executive director Archives | Metro Flood Diversion Authority https://fmdiversion.gov/news-resources/tag/executive-director/ Tue, 14 Apr 2026 19:08:29 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://fmdiversion.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/cropped-favicon-1-32x32.png executive director Archives | Metro Flood Diversion Authority https://fmdiversion.gov/news-resources/tag/executive-director/ 32 32 Faces of the Diversion: Jason Benson https://fmdiversion.gov/news-resources/faces-of-the-diversion-jason-benson/ Mon, 17 Nov 2025 22:16:30 +0000 https://fmdiversion.gov/?p=5867 Although he’s relatively new to his official title as the Metro Flood Diversion Authority’s executive...

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Although he’s relatively new to his official title as the Metro Flood Diversion Authority’s executive director, Jason Benson has been actively involved in bringing the project to reality since the whiteboard sketches of 2009. See what it took to defend the project’s technical viability during critical turning points, and why the unprecedented robustness of this flood protection matters so much to him and the future of the region.

Transcript: Faces of the Diversion: Jason Benson

Click to expand transcript

Jason Benson: [00:00:14] Hi, I’m Jason Benson, the executive director for the Metro Flood Diversion Authority. As the executive director, I’m responsible for all of the administrative and leadership roles within the project. That means managing both our full-time employees and all the consultants that work on the project, and collaborate with all of our contractors, the Corps of Engineers, and other elements. I report directly to the board of authority and the chair of the board to make sure that their goals are met and that the project continues to move forward to completion.

[00:00:43] In 2010, I attended my first meeting and it was actually an engineering meeting to discuss moving the project from the Minnesota side around Dilworth to the North Dakota side, going around West Fargo and Horace and Harwood. A thing that stood out to me then was we started sketching out on the whiteboard what these aqueduct structures would have to look like, and all of us as engineers sat around the table just looking at this whiteboard thinking, “How are we going to build this?” And now we are.

[00:01:21] Up until about 2020, the Diversion Authority didn’t have a full-time executive director and engineering staff, so the local engineering staff from the counties and the cities really provided that technical expertise that our elected officials relied on. Cass County Commissioners and board members really relied on me as the county engineer to be that person from the technical side to sit in on meetings with the Corps of Engineers, with FEMA and other agencies, to make sure that it was going to meet the standards and provide the protection at the lowest cost for our taxpayers.

[00:02:10] In 2017, Governor Burgum called me and asked if I would sit on the Governor’s Task Force. That was very important and it was a critical turning point for me and my experience with the diversion project. I was really the only technical representative that had been on the project for some time, so it was a big challenge because I knew that throughout the Governor’s Task Force… technical concepts would be thrown up as options, and a lot of those options had been discussed back in 2011, 2012 and had been dismissed because they just weren’t viable.

[00:02:51] So in 2017 I had to be the technical expert at the table to defend why the project as it was designed at that point was the best project, and why the options that other folks were throwing against the wall to try to see if they would stick wouldn’t work. I was the person that had to support the governors in making sure that we got the project… to where we’ve got a project that’s in construction today.

[00:03:24] The number one thing that I think is important for the public to know is that this is a very robust project. Unlike sandbag levees, unlike just earthen levees and flood walls, the diversion project gives us an extremely robust project that provides the flexibility to where we can cover and handle a 100-year flood event passing 37 feet of flow through town, but then we can also fight up to a 500-year flood event passing about 40 feet of flow through town. In comparison, the 2009 flood, we fought nearly a 41-foot flow through town.

[00:04:16] That type of robustness gives us the confidence, as things change, as you hear about devastating flood events, hurricanes and other storms doing damage in other parts of the country, you don’t have to worry about that here. We’ve got you covered. The community can continue to go about its daily business between the citizens and the business owners, that we’re going to be a viable community and continue to grow with the knowledge that we don’t have to worry about throwing sandbags.

[00:05:14] For me when I look at the impact of this project and what it means to me, it’s really important. Senator Hoeven at the opening of the Red River Structure said, you know, this is protecting a community of over 250,000 people now, and it could be up to a half million people in 20, 30 years. Knowing that this is a multi-generational project that’s going to protect the future generations of Fargo, West Fargo, Harwood, Horace, Moorhead, Dilworth… to be part of something like that that brings long-term protection to the community is really exciting and really important.

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]]> FM Area Diversion October Construction Update https://fmdiversion.gov/news-resources/fm-area-diversion-october-construction-update/ Fri, 25 Oct 2024 19:22:05 +0000 https://fmdiversion.gov/?p=4780 FARGO, ND (October 25, 2024) – Warm fall weather kept work moving at a fast...

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]]> FARGO, ND (October 25, 2024) – Warm fall weather kept work moving at a fast pace on the FM Area Diversion project this month, but some sites will be shutting down soon for winter. Work on the 22-mile southern embankment, which is being constructed by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ contractors, will wrap up soon for the season. Excavation on the 30-mile-long stormwater diversion channel, however, will continue since cold weather makes it easier to move the thick material. A drone video highlighting this month’s progress can be downloaded and viewed at https://youtu.be/r1xRa88Kl3g.

This month’s construction highlights include:

Channel Crossings: ASN Constructors has been working on many of the 19 road and railroad bridges that will cross the stormwater diversion channel. On I-94, west of the metro area, bridge girders were installed at the new eastbound and westbound crossings.

Red River Structure

Red River Structure: The largest of the three control structures being built by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ contractor Ames Construction now has girders installed for the mechanical platform bridge, which will support the gate lifting machinery, and the vehicle service bridge. They also placed bedding, riprap and concrete this month. In the second of the three bays, crews are assembling the fifty-by-fifty-two-and-a-half-foot radial-arm gate, which will soon be hung. The structure’s three gates combined weigh nearly 900,000 pounds, which is more than the weight of seven of the “World’s Largest Buffalo” statues in Jamestown, North Dakota.

Sheyenne River Aqueduct

Sheyenne River Aqueduct: ASN Constructors’ work on the aqueduct this month included driving piling and commencing concrete work at the structure’s base.

Southern Embankment Reach 2B

Southern Embankment: Several reaches of varying lengths are under construction on the embankment, which will stretch from south of Horace on the North Dakota side to south of Comstock on the Minnesota side. R.J. Zavoral & Sons Inc. has the contract for Reach 2B, which is near the Wild Rice River Structure. They have been working on a weir that will prevent breakout flooding from high-water events stemming from the Red River as well as the County Road 16 alignment, which will cross up and over the embankment. The 4.1-mile stretch is 20% complete.

Reach 4, on the Minnesota side of the Red River, is now under construction, as well. Contractor PWS Inc. stripped topsoil in preparation for constructing roadway realignments near Clay County Road 59 and 130th Avenue.

Planting trees and native grasses at Reach 1 of the stormwater diversion channel

Stormwater Diversion Channel: ASN Constructors has been working at both ends of the 30-mile-long stormwater diversion channel. On the southern end, they’ve been excavating in reaches 10, 11, 12 and 13. On the northern end, though, they’ve been working on finishing touches. Across reaches 1, 2 and 3, they’ve been seeding native grasses, planting trees and placing gravel on the maintenance roads.

For the latest road closures and more construction information, go to FMDiversion.gov.

About the Metro Flood Diversion Authority

The MFDA is a permanent North Dakota political subdivision that is cooperatively implementing the Fargo-Moorhead Area Diversion comprehensive project with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The MFDA works in partnership with the Red River Valley Alliance in a public-private partnership as well as the City of Fargo, City of Moorhead, Cass County, Clay County and the Cass County Joint Water Resource District.

For current photos of FM Area Diversion project construction, please contact Amy Wieser Willson at amy@neonloon.com or 218-535-5359.

Progress Tracking Map 1024

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]]> MFDA Board Chooses Preferred Executive Director Candidate https://fmdiversion.gov/news-resources/mfda-board-chooses-preferred-executive-director-candidate/ Thu, 24 Oct 2024 23:05:27 +0000 https://fmdiversion.gov/?p=4777 FARGO, ND (October 24, 2024) – The Metro Flood Diversion Authority Board chose a preferred...

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]]> FARGO, ND (October 24, 2024) – The Metro Flood Diversion Authority Board chose a preferred finalist for the executive director job today. Three finalists were interviewed during the public meeting and, following an executive session, the Board directed the co-executive directors to extend an employment offer and negotiate the parameters of an employment agreement with Jason Benson, of West Fargo, North Dakota.

Benson has worked for the Cass County Highway Department since 2000, including as its county engineer since 2011. In that role, he has served as a senior technical advisor for the FM Area Diversion project. Benson also is a brigadier general in the Minnesota Army National Guard, serving as the assistant division commander for Operations and Maneuver, 34th Infantry Division, in the Middle East. He’s a professional engineer who earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from North Dakota State University, Fargo; a master’s degree in management from the University of Mary, Fargo campus; and a master’s degree in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College in Pennsylvania.

Benson’s Middle East deployment is expected to end by December. If he accepts the offer, he will transition into the executive director role in early 2025. Until then, Michael Redlinger, City of Fargo city administrator, and Robert Wilson, Cass County administrator, will continue to serve as co-executive directors for the MFDA.

About the Metro Flood Diversion Authority

The MFDA is a permanent North Dakota political subdivision that is cooperatively implementing the Fargo-Moorhead Area Diversion comprehensive project with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The MFDA works in partnership with the Red River Valley Alliance in a public-private partnership as well as the City of Fargo, City of Moorhead, Cass County, Clay County and the Cass County Joint Water Resource District. More information is available at www.FMDiversion.gov.

Jason Benson Bio

Jason Benson, of West Fargo, North Dakota, joined the Cass County Highway Department as a design and construction engineer in 2000. In 2011, he was promoted to county engineer. In that role, he leads and manages three Cass County Departments – Highway, Planning and Vector Control – and their combined staff of roughly 80 employees. He also oversees the County Planning Office. He’s responsible for infrastructure management of more than 630 miles of paved and gravel roads and 560 bridge structures. When flooding occurs, as it did in 2019, 2020 and 2023, he serves as the incident commander for Cass County’s flood response efforts.

Benson is a senior technical advisor for the FM Area Diversion project, collaborating with agencies on design and technical aspects for some components. He has served on numerous technical teams and committees for Metro COG, Red River Basin Commission, North Dakota Department of Transportation, North Dakota Local Technical Assistance Program, North Dakota Association of County Engineers, North Dakota Association of Counties, and Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute.

Benson also serves in the Minnesota Army National Guard. Currently, he’s a brigadier general deployed to the Middle East as the assistant division commander for Operations and Maneuver, 34th Infantry Division. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1989 and has had numerous leadership positions domestically as well as overseas, including in Iraq, Macedonia, Kosovo, Germany and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Benson earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from North Dakota State University, a master’s degree in management from the University of Mary’s Fargo campus, and a master’s degree in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College. He’s a professional engineer and has completed numerous FEMA Incident Command Center courses.

His recognitions include a Gold Star Award from the North Dakota Ready Mix and Concrete Products Association for his work as a lead designer and project manager for North Dakota’s first County Highway Bonded Concrete Overlay. He received the NDDOT Vision Zero Safety Award for 2023, was named County Engineer of the Year in by the North Dakota County Engineers Association in 2021, received the National Achievement Award from the National Association of Counties in 2020, and was awarded the Outstanding Community Leadership Award by the Boy Scouts of America, Northern Lights Council, in 2019. Additionally, his department received the Asphalt Recycling and Reclamation Association’s Annual Project Award for Excellence in Soil Stabilization as well as the inaugural Vision Zero Safety Program Award, both in 2019.

Among Benson’s more than 50 military awards and badges are a Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, Airborne Badge and Ranger Tab.

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]]> MFDA Executive Director Interviews Rescheduled https://fmdiversion.gov/news-resources/mfda-executive-director-interviews-rescheduled/ Tue, 15 Oct 2024 16:10:31 +0000 https://fmdiversion.gov/?p=4753 FARGO, ND (October 15, 2024) – Due to scheduling conflicts, the Metro Flood Diversion Authority...

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]]> FARGO, ND (October 15, 2024) – Due to scheduling conflicts, the Metro Flood Diversion Authority Board will review the finalists for the MFDA executive director position as part of its normally scheduled meeting on October 24. The meeting will begin at 1 p.m. to accommodate the extra time needed with the finalists. There will no longer be a special meeting of the Board on October 18.

On October 4, the MFDA Planning Committee designated three finalists for the position: Jason Benson, Dennis Lambert and Daniel Sundberg. Benson’s interview will be at 1:30 p.m., Sundberg’s at 2:30 p.m. and Lambert’s at 3:30 p.m. The meeting will take place at the Fargo City Hall Commission Chambers. It will be broadcast live on TV Fargo Channel 56 and the City of Fargo’s YouTube channel and later shared on the Metro Flood Diversion Authority’s YouTube channel.

Michael Redlinger, City of Fargo city administrator, and Robert Wilson, Cass County administrator, have served as co-executive directors for the MFDA since April 2024, when the former executive director resigned. They will continue in the role until the new executive director takes the helm, which is expected to occur by early 2025.

About the Metro Flood Diversion Authority

The MFDA is a permanent North Dakota political subdivision that is cooperatively implementing the Fargo-Moorhead Area Diversion comprehensive project with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The MFDA works in partnership with the Red River Valley Alliance in a public-private partnership as well as the City of Fargo, City of Moorhead, Cass County, Clay County and the Cass County Joint Water Resource District. More information is available at www.FMDiversion.gov.

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