Rodney Fouberg, Chair, has served as Chair and CEO of Dacotah Banks, Inc. in Aberdeen SD since 1984. He currently serves as the Past President of the Aberdeen Development Corporation, Past Chair of the Presentation College, Past Chair of SDREI, and board member and chair of the South Dakota Community Foundation and Avera Health System. Rod is the current Chairman of the Education Assistance Corporation as well as a member of the South Dakota Transportation Commission.   Linda Salmonson, Secretary/Treasurer, is currently the Economic Development Manager at East River Electric Power Cooperative. Since 1996 she also has been an administrator of Rural Electric Economic Development, Inc. a non-profit loan fund comprised of twenty-one rural electric cooperative members. She serves as a director of the National Association of Development Organizations, and as past president of the National Rural Economic Developer's Association. Linda also serves on the Board of the Minn-Ia-Kota Girl Scouts.   Cheryl Chapman is a registered engineer and President of MATRIX Consulting Group, Inc., an environmental, community and government relations consulting firm. She is also a member and serves on the Board of Directors for the SPECTRUM Group, a Washington, DC firm specializing in corporate business strategies on federal issues. She is currently Vice President of the Black Hills Council of the Girl Scouts, chair for the Calvary Lutheran Church Endowment Fund and member of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology Academic Advisory Board.   Anthony Messmer is the owner/operator of Messmer Red Angus Ranch, a diversified cattle and grain operation, located at Richardton, ND. Tony has been a member of the ND REC/RTC Rural Development Committee for several years and is currently a Director of the Rural Development Finance Corporation. Messmer is active in several organizations. He is a Director of Bremer Bank National Association, Fargo and a Director of Consolidated Telcom Dickinson, having previously served as President. He is a past-Director of the American Red Angus Association, where he was awarded the 2000 National Red Angus Breeder of the Year. He is also a past-President of the ND Red Angus Association. Tony holds a BA degree in Business Administration from Dickinson State University where he was recently recognized as a 2006 University Alumni Fellow representing the Department of Agriculture and Technical Studies. Messmer was employed as a Tax Auditor for several years with the State of North Dakota before becoming engaged in production agriculture.   John T. Porter is the President/CEO of Avera Health, a Catholic-based integrated network made up of more than 190 hospitals, medical practices, extended care facilities and other related health providers in eastern South Dakota and the surrounding service area. John is a native of South Dakota, 1974 graduate of the University of South Dakota School of Law and has offices in Yankton and Sioux Falls. Mr. Porter has served on numerous hospital, college and foundation boards in South Dakota, is a past board member of Catholic Health Association of the United States, a past member of the House of Delegates of the American Hospital Association, chaired the legal services committee of CHA, has served two terms on the AHA Region VI Policy Board and has served as Chair of the Council on Legislation of the South Dakota Association of Health Care Organizations.     William Patrie, Vice Chair, is the president of the Rural Development Finance Corporation and is the rural development director for the North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives. Patrie has served as the rural development director for 15 years. He is the author of "Creating Co-op Fever" a USDA publication on creating cooperatives. Patrie served as the director of the North Dakota Economic Development Commission for 4 years during the George Sinner administration. He has received the "Honored Cooperator" award from the National Cooperative Business Association and the "Notable North Dakotan" award from the Bismarck Tribune for his work in starting new generation cooperatives. Patrie holds a BA in Political Science with a minor in religion from Anderson University and a Masters in Public Administration from Ball State University. Patrie is past chairman of CooperationWorks!, an organization he helped create, that is made up of 21 cooperative development centers throughout the United States.   Bobby Koepplin is the Manager of Rural Development for Cass County Electric Cooperative, Inc. Cass County Electric Cooperative is the largest distribution cooperative in North Dakota serving over 29,600 members in Cass, Richland, Barnes, Ransom, LaMoure, Traill, Sargent, and Dickey counties. Koepplin has received The Rural Leadership Award from the National Rural Electric Economic Developers Association for his work in rural development and leadership in establishing a national scenic by-way. Koepplin serves on numerous boards and is president of the Valley City/Barnes County Development Corporation, president of Sheyenne Valley Investment Company, treasurer of Central Dakota Tourism Partnership, Charter member actively serving on the National Byway Foundation, and secretary of Sheyenne Valley Properties, LLC. He holds a BS degree in Agriculture from North Dakota State University. Koepplin is a director of the North Dakota Rural Development Finance Corporation.   JoAnn Rodenbiker is director of business development for Northern Plains Electric Cooperative, a position she has held for the past 12 years and serves as a member of the senior management team for Northern Plains and Dakota Valley Electric Cooperatives. The two cooperatives serve all or part of 18 counties and two Indian Reservations in ND. Her work at Northern Plains has included extensive involvement with the Center of North America REAP Zone (A USDA-designated empowerment area) including chair of the Zone, the REAP Investment Board and the Center of North America Capital Fund, an equity investment partner in several enterprises in North Dakota. She is a founding member of the Devils Lake Region Partnership, winner of the Governor's Choice for Economic Development Professionals in 2003. Rodenbiker serves on numerous boards including the Towner County Medical Center and the Towner County Community Foundation and is past president of the North Dakota Economic Development Association of ND.

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