kae mcneil
Kae is married to Michael Kwasniewski and has been involved with various community boards such as Education Assistance Corporation, Aberdeen Development Corporation, Aberdeen Area Chamber of Commerce, Northern State University Foundation, and Avera St. Luke’s Home/Hospice to name a few.

Kae has a Bachelor of Science degree from South Dakota State University.

Kae has previous job experience with SD Job Service, Mutual Of Omaha- Claims Center, and Avera St. Luke’s. Currently Kae works at US Bank as a Business Development Officer, and serves on the Board of Directors of Education Assistance Corporation and is Chair of the Board of Directors for SCORE ( Counselors to America’s Small Business) branch in Aberdeen.

Dr. James M. smith was selected as the sixteenth President of Northern State University, by the South Dakota Board of Regents, on December 17, 2008. Concomitantly, he assumed his duties as President of NSU on July 1, 2009. Dr. Smith had most recently been serving as Vice President for Economic Development at Bowling Green State University. As VP for Economic Development, Smith was charged with developing relationships, both internally and externally, that benefited BGSU, the region, and the State of Ohio with overall economic enhancement. Prior to his vice presidential appointment, Dr. Smith served as Dean of BGSU Firelands, the only regional campus of Bowling Green State University. Dr. Smith is a veteran organizational leader, with experience leading educational institutions at both the K-12 and post secondary levels. During Dr. Smith’s tenure at BGSU Firelands, overall enrollment increased by more than 30%. Additionally, an $8,000,000 facility was added to the building inventory at the Firelands campus during Smith’s tenure. That facility, the Cedar Point Center, is the most technologically sophisticated building that Bowling Green State University has ever erected. As a distance education and conference/convention center, technological installations in the Cedar Point Center include two-way video connections, Smart Boards for each classroom, a computer café, and video production and delivery facility, and numerous “high tech” upgrades not typically found on a university campus.

Prior to joining the senior administrative team at BGSU, Dr. Smith was Dean of the School of Education at Indiana University South Bend. As Dean of Education, Smith was charged with leading the largest degree-granting unit on the South Bend campus – nearly 1,300 majors and 100 faculty were part of the IUSB School of Education.

President Smith has also served in administrative capacities at West Texas A&M University and Butler University. Prior to entering university administration, Dr. Smith was a public school administrator in Central and Southwestern Ohio. Jim’s research and teaching interests have focused, primarily, on school reform, school reorganization, and the negative impacts of high stakes testing for at-risk youth.  As the author of myriad publications, Dr. Smith continues to lecture and publish scholarly findings targeted toward overall school improvement and school reform.

Although the recipient of many community and organizational awards, Jim considers the West Texas A&M University Distinguished Teaching Award as his most cherished honor. This award, granted by former Texas A& M University Chancellor, Barry B. Thompson, holds significant importance to Dr. Smith because it was presented via a series of nominations made by students he had worked with at the graduate centers in Canyon and Amarillo, Texas.

Karelyn farrand is the South Dakota 4-H CHARACTER COUNTS! Project Leader and the 4-H CHARACTER COUNTS! Regional Coordinator in the north district, for the South Dakota State University Cooperative Extension Service.  In 1999 Karelyn was nationally trained by the Josephson Institute of Ethics in CHARACTER COUNTS! which is a national character education project founded by Michael Josephson.  As Regional Coordinator, Karelyn travels 23 counties in north central South Dakota teaching and training youth and adults about CHARACTER COUNTS!  The main goal of Karelyn’s job is to develop CHARACTER COUNTS! Coalitions and to educate people how to become a person of character. 

A native of South Dakota, Karelyn has a BS degree in Family Consumer Science Education with minors in Textiles and Consumerism.  She has worked for SDSU as an Extension Educator, for the Department of Health, for the South Dakota Wheat Commission and has owned and operated a home-based business.  Her career goal has always been to help the people of her state better themselves by providing quality, timely information to make the best better. 

Stan vinson joined the Northern State University (NSU) Business School faculty fall term in 2006. During his time at NSU he has helped design the curriculum, promote and teach classes in a new Business School major, Banking and Financial Services. This major which educates and trains undergraduates to become leaders in the financial services industry, has grown students rapidly and now, in addition to the four year program, offers a two year degree, a minor in the subject and on-line classes toward completion of the major.

Along with teaching and program development assignments he has started researching and writing on both leadership and financial service topics. This includes commentaries written for newspapers and as a co-author of a presented paper on internet banking - An empirical study of adoption rates among Midwest community banks. In spring 2008 he received the William G. Marshall Research Grant and recently completed the grant paper on - Leadership Development in Financial Institutions in South Dakota; A Slow Growth State.

In addition to his work as an academic, he has senior level experience as a practicing professional. This includes 18 years as a commercial banker for a money center bank and seven years as a senior officer and Treasurer for a multi-national Fortune 500 company. As a practicing professional he has had experience in leading and managing financings exceeding $1 billion, been involved in multiple mergers and acquisitions and has international experience – having worked and traveled extensively in Asia, Europe, South America and Canada.

He earned his Bachelor of Science in Economics from Southern Oregon University, Ashland, Oregon, and an MBA from Willamette University, Salem Oregon. He is currently PhD (ABD) in Leadership and Change from Antioch University in Yellow Springs, Ohio and is anticipating completing that degree in 2010.

travis schaunaman, principal and founder of Production Monkeys, is an accomplished designer and marketing specialist. With over ten years of experience in the field of advertising, Schaunaman has helped to launch numerous branding campaigns locally and nation wide. Along with a knack for design he also possesses a deeply rooted entrepreneurial spirit, which has earned him praise for bringing unique design, concepting and marketing into the Aberdeen community.

Schaunaman graduated from Brown College in Minneapolis in 2002 with a degree in visual design. After graduating, he moved to the Aberdeen area and started planning his venture into the world of business. He opened Production Monkeys in 2007 and quickly grew the business from one employee to three. Currently Production Monkeys has an impressive client list of over 60 businesses, volunteer organizations, and non-profit groups. Schaunaman and his team of associates are responsible for branding and rebranding such companies and organizations as Marketing Architects, Aberdeen Area Arts Council, Aberdeen Area Diversity Committee, HKG Architects and the Aberdeen Area Chamber of Commerce.

Aside from designing and marketing, Schaunaman is active in the entrepreneurial and professional community, currently as an active member of the Aberdeen Young Professionals and Aberdeen Chamber Diplomats. 

don meyer is Northern State University’s 20th head men’s basketball coach.

He is currently the most winningest active coach in any division in NCAA history. Despite being seriously injured in a car accident last September, and later learning of an inoperable cancer diagnosis Meyer continues to lead the Wolves as head coach and train others through camps and clinics across the country. In July he was named the winner of the Jimmy V award at the ESPN ESPYS.

The Wayne, Neb. native attended the University of Northern Colorado and graduated in 1967 majoring in physical education and minoring in English. Meyer began his coaching career at Western State (Colo.) where he was an assistant from 1968-70. From there he went to the University of Utah where he served as an assistant basketball coach from 1970-72 and earned a Ph.D. Meyer has been married to his wife Carmen for 41 years. The couple have three children and eight grandchildren.

Tina and Peter Andrew

Jim barringer is the Executive Vice President of Aberdeen Development Corporation.

He is a native of New Jersey and a 1974 graduate of Rider College, in Trenton, New Jersey, with a B.S. in accounting. He began his career with Bethlehem Steel Corporation in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. After twelve (12) years in numerous accounting positions in Minnesota, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky, Jim choose to resign his position on 10/01/1986. He assumed his current position in Aberdeen. Jim and his wife, Gloria, have two sons, Gregory and Michael.

Jim is Involved in economic development and job creation for the northeast region of the State of South Dakota, and particularly for the Brown County/City of Aberdeen area. Joined the Aberdeen Development Corporation in October, 1986.

The position carries the responsibility for planning, consulting and coordinating a program designed to promote economic growth in the Aberdeen area. Also, the Executive Vice President must possess knowledge of loan packaging, grant writing, marketing/promotional skills, industry attraction and retention skills. The work includes designing and implementing an overall business attraction program, research and analysis of the situations, and land use planning.

Previous employment for over twelve years was within the Bethlehem Mines Corporation, a subsidiary of Bethlehem Steel Corporation. Positions held were in the accounting field, ranging from Management Accounting Trainee in the Home Office in Pennsylvania, to Cost Analyst, and finally as Mine Controller in Jenkins, Kentucky. Resignation from the position at Bethlehem was tendered in order to accept a new, challenging career in industrial development in Aberdeen, South Dakota.