The State Board of Higher Education is the policy-setting and advocacy body for the North Dakota University System and the governing body for North Dakota’s 11 publicly supported colleges and universities. The SBHE also oversees the NDSU Extension Service and Agricultural Research Stations, Northern Crops Institute, State Forest Service and the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute.
The SBHE is made up of seven citizen members appointed to four-year terms by the governor and one student appointed by the governor to serve a one-year term. The Council of College Faculties selects the board’s non-voting faculty advisor, and the North Dakota State Staff Senate selects the board’s non-voting staff advisor.
Kevin Black
Chair
Term: 2022-2026
Subcommittees: Academic & Student Affairs; Budget & Finance, Chair; Challenge Grant Review Committee.
Kevin Black serves as the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Creedence Energy Services, a leading specialty chemical provider in the oil and gas industry with operations in North Dakota, Montana, Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico.
Kevin has previously served higher education as a Trustee of the NDSU Development Foundation, Minot State Board of Regents, and past chair of the UND Petroleum Engineering Advisory Board. Kevin also serves on the board of the Minot Chamber EDC, Minot Sunrise Rotary Club, and the North Dakota Petroleum Council, and he was appointed by Governor Doug Burgum to serve on the North Dakota Economic Development Foundation in 2019.
Kevin earned a degree in Industrial Engineering & Management from NDSU in 2010, and he resides in Minot, ND, with his wife Kalli and three children Reagan, Rawley, and Reese.
Donald Campbell
Vice Chair
Term: 2024-2028
Subcommittees: Academic & Student Affairs; Research & Governance.
Donald “D.J.” Campbell serves as a vice president and chief human resources officer for Sanford Health, a position he has held since 2020. In that role, he oversees all aspects of human resources for the regional health care organization’s Bismarck market, which encompasses 3,800 employees. He also develops statewide strategies around workforce development. Campbell also is member of Sanford Health’s HR executive team, which oversees human resources for nearly 45,000 employees spanning 26 states.
Campbell attended Bismarck State College and earned a bachelor’s degree. Additionally, he earned a Master of Business Administration from Minneapolis-based Capella University. He currently serves on the North Dakota Workforce Development Council, TrainND Advisory Council, the Greater ND Chamber Workforce Policy Committee and the North Dakota Make-A-Wish Foundation.
He resides in Mandan, North Dakota, with wife Janell and two children Dylan and Cooper.
Tim Mihalick
Term: 2019-2027
Subcommittees: Audit; Budget & Finance; NDUS Foundation; Midwestern Higher Education Compact.
Tim Mihalick was appointed to the State Board of Higher Education to fill the remainder of an open term vacated by a previous member. Mihalick was also appointed to a four year term (2019-2023) beginning July 2019.
Mihalick is employed at First Western Bank & Trust as a Senior Vice President responsible for Business Development and Facilities. Prior to that, he was part of IRET and its affiliated companies for over 36 years before his retirement. He served as the President and CEO during his last eight years at IRET. Throughout the years, he has been involved in numerous civic organizations dedicated to Minot’s betterment. He is a current member and past chair of the MSU Board of Regents, past member of the board of the Minot Family YMCA, and he is a past board member of Trinity Health.
Ohio native Mihalick attended Minot State University and obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration in 1981. During his college career, he played football for four years and participated in track for two. He was inducted into the MSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995 and received the MSU Alumni Golden Award in 2014.
He and his wife, Laura, have been married for 40 years and are partners in their conviction to civic engagement. Laura is a past member of the Minot Public School Board. The Mihalicks have two adult children living in Minot, ND.
Danita Bye
Term: 2020-2026
Subcommittees: Budget and Finance; Research and Governance, Co-Chair; NDUS Foundation; Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education.
Danita Bye was appointed to the State Board of Higher Education May 2020 to fill the remainder of an open term vacated by a previous member.
Danita has been a business consultant and leadership coach since 1997 for small- to medium-size businesses in science, technology, engineering and manufacturing industries. She previously worked as an investor and sales manager for Micro-Tech, a medical device manufacturer, and in sales and sales management for Xerox Corp., a global company best known for innovative digital products and services.
She currently serves on the board for the North Dakota Petroleum Council, as well as the board for The Triple T, Inc., and TTT Minerals, LLC, both oil and gas companies. She also served on the North Dakota Economic Development Foundation. Bye obtained degrees in Biology and Psychology (1981) from the University of Sioux Falls (Sioux Falls, S.D.), and an M.A. in Transformational Leadership (2012) from Bethel University (St. Paul, Minn.).
Danita’s been married for 36 years to Gordon Bye. They have three millennial children and five grandchildren. They currently live in Stanley, N.D.
Curtis Biller
Term: 2023-2027
Subcommittees: Academic & Student Affairs, Chair; Budget & Finance; EPSCoR State Steering Committee.
Curt Biller was appointed to the State Board of Higher Education in May 2023.
Curt grew up in Moorhead, Minnesota, where he graduated from Moorhead High School. After high school he attended Montana State University where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management. Curt has been a business consultant for Strengths, Inc. focusing on hiring, retention, strategic planning, and culture since 2000. Prior to that he spent 12 years in the restaurant business.
In addition, Curt has served the Sigma Chi fraternity in a number of positions for over 30 years focusing on leadership training and development. He currently serves as a founding member (through 2025) for the Sigma Chi Leadership Institute providing accredited educational training in Transformational Leadership.
Curt has been married for 23 years to his wife Cheryl. They reside in Fargo, N.D.
Patrick Sogard
Term: 2025-2029
Subcommittees: Audit, Budget & Finance, NDUS Foundation
Pat Sogard was appointed to the State Board of Higher Education and began his term on July 1, 2025.
In 2000, Pat began his employment with American State Bank & Trust Company, of Williston, and has served as Chair of the bank’s Board of Directors since 2003. Pat also was an attorney in private practice in Grand Forks for 11 years and in Williston for 3 years.
Pat has previously served in higher education as a member of the University of North Dakota Alumni Association and Foundation and as a volunteer Blue & Gold Officer with the Admissions Office of the U.S. Naval Academy. He has also previously served as a member of the Board of Directors of CHI St. Alexius Healthcare-Fargo Division, CHI St. Alexius Healthcare-Williston (Chair), Mercy Medical Center of Williston (Chair), Mercy Medical Foundation, of Williston; St. Joseph’s Elementary School, of Williston (President); and the Williston Zoning and Planning Commission.
A graduate of the University of North Dakota, Pat earned a bachelor’s degree in geological engineering and a Juris Doctor.
Pat and his wife, Tammy, have four adult children and two grandchildren. They reside in Williston.
Levi Bachmeier
Term: 2025-2029
Maxwell Eriksrud
Student Member
Term: 2024-2025
Subcommittee: Academic & Student Affairs; Research & Governance.
Maxwell Eriksrud is a student at the University of North Dakota pursuing a degree in accounting and entrepreneurship, with minors in chemistry and biology. He expects to graduate May 2026.
Maxwell was raised in Chaska, Minnesota, and has strong ties to his family’s farm in Scranton, North Dakota. His passion for innovation drives him in his role as managing director of finance for Dakota Venture Group, a student-run venture capital fund with $2.4 million in investments. In this position, Maxwell works on identifying and supporting innovative startups, allowing him to blend his academic knowledge with real-world applications.
Maxwell serves as a student ambassador and an off-campus senator for UND Student Government, and is a member of the Men’s Soccer Club, UND Jazz Band and Chi Alpha.
Anna Kinney
Staff Advisor
Term: 2025-2029
Lisa Montplaisir, Ph.D.
Faculty Advisor
Term: 2022-2025
Subcommittee: Academic & Student Affairs (non-voting); Research & Governance.
Dr. Lisa Montplaisir is the faculty advisor to the State Board of Higher Education and a tenured Professor of Biological Sciences with a joint appointment in the School of Education at North Dakota State University. Lisa is a first-generation college graduate from West Fargo. Her research cuts across all levels of education focusing in science teaching and learning, with emphasis in secondary teacher development as well as higher education pedagogy and assessment. Her work is funded by the National Science Foundation (2009 – present). Over her career, her work has given her the opportunity to travel to each of the colleges and universities in the state.
Lisa has served in numerous capacities on campus and across the University system. Most recently is serving as a representative on the Council of College Faculties (CCF, 2021-2020), serving as the CCF Vice President and Academic Affairs liaison (2021-2022) and now the SBHE faculty advisor.
Lisa earned a B.S. in both Zoology and Biology Education, and M.S. in Biology at NDSU and her Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Arizona. She and her husband Paul have four children.
lisa.montplaisir.SBHE@ndus.edu
Serving on the State Board
Individuals who are interested in serving on the North Dakota State Board of Higher Education need to fill out an application and submit it to the State Superintendent, Department of Public Instruction, 600 E. Boulevard Ave., Dept. 201, Bismarck, N.D., 58505. In addition to the application, applicants must provide a resume and no more than six letters of recommendation. The application window is currently closed.
Selection for the student member on the State Board of Higher Education works through the North Dakota Student Association (NDSA).
To be eligible for the student membership position, candidates must meet the following criteria:
- Have completed at least one year of study at any NDUS institution by the time they assume the position.
- Be enrolled as a full-time student at an NDUS institution at the time they assume the position.
- Have attended at least three separate NDSA meetings before the nomination period opens in March. If attendance at three meetings is not possible, this requirement can be bypassed by a vote to suspend the NDSA bylaws. (NDSA meeting schedule).
- Be a full-time resident of North Dakota.
- Complete and submit the State Board of Higher Education Election Packet (available in March through NDSA).
Typically, the process works like this:
- If a student is interested in applying, they will need to participate in NDSA.
- An NDSA delegate would need to nominate the interested student for the position at the March NDSA meeting.
- The applicant would complete the State Board of Higher Education Election Packet and review the information sheet.
- Every applicant is encouraged to research the State Board of Higher Education as detailed in the information sheet; interested applicants can feel free to contact the North Dakota University System Office or a member of the State Board of Higher Education to ask questions and learn about the position.
- If a student is successfully nominated for application by an NDSA delegate, the student will be interviewed by NDSA in April during their meeting. From there, NDSA will forward on three names to the Governor’s office for consideration.
- The Governor then interviews each of the three candidates and appoints one to the State Board of Higher Education.
- From there, the student member will be in contact with the North Dakota University System Office about orientation, the meeting schedule, responsibilities, and all other pertinent information.
- Each term lasts one year and a student may reapply for the position through NDSA if the student remains eligible to do so.
For more information about the student position, please contact the North Dakota Student Association