Gil Gutknecht (R-MN)
Gil Gutknecht, an Iowa native, was elected to the Minnesota State House of Representatives in 1982. He served for 12 years until 1994, when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served from 1995 to 2007. He was one of the congressional candidates who in 1994 signed the "Contract with America" that led to the emergence of the Republican-controlled Congress led by Newt Gingrich. He served on the House Committee on Agriculture and two of its subcommittees: (1) Subcommittee on Specialty Crops and Foreign Agriculture Programs and (2) as the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Department Operations Oversight Dairy Nutrition and Forestry. He served on the House Committee on Government Reform and two of its subcommittees: (1) Subcommittee on Criminal Justice Drug Policy and Human Resources and (2) Subcommittee on Government Management Finance and Accountability.

Max Sandlin (D-TX)
Max Sandlin served eight years (1997-2005) in the U.S. House of Representatives as a Democratic Congressman representing Texas District 1. He was a member of senior House leadership, serving as Chief Deputy Whip to former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and subsequently to Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD). While in the House, Sandlin served on the powerful and prestigious Ways and Means Committee, and also served on the Financial Services Committee and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. He was a member of the Blue Dog Coalition and was chairman of the Blue Dog Energy Task Force.

Jonathan Ellis
Jonathan Ellis is a reporter for the Argus Leader and a correspondent for USA Today. He joined the Argus Leader in 2005 and has covered several campaigns, including the 2008 Democratic primary between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, and the 2010 U.S. House race between Kristi Noem and Stephanie Herseth Sandlin.

Sean Flynn
Sean Flynn serves as professor of history at Dakota Wesleyan University. Dr. Flynn has authored three books on military history. “Chief—Marine Corps Warrior” examines the military career of Flynn’s father, a decorated veteran of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. “An Engineer’s War” chronicles the life of a South Dakota soldier who served and died in France during World War I. “Mission to Germany” recounts the combat experiences of a B-17 flight engineer during World War II. Dr. Flynn serves as faculty adviser to the DWU Student Senate.

Cara Hetland
Cara Hetland is the news director for South Dakota Public Broadcasting. She has nearly 25 years in public radio as a reporter and producer; 19 of which were with Minnesota Public Radio. Hetland is also host of the Friday midday program “Innovation,” which focuses on science and technology. She teaches media writing at the University of Sioux Falls in the spring and loves working with interns to develop their own style of storytelling. Hetland attended Drake University and lives in Sioux Falls with her husband, Daren, and three daughters. 

Greg McCurry
Greg McCurry, a native of Minnesota and resident of Mitchell, holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications and marketing from Minnesota State University, Mankato. Prior to joining the Independent Community Bankers of South Dakota as president and CEO, he directed the marketing efforts at Santel Communications for five years. Greg is married to Micki and they have three children.

John Miller
John Miller taught American history at South Dakota State University for three decades. He is the author of “Governor Philip F. La Follette: The Wisconsin Progressives and the New Deal,” contributing author and editor of “The Plains Political Tradition: Essays on South Dakota Political Culture,” and he has also written a number of articles on South Dakota politics. He currently is working on a study of South Dakota’s political culture.

Kara Schweitzer
Kara Schweitzer is a senior at Dakota Wesleyan University, pursuing a major in leadership and public service with a minor in business. She penned her first letter to the editor of her local paper at the age of 14 and has enjoyed interjecting herself into a good political debate ever since.

Dr. Donald Simmons
Dr. Simmons, director of the McGovern Center and dean of the College of Leadership and Public Service at DWU, has been active politically over the years at the local, state and national levels. He has been involved in many national political events and has served as a political reporter and analyst for numerous news agencies. He served on the board of editors of “White House Studies” from 2005-2011. In South Dakota he has been twice elected a city councilman and served for a number of years as a member of the South Dakota Municipal League’s Public Works Committee. Simmons also served a three-year term on the South Dakota Board of Nursing and is a current member of the South Dakota State Historical Society Board of Trustees. He has published numerous books and journal articles and appeared as a guest on many national television and radio programs.

Seth Tupper
Seth Tupper, editor of The Daily Republic newspaper of Mitchell, grew up in Wessington Springs and Kimball and graduated from Kimball High School. He has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from South Dakota State University, where he served as editor of the student newspaper, the Collegian. As a college intern he covered the state legislative session for SDNA’s Community News Service. After college, Tupper worked as sports editor at the Daily Globe of Worthington, Minn., from 2002 to 2003. He was The Daily Republic’s regional editor from 2003 to 2005, when he left the newspaper briefly before returning that same year to accept the position of assistant editor. As editor since 2010, Tupper oversees The Daily Republic’s newsroom.