Class of 2024 Legendary Women

Heidi Holtan

EDUCATION

Diploma with Honors, Brainerd High School 1987

B.A. Women’s Studies, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

AWARDS AND HONORS

Building Bridges in Media Award, Islamic Resource Group

KAXE MN Achievement Award, AMPERS Public Radio Network

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting — over and over announcing your place in the family of things.

From “Wild Geese” by Mary Oliver

Heidi Holtan (BHS 1987) Producer, Director, and Voice for KAXE Public Radio in Grand Rapids, says, “In high school, I was a shy kid. I loved to read. I loved band. I loved my family and friends. And I wasn’t sure what I would do with my life.” She attended the University of MinnesotaTwin Cities campus, earning a B.A. degree in Women’s Studies. During that time, she worked in the MN Legislative Reference Library at the state Capitol, creating files about legislators and notable public officials, clipping newspaper stories daily and assisting patrons researching the legislative history of laws. After college, promoted to a new position at the Reference Library, she learned more about the state of the world and how to help others find information. Heidi explains, “I began to slowly grow into myself and what I wanted to do. I loved to be of service and in a job where I was constantly learning something new. I use what I learned in my 10 years at the Capitol every single day.”

Heidi’s love of family changed her career trajectory. She returned to Brainerd in her late 20s to assist her siblings and parents with their family business, Fronteer Directory. She doesn’t regret the move, especially after losing her parents in her 40s. “It was the greatest gift I could have given myself, to be with the people I loved the most.”

When her family sold the business, Heidi again found herself at a crossroads. She listened to KAXE and found it was a “lifeline to music and stories of people who were making a difference in their communities.” A friend pushed Heidi to follow through on a goal she’d once had: Host a radio program.

“Radio isn’t like public speaking. It’s personal and it’s creative and it became what I wanted to dig into. Radio combined what I had been doing all along: serving community, telling stories and learning new things every single day,” says Heidi.

Heidi performed many different roles at KAXE, from Music Host and Outreach Producer to Program Director and Director of Content and Public Affairs. As Regional Correspondent PBS North Duluth, she hosts the local edition of NPR’s Morning Edition and All Things Considered. She’s enjoyed the many opportunities offered to her like leading the StoryCorps project in Grand Rapids, reporting on anti-Muslim activities in northern Minnesota, and receiving the Building Bridges in Media award from the Islamic Resource Group. During the pandemic, she hosted weekly conversations with Minnesota Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan earning a statewide achievement award for KAXE from the AMPERS public radio network. KAXE has grown during Heidi’s 22-plus years there, including building a new station in Bemidji and creating a local newsroom, requiring years of research and fundraising.

Recently, Heidi spoke at a Public Media Journalism Conference in San Antonio, Texas, about inclusion and equity as a white leader in media. She moderated a keynote panel for Springboard for the Arts in Fergus Falls that addressed inclusion and equity in rural spaces, and co-hosted a fundraiser for Second Harvest North Central Food Bank. She has been a panelist on public television for many candidate election forums. Heidi serves as Chair of the Board of Directors for MacRostie Art Center in Grand Rapids, overseeing the building of a new space that highlights art and stories of Indigenous communities.

Heidi says, “If legendary means embracing the small moments in life and being with the people you love, I guess that’s what I am. I am grateful to be inducted into the Legendary Women of Brainerd Public Schools Hall of Fame because Brainerd High School gave me that curiosity and love of learning that led me to exactly the place where I was meant to be.