SDPAA’s Bren Promoted to Executive Director

Lynn Bren has been  named the new  executive director  of the South Dakota  Public Assurance  Alliance (SDPAA).

“I’m excited to take  on this new position,”  said Bren. “I have  been working with  the Pool in some  capacity or other for  the past 22 years.

Becoming the executive director has been a career goal,  and I’m truly grateful for this opportunity to help serve all  of the local governments and their communities.”

The executive director is the principal executive offi  cer of  the SDPAA and acts on behalf of and reports to the SDPAA  executive director committee. They supervise and control  the day-to-day operations of the SDPAA and carry out the  policy of the organization as established by the board.  These duties include providing administrative leadership,  implementing and monitoring policies, marketing, fi nancial  analysis, vendor management, serving as board and  member liaison, and program development.

Bren worked in governmental property and liability claims  handling for over 16 years before coming to the SDPAA 6  years ago. Since then, she has worked directly with the  members of the SDPAA while presenting to members  and potential members at the various conferences and  conventions focused on the support of local governments  across South Dakota.

Bren grew up near Clear Lake, South Dakota, and is  currently attending South Dakota State University,  pursuing her degree in Leadership and Management of  Nonprofi t Organizations.

Bren had been serving as the SDPAA acting executive  director since early April and had previously served as the  organization’s deputy director since 2017. She succeeds  Dave Pfeifl e, who resigned to take a position as the city  attorney for the City of Sioux Falls.

Kristina Peterson has moved into Bren's previous position,  serving as the duputy director. Peterson joined the SDPAA  staff in September 2014 and had been working as an  underwriter for the organization. ■

KL J to Conduct Study For  DOT on Public Use Airports

Will start contacting municipalities soon

KLJ Engineering has been contracted by the South  Dakota Department of Transportation to conduct a  study and analysis of the zoning and land use controls  or restrictions of the state’s public use airports.

KLJ will be contacting the local planning and zoning  offi  ces and request submission of information about  the current zoning, restrictions, ownership, jurisdiction,  and other information that is necessary for the review.  Personal contact and/or site visits may be necessary.  Airport properties may be in more than one jurisdiction,  in these instances all the jurisdictions will be contacted.  The cooperation and prompt responses from the local  government staff will be sincerely appreciated.

The final report will be available once it has been  completed and approved for release by the SD  Department of Transportation. If you have questions  about the project, please contact Kent Penney at kent. penney@kljeng.com or 605.872.5005 or Neil Putnam at  neil.putnam@kljeng.com or 605.550.8081. ■

City Managers Assoc Awards Scholarships to City Admins

The South Dakota City Management Association (SDCMA)  has awarded the city administrators from Lennox and Volga  scholarship funds to advance their professional development.

Nathan Vander Platts, City Administrator for the City of Lennox,  and Michael Schulte, City Administrator for the City of Volga,  were each awarded a $1,000 scholarship.

Vander Platts will be attending the International City Management  Association (ICMA) Annual Conference in Austin/Travis County,  TX, this fall. The ICMA Annual Conference is four and a half  days of learning, inspiration, and connection. Organizers say  that attendees will leave equipped with the tools and support  they need to make their communities a better place to live, work,  and play.

Schulte plans to utilize his scholarship funds to attend the  National League of Cities (NLC) City Summit in Atlanta, GA, in  November. NLC is the national association for local governments  and provides multiple trainings throughout the year to municipal  offi  cials, elected offi  cials, and municipal league staff.

The SDCMA provides up to $2,000 annually in scholarship funds  to its members. Applications are due May 1 each year. ■