Our Members
Meet the members of the South Dakota Board of Regents who are dedicated to the education of South Dakota’s people.
Nathan D. Lukkes
Executive Director & CEO
Nathan Lukkes is the Executive Director and CEO of the South Dakota Board of Regents. Lukkes has been a part of the Board of Regents since 2014, beginning as the System Assistant Vice President for Research and Economic Development and later becoming Chief of Staff and General Counsel. He was born, raised, and educated in South Dakota, growing up in Tyndall, SD, attending South Dakota State University, the University of South Dakota, and later graduating from the University of South Dakota School of Law.
Tim Rave
President
Tim Rave, Baltic, is president and CEO of the South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations. He served in both chambers of the South Dakota Legislature, first in the House of Representatives from 2003-11, where he became Speaker of the House, and later in the Senate from 2011-15, where he was the majority leader. Rave attended South Dakota State University and graduated from the University of Sioux Falls. Appointed by Gov. Noem in 2021, his term will expire in 2027.
Jeff Partridge
Vice President
Jeff Partridge, Rapid City, is president of Partridge Financial Services. He served on the Rapid City Common Council from 2003-05, including a term as the council’s vice president. Partridge was on the legislature’s budget-setting Joint Appropriations Committee for six years, while serving terms in the House of Representatives from 2015-17 and in the Senate from 2017-21. He is a graduate of Augustana University. Appointed by Gov. Noem in 2021, his term will expire in 2027.
Randy Frederick
Secretary
Randy Frederick of Hayti served for 12 years in the South Dakota State Legislature and was the Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee for six years. He was also a member of Governor Rounds’ transition team and a Legislative Task Force Member. Appointed by Governor Noem in 2023, his term will expire in 2029.
Miles Beacom
Board Member
Miles Beacom of Sioux Falls serves as Chief Executive Officer of PREMIER Bankcard, a role he has had since 1993. Beacom currently serves on the Board of Directors for PREMIER Bankcard, LLC, First PREMIER Bank, United National Corporation, and as the 2025 President of the Board of the Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce. He also serves on the South Dakota Freedom Scholarship Board, the Sioux Empire United Way, Sanford Health International, the Dakota State University Foundation, the Catholic Diocese for Eastern South Dakota, and the USD Beacom School of Business Advisory Board. Miles is a graduate of Dakota State University. In 2009, the University of South Dakota dedicated the Beacom School of Business in his honor.
Judy Dittman
Board Member
Dr. Judy Dittman of Madison began her career as a K-10 physical education teacher in the Newell Independent School District before becoming an instructor of health and physical education, as well as the head women’s basketball and softball coach at Dakota State University. After 34 years of teaching at both the University of Iowa and Dakota State University, Dr. Dittman became the Dean of the College of Education at DSU. Since 2013, she served as the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, a professor of physical education and exercise science, the assistant to the president of special programs, and the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at DSU. Dr. Dittman retired in 2020. Appointed by Governor Noem in 2023, her term will expire in 2029.
James Lochner
Board Member
Jim Lochner of Dakota Dunes served as Chief Operations Officer of Tyson Foods from 2009 until he retired in 2014. Prior to that, he was given responsibility for Tyson’s Fresh Meat Business in 2001. Lochner also served on executive committees with various trade organizations, including the American Meat Institute and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. He lives in Dakota Dunes and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in meat and animal science. Appointed by Governor Noem in 2023, his term will expire in 2027.
Griffin Petersen
Board Member
Griffin Petersen, Onida, is a student at the University of South Dakota studying political science and criminal justice, with a minor in history. He has served USD’s student body as a Student Government Association Senator since his freshman year, he has also held leadership roles as President of the USD College Republicans and as President of his fraternity, Lambda Chi Alpha. Petersen recently served as an intern for both of South Dakota’s U.S. Senators out in Washington, DC, and interned for the South Dakota State House of Representatives during the 98th Legislative Session.
Randy Rasmussen
Board Member
Randy Rasmussen of Vermilion worked in the family business for many years and has had the pleasure of interacting with employees, students, and family members of the University of South Dakota community. Rasmussen graduated from the University of South Dakota with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and from Grand Canyon University with a master’s degree in business administration. He is currently the payroll supervisor for HoChunk, Inc. Appointed by Governor Noem in 2023, his term will expire in 2028.
Pam Roberts
Board Member
Pam Roberts of Pierre, holds a bachelor’s degree in commercial economics from South Dakota State University. She retired from state government after a career in senior leadership roles, serving on the cabinet of five South Dakota governors, including positions as state labor secretary, state personnel commissioner, and chief of operations. Roberts and her husband, Clay, operate their family’s ranch in Stanley and Lyman counties. Appointed by Governor Daugaard in 2016 and reappointed by Governor Noem in 2022, her term will expire in 2028.
2024-2025 Standing Committee Appointments
Academic and Student Affairs
Judy Dittman, Chair
Randy Frederick
Griffin Petersen
Randy Rasmussen
Budget and Finance
James Lochner, Chair
Miles Beacom
Jeff Partridge
Pam Roberts
About the Board
- The South Dakota Board of Regents’ mission is to govern the six public universities and the two special schools for the blind and visually impaired and the deaf. Authority for the regents’ governance structure is found in Article XIV, Section 3 of the South Dakota Constitution and in South Dakota Codified Law, Chapter 13-49.
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Article XIV, Section 3 of the South Dakota Constitution provides:The state university, the agriculture college, the school of mines and technology, the normal schools, a school for the deaf, a school for the blind, and all other educational institutions that may be sustained either wholly or in part by the state shall be under the control of a board of five members appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the senate under such rules and restrictions as the Legislature shall provide. The Legislature may increase the number of members to nine.
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Eight members of the Board of Regents serve six-year terms. The ninth member, the student regent, is appointed for a two-year term. No more than six members of the board may be from the same political party, and no two may be residents of the same county.
- The system’s primary goal is to provide high-quality, diverse educational opportunities and services to the people of South Dakota through the effective use of resources entrusted to it. History has demonstrated that this goal can be met more effectively through an integrated system approach. In this manner, the various campuses complement one another and remain fully responsive to the central authority of the Board of Regents through the presidents and superintendents.
- The bylaws of the Board of Regents provide for the self-governing and internal operating procedures of the board. Two standing committees of regents–Committee on Academic and Student Affairs and Committee on Budget and Finance–meet as committees of the whole to conduct regular business. The Board of Regents meets up to six times a year at campuses across the state; special meetings are called as necessary.