Gary R. Fish is the President of the South Dakota Wind Energy Association. Gary is an energy executive with nearly 40 years of experience.  Gary is currently the owner and founder of Parkview Energy Partners LLC, an asset management and advisory firm focused on the clean energy space.  Gary is also a founding shareholder of RENEW Energy Inc, which is one of the largest independent wind turbine service companies in the US. Gary served 10 years as CFO for RENEW and currently serves on its Board of Directors.  Gary also serves on the Board of Directors of Sioux Valley Energy, the largest electric distribution cooperative in South Dakota.  Gary is also a partner in COAXIS Energy Company, a holding company that is focused on the distribution of liquefied natural gas in the upper Midwest. Gary’s other experience includes serving as Vice President and Treasurer of Cedar American Rail Holdings, the largest regional railroad in North America, for 8 years with a focus on building a new rail line into the Powder River Basin coal fields.  Gary also served in several financial and corporate development executive positions with Black Hills Corporation (NYSE-BKH) for 15 years in Rapid City, South Dakota.  Gary is a CPA and began his career with RSM, a national accounting firm in Gillette, Wyoming. He is a University of South Dakota graduate.  Gary is married to his wife Barb, and they reside in Brandon, SD.  They have two adult children.

Chris Studer serves as the Chief Member and Public Relations Officer for East River Electric Power Cooperative, a wholesale power supplier to 24 distribution cooperative distribution systems and one municipal electric system located throughout eastern South Dakota and parts of western Minnesota. Studer has been with the cooperative since 2013 and leads the cooperative’s Member Services Division consisting of internal and external communications, marketing and government relations. East River Electric and its member systems were instrumental in the formation of the South Dakota Wind Energy Association and continue to play an active role in promoting wind energy as part of a diverse generation mix. 

Prior to working for East River Electric, Studer worked in communications, marketing and government affairs for a statewide agriculture organization. He previously worked as a news reporter and anchor for a Sioux Falls television station. 

A native of Brainerd, Minnesota, Studer graduated from South Dakota State University with degrees in mass communication and political science.

Toby Crow has served as the Executive Vice President of the Associated General Contractors of South Dakota since March of 2006 and has served on the AGC of America Executive Leadership Council Board since 2012. Prior to joining the AGC, Toby worked for two consulting engineering companies in Illinois, Maryland & Canada and was the Executive Vice President of the South Dakota Chapter of the American Concrete Pavement Association. Prior to this time, Toby spent 10 years with the South Dakota Department of Transportation as the State Pavement Management Engineer. 

Toby naturally chose the construction industry for his professional career because he grew up on South Dakota’s highways as his dad was a bridge builder.  Toby received his B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology and is a registered professional engineer.  Toby and his wife Elizabeth (Liz) are the proud parents of five (5) children and four (4) grandchildren.

Born and raised in South Dakota, Hammerbeck is well versed in the storied history of cooperative principles. Hammerbeck started with Rushmore Communication, a division of Rushmore Electric, in 2000 as a technician. After a promotion to a systems analyst for Rushmore Electric, Hammerbeck was eventually chosen to be the Operations Manager for all of Rushmore Electric.

Doug Sombke is a Conde, South Dakota, fourth generational farmer that has a profound passion for agriculture and family farms. As an agriculture producer, Doug farms corn, soybeans, with various small grain rotations and raises cattle. In Doug’s role as President of South Dakota Farmers Union, since 2005, his leadership and determination have helped thousands of farmers and ranchers have a strong voice at the State and Federal level. In 2017, Mr. Sombke was elected President of Farmers Union Enterprises, an organization that owns several agribusinesses whose profits help fund the operations of the five state Farmers Union organizations as well as National Farmers Union, where he also serves on the Executive Board. 

Steve Willard owns Willard and Associates, an Association Management Company in Pierre. He is the Executive Director of the SD Electric Utility Companies, an Association of the 6 investor-owned electric and gas utilities serving South Dakota. He is also the President of the SD Broadcasters Association which represents the State’s TV and radio stations. WA provides administrative, financial, and advocacy services for those two groups. He has been a lobbyist since 1990. Other lobby clients include the firefighters and petroleum.

Over his career, Willard has worked as an executive or lobbyist for many other South Dakota associations including the: Life Underwriters, Professional Insurance Agents, Funeral Directors, Innkeepers, Beef Council, Oilseeds Council, Board of Dentistry, Cattlemen, Bottlers, Police Chiefs, Sheriffs, Psychologists, Veterinarians, Tyson Foods, Adjustment Training Centers, and the Short Grass and SD Arts Council. 

He has chaired or co-chaired multiple statewide initiated measures or referendums. He has been a Governor and Mayor’s appointee to several task forces. He is a member of the Pierre Economic Development group and Pierre Chamber for whom he moderates the candidate and issue debates. He is a past board member of Habitat for Humanity and also the Pierre Players, Pierre’s community theatre group.

He was part of a trio that built and sold MNWireless, a high speed wireless internet company providing service throughout central South Dakota. He is co-owner of Marshall Johns Beef, a certified beef company in Hudson, SD and a partner in KXLG radio in Watertown. 

Steve was born in South Dakota and is a graduate of the University of South Dakota. He and Marla have been married 40+ years with 2 grown children and 5 grandkids.

Steven Hansen is a farmer/rancher in eastern South Dakota. He has server H-D Electric Coop as a director for 32 years. In that position he provides direction to Coop staff to ensure that their member/owners have access to a safe and reliable electrical service. He represents his Coop on the South Dakota Rural Electric Association (SDREA) board. SDREA provides legislative and safety services to all electric coops in South Dakota. In response to the members concerns to bring more renewable electrical generation into the states portfoilo, SDREA became and remains involved with the SDWEA. Mr. Hansen was elected to serve as SDREA’s representative on the SDWEA board. He has also served on local community boards as well as 16 years on the board of directors for Minnesota Soybean Processors. Steven has a bachelors degree in Mechanized Agriculture from SDSU.

Yannick Laroche is Production Manager for Marmen Energy located in Brandon, SD.  Marmen manufactures utility scale wind tower for different wind turbine OEMs and is considered one of the largest manufacturers of wind towers in North America.  He started his career for Marmen in 2006 as an engineer, working at their two facilities located in Quebec, Canada. Laroche moved in South Dakota in 2013 to start the operation of Marmen Energy’s latest plant. Laroche holds a degree in Physics Engineering and an MBA from Laval University in Quebec, Canada. He actively serves on different boards and he is proud to have contributed to the growth and development of the wind industry in the region.  

Nick has been with Dakota Riggers since 1999.  Dakota Riggers is a distributor of fall protection, lifting slings and misc. tools for the renewable, construction, and utilities sectors.  

Nick has served on multiple vendor Dealer Advisory boards and is a Past President for Associated Wire Rope Fabricators.

He lives in Sioux Falls with his wife Sheila.  They have 3 adult children. In his free time, he enjoys playing golf and spending time at the lake.

Adam is currently the Wind Energy Specialist working for the Timken Company and is currently located in the Dalla, Texas area.  In his current role, he focuses on supporting owners and operators manage their mechanical drivetrain components.  He started his career with Timken in 2018 as a Territory Sales Engineer in Eastern Iowa.  Prior to working for Timken, Adam got his Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Missouri Science and Technology where he also played on the university football team and lettered all 4 years.

In her role as Vice President at Lockton, Jess brings nearly two decades of experience in the healthcare industry to providing focused solutions that meet the unique needs of large, complex, and multi-location employers. Jess reviews, develops, improves, and manages employee benefits strategies. Her ability to increase value for her clients and their employees is her superpower.

As a respected leader with a commitment to serve this state’s cooperatives, Mark was elected by the members of South Dakota’s electric cooperatives as the state’s representative on the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association board in 2006. In this position, Mark served on a variety of committees dedicated to perfecting cooperatives, assisted in reconstructing rural electric safety and developed a new safety program for cooperatives.

Ron Kaaz is a member of the Northern Electric Board of Directors. He is a retired 3M engineer and has served on his local township board, the Aberdeen School Board, and is currently the president-elect of the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Council in Aberdeen.

Kaaz grew up in Leola and attended Northern State University where he played football and threw shot put and discus for the track and field team. After he graduated from NSU, Kaaz moved to Platte, South Dakota, with his wife Carla where he taught middle school math. After spending four years teaching, Kaaz moved back to Aberdeen and was hired by 3M. He went through an in-house engineering program with 3M and worked as a mechanical engineer in a department that made industrial adhesives. Kaaz retired from 3M in 2010.

When Kaaz is not serving on local boards, the retired engineer spends his time operating the Foote Creek Bed and Breakfast which he owns with his wife Carla near Richmond Lake in rural Aberdeen.

The couple opened the business in 2001 and can host up to eight guests in four bedrooms. In the fall, Kaaz says the Foote Creek Bed and Breakfast partners with Pheasant Country Hunts to fill their guestrooms with hunters who travel to the area. Kaaz has also taken up pheasant hunting and enjoys getting out in the field with his black lab Coda. Ron and Carla Kaaz also have two adult children and three grandchildren.

Matt Klein has served as General Manager for Union County Electric Cooperative in Elk Point, South Dakota since 2015. He has over 20 years of experience in the utility industry and enjoys working for the member/owners of the Cooperative. During his tenure with Union County Electric, Matt has overseen the implementation of several technical systems to help improve operational efficiency and system reliability. 

Prior to joining Union County Electric, Matt has worked for non-profit organizations, municipal utilities, and fortune 500 companies. His roles have been directed towards overseeing the organization’s technology assets and ensuring regulatory compliance. During his career, he has served on city councils, the board of directors for waste management organization, and has sat on multiple economic development boards. 

Matt and his wife Alyson live in Elk Point, SD and are proud parents of two children and two grandchildren. 

Justin Pickar is a professional in the renewable energy sector and serves as Senior Director of Origination at National Grid Renewables (fka Geronimo Energy). With a passion for sustainability, Justin has been instrumental in driving the company’s mission to accelerate the transition to a clean energy future for nearly two decades.  

Throughout his career, Justin has demonstrated exceptional leadership and vision in navigating the complexities of renewable energy development and originating renewable energy contracts. He brings a unique blend of strategic insight and technical expertise to his role, ensuring that National Grid Renewables remains at the forefront of innovation in the renewable energy landscape.

Prior to joining National Grid Renewables, Justin provided corporate development support to businesses ranging in size from Fortunate 500 to five employees, eventually starting and managing his own consulting firm, EHFAR, LLC, assisting small business in the areas of development, marketing, and public relations. Justin’s pride is in his hometown, Wimbledon, North Dakota and in his rural, agricultural, roots. His passion and commitment to sustainability has enabled him to forge strategic partnerships and deliver impactful solutions that drive both environmental and economic benefits to farmers, ranchers and rural America.

Outside of his professional endeavors, Justin is an advocate for environmental stewardship and is actively involved in promoting renewable energy adoption. Justin currently lives in the Black Hills, South Dakota and commutes frequently to Minnesota to see family, friends and visit the National Grid Renewables headquarters in Bloomington, Minnesota.

Mark Mauersberger (Brookfield Renewable U.S.) has over a decade of renewable energy experience, including: wind, solar, and energy storage.

Having closed numerous projects, exceeding 1,500MW in capacity (throughout the Midwest and Plains states), Mark consistently sees his own energy projects providing “net benefits” to their host communities.

Mark holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Ohio University where he was a student athlete.

He resides in St. Michael, MN with his wife Tina and three children. Mark and Tina are very active in their local community but also enjoy traveling abroad to explore different cultures.

Mark enjoys outdoor activities (including boating, hunting, fishing, and kayaking………to name just a few) and is excited to pair his passion for taking on challenges with his service to the SDWEA board.

Dean’s career managing land and natural resources, as well as his interest in renewable energy around the globe, began with a childhood spent on his family’s Hill Country ranch in Texas. Dean started working with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Lander, Wyoming, following his degree from Texas A&M and military service. Dean led the way for helping the BLM evolve into the multiple use management agency that it is now. Dean assisted the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Geneva to establish the Interim Secretariat for the Convention on Biological Diversity. He served as United States Chairman for Biosphere Reserves and later on a Global Commission with UNESCO. His honors include receiving the rank of Distinguished Executive from three Presidents as well as the Secretary of Interior’s Meritorious and Distinguished Service Awards and the Lifetime Service Award by the Public Lands Foundation. In addition to SDWEA, he currently serves on several national and local organizations. 

Dean and his wife Dixie have three adult children and two grandsons. They raise mostly wheat, corn, sunflowers and soybeans on their Sully County South Dakota farm maintaining connections through visits to farm and family from the early 1960’s through today. Looking to the future, they hope to add wind energy to their farm products.

Meghan is the Director of Asset Management at Longroad Energy, headquartered in Boston, MA. Her team oversees the operations of both Wind and Solar assets across the United States. Meghan is active in the American Clean Power Association and is currently a session chair for the American Clean Power Association’s 2021 Operations and Maintenance Conference. Prior to Longroad, Meghan worked for another two other Renewable Independent Power Producers.

Meghan holds a B.A. degree in Political Science and Business Economics from the University of Maine. In addition, she has her JD and MBA from Suffolk University. Meghan and her husband, Nathan, reside in New Hampshire.

Terry Wolf is Vice President of Power Supply and Operations for Missouri River Energy Services (MRES) in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He was promoted to Vice President in 2021 after serving as Director of Transmission and Distribution services. 

Wolf is responsible for overseeing activities relating to MRES power supply, transmission, generation, forecasting, purchases and sales of electric energy, and the scheduling of maintenance for generating and transmission equipment. He also oversees Missouri River’s distribution maintenance (DM) program that provides full-time or supplemental services to 20 municipals. The DM crews are responsible for the operations and maintenance of the municipal systems and assist other municipals with related services as needed. 

Wolf represents MRES in various electric utility groups. He is a member of the Southwest Power Pool Market Operations and Policy Committee, Iowa Public Power Board, TAPS Regulatory Committee, South Dakota Wind Energy Association, and Chair of the Grid North Partners Vision Team, among others.  He joined MRES in June 2000 after working at Mid-Continent Area Power Pool (MAPPCOR) in St. Paul, Minnesota. 

Wolf earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from SDSU in 1994. He served 20 years in the U.S. Army, concluding his service in the Minnesota Army National Guard and retiring in December 2006. In November 2005 he returned from Baghdad after serving 11 months in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Wolf lives in Sioux Falls with his wife and they have four grown children.

Nick Siddens has over 20 years of wind industry experience and has been with RENEW since it founding in 2009. He joined the wind industry with a focus on Construction Management and he participated in projects throughout North America both on the field and management level. He has spent the past 10 years in the O&M space managing service centers across multiple states. Nick currently oversees RENEWs full scope operations portfolio as well as RENEWs electrical division.  An Illinois native, Nick moved to Deuel County, SD in 2001 where he resides with his wife and two daughters. He holds a BS in Natural Resource Environmental Science from the University of Illinois, Urbana.