SMSU Foundation Board

Dave Werpy is a 1979 alumnus with a degree in accounting. He recently retired from 3M's global internal audit group, staffed in 15 countries around the world. He grew up in Marshall and comes from a family of first generation SMSU graduates: Todd, Pam (Miller), and the late Sue (Bruss). Dave delivered the 2015 SMSU Commencement address. Dave has served on the Twin Cities Boys and Girls Club board of directors and the Twin Cities United Way Board of Directors. He and his wife, Melissa, live on Lake Miltona and have three children and two grandchildren.

Foundation Board Committee: Fundraising

Brad is a 1992 graduate of SMSU and brings forward a great deal of both non-profit and for-profit board experience. He has served as a school board member for six years, with five years acting as president. Brad is the CFO of PleasureLand RV Center where he also serves as an officer and board member.  In addition, Brad is on the Church Leadership Council and is serving as a State Delegate for the National RV Dealers Association Board. Brad resides in Cold Spring, MN.

Cindy Verschaetse is President/Market Manager at Bremer Bank Marshall.  Cindy is currently active  in the Marshall community serving on the Marshall Area YMCA Board of Directors, and The Marshall Municipal Utility Commission.  She has also served on the Southwest Minnesota Junior Achievement Board, The Legacy Foundation, Pride in the Tiger Foundation,  Marshall JO volleyball Club, Good Shepherd Lutheran Parish Planning, Marshall YMCA Y Partner Community campaign and has coached multiple youth volleyball activities  She also served 6 yrs on the Board of United Way of SW MN, serving as President from 2008-2009.  Cindy was in the 2013 Marshall Cohort Blandin Community Leadership Program. 

Cindy grew up in Southwest Minnesota and came to Marshall and attended Southwest State University.  While at Southwest, she played volleyball and majored in sociology.  Prior to Bremer, Cindy worked for 8 years for the City of Marshall.  Cindy lives in Marshall with her husband Terry.  They have 2 daughters, Bailey and Madison.

Kristi lives in Woodbury, Minnesota. She is a 1980 SMSU alumna earning a bachelor’s degree in accounting. After graduation, Kristi spent two years as an admissions counselor at SSU. She then relocated to Owatonna, MN where she became President of Owatonna Tool Company Credit Union. In 1997 she moved to the Twin Cities and continued her career in financial services having spent the past 16 years as the President/CEO at Novation, the 3M employee’s credit union.  In addition to her professional career she enjoys spending leisure time at the family cabin near Hayward, WI.

Jerry is a '71 "Charter Class" SMSU graduate. He majored in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing. The early years after graduation found Jerry working in retail management, spending the majority of this time in the management program with Shopko Stores Inc. He left Shopko in 1976 to allow his wife Ricke, '73 SMSU graduate, the opportunity to pursue a teaching career. Tyler, Minnesota became their home and Jerry was able to begin a 36 year career in Agribusiness encompassing sales careers with John Deere at Southwest Implement in Tyler, MN, Agronomy Manager Lincoln County Coop, and finally Senior Sales Representative BASF Corp for almost 28 years, retiring in February of 2014. Currently Jerry and Ricke reside in Marshall, MN. He continues to work in Agribusiness "part time" as a sales and marketing manager with Aspect Ag, Marshall, MN.

Julie is the Legislative Director for the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 5 and has been for the past twenty years. She also served eleven years as the Legislative Director for the Minnesota Farmers Union. She is currently a board member of the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute, Pioneer Public TV Board and the Minnesota Farmers Union State Board of Directors. She served six years as a Regent of the University of Minnesota and four years as a board member of the Minnesota State University System. She is Past President of the Southwest Minnesota State University Foundation, a W.K. Kellogg National Fellow, and an Agribusiness Management graduate of Southwest Minnesota State University. She resides on a farm near Madison, Minnesota.

Tyler Bowen is a Senior Vice President and Wealth & Trust Manager with First Dakota National Bank in the Sioux Falls market. He joined the First Dakota team in April 2017. Tyler has over 20 years of client relationship and donor development experience. He has worked in university development assisting with donor stewardship and philanthropy. Since 2011, he has been involved in wealth and trust, assisting clients and non-profits by providing investment management, financial planning and fiduciary services. He oversees and manages all aspects of the Wealth & Trust department for First Dakota.

Tyler has a Master's Degree from Southwest Minnesota State University and is a Certified Trust & Financial Advisor (CTFA) and Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®). He is a member of the Sioux Falls Estate Planning Council.

Tyler understands the importance of being involved in the community in which he lives. He serves on the business management advisory committee at Southeast Tech, will be the 2023-2024 President of the Sioux Falls Jefferson High School Booster Club and a member of the Sioux Falls Pickleball Club. He also teaches the Stock Market Challenge to high school students through Junior Achievement.

Tyler is a Past-President of the Marshall, MN Kiwanis Club, Chair of the Marshall Hoops Club and YMCA board of director.  Tyler lives in Sioux Falls, SD with his son Brent and daughter Brooke.

Tim is 1972 SMSU graduate.  He worked for 35 years at Principal Financial Group. He is retired now, leaving his son Tony to take over his clients. He was past President of the Sioux Falls, South Dakota chapter of NAIFA and is still active in the chapter to this date. Tim spends most of his time working for Tony, helping him work the clients and new business in Sioux Falls. He has been on the Southwest Minnesota State University Foundation over 10 years. 

Duane has watched the university grow from the time the first bricks were laid through the construction of the football stadium. He is a MARL Class I alumnus and has served as a Board Member for the SMSU Agriculture Advisory Council. Duane was also a Biofuels Technology Instructor at MNWest from 1991-2010. Several of his siblings, late wife, and two children are graduates of SMSU.  Duane currently resides in Marshall where he farms.

Tina Cartwright is a Senior Vice President of US Bank and is responsible for Equipment Finance Information Technology Strategies, Security and Project  Management and Professional Development Programs. Throughout her career, she has held a variety of positions within the organization working for both the Equipment Finance lines of business, as well as  the Technology and Operations teams.  Her responsibilities have included Credit Analyst, Credit Manager, Business System Analyst, Project Manager and most recently Director of Information Technology. 

Following her first year of college at the University of Minnesota, Tina transferred to Southwest Minnesota State University where she earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management and Accounting.  She has also completed  US Bank's Leadership Excellence Executive Development Program and  the High Potential Leadership Program at Harvard University in Boston, MA.  Tina is currently a member of the ELFA's (Equipment Leasing Finance Association) Survey Committee and supports the local Children's Cancer Association volunteering as a Chemo Pal.  She has also been active with the local Toastmasters Club, Big Brothers and Big Sisters of South Dakota and the American Heart Association.  

In August 2016, Tina was recognized as one of three "Women Influencers of 2016" by The Cannata Report.  

 

After recently relocating from South Dakota, Tina and her husband now live in Portland, OR. They enjoy traveling, exploring the Northwest’s magnificent wine country, and sailing in the British Virgin Islands.

Lee French was born and raised in Lamberton, Minnesota. He graduated from Southwest Minnesota State College in 1972 with a bachelor’s degree in biology. Lee received a master's degree from the University of Minnesota in 1977 in entomology.  In 1976, He married Joann Stepanek ('75). They have two daughters, one graduating from Southwest in 2005. He and Joann started an insect rearing and agricultural research business in 1978, which is still in operation today.  He has been an adjunct and/or full-time faculty member of the science and agronomy departments at Southwest since 1979. Lee is active in Entomological Society of America especially the IPRI section.  He and Joann founded a start-up company (Suntava) working with natural red/purple dyes from corn.

Jim was born and raised in the Marshall community.  He attended grade school in a one room school house for the first six years and graduated from Marshall High School at the age of 16. College was not an option but he had the passion that went with farm life and therefore began a long and successful career in agriculture.  Jim also spent 40 years with Pioneer Hi-Bred International working in sales.His children all attended state colleges in Minnesota and two of his children attended SMSU. Jim has been a life long supporter of our community and served on many boards including the Marshall Area Chamber, Community First Bank (Bank of the West) and Avera Marshall Regional Hospital Board. Jim and his wife Jan still reside on their farmstead near Marshall. 

Dorene is a retired sales and marketing executive with over 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and managed care industries, including Merck & Co., Astra Merck (now Astra Zeneca), and MedImpact Health Care Solutions. Dorene currently focuses her efforts in the non-profit sector as Chair, Museum of Fine Arts - Boston Associate Guides and President, SMSU Foundation.  She has served on the SMSU Foundation Board since 2005.  Dorene lives in Boston, Massachusetts with her husband, Thomas McCourt.  She has two stepsons, Bryce McCourt and Andrew McCourt who live in Wisconsin.

Gary is now retired following over three decades with Motorola Solutions, Inc. (formerly Motorola Communications and Electronics, Inc.) serving in various disciplines involving primarily public safety radio communication systems. He has served roles in Sales, Marketing, Project Management, Training and other managerial positions. He was asked to return to Minnesota to become the Senior System Manager for the State of Minnesota ARMER Interoperable Communications Network for over ten years. He graduated from SMSU in 1977 with a degree in Speech/Communications and now resides in the Twin Cities with his wife Deb.

Joe Roer received his MBA from SMSU in 2005 and has been the co-chair of the SMSU Farm Seminar for the past five years.  He is currently an account manager at Ralco Nutrition in Marshall, MN.  He and his wife Betty owned and operated Fairview Farm Service for 25 years, along with Shamrock Lawn Care for 10 years.  Joe and Betty have been married for 43 years, have four married children and 12 grandchildren.

Thomas Sahlstrom is a retired Financial Advisor with Edward Jones Investments. His final year at the firm, he ranked in the top percent of the firms financial advisors. He worked with his clients to solve their financial goals and needs. He is a limited partner and a subordinated partner with the firm.Prior to the investment business, Tom worked in the hospitality industry. He spent his first few years working for Four Seasons Hotels. He joined the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company in 1984 and worked there for over 10 years. He worked his way up the ladder to become an Executive Hotel Manager.At the apex of his hotel career he made a choice to change careers to start a family and settle down in one community. He chose to start a business with Edward Jones in La Crosse, WI. In addition to growing his own business he become involved in leadership for the firm. He supported a region of 55 financial advisors for over 8 years. As the leader he grew the region to a total of 80 advisors. He was responsible for leadership development, financial growth and growing the number of advisors in the area. With his love for the hospitality industry he has stayed close to the profession. He has small ownership in a few midlevel hotels. He is currently serving on the La Crosse Country Club Board where his responsibilities include house operations and personnel. Tom earned his Hotel Administration degree from Southwest Minnesota State. He served as President of the Student Hospitality Organization (SHO) club.Tom has chosen to give back to SMSU through financial support. His desire is to give back more by being involved in the Culinology & Hospitality Management Advisory Council. He is excited to serve on the SMSU Foundation Board.

Neal Wahlman graduated from SMSU in 1975 with a degree in Accounting, earned his MBA from the University of St. Thomas and is a Certified Management Accountant. He held corporate financial management positions with Supervalu, Tires Plus, Gage Marketing and last served as CFO, then president, of Snyder’s Drug Stores before his retirement. In addition, from 2001-2015 Neal was majority owner of a family supermarket which operated two stores in northwest Iowa. In 2012 he was elected to the SMSU Alumni Board, served as its President from 2016-2018 and is currently its Past-President.

Dr. Kumara Jayasuriya became the 10th permanent president of Southwest Minnesota State University on July 1, 2019.

Dr. Jayasuriya has enjoyed a distinguished academic career and points to himself when he talks about the transformative power of higher education. He quit high school on two occasions, but with the urging of his mother, returned. Years later, he is now the president of SMSU.

A Sri Lanka native, he came to SMSU from West Virginia State University, Institute, West Virginia, where he was Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs and a Professor of Mathematics since 2014. At WVSU, he was successful in implementing student success initiatives that contributed to an increase in retention while forging international partnerships, which increased overall enrollment.

Prior to that, he was Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Professor of Mathematics at Purdue University North Central, Hammond and Westville, Indiana. There, he collaborated with other universities to establish statewide articulation agreements and worked with deans and faculty to establish new academic programs.

Before that, he was Dean of the School of Natural Science and Mathematics at Indiana University East, Richmond, Indiana. He held other positions there, including assistant professor and chair of the Department of Mathematics, and associate professor and division chair of the Division of Natural Science and Mathematics.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka; a master’s degree in Mathematics from Southern Illinois University; and a doctorate in Mathematics from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

President Jayasuriya has proven himself to be an inspirational leader who works collaboratively and transparently. He speaks with enthusiasm about SMSU’s potential and his hopes that the entire University community will help spread the word about what an outstanding college choice SMSU can be for potential students.

In speaking about his new position and the opportunity to move the University forward, President Jayasuriya quoted Mahatma Gandhi: “You may never know what results come of your actions, but if you do nothing, there will be no results. I will do everything I can to propel SMSU forward to the next level of recognition.”

President Jayasuriya and his wife Salmini (Sal) are the parents of three children: Daniel, who is attending medical school at Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia; Dylan, who will graduate from West Virginia State University in December 2019 and attend medical school; and Devon, who will be an eighth-grader at Marshall Middle School.

Jefferson Lee IV had served as director in an interim basis since August 2011. In 2012 he was appointed the director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion; Lee is currently serving as the director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and the Access Opportunity Success (AOS) programs. Lee was formerly the Associate Director of Academic and Diversity Resources at SMSU, where he headed up the TRIO and Acess Opportunity (AOS) programs. Lee is currently in his third term as the President of the Minnesota State University Association of Administrative Service Faculty. Lee is an SMSU alumnus, having graduated in 1996 with a degree in Sociology. He earned an MBA degree from SMSU in 2011, and a Masters in Counseling and Human Resource Development from South Dakota State University in 1999. Lee is a Minneapolis, MN native. He and his wife Sarah have three children: Jefferson Lee V, Tyrese, and Devon.