Professor Emeritus Minot State University - Dr. Tom Seymour

McBride Joins NCSC/CFC Team
Brandon McBride, former head of the Rural Utilities Service (RUS), recently joined NCSC as vice president of federal relations. Prior to becoming the 19th RUS administrator, a post he held from March 2015 to early this year, McBride served for six years on the senior professional staff of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry and before that as a legislative assistant to U.S. Sen Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas from 2003 to 2009. "We're very excited to have Brandon working with us," says CFC Senior Vice President of Corporate Relations Brad Captain. "His Capitol Hill experience combined with his deep understanding of USDA Rural Development programs and rural issues offer a great resource for the entire electric cooperative network."

ND Boys State – A Hidden Gem

This week the 75^th session of our North Dakota American Legion Boys State is being held in Wahpeton, ND on the campus of the North Dakota State College of Science. Just think in 1965 Wally Goulet from Grafton and I from Cavalier attended ND Boys State and Phil Jackson was a student advisor. Hundreds of North Dakota High School Juniors have attended Boys State including John Hoeven as Governor of Boys State, Phil Jackson, Joel Heitkamp, and Lynn Hartje from Cavalier as Governor in 1964. In fact, as best citizen of St. Louis I still have my Boys State lapel pin.

Boys State Leadership Academy is an exciting weeklong program that gives your child a firsthand experience running state government. No lectures, no classrooms – just hands on situations that let you take charge and make decisions. It taught me when three people are running for three positions on the ballot you can vote for just one. Yes, North Dakota boys during your junior school year contact your local high school counselor and plan to attend the 2018 session of American Legion North Dakota Boys State. Do check on the ND Boys State Alumni page on Facebook.