FARGO — A nonprofit leader who serves on the Fargo Board of Education has announced a pivot to run for the state legislature.

Nyamal Dei said she will run as a Democrat for North Dakota Senate District 41, an area covering a portion of south Fargo, primarily south of Interstate 94 and east of Interstate 29.

Laura Dronen, communications director for the North Dakota Democratic-NPL, said District 41 endorsements were made by the district chair.

Dei’s four-year term on the Fargo school board expires this summer. She said she decided not to seek reelection because “a bigger opportunity is calling.”

In her campaign announcement, Dei recalled her election to the Fargo school board in 2022, becoming the first person of color chosen for any elected position in the city of Fargo in at least the past 50 years, according to the League of Women Voters of the Red River Valley.

Weeks later, the board became embroiled in conflict over discontinuing recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance before board meetings, with Dei receiving backlash from some who tried to make it an issue of race.

After the board quickly moved to reinstate the pledge, Dei was the only member to stick with her original vote, part of why she was chosen as The Forum’s Area Person of the Year for 2022.

Dei said her message in this new campaign is one of gratitude and bold vision.

“The Fargo community did not just vote for me — they believed in me, they stood with me, and they showed the entire state of North Dakota what is possible when a community leads with inclusion and courage,” she said in a news release.

Dei’s legislative campaign is built on four pillars: children and schools, tax relief and affordable living, families and child care, and safe and strong communities, the release said.

A former refugee from South Sudan and mother of two, Dei runs Kondial Kel International, a nonprofit focused on empowering refugees and newcomers through education and community programs.

Under the banner “A Brand New Day,” her campaign pledge is a play on words, as her last name, Dei, is pronounced “day.”