Rick Anderson, McLean County - Chairman
Rick Anderson serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors. He has been a member of the board since 1986 and has acted as second vice chairman, vice chairman. Originally from Neche, North Dakota, Anderson graduated from NDSU in 1966 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Economics and currently farms near Coleharbor. Agricluture has played a large part in Anderson's life as he has held distinguished positions with the McLean County and North Dakota Farm Bureau, U.S. Durum Growers Association and many other agricultureal organizations. He has also served on the Underwood school board and the McLean County ASCS County Committee.. He and his wife, Charlotte, have two children.
Norman Haak, Dickey County - Vice Chairman
Originally from South Dakota, Norm Haak now lives and farms near Oakes, North Dakota. Haak served in the United States Navy from 1961-1964; he also attended the Commercial Trades Institute. Haak has served on the Garrison Diversion board of directors since 1987, serving as chairman of the board from 1997-2000. Currently, Vice Chairman Haak is a member of the Agriculture and Natural Resources and Executive Committees. He and his wife, Arlene, owned and operated a dairy farm for 26 years. They now raise beef, grain, onions and other traditional and high value crops. The Haaks have four children and six grandchildren. Haak has been very active in his local community and church, serving on several boards.
John Leininger, Griggs County - Second Vice Chairman
John Leininger, Binford, was elected to be the Griggs County representative in 2000. He currently services as Second Vice Chairman. Leininger has worked as a farmer, rancher, teacher, general manager, marketing consultant, principal and coach. He is the president of the North Dakota Community Education Association and a board member of the National Center for State Community Education Associations, Midwest Regional Training Center for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers and North American Fish Farmers Cooperative. He received the Terry Jaycees Community Service Award and the NDSU Agriculturist Award. Leininger and his wife, Linda, have three daughters and two sons. He replaced his father, Kenneth Leininger, on the Garrison Diversion board of directors.
James Burbidge, Renville County
Jim Burbidge farms near Mohall. He attended a rural school until 8th grade and graduated from Mohall High School. He then received his diesel technician degree from the State School of Science in Wahpeton. He is a director of the Renville County Farm Bureau and served on the Renville County Water Resource District board for 12 years. Jim is a member of the District's Engineering and Operations Committee. He and his wife, Theresa, have three children.
Richard Cayko, McKenzie County
As the first board member from McKenzie County, Richard Cayko joined the board of directors in 2003. He has an extensive agricultural background and has served as a school board member, Lower Yellowstone Irrigation Project district director and Mon-Dak Sugar Beet Growers Association director, among other positions. From 1992 to 2000, Cayko was named among the top ten sugar beet producers. Cayko serves on Garrison Diversion's Recreation Committee and is also a McKenzie County Commissioner. He and his wife, Patricia, have four children.
Richard Fugleberg, Steele County
Having worked as a farmer for the past 39 years, Richard Fugleberg brings to the board many years of experience in the agricultural field. Born in Mayville, North Dakota, Fugleberg went on to graduate from Mayville State College in 1967 with a Bachelor of Science degree in business education and physical education. Fugleberg's community involvement includes his positions as a board member on the North Dakota State Seed Commission, Northern Crops Institute, Union Hospital, First and Farmers Bank, North Dakota Social Services Advisory Board and many others. His membership on the Garrison Diversion board began in 1988, serving as chairman of the board from 2001-2005. He is now a member of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. Richard and his wife, Vicki, live near Portland and have four children.
Cliff Hanretty, McHenry County
Cliff Hanretty lives and ranches in Towner. He has served as a board member for the Eaton Flood Irrigation District and as board member for the North Dakota Stockmen's Association. He also serves on Garrison Diversion's Engineering and Operations Committee. Cliff served in the U.S. Army for two years. Cliff and his wife, Mary, have three daughters.
Maynard Helgaas, Stutsman County
Maynard Helgaas, Jamestown, was elected to the board in 1998. Maynard is very active in the state and community. He serves as chairman of the Commercial Vegetable Growers of North Dakota and is a member of North Dakota Irrigation Association Board of Directors and NDSU Rural Leadership Board of Directors. He is the past President of the Equipment Dealers Foundation and has served on boards for OtterTail Power Company, Stutsman County State Bank and Midwest Agriculture Development. Maynard is also a former member of the State Board of Agriculture Research and Education (SBARE). In addition to chairing the Ag & NR Committee for Garrison Diversion, he is a member of the Executive Committee. He received his degree from NDSU in Agriculture Science. He and his wife, Julie, had seven children and eight grandchildren.
David Johnson, Benson County
Dave Johnson represents Benson County and is a member of the Recreation Committee. He lives in Minnewauken and is an insurance agent and farm equipment dealer. He has been very active in his community and has served on the Board of Directors since 1987. He and his wife, Lanna, have one son.
LeRoy Johnson, Pierce County
LeRoy Johnson assumed office as a director for the Garrison Diversion Conservancy District in 1983. A retired farmer, Johnson has been a city council member and involved in many community organizations, such as the Eagles Club and Sons of Norway. He has served on the Pierce County Economic Development Committee, the REC board and the zoning board. LeRoy currently serves on the Recreation Committee. He and his wife, Muriel, have four children.
Roger Johnson, Nelson County
Chairman, Recreation Committee
Roger Johnson is a farmer from Tolna and acts as chairman of Garrison Diversion's Recreation Committee and serves on the Executive Committe. He has been a director since 1977. Johnson has been chairman of his township and active with the Soybean Council. In addition, he participates in many church activities. He and his wife, Phoebe, have one child.
Kelly Klosterman, Richland County
Kelly Klosterman is the newest member of the Garrison Diversion board and farms near Mooreton. He has also been a member of the Richland County Soil Conservation District for 10 years. He and his wife, Mickey, have two children.
E. Ward Koeser, Williams County
Ward Koeser is a director from one of the newest counties to join the District. Ward is General Manager of Kotana Communications, Inc. and the Mayor of Williston. He is currently a Board Trustee at Oklahoma Wesleyan University and serves on Garrison Diversion's MR&I Committee. Ward has been presented with many awards, including the Army Commendation Medal in 1977. He and his wife, Joetta, have three children.
Dr. Bill Krivarchka, Traill County
Bill Krivarchka began his role as director in January 2003. A native of Dickinson, Krivarchka now lives in Mayville as a retired dentist and fromer president of the Goose River Dental Association. He is currently employed as the director of development for Mayville State University. Krivarchka serves on the Traill County Health District board and is president of Kiwanis, the Mayville Improvement Association and Our Lady of Peace Council. Bill is a member of the District's Red River Valley and Public Relations Committee. He and his wife, Heidi, have four daughters.
Jon Lindgren, Cass County
Jon Lindgren has represented Cass County on the Garrison Diversion Conservancy District since 1991. He is a former professor of Economics at North Dakota State University. Lindgren served as the Mayor of Fargo from 1978 to 1994. He serves on the Red River Valley and Public Relations Committee. Jon and his wife, Elaine, reside in Fargo.
Warren (Bud) Lyons, Ransom County
Bud Lyons is a farmer from the Lisbon area. He has served as the representative for Ransom County since 1997 and is a member of the Red River Valley and Public Relations Committee. Lyons is a director for the Sheldon Farmers Elevator and is a former Ransom County Representative on the North Dakota Wheat Commission. He and his wife, Carmen, have three children and three grandchildren.
Steve Metzger, Foster County
Steve Metzger, Carrington, North Dakota, was first appointed, and later elected, to the Garrison Diversion Board of Directors in 1983. He is a graduate of Langdon High School and North Dakota State University, where he earned undergraduate and graduate degrees. Steve is currently serving the Carrington area as a Farm Business Management instructor. Steve is a member of the District's Ag and Natural Resources Committee. He and his wife, Jane, have five children.
Harlan Opdahl, Barnes County
Chairman, Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee
Harlan Opdahl, Litchville, North Dakota, was elected to the Board of Directors in 2000. Opdahl is a retired farmer and part owner of Opdahl Motors. He served in the National Guard from 1961 to 1966. Opdahl has served as mayor of Litchville and is a Barnes County Commissioner. He is a member of Garrison Diversion's Executive Committee and chairs the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. He and his wife, Sharon, have four children and eight grandchildren.
Maurice Orn, Sargent County
Maurice Orn has represented Sargent County on the Garrison Diversion Conservancy District Board since 1992 and is a member of the MR&I Committee. He is a retired farmer and Korean War veteran. Orn is very active in the Sargent County Soil Conservation Board and has received several awards including the NDSU Agriculture Award, Sargent County Soil Conservation Achievement Award and North Dakota Association of Soil Conservation Districts Lay Person of the Year Award. He has also served as a member of the school board, American Legion and rural fire department. He and his wife, Patricia, have three sons and seven grandchildren.
John Peyerl, Ramsey County
Chairman, Engineering and Operations Committee
John Peyerl is a farmer and former school teacher from Penn. He received a major in mathematics and a minor in chemistry and accounting and has taught high school mathematics and science. He served as the township supervisor for 20 years, served on the BTR Farmers Co-op Board, Penn Fire District board and Ramsey County Farm Bureau. Peyerl has received awards such as the Ramsey County Conservation Award. John serves on Garrison Diversion's Budget and Finance Committee and is also a member of the Executive Committee. He and his wife, Dianne, have six children and eight grandchildren.
Charles Richter, Eddy County
Charlie Richter has represented Eddy County as the Director for the Garrison Diversion Conservancy District since 1968. He served as the Chairman of the Board and is currently on the Engineering and Operations Committee. Richter is a retired farmer and truck driver. Charlie has served on the school board and acted as a township supervisor. He has received serveral awards, among them the Commodore Award in 1984. He is a member of serveral community organizations, such as the Masons, Eagles and Elks. He is a native and current resident of New Rockford. Charlie and his wife, Neola, have seven children.
Kenny Rogers, Bottineau County
Kenny Rogers, a Maxbass, North Dakota, native, was elected the Bottineau County Director in 1997, and is a member of the MR&I Committee. He is a farmer and works part-time for the North Dakota Agriculture Department as a negotiator for the Agriculture Mediation program. Kenny has served on the North Central Experiment Station Board, Bottineau County Crop Improvement Association, Bottineau County NDSU Extension Advisory Board, and the Maxbass Rural Fire District Board. He and his wife, Elaine, have two children.
Ken Royse, Burleigh County
Chairman, Budget and Finance Committee
Ken Royse is Vice President at Bartlett & West Engineers, Inc. of Bismarck. He graduated from Mandan High School and then from Montana State University with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering. Throughout his career, he has worked for the State Water Commission, State Highway Department, Old West Regional Water Office and Public Service Commission. Ken belongs to various orginzations and holds various offices including: Chairman of the Burleigh County Water Resource Board, President of North Dakota Water Users Association, Executive Board member of the North Dakota Water Resource Board and Secretary of the BOMMM Joint Water Board. He is chairman of Garrison Diversion's Budget and Finance Committee. Ken and his wife, Kay, reside in Bismarck. They have three children.
Norman Rudel, Wells County
Norman Rudel was appointed to the Garrison Diversion Conservancy District Board in 1997. He is a retired farmer from Fessenden and has served on the North Dakota State Water Commission, Wells County Water Resource Board and North Dakota Water Users Association. Rudel is a member of Garrison Diversion's Engineering and Operations Committee. He is involved in the community as a director on the Wells and Sheridan County Aging Council and Fessenden Industrial Planning Committee. Rudel was also co-chairman of the Festival Hall Restoration Project in Fessenden. He and his wife, Norma, have four daughters.
Tim Schindler, Sheridan County
Tim Schindler, McClusky, was appointed as the Sheridan County Director in 1999 and is currently a member of the MR&I Committee. He has held many positions with the North Dakota Association of Soil Conservation Districts, including Sheridan County Supervisor and Director. Schindler has received serveral awards, such as the Moisture Manager of the Year Award in 1996. Tim and his wife, Delila, farm near McClusky and have two children.
Ken Vein, Grand Forks County
Chairman, Public Relations and Red River Valley Committee
Ken Vein, Grand Forks, is one of the newest members of the board being elected in 2005. He is a graduate of the University of North Dakota with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. Ken is employed by Altru Health System as the Division Administrator for Plant and Facilities. Prior to that he was the City Engineer/Public Works Director for Grand Forks for 16 years. He currently serves as a board member on the International Water Institute and Crime Stoppers and is President of the UND Letterwinner Board. Some of the awards and recognition Ken has received are Corps of Engineers Recognition of '97 Basin Flood Response Effort, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Achievement Award, North Dakota Water Wheel Award and the North Dakota Chapter of American Public Works Association President Service Award. He is a member of Garrison Diversion's Executive Committee and chairs the Public Relations and Red River Valley Committee. Ken and his wife, Debra, have two sons.
Alan Walter, Ward County
Chairman, MR&I Committee
Alan Walter has represented Ward County on the Garrison Diversion board of directors since 2002. He chairs the MR&I Committee and is a member of the Executive Committee. Walter is a civil engineer and has served the city of Minot since 1968. He became the city's Public Works Director in 1992. Walter has been involved with the North Dakota Water Association and North Dakota Water Coalition. He was appointed to the North Dakota Air Quality Board by former Governor Schafer and again by Governor Hoeven. He is also a retired member of the ND National Guard. Alan and his wife, Judy, have four children.
Dennis Wendel, LaMoure County
Dennis Wendel represents LaMoure County on the Garrison Diversion board and has held his position since 1997. He is a member of the Agriculture and Natural Resourcs Committee. Wendel is a North Dakota State Fair Board Director and president of the LaMoure ambulance squad. He has also been a 4-H leader for 30 years and received awards such as Community Volunteen of the Year. He farms and works as the owner and operator of a feed and seed plant. Dennis and his wife, Marsha, have eleven children.