Meet Jana Studelska, Our New Executive Director
Hello Finland!
My name is Jana Studelska, and I am the new Friends of Finland Executive Director.
In 1985, I was a 22-year-old bartender at Lutsen Resort. A couple of locals invited me to St. Urho’s, and my love affair with Finland began. Since then, I’ve lurked around, always enjoying the energy, creativity, and celebrations. So while you don’t know me much, I know you!
In the most literal sense, I come to this position from Isabella. I live off-grid in a small wilderness cabin, where I’ve lived year-round for nearly three years. Mostly, it’s just me back there, but I recently was ‘gifted’ a husky named Jax. He can be found with his head hanging out the window of my truck if you stop by the Clair Nelson Community Center. He likes neck massages and beef sticks.
My work background is in journalism, midwifery, and administration–a strange career, to be sure, but filled with grand adventures. After apprenticing for seven years and a clinical placement in Belize, I became a certified professional midwife, licensed in three states. I had a busy homebirth practice out of Duluth, and have caught nearly 500 babies–a few of them in old saunas (an old-country tradition for Finns).
I helped build the largest midwifery college in the United States, working on the leadership team and teaching cohorts of new midwives. A stint at a high-volume Twin Cities birth center. Project management at the University of St. Thomas. Consultant for the second Indigenous-owned birth center in Canada.
In the last few years, I returned to journalism. My most recent work was a six-part series on wildfire in Superior National Forest. My involvement in Finland’s Wild Rice Project led to a few stories that published nationally. But also, like so many, I’ve been bartending, cleaning cabins, and burning endless piles of dead balsam.
I’m mom to three boys, and two more boys who came to our family in crisis. My Duluth house was ‘that’ house, with a constant stream of kids, dogs, and always-room-for-one-more dinners. The kids grew up at Duluth’s Chester Bowl, flying down the ski hills in winter and becoming camp counselors as teenagers. We know the benefit of small, community non-profits that shape and root families and kids.
I want to acknowledge the gut-wrenching events of last summer, and the incredibly grueling situations many wrestled with–and continue to sort as the community finds its way forward. This has been tough. And it’s by no means behind us. As an organization, we are aware that there is more work to do. You will hear more in the coming months if not years.
I want to acknowledge the Friends of Finland’s staff, who have weathered countless challenges and kept the Clair Nelson Community Center running, open, and functioning. If you see Jenni Yandrasits, Kyle Flack, Kaare Melby, or Arlene Conzelman around town, give them some appreciation. They have put in far more hours than they have been paid for. And they are excellent human beings. Thank you!
The folks who have been on the Friends of Finland Board of Directors have done their best to navigate some complex and overwhelming issues–so much so that only a few people remain standing. We’re working with Crystal Bay Township, which owns the building, to rebuild our collaborative partnership. These are good people doing hard work. Give them some love.
Lastly, I step into big shoes. This is a huge responsibility. I know that the community resilience I see can surely be attributed to the hard work and strong relationships that came before me–the people, the building, and the shared vision. The work will continue.
I’ll be posting office hours shortly, and I welcome you to stop in the Center for a chat and a cup of coffee. My door is always open.
Jana Studelska
jana@friendsoffinland.org
Office: 218.353.0300
