BISMARCK, N.D., June 23, 2022 – State School Superintendent Kirsten Baesler on Thursday announced that Mike McHugh and Eric Nelson will be joining the North Dakota Board of Public School Education, which provides guidance and oversight for the state’s K-12 system.
McHugh, of Mandan, is the aviation education coordinator for the state Aeronautics Commission, a certified career and technical education teacher, and a former aviation instructor in the Bismarck public schools. Nelson is a Williston resident and a senior technical adviser for Creedence Energy Services, which provides chemical treatment services for the oil industry.
The Board of Public School Education has seven members – the state superintendent of public instruction, who is the board’s executive secretary, and six members who are appointed by the governor to represent groups of counties. The governor’s appointees will serve six-year terms, which start July 1.
Gov. Doug Burgum named McHugh and Nelson as his choices on Thursday. Nelson will represent Burke, Divide, McKenzie, Mountrail, Ward, and Williams counties on the board, while McHugh will represent Adams, Billings, Bowman, Dunn, Golden Valley, Grant, Hettinger, Mercer, Morton, Oliver, Sioux, Slope, and Stark counties.
Board of Public School Education appointees also are members of the state Board of Career and Technical Education, which oversees North Dakota’s state CTE department. They also are in charge of the North Dakota K-12 Education Coordination Council, which reviews state education programs and encourages collaboration among agencies and interest groups.