Tell us about yourself, your family, where you work, anything else you want your fellow members to know?
About me? That’s always an interesting question. I came to education later in life after spending most of my adult life working in the tech world. I currently teach at Southwest Middle School in Rapid City and couldn’t be happier about it, which always surprises me a bit as I always had it in my head that I would be teaching at a high school. I am married to an amazing woman whose support is unwavering and my stepson has recently enabled me to add grandfather to my list of titles (my favorite by far).
Where do you currently teach or work and how has your involvement with SDEA grown over the years?
I currently teach at Southwest Middle School in Rapid City. This year is an interesting one for me as my role has shifted significantly. For my entire teaching career, I have been teaching 6th and occasionally 7th grade science. However, due to changing enrollment patterns, I have shifted into the elective realm and I’m teaching courses on automation and robotics.
My involvement with SDEA started on a whim. I was previously content to be a union member and trust in the process. I still am and still do. However, there was a call for members to join the NEA Representative Assembly in Orlando, and I let them know that I’d be interested. Spending that week in Orlando with SDEA and the leadership team, getting to know processes, and more importantly, realizing that I knew almost nothing about the Association led me to seek more and larger roles within SDEA, starting as a member of the SDEA board from the Western Unit.
Your Role as NEA Director
What brought you to this role, and what experiences in education have shaped you most?
When I considered taking on this role, I leaned heavily on advice from our previous NEA Director, Kelsey Lovseth. Through conversations with her, but also with other members it occurred to me that I might make a good advocate for South Dakota at the National level. It’s hard to identify any one experience in education that has shaped me most. In my mind education is a collection of moments both small and large. These are moments that shape and define not just our students, but us as their educators. Every classroom interaction defines us, moves us.
What do you hope to accomplish during your term, and what issues facing South Dakota educators are at the top of your list?
South Dakota is a small state with big challenges, and I want to make sure our educators are heard in every national conversation that affects them. After teaching middle school and leadership at the state and national levels, I understand both what happens in our classrooms and how decisions get made at the NEA Board table. My job would be to connect the two.
My first priority is competitive, sustainable pay. South Dakota still ranks near the bottom in the nation, and this year’s funding increase was only 1.4%. New state minimum-salary requirements are in effect, but they only help if they translate into real raises.
Second, I want to support recruitment and retention, especially for rural districts and hard-to-fill areas like special education.
Third, I want to keep members at the center of the work: making sure educators in every corner of our state, from Rapid City to the smallest rural district, know what NEA offers and have a say in how we use it.
How will you make sure South Dakota’s voice is heard at the national level, and how can members share their concerns with you?
South Dakota is a small, largely rural state, and small states get heard when their representatives show up prepared and stay connected to the people they represent.
At the national level, I would bring concrete South Dakota stories and data to the NEA Board, not just general talking points: what does lowest pay ranking means for a rural district trying to fill a special education position, or for a first-year teacher deciding whether to stay. I’ll continue to work as a team with our state president and SDEA leadership so we bring one consistent message, and I’d build relationships with directors from neighboring and similar rural states so we can advance shared priorities together.
Just as important is the return trip. I’d report back after every board meeting in plain language: what was decided, what it means for South Dakota educators, and what’s still open.
Just for Fun
What’s something about you outside of education that members might be surprised to learn?
I’m a bit of a fish. That is, I love being in the water, more specifically, under the water. My biggest hobby is SCUBA diving. Doesn’t matter if I’m diving deep in Lake Pactola and watching the Green Sunfish or if I’m 50ft down in the Caribbean diving on a coral reef and watching the Angelfish flit around in schools. That’s my meditation and my peace.
