During the more than 40 years Leslie Koidahl worked in the Controller’s Office—auditing travel documents, as the administrator of the purchasing card, and as a business analyst—she learned to recognize hundreds of names: names of professors, department heads, directors, vice presidents, even the names of presidents.

Born and raised in Duluth, Koidahl “fell into” the University of Minnesota Duluth, mostly because it was nearby. She majored in sociology and psychology, and survived some impactful deaths: her dad, her boyfriend (in the Vietnam War), and her brother’s wife. “That kind of made me a realist. Life is what it is,” she says.

She came to the Twin Cities in 1976, applied for a job in the central business office, and stayed her entire career. “Even when I took time off to have my kids, I was so lucky; they always hired me back.” She processed travel documents (in those days, by hand), and worked on financial system projects including CUFS and PeopleSoft.

Today, Koidahl loves taking care of her grandchildren, traveling, gardening, and—most recently—becoming an activist. Along with her son, she has joined Indivisible Twin Cities, a group of volunteers committed to civic engagement. They envision, and actively work toward, a just, equitable, thriving, and connected community.

When she retired in 2018, Koidahl became secretary of the University Retirees Volunteer Center. She found it interesting that while UVRC was trying to recruit “illustrious” board members, they still needed someone to take meeting minutes. Turns out Koidahl was just the right fit for the job!

Koidahl is a regular attendee at UMRA forums. She finds the topics and the speakers interesting, and says, “The people are fascinating. It goes back to where I saw people’s names for 40 years, and now I see them in person. I don’t know how to describe it, but I just love it.” 

—Peggy Mann Rinehart