Welcome to the Dragon Community: Kira Haler Knutson

Kira Haler Knutson is joining the Dragon Community as Minnesota State Moorhead's newest grant manager. As grant manager, Kira oversees grant-funded programs and ensures compliance with university and sponsor requirements. She also collaborates with faculty, staff, and external partners to develop new projects and proposals.

Q: What experiences and skills from your past job do you bring to Minnesota State Moorhead?
A: Before becoming a grant professional, I worked for many years as a music educator. I find that my experience as an educator helps me understand the student and faculty perspectives so I can anticipate needs to better support current projects and help develop successful grant proposals in the future. I feel like I have built a strong understanding of the structure of higher education, which helps me in my work every day.

Q: Do you have any other connections to Moorhead?
A: My husband is an alum and local artist. He has painted a lot of murals, like the train cars in downtown Fargo. He also teaches art at Discovery Middle School. He is a really proud alum and has so many great things to say about Moorhead.

Q: What's one thing that has surprised you about Minnesota State Moorhead?
A: I knew a handful of Moorhead students before I came here. I think they are the best people in the world. They are super hardworking, creative, and smart. When I started working here, I realized that those traits ran deep within all the students, staff, and faculty.

Q: What's your go-to productivity trick? 
A: One thing that has been helping me is just recognizing that I'm human and that some days I will be more productive than others. Learning not to be hard on myself and having positive self-talk help my productivity long-term.

Q: What energizes you outside of work? 
A: My family energizes me a lot. My husband and I have three kids, two who are almost nine and a soon to be 12-year-old. Besides my family, I'm a professional musician. I work at Gethsemane Episcopal Cathedral. On Sundays I get to play the organ and conduct the choir, which is another bright spot in my life.

Q: If you could trade places with anyone for a day, who would it be? 
A: I would choose one of my kids. I think it would be awesome to be able to see what school is like for them and have that perspective on their life.

Welcome to the Dragon Community, Kira!