While pursuing a chemistry degree in the '70s, Sandra Tokach didn't imagine she would someday work outside of the laboratory.

Today, however, Tokach, Ph.D. '80, spends more time managing people than lab results. As business director for aerospace and aircraft maintenance at 3M, she and her division serve customers ranging from Lockheed Martin to Boeing.

"When I'm working with customers out in the field, I sometimes cannot believe that this is my job because it is so much fun. I have to pinch myself and remind myself that this is really what I do," says Tokach, who lives in Woodbury, Minn., with husband, Patrick, BS '78.

Her division creates materials that will protect aircraft from damage and corrosion - a topic of special interest at NDSU, which received federal funding for anti-corrosion coatings research.

And so Tokach finds her new position as board member for the university's Research and Technology Park serves both parties well: "One of the things our customers are always concerned about is corrosion and how to prevent against it. So, from a selfish point of view, it's useful to understand the work at NDSU in terms of corrosion. But I have always been a strong advocate of industry supporting academia, and vice versa, for the greater good of society. That partnership will help to advance technology or development that is well beyond what either could do on their own."

The Research and Technology Park provides the level of high-tech training and high-paying jobs that the state could not traditionally muster. A native of Mandan, N.D., Tokach shared the plight of many residents after graduation. "I've always loved North Dakota. I'm proud to be from North Dakota. But, for me at that time, there really weren't any job opportunities," she says.

Instead, Tokach headed eastward to work at 3M. There, she started out doing research and development in the company's Adhesive Coatings and Sealers division. Through the years, she worked at several 3M-affiliated businesses, which produced everything from pavement-marking tape to adhesives and materials for the healthcare market.

The influence of other managers convinced Tokach to make the leap from laboratory to office. She remembers those supervisors who cared about the department's work - and the people behind it. "They were really interested in helping us do things that were satisfying, not only from a job perspective, but from a personal point of view."

Her latest position gives her a new level of management responsibility: She supervises 80 people worldwide. "I've always enjoyed helping people branch out and grow and try new things that keep them energized, and really engaged in whatever career they have," Tokach says.

Now, as a board member for NDSU's Research Park, Tokach can help people in a way that's less hands-on, but just as vital. "The vision that the technology park has, that Dr. Chapman and the leadership have developed, and then the implementation that I see happening, makes me really proud to be a graduate of NDSU."