Working to lift up the St. Cloud community

Since walking onto the St. Cloud State University campus, Melinda Gau has been passionate about supporting not just the University but the St. Cloud region as a whole.

Having grown up in the Twin Cities, Gau enrolled with SCSU at the encouragement of her father, a fellow Husky.

"He brought us up here a few times to look at the school," Gau said. "I came to St. Cloud State and really enjoyed my time here. I got involved in lots of activities."

Gau knew early on that she wanted to go to law school after finishing her undergraduate program. While pursuing her degree in finance at SCSU she joined the economics club on campus, and restarted the pre-law club. She earned her bachelor's in 1991 before going on to law school at the University of Minnesota.

"Circumstances drew me back to St. Cloud," Gau said. "That's where I focused my job search."

She returned to the area when she accepted a position with law firm Quinlivan & Hughes — at the time known as Quinlivan, Sherwood, Spellacy and Tarvestad. She would end up working for the firm for over 25 years altogether.

"They're good, solid St. Cloud corporate citizens and it was a great firm to work with and to get to know the community more," Gau said.

At one point she did leave the firm for about two years to take a job with the Central Minnesota Community Foundation as director of donor relations.

"It was a fun two years. I got to meet more people and help the organization transition into Community Giving as it's known today," she said. "But the law kept calling me back and so did my partners."

Gau returned to Quinlivan & Hughes and ended up serving as the firm's CEO for her last two years there. When her husband eventually decided to retire and Gau was considering doing the same, she had some concerns.

"Your identity's kind of tied up in what you do, right? And I was a little worried about, 'Well, the fun stuff I got to do being involved in the community, would people still want me to do that if I'm no longer working at the law firm?'" Gau said. "A friend told me, 'People don't even think of you as a lawyer. They think of you as somebody who, if they call, you'll help them. You'll get things done.' She helped me figure that out. I retired at a young age, which was awesome, and I'm lucky to still be pretty darn involved in the community to this day."

Volunteer work and community activism have been part of Gau's life for decades. Over the years she has either held board positions or volunteered with Independent Lifestyles, WACOSA, United Way, St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Kiwanis and the St. Cloud Hospital Board, among a number of others. She raised money for Anna Marie's Alliance through the community's first Dancing with Our Stars fundraiser, and at one time served on the Minnesota Judicial Selection Commission.

It's worth it to Gau to focus her efforts on the St. Cloud community.

"I love that it's a little smaller community than the Twin Cities. You feel like you make a bigger difference. Everything just feels more connected here," she said. "I've always appreciated how well the nonprofits in our community work together, too. It's not like we're competing. We're all trying to raise the waters together."

As an SCSU alumna, it's been especially meaningful for Gau to serve on the University's Community Advisory Board.

"I'm really, really excited to be serving on the CAB. I've always tried to be a proponent of St. Cloud State. I know the great education I got from it. I know the great opportunities I got from it. I have to admit, my confidence in the university, my excitement about the university had waned a little bit," she said. "But I have to tell you, after being involved with introducing President Tomso at Summertime by George, and then going to the Lemonade Art Fair President's Reception and symphony concert at SCSU, the number one thing I bring up when I meet with people now is St. Cloud State. There's some pretty good things happening there. It feels like our Husky pride is returning, and people want to know more about it."

Gau encouraged students and young professionals to keep volunteer work in mind as they progress through their careers.

"My day-to-day was working with clients. I felt good about helping them and doing a good job. I enjoyed the camaraderie with my colleagues and team members at the firm. But what I got the most energy from and enjoyed the most was being able to use my career as a launching pad to get involved in the community," she said. "Whether it's getting involved in your industry organizations or community organizations, or your church organizations or whatever else you're passionate about, make sure you're doing something a little more than what's necessarily in your job description. I learned a lot of leadership skills through my volunteer work."

While volunteer work provided additional professional skills, it also helped Gau connect with and appreciate her home and the community of St. Cloud.

"I know there's a lot of good people doing good things. I know it's a lot safer than it gets credit for downtown and on campus," she said. "I know it's a good place to live and work, to raise a family. We've got great schools, parks, natural and man-made amenities, and so many people who keep working at making the community better. I think that's what I like best, is being a part of working with those people to make it better."