Marsha Bowman has retired from Otter Tail County Land and Resource Department after serving as the office manager for 39 years.  

Bowman began her career in the Treasurer’s Office in 1983 and was hired in 1985 to the newly formed Land and Resource Management department where she continued to work for the remainder of her career. 

She has been instrumental in many of the changes within the department including the 2012 development of the Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Task Force.

“It has been a great ride. I have enjoyed working with my colleagues and building relationships with the public, contractors, and surveyors and all those we serve. Working for Otter Tail County has been very rewarding. I enjoyed my career-we have a great staff.”

Marsha Bowman

Marsha explained the roles of her position, like many managers in Otter Tail County, her roles were very diverse. Though the use of technology has advanced, the mission has stayed the same: help people through the process and protect the county’s natural resources. She served as the secretary to the AIS Task Force and Planning Commission and managed the AIS prevention program until Spencer McGrew was hired in 2016. Ten years later the program is widely respected across Minnesota.

After a standing ovation from the Board of Commissioners, Lee Rogness, County Commissioner addressed Bowman as, “an anchor in the department with a wealth of knowledge. We have appreciated you,” he said. 

When asked what skills she relied on most in her work Bowman replied, “I needed to be organized, a people-person, and I made sure to plan ahead. I would recommend people to work for Otter Tail County. It wasn’t easy to leave a job I enjoyed so much.”

“Marsha was a leader in the office in Land and Resource,” said Director Chris LeClair. “She has an encyclopedic and historical knowledge of the county.  I could always rely on her to get me up to speed on some history with a particular property.  Her institutional knowledge and friendly demeanor will be missed.”

Bowman plans to spend time relaxing and enjoying gardening and she hopes to travel this winter.