Taking care of business.
The members of the Traill County EDC Board of Directors are appointed by the Traill County Commission and represent various areas throughout the county.
Gary Nysveen, Chair, Hillsboro Representative
Gary Nysveen represents the City of Hillsboro on the TCEDC Board of Directors. He grew up on his family farm in rural Cummings, N.D., where he and his wife, Judy, currently reside. In 2005, Gary and Judy opened Hillsboro Cooling Heating Refrigeration, which later became Envirotech. Gary received a certificate in heating and cooling Service and HVAC layout and design from North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton. He has more than 35 years of experience in HVAC. He is a certificate member and past president of both the Refrigeration Service Engineers Society (Red River Chapter – Fargo) and the Upper Midwest Regional Association of Refrigeration Service Engineers Society. He is a former president of the Hillsboro Business Association and a member of the Hillsboro Economic Development Corporation. He also is a deacon at Norway Lutheran Church and a longtime supporter of the North Dakota Special Olympics. He is a graduate of Hillsboro Public School, where he was involved in sports, FFA and 4-H. He enjoys golfing, fishing and watching high school and North Dakota college sports. He and Judy have three daughters and three grandchildren. They raise assorted animals, including cattle, on their farm. Reach Gary at (701) 430-1003 or hchr@rrv.net .
Scott Hovde, Vice Chair, Portland Representative
Scott Hovde is a Loan Officer with The Goose River Bank in Mayville and also farms west of Portland. He was appointed to TCEDC in 2011. A Traill County native, Scott was raised on a rural Portland farm, graduating from MayPort-CG High School. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in ag systems management and a Master’s in agribusiness and applied economics, both from NDSU. He previously was employed as a banker in Grafton, N.D., before returning to live in Portland. Scott enjoys sporting events and outdoor activities and is a member of Ebenezer Lutheran Brethren Church. Scott and his wife, Meghan, live in Portland.
Sarah Lovas, Treasurer, Director-at-Large
Sarah was appointed to the Traill County EDC Board of Directors in January 2020. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in ag systems management with a minor in plant sciences and music, with a Master’s of Science in soil science. She and her husband, Jason, and son, Axel, live in Hillsboro, where she works as an agronomist, independent crop consultant and farmer. Sarah also is involved with Hillsboro Kiwanis, the North Dakota State Board of Agricultural Research and Education, the North Dakota Certified Crop Advisor Board and the Traill County Farm Bureau. She enjoys music in her spare time.
Roxanne Phipps, Past Chair, Hatton Representative
Roxanne Phipps is the representative for the City of Hatton on the TCEDC board, and she joined TCEDC in 2012. Roxanne grew up in New Town, N.D. and earned her Bachelor’s degree in business administration from Minot (N.D.) State University. She is married with two children and lives in Hatton, working as Business Manager at Hatton Eielson Public School. She previously traveled with her husband while he served in the U.S. Air Force and experienced living in Portsmouth, N.H., Azores Island, Portugal, Mountain Home, Idaho and the Grand Forks (N.D.) AFB. During times of relocation, she worked at various entities. Roxanne serves on the St. John. Lutheran Church Mission Endowment committee. Her hobbies include golfing, scrapbooking and spending time with her family. You can contact her at Roxanne.Phipps@k12.nd.us .
Ben Hershey, Director, Buxton Representative
Ben Hershey is the Associate VP of Weather Services Operations for Iteris, Inc. located in Grand Forks. He has served on the TCEDC board since 2015. Ben is from the Minneapolis area and moved to Grand Forks in 2000 to pursue a degree in atmospheric sciences from the University of North Dakota. He completed his undergraduate work in 2004 and continued on to receive his Master’s in atmospheric sciences from UND in 2007. Ben currently resides in Buxton with his wife and children and is an active member within the community. He currently is president of Buxton Improvement Group (BIG), assistant fire chief for the Buxton Fire Department and serves as a community member on the CTE Advisory Committee at Central Valley School. You can contact him at ben.hershey81@gmail.com .
Kurt Elliott, Director, Traill County Commission Representative
Kurt Elliott of Blanchard represents District 2 on the Traill County Commission, where he serves as vice chair. Kurt is a graduate of Clifford-Galesburg High School and later received his Bachelor of Science degree in ag economics from North Dakota State University. Aside from serving on the Traill County EDC board of directors and the county commission, he also serves on the board of directors for AgCountry Farm Credit Services, Lake Agassiz Regional Development and Traill United Group. He and his wife, Cheryl, farm and raise livestock near Blanchard. They have three children – Chase, Dani and Levi – and a grandson, Bridger. In his spare time, Kurt enjoys spending time with his cattle, his friends and his grandson.
Ken Nesvig, Director, Traill County Commission Representative
Ken Nesvig of rural Buxton represents the Traill County Commission on the TCEDC board. He represents District 3, consisting of the following Townships – Belmont, Bingham, Buxton, Caledonia, Eldorado, Ervin, Herberg, Hillsboro, Stavanger, Wold; all of Buxton City; and all that part of Reynolds City located in Traill County. You can contact him at ken.nesvig@co.traill.nd.us .
Cassie Braaten, Director, Mayville Representative
Cassie is a native of Mayville and is a graduate of May-Port CG High School. She has eight years of real estate experience with five of them being broker/owner. She lives in rural Mayville and is passionate about promoting positive community and economic growth in our small towns.
David Knudsvig, Director, Townships Representative
David Knudsvig, a farmer and rancher from rural Buxton was appointed to the board starting in January of 2020. He received his Bachelor’s degree in secondary education and industrial technology from the University of North Dakota, and says he’s glad to be in Traill County because it’s a great place to live. David is very active in the area, serving on the board of Valley United Co-op, Central Valley School Board, Buxton Fire Department and Traill County Soils Committee, and also is a Buxton Township supervisor. His wife, Erica, is a flight attendant for United Airlines and the couple has a daughter, Ellie, who is a sophomore at Central Valley School and a son, Jack, who is a seventh-grader at Central Valley. In his spare time, David enjoys farming and ranching, golf and helping others with their projects – except the ones his wife wants done. You can reach him at dksgcowboy@gmail.com .
Dr. Brian Van Horn, Director, Mayville State University Representative
Dr. Brian Horn was appointed to represent Mayville State University on the TCEDC Board of Directors in January 2020. Brian became the president of Mayville State University on July 1, 2018, previously serving as the associate provost and dean at Murray State University, Murray, Ky. Coming from a rural background, he understands the challenges faced in meeting critical workforce needs. A native of Benton, Ill., Brian graduated from Benton Consolidated High School before beginning college at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, where he played baseball. He then transferred to Murray State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Public Administration. He later earned a doctorate degree in leadership and policy studies from the University of Memphis. Brian lives on a farm outside of Mayville and has two children, Will and Ella.