Governing Board
President
Deb Gebeke works with the NDSU Extension Service. Her responsibilities include Program Leader for Nutrition and Family Consumer Sciences, Professional Development and Program Evaluation. Deb has experience as a school teacher, school counselor, college instructor, extension specialist, past Executive Director for ND Dollars for Scholars, and education consultant prior to coming to NDSU in May 2006 as Assistant Director.
Deb earned her BS, MS and MEd degrees from North Dakota State University in Education, Child Development Family Science and Guidance and Counseling. She completed her PhD in 1996 from the University of North Dakota in Secondary-Higher Education. Deb is married to Greg who farms in partnership with his two brothers in Arthur, ND. They have three grown children, Alissa, Sarah and Jenna.
Past President
Chuck Stroup is a native of Hazen, graduate of NDSU and attended grad school there as well. He was a U.S. Army officer from 1971 to 1973. After that, he went to work for the Union State Bank of Hazen and has never left. Chuck served on the North Dakota State Board of Higher Education (two years as president) and as the Director of the North Dakota Department of Economic and Finance for Governor Ed Schafer. Chuck is an original board member of Hazen Dollars for Scholars and is currently serving as financial secretary. Chuck also is a founding board member of ND Dollars for Scholars, and is currently serving as president of the board. He and his wife, Shari, have two sons, Seth and Noah.
Secretary
Lianne Rockstad is originally from the Walcott/Kindred area and is an alum of MSU Moorhead. After student teaching on an exchange program in Winnipeg, Manitoba she decided teaching was not for her! Lianne worked 23 years as a purchasing agent and manager in the oil industry in various locations in Alaska. She retired from Alaska in 1999 and built AB Art Gallery on a farm in rural Walcott. Lianne is a Board member of the Kindred DFS and has volunteered in many ways, including chair of a very successful fundraising golf tournament.
Treasurer
LaDawn Torgerson has a Bachelor of Science degree in administrative office services from Mayville State University and a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Minot State University. She has worked in public accounting for the last four years and is currently the accounting supervisor in the finance office for Minot Public Schools. LaDawn and her husband, Lynn, live in Minot along with their two daughters, Hannah and Emma. Lynn farms in Divide County near Crosby.
Janel Schmitz is the Marketing and Communications Manager for Bank of North Dakota. Janel brings nearly 30 years of non-profit experience to Dollars for Scholars, previously working for Girl Scouts of Sakakawea Council, the American Lung Association of North Dakota, and most recently as Executive Director for the American Red Cross West Dakota Chapter. She and her husband, Michael, believe in practicing a philanthropic lifestyle and support a number of youth, Christian, and service organizations.
Dennis Bense graduated from Moorhead State University. He began his Scheels career in Moorhead, MN as a part-time salesperson. After graduating from college, he worked in a retail computer business for seven months and decided to go back to Scheels full-time. He began as a salesman in Bismarck at the Arrowhead location. He transferred to Sioux Falls as an assistant manager. After training in Sioux Falls for two years, he moved to Minot to be store manager. After 13 years in Minot, Dennis moved to Bismarck to be the manager of the Kirkwood Mall store. The highlight of his career was opening the new Kirkwood location. Currently Dennis is Chairman of the Board of the North Dakota Retailers Association. His hobbies include hunting, fishing and softball.
Susan Heitkamp is an original board member of the Hankinson/Mantador
Dollars for Scholars for eight years and strongly supports its
mission. She is Director of Nursing for LTC, Home Health, and
Hospice at the St. Francis Healthcare Campus. Susan is married to
Joel Heitkamp and they have two children, Ashley and Brooke. Susan
is a solid supporter of North Dakota and education.
Brett Schafer graduated from UND with a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. Brett worked for Falkirk Mining Company for 35 years and recently retired. He was the Vice President of Falkirk Mining Company until his retirement in 2009. Brett is married to Janet and they have four children.
Sue Hendrickson is a teacher in Garrison. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from Minot State University and taught in Karlsruhe and Drake before moving to Garrison. She has taught in the elementary school there for 24 years. She has been a member of Garrison Dollars for Scholars for many years, serving as chair and on other committees. Sue is married to Dick Hendrickson, and they have three children, Andy, Aaron, and Elizabeth.
Chris Gessele was raised on a farm near Mercer, and is a past recipient of a Dollars for Scholars scholarship as a graduate of Turtle Lake-Mercer High School. He earned an Associate's degree in Biology from Bismarck State College and Bachelor's Degrees in Fisheries and Wildlife Biology and mass communications from the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks. Chris has worked for BHG, Inc. as editor of the Hazen Star in Hazen since 2007, and currently serves on the scholarship selection committee for the Hazen Area Dollars for Scholars organization.
Kristen Butler has been the Vice President of Client Services at BlackRidgeBANK since July 2008. Prior to that she was employed by a corporate bank for 11 years where her relationship building and leadership skills helped her rise through the ranks until she left to help start up BlackRidgeBANK. She was born in Bismarck, ND, but lived in Arizona off and on until moving back in 2003. She graduated from the University of Mary with an emphasis in Business. She enjoys spending time with her husband and three kids.
Lori Sayler is the Human Resources Manager at Bank of North Dakota and has been with BND for 15 years. Lori has experience working in student loans, assisting in a financial aid office, previously was State Director for ND Dollars for Scholars, and is an original board member for the local Mandan Dollars for Scholars chapter. Lori earned her BS in Management from University of Mary. Lori is married to Karlinn and has two grown children and two grandchildren.
Larry Mueller has lived in Hillsboro, ND most of his life. He graduated from NDSU with a degree in Agriculture Education. For the last 14 years he has worked for Mycogen Seeds, a division of Dow AgroSciences. Larry has a fair amount of board experience, including Hillsboro DFS for six years, the last three as president. In the time he has served, the chapter’s endowment fund has grown from $240,000 to over $1 million. Larry feels he has been blessed with a great amount of gifts, but grew up in a very modest upbringing on a family farm with seven siblings and a single parent. He fully appreciates the difference scholarships can make to a young college student. When he went to NDSU, he paid for 100% of college costs on his own without borrowing any money or receiving any grants or gifts, other than local scholarships. Larry has not forgotten what a difference a scholarship can make to a young person, and feels a great passion to do what he can to help all high school students continue on to some form of higher education. Larry and his wife, Maribeth, have three children and enjoy flying planes, motorcycles tips, summer weekends at the lake, and riding snowmobile in the winter.
Laura Entzel has worked in the financial aid industry since 2001. She has been a College Access Coordinator with Bank of North Dakota since 2006. Prior to this, she was a financial aid advisor at National American University for five years. Laura volunteers in several professional associations including Bismarck Dollars for Scholars, North Dakota Association of Financial Aid Administrators, and College Goal Sunday. She enjoys conducting financial aid presentations and assisting students gain access to higher education. Laura earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from North Dakota State University and a Master of Administrative Studies from the University of South Dakota. In her free time, Laura enjoys golfing, boating, and walking her two dogs.