They both attend Harvey Dunn Elementary-Coulter is in 2nd grade and Ryder is in Kindergarten.
My very patient wife, Kersten Dobberpuhl, works for the School District as an Elementary Instructional Coach and has been in the education field since 2003.I work at Minnehaha County Human Services as a case manager with the Safe Home program. We help assist Minnehaha County residents who are experiencing long term homelessness. I have been with this program since we moved to Sioux Falls in 2007. I was able to be a part of this program from the very beginning and helped develop the policies and procedures that have made it a successful program for Minnehaha County.I grew up in Doland, SD and graduated high school from Doland High School in 1996 and went on to attend Northern State University in Aberdeen, SD. I graduated from NSU with a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology with an emphasis on Criminal Justice along with a minor in Psychology.
All through college and my professional career and have played the role of an advocate. I have worked at the Boys and Girls Club in Aberdeen and Sisseton. I have worked with children through the Turtle Creek Youth Program in Redfield, SD. When we moved to Arizona I had the wonderful opportunity to work as a Social Worker with the Hospice program in Parker, AZ. I also assisted with bereavement for children who had lost a love one in our community, helped coordinate volunteers and put together some fundraising events for Hospice.
I currently volunteer with LSS as a mentor to a kindergartner at Mark Twain, Big Brother Big Sister as a big brother to a second grader at Longfellow, and I help with United Way as the co-chair for the government division.
I am running for school board because I have an invested interest with my two boys who currently attend school in the district. I feel I would be a great addition to the current board to help fill a role as a positive advocate and to help open up lines of communication between the employee groups.  According to the Gallup Poll that was taken last year recognition is lacking as well. Our teachers are having to work harder and harder each year and it seems with less and less support. With communication and recognition lacking that will suck the morale out of any business or organization. I want to start discussions on how to improve this and to keep it moving forward.