[3] He graduated from South Dakota State University, where he was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity.
From 2001 to 2006, he served as senior officer for technology commercialization and economic development for the Urbana-Champaign, and for six months as interim vice president for academic affairs.
[1] He served on the board of directors of the John Warner Bank, the Carle Foundation Hospital, the Farm Foundation, the DuPage International Technology Park, the Illinois Technology Development Fund, and the Argonne National Laboratory.
[4][3] He sits on the board of trustees of the Avera McKennan Hospital and the University Health Center.
[3] He is a Knight of the National Order of Merit of France, and he has received the United States Department of Agriculture Superior Service Award and the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the SDSU Department of Economics.