The following information is copied from the FVCC website. The comments below, however, are original.
Robert Nystuen
FVCC Board of Trustee – Interim Chair
2002-Present
Glacier Bank President Robert Nystuen was elected to the Flathead Valley Community College Board of Trustees in 2002 and currently serves as Board Chair. A native of North Dakota, Nystuen earned a Bachelor of Science from the College of Agriculture at North Dakota State University. His career in banking has spanned over 35 years, primarily in Montana including Havre, Bozeman, Livingston, Miles City and Kalispell. Nystuen came to the Flathead Valley in 1996 and serves on the Board of Directors of the Flathead Food Bank, Montana West Economic Development, the Montana Ambassadors and as a member of the Flathead Business and Education Council. He resides in Lakeside with his family.
Shannon Lund
FVCC Board of Trustee
2011-Present
Shannon Lund joined the FVCC Board of Trustees in March 2011. She was born and raised in southeastern Montana and graduated from Montana State University with a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology. She and her husband, Tom, and their two daughters have lived in various Montana and Wyoming communities including Miles City, Lewistown, Great Falls, Sidney and Cheyenne before moving to Kalispell in 2005. She has worked as a medical technologist, microbiologist, foundation events coordinator and is currently an account representative for Xerox. Lund has been an active volunteer throughout her life and currently belongs to the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce, is a volunteer for Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children and is chairman for the Intermountain Children’s Home gala.
Thomas Harding
FVCC Board of Trustee
1990-Present
Tom Harding, born and raised in Whitefish, graduated from Whitefish High School and attended The University of Montana before serving in the Vietnam War. He grew up in his family’s building materials business and eventually, after years of ski patrolling and saw milling, took on managing the operation until its closure in 1992. Harding is retired and his wife, Sue, is an educator at Kalispell Middle School. Harding was elected to the FVCC board in 1990 and has served in the various board offices and on many committee assignments. He and his family continue to reside in Whitefish, just a few blocks from where he was born and raised. He likes to say he’s traveled a long ways in a short distance.
John Phelps
FVCC Board of Trustee
2007-Present
John Phelps was elected to the Flathead Valley Community College Board of Trustees in June 2007. A practicing attorney for over 30 years, Phelps earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wichita State University and a Juris Doctor degree from The University of Kansas School of Law. He also serves on the board of the Whitefish Community Foundation, the Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation, the Whitefish Rotary Charitable Fund and the Haskill Basin Watershed Committee. Phelps taught American Government and Political Theory at FVCC in the 1990s as an adjunct faculty member. He resides in Whitefish with his wife, Melisa.
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The following FVCC trustees are not up for re-election in 2011 but we provide their information here so voters can more readily judge the total composition of the Board before they vote.
Mark Holston
FVCC Board of Trustee
2001-Present
Mark Holston joined the Board in May 2001. He is an FVCC graduate and pursued other studies at Florida State University. A former FVCC faculty member, he taught video production and was part of the staff of Total Community Education, a national pilot project to use cable television as a delivery system for education and community service programs. A print and electronic media journalist for four decades, he has been published in numerous national publications and reported for various national television networks. He was a founding and voting member of LARAS, the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences. He currently serves as Public Information Officer and Project Coordinator for the Flathead Basin Commission. His community involvement includes chairing the Flathead County Local Emergency Planning Committee and leading Cocinando Latin Jazz Ensemble, renowned as one of Montana’s most popular and distinctive music performance groups. He lives in Kalispell with his wife, Marcy.
Tom McElwain
FVCC Board of Trustee
2008-Present
Deer Lodge native Tom McElwain was elected to the FVCC Board of Trustees in October 2008. He is a graduate of Missoula County High School and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from The University of Montana in 1968. He retired from Montana Power Company in 2000 after holding various administrative and management positions in Butte, Bozeman and Seattle. He and his wife Carol moved to the Flathead Valley in 2003 where he opened offices for Stewart Title Company. Currently retired, McElwain serves as a Trustee of Northwest Health Care/ Kalispell Regional Medical Center, Director of The Glacier Institute, Kalispell Rotary Club, Kalispell Chamber of Commerce and other community organizations. He retired as a Lieutenant Colonel from the Montana Army National Guard in 1987 after 25 years of service.
Ralene Sliter
FVCC Board of Trustee
May 2006-Present
Ralene Sliter came to the Flathead Valley in 1979. She joined the FVCC Board of Trustees in May 2006. She has served on the FVCC Foundation Board since 2000 and has played an instrumental role in raising money for student scholarships by assisting with the planning of Foundation special events such as Christmas Tree Excellence and Springtime in the Rockies. Sliter graduated from Valparaiso University in Indiana where she majored in history and geography and then worked for IBM in Chicago before becoming a full-time mom to raise her four children. She formerly served as League of the Glacier Orchestra president, member of the Glacier Orchestra Board and hospital volunteer at Kalispell Regional Medical Center.
Additional information about Shannon Lund:
In no way do we criticize our opponents personally. But we do mention additional facts voters should know.
Shannon is married to Tom Lund who is branch president of Rocky Mountain Bank in Kalispell. Since voters cannot remove Robert Nystuen, president of Glacier Bank, until 2014, electing Shannon would put the influence of two local Montana banks on the FVCC Board of Trustees. How much banker influence do voters want making policy for their college?
Shannon did not “join” the Board via an open public election like this one. She was appointed by insider trustee vote in March 14, 2011, according to trustee minutes.
The following article was in the Daily Inter Lake on March 14, 2011, written by Candace Chase:
Shannon Lund chosen as FVCC trustee
Flathead Valley Community College trustees chose Shannon Lund from a field of six candidates vying to fill the trustee slot vacated when John Engebretson resigned.
At a special meeting Monday, board chairman Bob Nystuen said the person selected to fill the vacancy will serve only until the school election on the first Tuesday in May. Voters then will choose a replacement for the remaining two years of Engebretson’s term.
Lund, a medical technologist, was born and raised in Southeast Montana and graduated from Montana State University. She has lived in several communities in Montana and Wyoming and has worked at a variety of jobs.
She’s also been an active volunteer. In the Flathead, she has volunteered in various capacities for Intermountain Children’s Home, CASA, North Valley Hospital and Flathead High School. She has two grown daughters.
Before voting by secret ballot, trustees gave each candidate a chance to make a statement and answer questions.
Other candidates included Richard “Grif” Griffin, account manager for CenturyLink’s Rocky Mountain region; Stephen Luckey, who had a dual career as a 747 captain for Northwest Airlines and as a counter-terrorism consultant to the government and private sector; Michael Mower, an engineer with a long career in the oil industry who is now a business consultant, co-owns Northwest Drywall & Building Supply and raises Highland cattle; Don Rich, a financial planner with his own business; and Harriet “Suzi” Williams, a member of the community college foundation.
After the interviews, trustees voiced their gratitude for such high-quality candidates and encouraged them to consider filing for the board in the May election.
“I think we could all step aside and we wouldn’t miss a beat,”
Trustee John Phelps said with a laugh.
Their first balloting narrowed the field to Mower and Lund before the last selected Lund.
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We agree with Phelps that the incumbent trustees could step aside for others and the Board of Trustees “wouldn’t miss a beat.”
Additional information about John Phelps:
Phelps description says:
But “elected” is not the proper word to describe the appointment of Phelps by the Board after making sure to limit the candidates to their chosen anointed by not properly announcing the election to the voters.
Here is a news article reporting Phelps “retirement” from being city attorney no doubt related to his inadequate performance as city attorney.
Whitefish City Attorney Announces Retirement
By Myers Reece , 11-18-09, Flathead Beacon
Whitefish City Attorney John Phelps has announced his retirement, to become effective in July of 2010.
Citing “all of the good reasons that everybody would like to retire,” Phelps said after 32 years of practicing law he wants to spend more time with his family, including his granddaughter. He also looks forward to hiking, camping, traveling and helping out with the nonprofit organizations with which he’s involved. Phelps owns a ranch with his wife.
By the time his retirement takes effect, he will have been Whitefish’s city attorney for 15 years. Phelps first notified Mayor Mike Jenson of his decision in July and then gave a letter to city council for Monday night’s meeting. He said he made his announcement early so that the city has sufficient time finding a replacement.
“I loved it and it’s been a wonderful job and it’s a wonderful city,” Phelps said last week.
In recent weeks there has been a newspaper advertisement alluding to Phelps’ resignation. Phelps said he wanted to “clarify” that he is retiring, not resigning his position. The word has spread around Whitefish.
“I’ve had so many friends come up to me and say, ‘What’s this about a resignation?’” Phelps said. “There is no resignation; I’m retiring. The word that got out was misleading, so I would like to at least set the record straight.”
Shortly after Phelps moved to Whitefish 15 years ago, he began working as city attorney on contract through his law firm Hedman, Hileman and Lacosta. After 10 years, he said the rapidly growing city needed an in-house attorney to handle the increasing workload, so officials asked him to come on full-time. He has held that position since.
Phelps made his decision some time ago and met with Jenson in July, before the Montana Supreme Court upheld a district court decision against the city totaling $440,000. The court ruled that the city had violated a couple’s rights by not denying them a building exemption permit. Phelps said neither that ruling nor any other case was a factor in his decision to retire.
Phelps has no plans to open up a private practice, but he could do part-time work for the city if asked. He might also do work for other cities and public agencies, as well as volunteer work for nonprofits. Among the cases still on his plate is the ongoing legal tussle with Flathead County over jurisdiction of the “planning doughnut.”
City Manager Chuck Stearns said the council won’t likely begin searching for a replacement until next year, after the newly elected councilors are sworn in. Phelps hopes one is found early enough that his term will overlap to allow for the two to work together, easing the transition.
“It has been an extreme honor to serve as Whitefish city attorney for the last 14 years,” Phelps said in his letter to council, “and I have enjoyed immensely my relationships with the current council, former councils, and city staff. When the time comes to step down, I will miss all of you very much.”
Additional information about Robert Nystuen:
In 2008, Nystuen was affirmed by the board with no public vote. Board minutes for 2002 and 2005 are not online for us to determine whether or not Nystuen was ever elected by a public vote. He is getting away Scott free in 2011 due to legally questionable separation of the 2-year and 3-year terms on the Kalispell district ballot. This will give Nystuen 12 years on the board with NO public record of how he got there!
Here is the minutes section from the 2008 re-appointment of Nystuen:
Special Board Meeting, April 11, 2008,
II. COLLEGE ISSUES
A. Resolution No. 08-6 – Notice of Election Cancellation
Chairperson Engebretson presented Resolution No. 08-6 and called for a motion. Thomas Harding moved that the Board of Trustees adopt Resolution No. 08-6 – Notice of Election Cancellation. Mark Holston seconded the motion. With no further discussion, Mark Holston called for the question. Chairperson Engebretson asked that the Clerk of District call the roll for a vote. Those responding “yea” included: Alison Young, Thomas Harding, John Phelps, Mark Holston, and John Engebretson. The motion carried with five (5) “yes” votes.
B. Trustee Election by Acclamation
Chairperson Engebretson indicated if no election is held, the Trustees may declare elected by acclamation the candidate(s) who filed for the position(s). He then presented a certificate of Trustee Election by Acclamation for the one candidate in the Flathead High School District.
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From our reading of the minutes, it appears former Chairperson Engebretson expertly manipulated election announcements in order to keep desired trustees on the board without public awareness.
Additional information about Thomas Harding:
What can we say? Harding has been on the Board since 1990 and he never was qualified to be on a college board. There is absolutely nothing Harding can offer to lead a college into the future. He should withdraw from this election.
Mark Holston
iswas Chair of the Flathead Democratic Party. No wonder Democrats and RINOs are making this trustee election a political election.The Board of Trustees is filled with Democrats and RINOs. If they brought some academic qualifications with them, it might be different. But none of them are any more qualified to lead a college than they are to teach Top Gun pilots how to fly.
The fact that the recent Chairman of any political party is a college trustee is outrageous. It is a conflict of interest for a political party operative to be on the board of trustees.
And the voters are too dumbed down to understand how to select trustees.
The losers are the college, the community and the students.
Sir, your contention that I am chair of the Flathead Democratic Party is false. Someone doing even cursory research into the backgrounds of local residents could easily determine that such is not the case. This statement, and the conclusions you draw from it, are false and if you have any integrity, you will admit your error and remove this misinformation from your site.
@7 Mark, thank you for your correction. I assume the referenced article in the Flathead Beacon on 4-27-2009 correctly states that you were Chairman of the Flathead Democratic Party at that time. I apologize that I was not aware that you are no longer Chairman of the Flathead Democratic Party.