Executive Director, Krista Bjella, graduated from Southwest State University (now SMSU) with a Bachelor of Science degree in education and holds a Master of Arts degree in counseling from the University of North Dakota.  She and her husband Brian have been part of the Marshall community for 32 years.  They love the strong sense of community, that is shown through the kindness and generosity of so many in Marshall. Their two daughters, Aubrey, a student at Concordia College, and Morgan, a senior at Marshall High School, have benefitted from the strong academic and activity offerings in Marshall.  The Bjella’s appreciate the collaboration that happens between the schools, the college, the city, and the business community that provides so much for families!

Krista joined Pride in the Tiger Foundation in September of 2021 after spending 10 years at Marshall Public Schools as a teacher and a school counselor.  Prior to that she worked as the Director of Marketing at U.S. Bank Office Equipment Finance and Grandview Financial.  “Working with Pride in the Tiger foundation has allowed me to combine my experience in marketing with my passion for supporting education.  I have been able to benefit from Pride in the Tiger Foundation’s generosity through their teacher impact grants and my daughter was a scholarship recipient. I have seen how impactful these grants along with the scholarships they facilitate are to the schools and students in our community. I am so excited to be a part of the Foundation and its mission of supporting excellence in our schools and the future education of our kids!” - Krista Bjella