Dakota Download Governor Burgum's Weekly Update - June 23, 2024

Burgum highlights progress at Governor’s Summit on Innovative Education with AI theme

Recipients named for #InnovativeND Awards

Gov. Doug Burgum on Monday kicked off the eighth annual Governor’s Summit on Innovative Education at the National Energy Center of Excellence at Bismarck State College, highlighting progress made during his administration to support and encourage innovative education practices and policies to improve student outcomes and prepare students to be choice-ready for college, careers or the military.

The theme of this year’s event was "Navigating the Future: AI's Role in Education." Keynote speakers and breakout sessions focused on empowering educators to use AI as a tool to transform the classroom and addressed the challenges that accompany the technology.

In his keynote address, Burgum outlined the innovative policies and programs adopted during the past eight years to provide school districts with flexibility to enhance student-centered, personalized learning, including innovative education waivers, Graduation Pathways and a first-in-the-nation choice ready framework; significant investments in career academies, early childhood education including Best in Class grant awards, and behavioral health; and the creation of the K-12 Coordination Council as recommended by the Innovative Education Task Force created by Burgum in 2017.

“With great support from our legislators, we have driven a lot of change to help our students be choice ready,” Burgum said, encouraging more school districts to utilize the innovative education tools available. “What we’ve done is try to cut the red tape so that innovation can thrive. We’ve laid a foundation for fostering this innovation, and we should be really celebrating how this working as one has created positive change, because we believe in innovation over regulation.”

Keynote speakers included:

• Pat Yongpradit, the chief academic officer for Code.org who is now leading TeachAI, a global initiative to provide guidance on integrating AI in education.
• Matt Kirchner, host of the weekly TechEd Podcast and president of ATS/LAB Midwest, a leading distributor of world-class curriculum, eLearning and training equipment.
• Melody Schopp, director of education industry consulting at North Carolina-based data and AI provider SAS and a former classroom teacher and South Dakota Secretary of Education from 2011 to 2017.

The governor also announced recipients of the #InnovativeND Awards throughout the day. The categories and recipients are:

• Frontline Innovation – Leah Wheeling, physical education teacher at Bismarck Public Schools, for using purposeful physical activity to transform students’ ability to engage in the classroom and lead a healthy lifestyle in and out of school. She hosts morning activity time for her students and has planned fundraisers for equipment needs, hosted opportunities for family fun nights, and even coordinated game bags that families can bring home to spend quality time together.
• Collaborative Culture – The North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (DPI), for continuing to seek out new learning, models, grants and external partners that create an incubator of thoughts and ideas. The agency also has prioritized listening to those in the field and building relationships through several cabinets, including the Student Cabinet, and fulfilling its commitment to the values of “Building Relationships, Cultivating Opportunity and Inspiring Growth.”
• System Transformation – The North Dakota Personalized, Competency-Based Learning cohort, comprised of Oakes Public Schools, the Marmot School, Northern Cass Public Schools, West Fargo Public Schools and DPI. This multi-year commitment from four school districts served as an incubator to focus on the individual strengths, needs and interests of learners in order to graduate all students choice ready.
• Student Leadership – Susie Schug, a senior at Williston High School, who, with her mother, founded a FIRST Lego League Robotics program seven years ago, which has grown to over 40 students on four teams. Schug also co-founded the nonprofit Williston Robotics, which provides kids ages 9-18 opportunities to compete in robotics competitions, offers summer camps for kids ages 6-16 to explore and enhance their robotics and STEM skills, organizes Hour of Code events and competes in the statewide cybersecurity competition.
• Pathways Innovation – Colleen Daley, who oversees the district career exploration plan for K-12 and provides direct career services to grades 9-12 for Beulah Public Schools, for emphasizing choice-ready pathways. She has utilized many career programs such as job shadowing, RU Ready, EverFi, grade-level college campus and industry tours, job fairs, senior mock job interviews, and free college application day, and also hosted various parent presentations for financial aid and behavioral health topics and staff presentations for career-ready classes and work-based learning.

Burgum appoints Donald Campbell, Maxwell Eriksrud to North Dakota Board of Higher Education

Gov. Doug Burgum has appointed human resources executive Donald “D.J.” Campbell of Mandan to a four-year term on the state Board of Higher Education starting July 1, and University of North Dakota student Maxwell Eriksrud to a one-year term as the board’s student member.

Campbell has served as a vice president and chief human resources officer for Sanford Health since 2020, overseeing all aspects of human resources for the regional health care organization’s Bismarck market, which encompasses 3,800 employees, as well as developing statewide strategies around workforce development. He also is a member of Sanford Health’s HR executive team, which oversees human resources for nearly 45,000 employees spanning 26 states. Campbell previously served as a manager/human resources business partner.

Campbell attended Bismarck State College and earned a bachelor’s degree and master of business administration degree from Minneapolis-based Capella University. He serves on the North Dakota Workforce Development Council, TrainND Advisory Council and Workforce Policy Committee of the Greater North Dakota Chamber.

“With his strong background in business, human resources and workforce recruitment from all 11 of our public institutions of higher education, D.J. Campbell will bring valuable experience to the Board’s efforts to ensure that our university system is providing quality education, meeting workforce demands and adapting to the powerful demographic, economic, cultural and technological forces affecting higher education,” Burgum said. “We deeply appreciate D.J. and all of the candidates who demonstrated their passion for higher education in our state.”

Campbell will succeed board member John Warford of Bismarck, who declined to seek reappointment to a second term. Campbell’s appointment is subject to confirmation by the North Dakota Senate when the state Legislature convenes in early 2025.

Eriksrud is double majoring in accountancy and entrepreneurship with minors in chemistry and biology, and has an expected graduation date of May 2026. He currently serves as a student ambassador and an off campus senator for UND Student Government. He grew up in Chaska, Minn., and in the summers helped his uncle and grandfather on the family farm near Scranton, N.D. He also is the managing director of finance for Dakota Venture Group, a student-run venture capital fund with $2.4 million of investments, as well as vice president of the Men’s Soccer Club and a member of the UND Jazz Band.

“Maxwell’s financial acumen and engagement in many areas of student life will bring valuable insight to the board as campuses continue to experience rapid change with the shifting demographics, culture and economics of higher education,” Burgum said. “We look forward to his leadership as he represents his peers at North Dakota’s public colleges and universities.”

Eriksrud was among three students nominated for the seat by the North Dakota Student Association as required by the North Dakota Constitution.

The Board of Higher Education has eight voting members appointed by the governor, including one student member, and two non-voting members who represent the North Dakota University System’s faculty and staff. The board oversees the system’s 11 public colleges and universities.

Burgum selects Brig. Gen. Mitchell Johnson to serve as adjutant general of North Dakota National Guard

Gov. Burgum has selected Brig. Gen. Mitchell R. Johnson to serve as the next adjutant general of the North Dakota National Guard and director of the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services, effective Sept. 15. Johnson will succeed Maj. Gen. Alan Dohrmann, who will retire after nearly nine years as adjutant general and more than 40 years of military service.

Johnson most recently served as commander of the Fargo-based 119th Wing of the North Dakota Air National Guard from March 2021 to January 2024, where he led nearly 1,200 personnel whose missions include flying MQ-9 Reaper aircraft, providing intelligence and targeting, accomplishing expeditionary support functions, and ensuring missile field security at Minot Air Force Base. Johnson previously served as vice commander of the wing, nicknamed the “Happy Hooligans,” from August 2018 to March 2021 and in various other command and flying roles in Fargo, Florida, Oklahoma and Arkansas since 1998.

“Brig. Gen. Mitch Johnson has demonstrated exceptional leadership during his 12 years of active duty in the Air Force and 15 years in the National Guard, and he will serve our state and its citizens incredibly well as the 22nd adjutant general in North Dakota history,” Burgum said. “Throughout his impressive career with the Happy Hooligans and his experience with the latest military technology, he has witnessed firsthand how the National Guard has evolved from a strategic reserve into an operational force with 24/7 missions around the world, while still fulfilling its important missions here at home. Under Brig. Gen. Johnson’s leadership, our National Guard and Department of Emergency Services will continue to play an important role in national security as we strive to empower people, improve lives and inspire success.”

Johnson was commissioned in May 1997 through the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) at Michigan Tech University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. He earned a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs and is a graduate of Squadron Officer School, Air Command and Staff College, and the Air War College. He has commanded at the wing, group and squadron levels and has flown tactical airlift, special operations attack and remotely piloted aircraft worldwide, accruing over 5,000 flight hours – including over 1,000 combat hours. He has served overseas on six deployments.

As adjutant general, Johnson will lead the North Dakota National Guard, which currently has approximately 4,200 service members and facilities in 13 communities, while also continuing to build and maintain strong relationships with the Air Force bases in Grand Forks and Minot.

“It’s a tremendous honor to be selected to serve as North Dakota’s adjutant general, and I am grateful to Gov. Burgum for this opportunity and for his leadership as commander-in-chief of the North Dakota National Guard,” Johnson said. “I look forward to serving the citizens of North Dakota and building on Maj. Gen. Dohrmann’s outstanding record of leadership, knowing that our National Guard soldiers and airmen and Department of Emergency Services personnel are highly capable, well-trained and well-prepared for any challenge that comes our way.”

Burgum again expressed his deep gratitude for Dohrmann’s more than four decades of dedicated military service to North Dakota and the nation and wished him all the best in retirement.

Agenda finalized for sixth Strengthening Government to Government (G2G) Conference

Free event scheduled for June 25-26 at Bismarck Event Center

The agenda for the sixth Strengthening Government to Government (G2G) Conference on June 25-26 at the Bismarck Event Center has been finalized and registration remains open for the event.

The two-day conference brings together tribal leaders and elders, state agency leaders and staff, statewide elected officials, local leaders, federal officials and legislators and is hosted by the North Dakota Indian Affairs Commission office, led by Executive Director Brad Hawk. Gov. Doug Burgum and First Lady Kathryn Burgum are expected to deliver remarks June 25 starting at around 9:15 a.m.

Topics for this year’s conference will include tribal tourism, food sovereignty, autonomy and AI, workforce, tribal health, cybersecurity, behavioral health, law enforcement, missing and murdered indigenous persons, and youth leadership.

Tribal leaders also will give updates from the five tribal nations with whom North Dakota shares geography: the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara (MHA) Nation, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, Spirit Lake Nation and Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate.

The conference is free and open to the public. To register, visit the Indian Affairs Commission website below.