Meet the Rapid City Home Rule Charter Committee
Alan Dietrich
Alan Dietrich is a retired attorney. He has worked as an attorney for NorthWestern Corporation for 27 years (16 years as a corporate officer); Second Judicial Circuit Magistrate Judge, Sioux Falls for 8 years. He has lived in Rapid City for the past 7½ years.
Carman Timmerman, EdD, RN (ret.)
Carman Timmerman is a retired registered nurse, mother, grandmother, and volunteer for various groups. She is honored to represent Ward 2 as the committee studies home rule and its potential role in Rapid City governance.
Chris Orr
Chris Orr and his family have lived in Rapid City for 20 years. He is a forensic meteorologist but spends much of his time working to build bridges between Jewish people and Christians. He was a TV news anchor here for six years, a columnist for the Rapid City Journal, a community education instructor, editor of a financial newsletter, and a public historian specializing in political theory leading up to the American Revolution. He served on the Rapid City Water Task Force 2003-2007 and was an environmental commissioner for the first-tier suburb of Minneapolis 1995-2000.
Dave Kelley
Dave Kelley is a recently retired Architect, who was born and raised in Rapid City. Dave applied for a Home Rule Committee position because he values the future direction of Rapid City, and he believes that all citizens/residents shall be represented. Dave brings 8 years of previous California Planning Commissioner experience to the Committee.
Don Frankenfeld
A lifelong Rapid Citian, forensic economist Don Frankenfeld was the leading economic expert testifying on behalf of September 11th victims. Frankenfeld was a state senator and chaired the tax committee. He has served on several non-profit boards and was a Bush Foundation Leadership Fellow. For a short time, he wrote a column for the Rapid City Journal but was fired for insubordination.
Dr. Ed McLaughlin
Dr. Ed McLaughlin ( Retired ) is a former Mayor and initiated the Vision Fund and helped secure water rights for Rapid City. He has also served as president of the city council, state legislator, school board member, superintendent of schools, and college professor.
Dr. Jared McEntaffer
Dr. Jared McEntaffer is President and CEO of Benchmark Data Labs. He came to the project in 2017 from the Pennsylvania State University where he taught several economics courses. A South Dakota native, Jared received his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2015 where he co-authored several labor market and workforce studies while working with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Bureau of Business Research. His research fields include program evaluation, economic forecasting, human capital formation, economics of education, and regional labor force development.
Evan Thomas, PhD.
Evan Thomas, PhD., teaches English and the Humanities at SD Mines, where he has also founded the Media Lab.
Jason Green
Jason is an Associate General Counsel for Monument Health. He previously served Rapid City for more than 10 years in the City Attorney’s Office. Mr. Green currently serves on the Board of Black Hills Federal Credit Union and on the Finance Committee of Wellfully.
Kathleen Burr
Kathleen Burr holds a Masters of Public Administration and retired 2 1/2 years ago from Regional Health in Rapid City.
Linda Lea Viken
Linda Lea Viken is the owner of Viken Family Law Mediation. She is currently a member of the Chamber of Commerce Board, Zonta, AAUW, and Starting Strong Advisory Committee.
Lynn Kendall
Lynn is the Military Community Relations Director for the South Dakota Ellsworth Development Authority, where she works to connect and create support services and opportunities for the military members and families stationed in Rapid City, South Dakota. Her passion for military service, community development, and collaboration allows her to bring people together to meet the needs of our military members.
Michael R Nelson
Michael R Nelson was born and raised South Dakotan and an Air Force Veteran from Flandreau, SD. He moved to Rapid City in 2014 to pursue a degree in Industrial Engineering / Engineering Management from SDSM&T. He is currently a senior who has decided to make Rapid City his home for the foreseeable future.
Mike Hickey
Mike Hickey is a lifelong resident of Rapid City and has been an attorney at the Bangs McCullen law firm for over 43 years in the areas of employment law, education law, and litigation.
Patrick Wyss
Patrick Wyss is a landscape architect and urban planner with such regional design projects as Memorial Park, Mt. Rushmore National Memorial grounds, Elkhorn Ridge Resort, Hart Ranch, and many others. Mr. Wyss is past Chairperson of the RC Chamber of Commerce and is a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects.
Rick Kahler, MS, CFP, CFT-I
Rick Kahler, MS, CFP®, CFT-I™, is a life-long Rapid City resident, an “advice-only” financial advisor, and an internationally recognized pioneer in integrating financial planning and psychology. He is the co-author of four books, a 2019 recipient of the InvestmentNews annual Innovator Award, and one of Investopedia's top 100 most influential financial advisors.
Tamara Pier
Tamara Pier is a former City Attorney for Rapid City and has been involved in a wide range of community activities. She currently serves on the Friends of South Dakota Public Broadcasting Board and the Cornerstone Foundation for the CSRM.
Meet Our Facilitators
Dr. Helen Usera
Dr. Helen Usera serves as facilitator of the Home Rule Charter Committee. She is a professional consultant who has provided facilitation and strategic planning services for the city, nonprofit organizations, and small businesses.
Leah Braun
Leah Braun is Senior Partner with Nsight Partners. They provide coaching, training, and consulting. Leah is a long-time resident of Rapid City. She and her family travel a lot but when they get home they always say, "That was fun but I'm never leaving Rapid City!" Leah's very honored to serve on the Rapid City Home Rule Charter Committee.