Meet Our Board
Board Members
Dan Fritz
President
Brian Gosch
Vice President
Brian Gosch is a lawyer and father of six. He attended both public and private schools while growing up in South Dakota.
Phyllis Heineman
Secretary
Phyllis Heineman is a former South Dakota state legislator who served several years as Chair of House Education and later as a Senate Appropriator. Phyllis is currently a member of South Dakota’s Board of Education Standards.
A former teacher, Phyllis believes our focus must be on student success and the measures that give children the opportunity to reach their full potential. Parents have a profound responsibility and impact on the success of their child’s education. Empowering parents to choose their child’s school, whatever that choice is, further engages them.
Tom Cink
Treasurer
Dr. Tom Cink strongly supports the mission of the SDPE and the opportunity that school choice offers to all children in South Dakota. He is presently enjoying being a retired physician. He and his wife were fortunate to have four daughters and are happy to have four grandchildren.
Tom practiced in the Sioux Falls medical community for 37 years, with a specialty in diagnostic radiology and a subspecialty in breast cancer. He was involved in the establishment of the Breast Health Institute at Sanford Hospital and was its medical director until his retirement. He was a member of the Wellmark Blue Cross/Blueshield of Iowa and SD board of directors for 14 years and is presently a member of the board of directors of the Wellmark Foundation.
Lisa Beacom
Lisa is a homemaker and mother of four children, all of whom graduated from private schools in Sioux Falls. She became involved with South Dakota Partners in Education because of how much she appreciated the ability to choose the education she preferred for own children and wanted to help provide the same opportunity to others.
Dustin Strande
Dustin is a partner and insurance agent with American Church Group of the Dakotas, serving numerous faith-based schools, camps, non-profits, and churches across South and North Dakota. He loves that his time and effort on this board helps enable families to make the best education choice for their kids by lessening the personal financial burden of private education for those that need it. He attended public school. His wife is a graduate of Sioux Falls Christian and their three kids are blessed to attend there as well.
Al Kjenstad
Al is a graduate of Northern State University and a father of four. Al is a CPA and worked in public accounting for three years before getting into banking. He has worked in commercial and agriculture banking for the past 20 years. He attended both public and private schools while growing up in South Dakota. Al enjoys serving and volunteering in his community.
SDPE Staff
Katie Mellor
Administrator
As a career educator and parent, Katie knows firsthand the importance of guiding children to succeed. Her journey from teacher to principal to superintendent cemented her conviction in the good that can come when parents are enabled to select the school their child attends. She’s grateful that she can bring her personal values to her work as the Administrator of South Dakota Partners in Education.
Robert Satter
Executive Director
Robert Satter is a graduate of the Rapid City Catholic Schools System and the University of South Dakota, graduating with a degree in education. He is a former teacher and business owner, spending over 20 years as the Executive Director of Sylvan Learning in the Phoenix, AZ area. Robert most recently served as the Director of Development of the Rapid City Catholic School System from 2014-2022. Robert also was Vice President of the South Dakota Partners in Education board for six years.
Robert has dedicated his career to the education of children and is proud to be serving as Executive Director of South Dakota Partners in Education.