Governor Kristi Noem has appointed Brian Sandvig and Joy Nelson to the Board of Technical Education. Brian Sandvig will replace the late Bob Faehn and serve the remainder of Faehn’s term. Joy Nelson will replace Ed Mallett effective November 1, 2021.

“South Dakota’s technical colleges are among the very best in America thanks to the Board of Technical Education’s important work,” said Governor Kristi Noem. “I am confident that Brian and Joy will continue that legacy. Both have a long history of excellent work and service to our state, and I am thrilled that they’ve accepted the call to serve South Dakota students.”

Brian Sandvig currently works as the CFO at Valley Queen Cheese Factory in Milbank. He joined Valley Queen in 2007 after 10 years as a banker to dairies, farmers, and agribusinesses throughout South Dakota and neighboring states.

Sandvig serves on the South Dakota State Historical Society, South Dakota Junior Achievement, the South Dakota Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Grant County Economic Development Corp., and the City of Milbank Parks and Recreation. He teaches Sunday school at Living Word Lutheran Church and is an assistant coach on the Milbank High School football team.

Sandvig is a graduate of Aberdeen Central High School and the University of North Dakota. Brian and his wife, Janel, live in Milbank, South Dakota, and have three children, Jacob, Jack, and Ella. A photo of Brian Sandvig can be found here.

Joy Nelson is a lifelong resident of South Dakota. She began her career at Farmers and Merchants Bank in Watertown in the real estate and student loan lending departments. She entered the real estate business in 1982 and is the broker-owner of Haugan Nelson Realty, Inc. in Watertown. She has been engaged in residential, commercial, and agricultural real estate for the last 38 years.

Nelson is the founder and beneficiary of Joy Ranch outside of Watertown, a non-profit facility whose mission is to serve people with disabilities and medical issues, as well as veterans, through equine therapy. She was awarded the National ALDE Award in 2013 for philanthropy, the National Association of Realtors Good Neighbor Award in 2018, and is an inductee to the South Dakota Hall of Fame and the Watertown Hall of Fame.

Nelson currently serves on the Sanford Medical Center Board of Directors, the Lake Area Technical Institute Strategic Advisory Council as President, the Village Harmony Hill Board of Directors, the GLC Foundation Board of Directors, and is the past president of both the Prairie Lakes Hospital Foundation and the Lake Area Technical Institute Foundation.

Nelson currently resides at the Joy Ranch, where she enjoys spending time helping with the equine programs.