City of Sisseton -

Nicholas Blaske
Executive Director

Nicholas grew up in Elk River, MN then attended Minnesota State University Moorhead, which he received a Bachelor of Arts degree with a focus on Graphic Design. He met his wife, the lovely Alexis Monroe, in Fargo which they then moved to Sisseton in 2008-9. He worked at the Sisseton Middle School as a paraprofessional in the Language Arts Department and cooked at the Buffalo Wallow on the weekends for 5 years before transitioning to Horton's Meat Processing as a meat cutter for the next seven years. During the last several years, Nicholas began to be more involved with the Sisseton Arts Council and the community of Sisseton, working on several public art projects including four unique murals and a sculpture, which can be viewed as part of the Sisseton Arts Byway. He has been the Executive Director of the Sisseton Area Chamber of Commerce, Sisseton Economic Development Corporation, and the Sisseton Promotion Board since May of 2021, where he is working together to make Sisseton better.

Jennie Lynn Evenson
President

Jennie Lynn is a graphic designer at the local newspaper, the Sisseton Courier. She is raising her niece, Kayana, a promising and active high schooler. Jennie is a big believer in shopping local and supporting her community. She graduated from Sisseton High School and left to attend college and work, moving back in 2001 to travel on gravel roads, know her neighbors and great people by name. Jennie is on the Sisseton School Board as well as the Sisseton Area Chamber of Commerce Board, volunteers at her local church, Family Life Assembly of God, and has been part of the Horizon project. Jennie Lynn has been on the Sisseton Area Chamber Board for the past ten years.

Connie Wellnitz
Vice President

Connie Wellnitz.

Sherri Skjonsberg
Board Member

Sherri has been a lifelong resident of Sisseton, SD. She has an amazing husband, four wonderful children, and one granddaughter who has been the light of her life, it is true that grandchildren are GRAND! She worked in the community at various jobs and then started at GROW South Dakota for 13 years until she went and joined the team at Sisseton Housing and Redevelopment Commission and remained there for 3 years, then transitioned to Tri State Water were she currently helps in the office part time. Sherri became a member of the Sisseton Area Chamber of Commerce in May of 2021 and has really enjoyed supporting the local businesses. She saw a quote in a small town business in South Dakota and it has become one of her favorite quotes for shopping local: “Behind every small business is a family.” This is a great reminder why small town America is so important and shopping local is of utmost importance to keep our small towns alive. She believes that being part of this wonderful community of Sisseton, South Dakota has been a blessing and she will continue to support her local community by shopping local and supporting our local businesses in any way she can.

Bethany Rogers
Board Member

Bethany Rogers grew up in Park Rapids, MN. She did a lot of traveling and exploring to different states after graduating high school. She met her fiancé, Casey, 3 years ago where she moved to Sisseton. They have 2 children. She has worked at Wireless World- Verizon since she moved to Sisseton. She has been on the Chamber for just over a year and is very excited to keep helping make Sisseton a better place!

Paige Shaunaman
Board Member

Paige was born and raised in Sisseton SD, only leaving the city for a brief period in 2012 to experience college life at Lake Area Technical Institute. Discovering that college wasn’t what she thought it was going to be, she returned to Sisseton in 2013. Coming back to Sisseton opened many new pathways for Paige, including becoming a mother of two beautiful girls, homeownership, and career with the Roberts County Sheriffs Office, where she performed the role of 911 Dispatcher for her community for 8 years. In mid-2023 she retired her headset and took on a new role as Housing Specialist for the Sisseton Housing and Redevelopment Commission. Paige enjoys reading, gaming, traveling, and movie nights with her daughters. Paige joined the Chamber of Commerce in December 2023 and is looking forward to helping promote her community.

Mike Dempsey
Board Member

Mike Dempsey.