(1937- )
Bemidji

Neen Lillquist has lived in the northwest region of Minnesota since 1974. During that time she has had a major impact on the lives of many, many women and children. She was the director of the Northwest Minnesota Community Health Education Council in Bemidji in the mid-70s, advocating for and providing health education and disease prevention services. She was the director of Ah-Gwah-Ching State Nursing Home, where she was responsible for providing health care for 400 behaviorally disturbed aged persons.

Lillquist also served as director of Nursing Service at the Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan for three years, then served in Katmandu, Nepal as a senior nurse administrator under the auspices of the World Health Organization. After a short stint as adjunct nursing faculty at Bemidji State University, she was a public health nurse in Beltrami County for rural outreach maternal and child health, and a founding member of the Mothers and Infants Action Team in Beltrami County.

In addition to her work in nursing and health care administration, Lillquist is a founding member of the Headwaters Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. She has served in many capacities for this lay-led fellowship, including board president, newsletter editor, membership chair and service coordinator. Equally important, she has served as a mentor for young people and board members alike.
In 1998, Lillquist received the Betty Hubbard Maternal and Child Health Leadership Award from the Minnesota Department of Health for impact across the community and was selected for "career-long commitment to improving health care for women and children. She developed a Community Caring for Children Outreach program and established the Mother and Infant Action Team of the Beltrami County Family Services Collaborative."

In 2005, Lillquist received a Keeping the Faith Award from the Prairie Star District of the Unitarian Universalist Association., presented to those who have worked to keep Unitarian Universalism alive in their community and who touch the lives of congregation and community members in a positive way.

Lillquist's remarkable contributions go far beyond the boundaries of northwest Minnesota. She helped to develop a 650 bed hospital in Pakistan, which served as a model for developing countries. She helped develop a nursing school in Nepal, and assisted in the establishment of maternal and child health care workers.

Most recently she has been instrumental in the success of the North Country Health Alliance Partnership with Tomsk Central Regional Hospital in Russia. Over the past four years, Lillquist has traveled to Tomsk with a Bemidji team of healthcare workers to improve the Russian healthcare system. As a volunteer or as a professional, Lillquist brings a passion and a loving commitment to people. Throughout her life she has been a role model and inspiration to women of all ages.

According to Mary Thompson, director of patient safety, infection control and risk management and coordinator of the Russian partnership program, Lilliqus's warmth and enthusiasm allow her to open her heart and hands to a wide diversity of people she comes in contact with. "Her presence in our community has made a large and lasting effect on our citizens," Thompson said."Community, when it comes to Neen, can be defined in the broadest sense. She has and continues to make a positive impact on the global village."