He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in government from Dartmouth College.

He worked at an international development consulting firm in Chicago, Illinois for three years before returning to South Dakota to attend the University of South Dakota School of Law, graduating with a Juris Doctor in 1997.

He also worked as a partner at Gunderson, Palmer, Nelson & Ashmore, LLP.

[11] On September 26, 2016, Lust was appointed by Governor Dennis Daugaard to replace Rep. Dan Dryden in the South Dakota House of Representatives.

[12] He died of a cardiac event on July 23, 2021, in Rapid City, South Dakota, at age 53.