2020 SIOUX AWARDS
Lisa Wheeler, ’75, ’82, had a legacy to uphold. She followed a long line of family, from cousins to grandparents, who all earned degrees from the University of North Dakota.
the Association of Academic Physiatrists.
“My parents said we could go to any university we wanted, as long as it was in Grand Forks, North Dakota,” she says. “They believed that we could get as good of an education there as anywhere. And you know, I think they were probably right.”
After four years, Lisa decided that she wanted to return to North Dakota. “My father was a lawyer and I had a sister and brother-in-law attending UND Law School so I decided to try law school and work in the ‘family store.’”
Unsure of which area of study she wanted to pursue, Lisa embarked on her education with one goal in mind: to learn a skill. And so, she pursued her Bachelor of Science degree in physical therapy, becoming a member of UND’s fifth graduating physical therapy class. As an undergrad she worked at the UND Alumni Association under the guidance of Earl Strinden. Upon graduation, she worked at Mercy Hospital in Devils Lake, N.D., and nine months later moved to Columbus, Ohio, to work at Ohio State University Medical Center’s rehabilitation facility for patients dealing with spinal cord injuries, head injuries and strokes. While working there, Lisa was on the rehab team led by Dr. Ernie Johnson who is considered to be the founding father of
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UND Alumni Magazine | Summer 2020
The work, she says, was rewarding. “I absolutely loved it, but it was emotionally exhausting.”
In fact, when her law school application asked why she wanted to attend, she merely stated that she wanted to work with her dad and sister. “I didn't appreciate that an essay on describing my love of the law would have been more appropriate,” Lisa laughs. She returned to UND, this time to the School of Law, in 1979. To pay for her continuing education, she worked as a physical therapist on weekends at the rehab center in Grand Forks. During Christmas and spring break vacations she would drive to clinics in Greenbush and Roseau, Minnesota. “In my physical therapy studies, I knew that if I understood everything in a specific book for a specific course, that I would do OK,” she said.
“That’s not so in law school. It was a totally different kind of education.” After earning her juris doctor in 1982, Lisa moved to Bismarck to work in her father’s law firm. “It was hard to go from physical therapy where you’re nurturing to the legal profession where there’s conflict.” So, in August of 1987, when John Korsmo offered her the opportunity to enter the field of real estate law reading abstracts for The Title Company of Fargo she jumped on it, seeing it as a chance to continue practicing law without the stress of trial work. After four months, Lisa convinced John to start a law firm with her. When John made the decision to divest, Lisa bought the hard assets to the company, taking over as president of one of the first independent escrow and closing companies in the state and continuing her role in the law firm. A natural leader, Lisa says she didn’t “manage” anyone or anything – but she taught herself accounting, HR, and how to read financial statements. When she bought the company, it employed five people. Under Lisa’s leadership,
