After 24 years of editing and writing for Michigan Country Lines magazine, Gail Knudtson is moving on and plans to “spend more time with family and friends, travel as much as possible, do some volunteer work, and maybe get back to some freelance writing!” she says.
After earning a journalism degree from MSU and seven years as a newsletter editor for the Michigan Chapter-National Association of Social Workers, Knudtson joined Country Lines as managing editor in 1992, working on the co-op pages and writing feature stories. During her career, she earned NRECA’s Certified Cooperative Communicator (CCC) designation in 1996, served three years on the CCC program board of directors, and earned two writing awards from the Statewide Editors Association. She became Country Lines editor around 1997.
“It’s been my honor to work with the co-op communicators, CEOs and other staff, and all our member-readers,” Knudtson says. “I am so fortunate to have spent most of my career in ‘the cooperative way,’ and such an interesting field as the electric industry. How many people have the good fortune to say the people they’ve worked with for so long are like a family?” she adds.
Christine Dorr, of Fenton, has been partnering with Knudtson since January 2015 to transition the magazine to the new editor. “The magazine is in very good hands with Christine, and she is a natural for keeping the strong reputation it’s earned while still modernizing it to appeal to younger and new members,” Knudtson said.
Dorr has a degree in Business Administration and over 20 years of experience in marketing and publishing.
Knudtson says she’ll miss working with everyone in the co-op family, but will still help part-time to proofread the magazine for a short while yet. Anyone who wants to keep in touch may contact her at gailok@comast.net.
“I’ve often thought that if our country – and the world – operated more like a co-op,” Knudtson says, “it would be an even better place.”