Laura Bakken
Ramsey,MN
Summary
Strong communication skills, and comfortable interacting with people and all levels of management. Great listening skills and understanding when working through negotiations with Right of Way clients. Outstanding team member, as well as a good solo performer. Very fast and adaptable learner, with a strong desire to gain new skills. Superior time management, organization, and prioritization abilities. Exceptional and precise documentation skills. Creative, energetic, and professionally skilled in office administration, real estate, business communications, and team collaboration.
Overview
13
13
years of professional experience
Work History
Right of Way Specialist II
Ramsey County
Arden Hills, Minnesota
03.2025 - Current
- Reviewed survey data and prepared mapping documentation to support right of way acquisitions.
- Developed strategies for negotiating settlements with property owners.
- Prepared cost estimates for right of way acquisitions based on appraisals.
- Negotiated with landowners to acquire rights of way in a timely manner.
- Resolved disputes between parties involved in the acquisition process.
- Conducted research activities to identify land ownerships, interests, and easements.
- Attended meetings with stakeholders such as local government officials, developers, attorneys.
- Monitored progress on right-of-way acquisition projects and provided updates as needed.
- Managed the title search process and reviewed title reports to determine ownership boundaries.
- Maintained records related to right-of-way acquisitions including contracts, deeds, appraisals, surveys.
- Collaborated with other departments within the organization on joint projects involving land acquisition.
Realtor
Elite Realty Minnesota LLC
Champlin, MN
05.2012 - Current
- Establish and maintain client relationships.
- Confirm with escrow companies, lenders, home inspectors, title. company, and appraisers to ensure that terms and conditions of purchase agreement are met before closing dates.
- Prepare documents such as representation contracts, purchase agreements, closing statements and leases.
- Acts as an intermediary between buyers and sellers.
- Answer client’s questions regarding financing, maintenance repairs, appraisals, and home buying/selling process.
- Advise clients on market conditions, prices, mortgages, and related matters.
- Export/Import client data and generate a functional database.
- Develop network of attorneys, mortgage lenders, inspectors, and contractors to whom clients may be referred.
Right of Way Specialist I
WSB
Golden Valley, MN
10.2023 - 03.2025
- Investigated land title issues to ensure proper ownership for acquisition purposes.
- Negotiated with property owners on behalf of the company to acquire rights of way or easements for projects.
- Conducted field visits to identify physical features that may affect project design or construction.
- Processed documents such as deeds, easements, releases, agreements, and other related materials.
- Managed multiple projects simultaneously while adhering to established deadlines.
- Researched historical property records such as tax documents, deed books and court records to verify ownership information or locate potential claimants.
Document Control Specialist/Admin Assistant
Anderson Dahlen
Ramsey, MN
09.2022 - 10.2023
- Scheduled appointments, meetings, and events for management staff.
- I organized files, developed spreadsheets, faxed reports, and scanned documents, while maintaining the front desk and reception area in a neat and organized fashion.
- Handled incoming calls and directed callers to the appropriate department or employee.
- Sorted documents, matching supporting invoices to procurement documents, and verifying invoices for payment.
- Coded invoices and other records to maintain organized and accurate records.
- Matched orders with invoices, and recorded required information.
- Assisted the internal accounting team in checking financial statements for accuracy to produce reliable reports.
- Performed data entry into various databases used for tracking document revisions.
- Managed the release of confidential information in accordance with legal regulations.
Database Administrator
ABRA Auto Body & Glass
Brooklyn Park, MN
02.2016 - 09.2019
- Monitoring security and access to report data warehouse.
- Linking data warehouse reports.
- Adding, maintaining data to TSQL databases.
- Setup and maintain SQL replication, supporting over 400 simultaneous instances of replication.
- Fixing various ticket requests using ConnectWise.
- Help with various database fix requests from lead database administrators.
- Create and maintain maintenance and development sprint stories in Jira.
- Set up and run the weekly sprint meetings.
- Generate and troubleshoot reports for financial department.
- Regularly switch between diverse third-party software programs and learn new programs as required by business.
Education
Certificate of Completion - 100 - Principles of Land Acquisition
IRWA
Online07-2025
Certificate of Completion - 421 - The Valuation of Partial Acquisitions
IRWA
Golden Valley, MN07-2025
Certificate of Completion - Scrum Master & Agile Training
University of Minnesota
Saint Paul, MN09.2022
Associate of Science - Graphic Design
North Hennepin Community College
Brooklyn Park, MN05.2022
Certificate of Completion - Full Stack Web Development
University of Minnesota
Saint Paul, MN07.2019
Certificate of Completion - Web Design & Development
Anoka Technical College
Anoka, MN11.2018
Diploma Received - Vocal Performance
McNally Smith
Saint Paul, MN08.2008
Minnesota Real Estate License Received - Realtor
Kaplan University
Saint Paul, MN01.2007
No Degree - Generals Taken
Anoka Ramsey Community College
Coon Rapids, MN06.1996
Certificate of Completion - Sales and Marketing
Wright Technical College
Buffalo, MN06.1995
Skills
- Made2Manage ERP
- QuickBooks
- Visual Studio 2013
- Visual Studio Code
- MS Access
- Microsoft Visual Studio
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Outlook
- NorthStar MLS
- GIS
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Teams
- ConnectWise
- Tableau
- Bootstrap
- Dotloop
- Jira tools and methods
- HTML
- CSS
- Adobe Acrobat
- Adobe InDesign
- Adobe Photoshop
- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe Express
- KVCore
- Appraisal review
- Time management
- Calm under pressure
- Real estate practices
- Land acquisition
- Effective communication
Timeline
Right of Way Specialist II
Ramsey County
03.2025 - Current
Right of Way Specialist I
WSB
10.2023 - 03.2025
Document Control Specialist/Admin Assistant
Anderson Dahlen
09.2022 - 10.2023
Database Administrator
ABRA Auto Body & Glass
02.2016 - 09.2019
Realtor
Elite Realty Minnesota LLC
05.2012 - Current
Certificate of Completion - Scrum Master & Agile Training
University of Minnesota
Associate of Science - Graphic Design
North Hennepin Community College
Certificate of Completion - Full Stack Web Development
University of Minnesota
Certificate of Completion - Web Design & Development
Anoka Technical College
Diploma Received - Vocal Performance
McNally Smith
Minnesota Real Estate License Received - Realtor
Kaplan University
No Degree - Generals Taken
Anoka Ramsey Community College
Certificate of Completion - Sales and Marketing
Wright Technical College
Certificate of Completion - 100 - Principles of Land Acquisition
IRWA
Certificate of Completion - 421 - The Valuation of Partial Acquisitions
IRWA
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