Reich hopes to take MNPrairie to next level

Tara Reich is no stranger to Minnesota Prairie County Alliance, and now she will have the chance to lead the organization, after being named executive director.
Reich was selected in August to serve as the interim director, and in March, the MNPrairie board voted to remove the interim label, according to a May press release.
“Tara’s extensive background in county human services as well as her involvement with regional and state work groups and associations positions her well for the role of executive director,” Waseca County Commissioner and MNPrairie Board Chair Doug Christopherson wrote.
Reich, an Owatonna native, began her career in 2006 after graduating from Minnesota State University-Mankato, beginning with then Steele County Human Services. She began her career as a case manager, climbing the ladder to become a manager, and then a supervisor. She said most of her tenure revolved around adult disability services.
In 2015, Waseca, Steele, and Dodge counties merged their health and human services departments to become one organization, with a board made up of representatives from each of the counties.
“I was able to start with the organization and now I get to lead us into our next chapter,” Reich said.
Strong Foundation
Reich is just the second executive director of the organization, with the first being Jane Hardwick, who retired in 2023.
During Hardwick’s tenure, the goal was to “stand up” the new organization, and get all of the correct pieces in place, affording to Reich.
Now Reich said the goal is to expand on that success.
“We meet many of our internal goals and standards and that has given me a strong foundation for which I can now step in and move us into the next chapter,” she said.
One of the biggest keys will be to make the community more aware of what MNPrairie has to offer by having more community engagement, along with collaborating with other organizations in the three counties.
“I’m excited to forge partnerships and increase the presence within our counties,” Reich said.
Ending Stigma
Reich said human services sometimes come with stigma, and it’s something she hopes to end or at least alleviate during her tenure as MNPrairie’s director.
“The communities have their perception of what kind of people need to access services from our agency, and I think being able to get out in our communities and help people see the whole scope of what we do will help to begin reducing some of that stigma,” Reich said.
She explained it’s an “interesting concept” saying “any one of us at any time could find ourselves in a position where we need to access human services.”
Reich said help could be needed because of an unexpected job loss, a terminal diagnosis or another tragedy that “just sort of changes our lives and whether it’s temporary or for the long term any of us could find ourselves in that position.”
She said it’s also important to work on streamlining services in the community and make it “easier for people who need the support and the services to know where they need to go.”
Reich said it will include working together with other agencies to make it easier for people who need services. The first step she said is “getting out there and getting to know the players, understanding the roles of each of the organizations in our communities, a lot of them being nonprofits.”
After being with MNPrairie for close to two decades, she said one advantage she has is an awareness of what resources are available in the community.
“Now it’s just building those relationships by reaching out and really connecting and engaging with individuals who lead those other organizations in our communities,” Reich said.
Ultimately the goal is to understand how everyone can work together “to just make our service delivery system stronger.”
“The goal would be to streamline services so people wouldn’t have to go to multiple locations to access the service,” Reich said.