such a person. This is merely to train people to be a stopgap until that struggling person can get professional help, and I’m happy to say that we now have 170 mental health crusaders in Williston.