When Tiersa Dodge joined Fuse Duluth in 2010, she jumped in feet-first and joined the events committee.
"I joined from the get-go," Dodge said. "Fuse is the ideal way to connect with young and seasoned professionals in this area. It is a welcoming environment, especially for those new to the area."
Dodge must be doing something right, because she was selected as the Person of the Year in October by her peers at Fuse Duluth. A division of the Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce, Fuse focuses on providing resources and recruiting young talent. The award honors someone who has contributed to Fuse Duluth's mission and leadership.
"She [Dodge] really works to embody all of those things that Fuse sets out to help people accomplish and overcome," said fellow Fuse member A.J. Axtell. "I've known Tiersa for about five years and we first met through Fuse. She's become more of a networker and a public speaker through the years and experience."
Fuse doesn't have an official membership, but has an outreach of 750 to 900 young professionals. Its monthly "Words of Wisdom" luncheons average an attendance of 50-60 people. Although its target audience is young professionals in the age 20-40 range, "anyone who wants to grow their network" is welcome, according to Fuse director Martha Bremer.
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"We really encourage people within all ages to attend our events because they can offer perspective and experience as professionals," Bremer said.
Bremer is a new director of Fuse as of February. She said Dodge was essential in welcoming her to the position and teaching her the ropes.
"Tiersa is always working to make our events fantastic. She was one of the people who gave me a lot of history on Fuse. She has been consistently at events and is an asset to the program," Bremer said.
Dodge recently served as the chair and is currently past chair of Fuse's leadership council. She said that the best part of being involved with fuse is the relationships she's made.
"I have meet some of the loveliest people in my years with Fuse. I wouldn't necessarily have met many of the driven, fun and fabulous peers I have without it," Dodge said.
When she's not planning programs and networking through Fuse, Dodge works as an intern architect at DSGW Architects.
"I have a hand in most steps involved with dreaming up a building and seeing it through construction. I really enjoy the design process, working the interior flow of one space into another or assisting a company with branding their business through a strong building design," Dodge said.
She also serves on the Active Living Committee through the Healthy Duluth Area Coalition. Recently she applied her architectural design skills to creating the "parklet" on Superior St. located in front of Jitters Cafe, a small space that acts as an extension of the sidewalk to provide more green space for people using the street.
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Dodge spends her personal time working out, doing Zumba, Inzanity and yoga. She also works on her century-old craftsman house with her fiance Todd and enjoys curling up to her new fireplace with her dog Moses.
