Fargo, N.D. — The North Dakota State University Foundation welcomes seven new Trustees who will help advance its mission to maximize advocacy and philanthropy in support of North Dakota State University. These volunteer leaders will help guide the Foundation’s Executive Governing Board and offer their unique experiences and perspectives to move NDSU forward.
Trustees are nominated by current Trustees, Foundation staff, or campus leaders. The NDSU Foundation Nominating and Governance Committee reviews all nominations and sends a slate of nominees to the full Trustee group to be voted on for approval.
Trustees are appointed to five-year terms, and there is no limit to the number of terms they can serve.
Meet the incoming slate of trustees below:
Matthew Chambers ’00 earned a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture and a Bachelor of Science in environmental design. He continued his education at the University of Minnesota, receiving a Master of Landscape Architecture in 2008. Matt was the creative director for Aldevron, a Fargo-based biotech firm, and managed marketing and brand identity for the firm’s various products and services. With the sale of the company in 2021, Matt stepped away from Aldevron to pursue other interests. He has been an adjunct professor of landscape architecture at NDSU and partnered with the Leonard Atelier Group, a Fargo landscape architecture firm, on design and communication projects related to issues of landscape architecture. Additionally, Matt has worked as an independent consultant for Google Earth Pro and Google SketchUp Pro. Matt splits his time between Fargo, North Dakota, and Paradise Valley, Arizona.
T. Howard (Howie) Killilea ’92, ’94 earned a Bachelor of Science in chemistry and a Master of Science in polymers and coatings science. He continued his education at the University of Minnesota, receiving a Master of Business Administration in finance and financial management in 2000, and at Mitchell-Hamline School of Law, receiving a Juris Doctor in 2009. Currently, Howie is the global director of strategy and IP management at Sherwin-Williams and manages a global patent portfolio of approximately 2,000 patents ensuring intellectual property, data security, and cyber protections. He has 31 years of experience with Sherwin-Williams. Prior to his current position, Howie was the global technical director of Sherwin-Williams’ polymer business, Engineered Polymer Solutions, and managed laboratories in North America, Europe, and Asia. Howie serves the NDSU community as a member of the Department of Coatings and Polymeric Materials Advisory Board and was a past adjunct faculty member for the department. Howie and his wife, Shannon, live in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Maureen Ming ’80 earned a Bachelor of Science in business administration. While raising her family, Maureen was actively involved in her community serving on boards for the Minot Zoological Society and the St. Mary’s Central High School Foundation and on various church and school committees. She served as an alumni advisor for Alpha Gamma Delta sorority mentoring undergraduate students and later became a province director and advised five chapters in the Midwest and Canada. Additionally, Maureen served on the 4H Foundation board as president. Maureen splits her time between Bismarck, North Dakota, and Goodyear, Arizona.
Rich Sager ’82 earned Bachelor of Science degrees in agricultural education and animal science. Rich is the owner/agent for Richard Sager Crop Insurance. Rich began his 40+ year insurance career as an adjuster, then moved on to sell and service insurance policies, obtain his license, and open his own agency. Richard Sager Crop Insurance writes multiple peril crop, pasture rangeland forage, and livestock risk protection insurance. Rich has been a PIA member since the first year of opening his business. Rich has also supported his community by serving on the advisory board for adult farm management at Lake Region State College, holding office as township treasurer and clerk, and being a member of the Devils Lake Chamber of Commerce. Rich has been a member of NDSU Team Makers since 2001 and a supporter of many NDSU events. He and his wife, Kelly, live near Starkweather, North Dakota, on the farm where Rich was born and raised.
Aaron Tait ’11 earned a Bachelor of Science in economics and a minor in business administration. Aaron is a financial advisor and partner at Edward Jones. During his 12-year career working for one of the largest investment firms in the U.S., Aaron has advanced in the company and helped lead recruiting and performance of a business region with revenue totaling more than $50 million. Aaron is involved in his community by participating in the master planning for Fargo and Detroit Lakes and serving as a board member for the Lake Detroiters Board. He also spent 10 years on the board of directors for Detroit Country Club. Aaron, his wife, Jamie ’13, ’18, and daughter, Lucy, split their time between Fargo, North Dakota, and Detroit Lakes, Minnesota.
Jennifer Tingley ’99, CPA, earned a Bachelor of Science in accounting. Jen is a principal in the nonprofit industry group at CLA and leads the firm’s national foundation practice. With more than 20 years of experience in public accounting, Jen provides audits, tax services, outsourcing, and consulting to nonprofit organizations and foundations. She has worked with a wide range of entities from start-up organizations to very large organizations with complex investment portfolios, multi-entity structures, planned giving, and significant endowments and donor fund balances. She also has expertise in a wide range of issues affecting nonprofits including internal controls, restructuring, and risk management. Jen volunteers with Meals on Wheels through Community Emergency Services in Minneapolis. She is also a board member of the MNCPA (Minnesota Society of CPAs). Jen and her husband, Mark Foley ’99, live in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota.
Jessica Wachter ’09 earned a Bachelor of Science in art with a minor in interior design. She is a celebrated abstract expressionist artist from Bismarck, North Dakota. She channels personal narratives of celebration, struggle, love, and loss onto large-scale canvases through layers of vibrant color, rich textures, and dynamic compositions. Jessica’s pieces reside in collections worldwide, and her work has been shown in exhibitions around the U.S. Hosts to her work have included the Celebration of Fine Art show in Scottsdale, Arizona; International Art Basel Event in Miami, Florida; Laguna Gallery of Contemporary Art in Laguna Beach, California; the Capital Gallery in Bismarck and the Plains Art Museum in Fargo, North Dakota. She has a painting in the permanent collection of the North Dakota State Museum in Bismarck. Through her work and advocacy, Jessica is dedicated to empowering women in the arts and to embodying a commitment to elevating diverse voices in the creative realm.
ABOUT NDSU FOUNDATION
The NDSU Foundation builds enduring relationships that maximize advocacy and philanthropy to support North Dakota State University.
-###-
CONTACT
Bethany Hardwig
Vice President of Alumni and Donor Connections
NDSU Foundation
412-477-9202
bethany.hardwig@ndsufoundation.com