Clearbrook-Gonvick School District 2026 Election Guide

KAXE did not receive a response from this candidate.

Incumbent

KAXE did not receive a response from this candidate.

Age on Election Day: 45

Community: Clearbrook

Employment: Great Plains Livestock Consulting, Beef Nutritionist and Larson's Lost River Livestock as a Partner

Please share any prior experience and education that you believe qualifies you for office.

I graduated from Clearbrook/Gonvick High School in 1999. Following my time at Clearbrook/Gonvick I pursued a Bachelors degree in Animal Science from North Dakota State University, graduating in 2003. After completion of the B.S. degree, I was accepted for a Master of Science program in Ruminant Nutritional Physiology at North Dakota State. Upon successfully finishing my M.S. degree, I transferred to the University of Nebraska for a PhD in Reproductive Physiology. This concluded my education, defending my dissertation in 2009.

Why are you running?

Throughout my educational career, good institutions and better instructors have given me the tools to be successful. Young men and women in preprofessional education need direction and encouragement, as well as structure. Yet they also require the freedom for truly exceptional students to express their innate abilities. My goal is to help foster a learning environment where both the ordinary and extraordinary students can thrive and excel.

Why should voters elect you?

I have a wealth of experience in academia, both the good and bad aspects of higher education. There are 3 core tenets critical in any educational system. Foremost is preparing young men and women to contribute to the workforce. In my role as a nutritionist, I am responsible for identifying and evaluating prospective nutritionists for our company. Training for a professional role needs to start in high school. The second is instilling in kids a drive to be better. We must continue to reinforce the idea that being good isn't good enough, they should strive to be great. Finally, a school system should turn out kids who excel in the trades and the university system. Each time I am asked to give my vote or advice on any subject, I will be guided by these principals. I will do so under advisement of the professional faculty in our school system.

Please describe the roles and responsibilities of the office you are running for.

The goal of a school board, I am see it is threefold. Foremostly, we are tasked to set goals and a long term vision for the school district. Secondly, the school board must set and manage a budget based upon expected allocations of funds. Finally, we will select and evaluate school leadership, set policies and then allow the administrator the freedom to make day to day decisions for the best of the school district. Points one and two are very closely tied to my role on the leadership team for our small company and I performance these tasks on a monthly basis.

Name a public leader you admire and explain why.

At this point, there are simply no public leaders I admire because it is apparent their goals are not driven by the needs of the governed, but by the desire to be popular. In order to find a public leader I respect, I look back to some of the war time leaders of the mid 20th century. Perhaps Winston Churchill is a good example. His decisions were not always popular, nor were they always right. But his goals were for the best interest and safety of Great Britain. Perhaps it is also not fair to compare him with leaders of today because his decisions were more fundamental and parochial in scope, but I believe he acted in the best interests of his constituents, as all leaders should.

What are your priorities, if elected? Please describe specific goals.

As I stated in the previous narrative, my priorities are all based on helping young men and women prepare for a professional or trade career. There is no question in my mind that core subjects such as English proficiency, math and the sciences are essential to building the foundation for long term success. However, of equal importance, are training in the basic subjects such as economics and public speaking. If a young person graduates without the ability to manage a budget or speak in front of their peers, they are at a serious disadvantage.

What do you believe is the biggest challenge facing your district, and how do you plan to address it if elected?

Our school has serious infrastructure challenges in both facilities and staffing. As a school board, one of our most immediate challenges will be securing funding for building improvements and the long term strategic planning for the next 20 years of potential enrollment changes. As a landowner and business owner, I understand the desire to manage our tax base but we must also keep in mind the quality of our children's education.

What is one success in the district that you would offer support for as a board member?

There are so many things we need to address, picking one is challenging, so I'll simply offer one. It may not be the most important, but I think it's critical. A return to more traditional life skills or vocational learning, in addition to the cores of grammar, math and a heavy focus on the sciences, is critical to building the kind of workforce we will need in the future.

Incumbent

KAXE did not receive a response from this candidate.