Burgum appoints Deputy Director of Engineering Ron Henke to lead ND Department of Transportation

Governor Doug Burgum on Thursday appointed North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) Deputy Director of Engineering Ron Henke to lead the department, citing his deep knowledge of the state’s transportation infrastructure, long history of service to the state and leadership on many key NDDOT initiatives over the years.

Henke’s appointment is effective immediately. He had been serving as interim NDDOT director since Sept. 9.

“Ron Henke has proven himself to be a highly capable, forward-thinking, well-respected leader in the North Dakota Department of Transportation, and we are excited to welcome him as the department’s next director,” Burgum said. “We’re grateful for his more than three decades of service to NDDOT and look forward to him leading the department into the future with a focus on innovation and providing world-class transportation infrastructure for the benefit of all North Dakota citizens, communities, farmers and ranchers, businesses, industry and visitors.”

Henke joined NDDOT in 1990, serving as director of operations and project development, as well as in other capacities including design, construction, planning and programming. As deputy director of engineering, he oversaw operations, project development, pre-construction, construction and maintenance.

“I’m incredibly honored to lead the outstanding and hardworking team at the North Dakota Department of Transportation, and I am grateful to Governor Burgum for this opportunity,” Henke said. “Through the NDDOT team and with support from the administration and legislature, we will continue to maintain the highest standards for our infrastructure, adopt new technologies and implement innovative approaches to provide the safest transportation system and most efficient and effective service possible to North Dakota citizens.”

Henke is a North Dakota native, having grown up on a farm in central North Dakota. He earned bachelor’s degrees in construction management and construction engineering from North Dakota State University. He is a registered professional engineer in North Dakota with a background in field construction, statewide operations, planning and programming of projects, budget, environmental document preparation and plan development.

Henke serves on the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Transportation Policy Forum and Council on Streets and Highways. He is also an active member in the community though the Bismarck High Football and Basketball Booster organizations.

The NDDOT has 982 team members across North Dakota and a biennial budget of $2.2 billion to build and maintain a safe, efficient transportation system consisting of approximately 8,518 miles of roadway and 4,858 bridges. It oversees the development of surface transportation including highways, bridges, transit, pedestrian and bicycle paths across the state. Annually, the department processes more than 1 million vehicle registrations and serves over 500,000 licensed drivers at branch offices located throughout North Dakota. The NDDOT is an innovative and progressive organization with team members working hard to carry out the department’s mission to safely move people and goods.

Burgum thanks Riley for service after state’s chief information officer announces move to private sector

Deputy Chief Information Officer Greg Hoffman appointed interim CIO

Gov. Burgum on Wednesday thanked North Dakota Chief Information Officer (CIO) Shawn Riley for his transformational leadership and service over the past nearly six years after Riley resigned his position effective Dec. 2 to join the private sector.

Burgum appointed Deputy CIO Greg Hoffman to serve as interim CIO and lead the North Dakota Information Technology (NDIT) department while a search is conducted to fill the CIO position. Hoffman has served with NDIT since 2005 and has led its Administrative Services Division since 2014. He was appointed deputy CIO last April.

Burgum appointed Riley as CIO in March 2017. Riley had previously served in IT leadership positions for 17 years, including as section head of information technology for Mayo Clinic and as CIO and chief technology officer within the Mayo Clinic Health System.

“Shawn embodies the term ‘transformational leader,’ and the positive impacts of his leadership on innovation, technology and cybersecurity will be felt in NDIT and across our state for years to come,” Burgum said. “We are deeply grateful for his service to the State of North Dakota.”

In his resignation letter, Riley stated that it’s been an honor to serve the state for nearly six years, and he credited team members for their efforts and accomplishments in advancing technology in government.

“The state of North Dakota is now the undisputed national leader in Cyber Security,” Riley stated in his letter, adding the state’s initiatives have changed the education of future generations and dramatically changed the ability of state government to safely and effectively serve its citizens.

During Riley’s tenure, North Dakota became the first state to authorize a central, shared service approach to cybersecurity across all aspects of state government, protecting a statewide network that has roughly 252,000 daily users across over 400 entities. State government alone defended itself against an average of 4.5 billion attacks per day last year, including K-12, higher education, and all those touching the state network. North Dakota also became the founding member of the Joint Cybersecurity Operations Command Center, which is now part of the cyber defense for more than 60 million Americans and was the first center of its kind in the nation for direct state-to-state sharing of cyberthreat intelligence.

Riley also was instrumental in the development of the PK-20W Initiative, an award-winning, statewide approach to computer science and cybersecurity education and workforce training that involves more than 40 public and private sector organizations. In addition, North Dakota became the first state to enable a high school state championship for a cyber competition, Cyber Madness, which now has also been expanded for middle school.

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, within 48 hours after the governor declared a state of emergency, under Riley’s leadership, NDIT enabled roughly 7,000 state team members to work remotely to support agencies’ ability to serve citizens, accomplishing in weeks or months what would have typically taken years.

Riley will be joining Bitzero International as the new CEO of American operations. The CIO position was posted Friday.

Water Commission approves $4.3M in cost-share for water projects

At the North Dakota State Water Commission (SWC) meeting chaired by Lt. Gov. Brent Sanford Thursday, the SWC approved $4.3 million in cost-share requests. The SWC voted to approve funding for several municipal, regional and rural water supply projects, as well as projects related to flood control and general water.

The SWC supports local sponsors in development of sustainable water-related projects in North Dakota through the Department of Water Resources (DWR) Cost-Share Program. The primary purpose of the DWR Cost-Share Program is to assist local project sponsors with financial support of water development projects – making them more affordable to local constituents.

“These projects support the development of critical infrastructure that will help meet the water supply, flood protection and safety needs of North Dakotans across our state,” Sanford said. “We appreciate the Water Commission members and Department of Water Resources team for continuing to drive these important infrastructure projects with local and regional partners.”

One of several important project approvals was $355,106 for engineering and design efforts for the Neche Flood Protection System. The city of Neche’s current flood control system consists of an outdated and undersized levee, an aging pump station and other project elements that need significant improvements to limit damages from overland floodwaters and the Pembina River. The purpose of the project is to complete a Federal Emergency Management Agency accredited levee system under the National Flood Insurance Program that will protect residents, increase public safety and reduce frequent flood preparation demands on emergency services. When completed, this project will also reduce the need for flood insurance requirements for Neche residents.

“The Water Commission’s approval of preconstruction funding for the city of Neche is a critical next step for that community in their efforts to pursue long-term flood protection,” said Andrea Travnicek, DWR Director. “The Commission and DWR continue to demonstrate their support of projects that improve North Dakota’s resiliency to both flooding and drought – with the Neche flood protection project being one more important example.”

Another notable cost-share approval was $588,750 for preconstruction efforts related to Ward County’s Low Head Dams Remediation project. This project affects five low head dams on the Mouse River near population centers in Minot and Burlington and will greatly improve human safety by eliminating the hydraulic roller effect these dams currently induce. All five dams were identified in the DWR low head dam inventory with a risk ranking of three or four (out of a maximum of five).

The 10-member SWC consists of Gov. Burgum as chairman, Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring and eight members appointed by the governor to serve six-year terms.

Sanford highlights all-of-the-above energy approach at EmPower ND Energy Conference

Lt. Gov. Sanford joined all three congressional delegation members during a panel discussion at the EmPower ND Energy Conference on Monday, discussing North Dakota's all-of-the-above energy approach and how it relates to national energy policy.

The panel, which was hosted by North Dakota Petroleum Council President Ron Ness, also featured U.S. Sens. John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer and U.S. Rep. Kelly Armstrong.

Sanford highlighted the administration's focus on innovation over regulation and the technological advancements North Dakota is making in the energy industry. He also provided the closing to the conference.

Join us for Recovery Reinvented on Nov. 3 in Grand Forks

Gov. Burgum and First Lady Kathryn invite the public to join the sixth annual Recovery Reinvented on Nov. 3 at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks.

This year’s event is focused on “Turning Advocacy into Action” and features an amazing lineup of speakers.

Registration for the free event is available at www.recoveryreinvented.com or at the link below.

Register Today!

Save the date! 2022 Main Street Summit Oct. 25-26 in Bismarck

The Main Street ND Summit provides an opportunity to connect, learn, get inspired, and gain insight to build and grow your community for the future.

For all of us, the state of today’s workforce is at top of mind as we identify and address the needs of our communities and state in 2022 and beyond. The 2022 Main Street Summit will be all about community and workforce.

Join us in Bismarck for the free event on Oct. 25 and 26!

Register Today!

Click Here for more information.