meet the advisory board
CHAIR: Greg Bennett
Greg Bennett has served as the Chair for the Pillager Education Foundation for 3 years. He has a passion for seeing students be successful in all areas of their life. Greg and his wife Becky have two girls and are proud to be in the Pillager School District. In Greg's free time he enjoys spending time with his wife, mowing his lawn, and coaching the Pillager Varsity Girls Softball team.
secretary: NEAL GAALSWYK
Neal is a 1973 graduate of Pillager High School. He and his wife Kathy have three children, Melanie (’00), Luke (’03) and Mark (’03). Neal is a former Pillager School Board member and currently serves our area as the Cass County Commissioner from District 1. Neal is retired law enforcement officer. He and his brother Don run a custom grazing operation on the family farm, 3 miles west of Pillager.
Neal says, “I serve on the Pillager Education Foundation Board because I truly believe that keeping kids engaged in and excited about learning is the most important thing we can do for our community.”
Neal says, “I serve on the Pillager Education Foundation Board because I truly believe that keeping kids engaged in and excited about learning is the most important thing we can do for our community.”
TREASURER: Missy Berry
Missy, along with her husband, Seth, and 2 daughters moved to Pillager in 2012. Missy began working at Pillager School in 2016 and is the Business Manager for the school district. In her free time she enjoys reading, camping and spending time with her family. She joined the Education Foundation to be a resource to the Board and also believes every child deserves a quality education driven by innovative educators.
board: Mike parrish
Mike and his wife Stephanie have four boys and have lived in Pillager for the past 15 years. Mike has served as the Scholarship Committee Chair for the last 4 years and is excited to have their boys in the Pillager School District. He and his wife own Up North Eye Care in Pillager and strongly believes in encouraging lasting cultures of excellence wherever he goes.
Mike is part of the Pillager Ed Foundation because he believes that we all need to take an active role in building relationship and environments that encourage an intentional future for our students in the paths they choose after high school.
Mike is part of the Pillager Ed Foundation because he believes that we all need to take an active role in building relationship and environments that encourage an intentional future for our students in the paths they choose after high school.
BOARD: steve uban
Steve, along with his wife, Nicolle, and son moved to the area in 2012. They chose to live in Pillager because of how impressed they were with the Pillager school. Steve is serving his second term on the school board as well as on the Board of the Innovative Schools Project. He loves music and being outdoors doing almost anything.
Innovation is a part of Steve's job and he feels that we need to be more innovative in our educational system. He joined the Education Foundation to provide teachers with resources for them to be innovative and try new approaches to educating our youth. “We learn more from our failures than from our successes.”
Innovation is a part of Steve's job and he feels that we need to be more innovative in our educational system. He joined the Education Foundation to provide teachers with resources for them to be innovative and try new approaches to educating our youth. “We learn more from our failures than from our successes.”
board: mike malmberg
Mike has been the Superintendent of the Pillager School District since 2015, having worked in education for over 30 years. He administers the policies of the School Board, as well as provides leadership to a growing school district of approximately 1,200 students. His responsibilities include overseeing, planning and implementing the district strategic plan, driving a comprehensive curriculum, and building and strengthening relationships with parents and the community.
In his free time, Mike enjoys hunting, fishing, and the lakes area.
In his free time, Mike enjoys hunting, fishing, and the lakes area.
board: Angel Martin
This is Angel's first year serving on the board of the Pillager Education Foundation. Angel and her husband have kids that attend Pillager School District and she is excited to be more involved in the community. Angel brings energy and experience to the team as she is excited to help build a lasting legacy for our Pillager students.
board: john gordon
John is the Facility Service Manager at Pillager Schools. He oversees booking and scheduling of all
non school activities and events. He also is hands-on with the CTC Center daily in all aspects of its operations. John takes care of the FOB and keying systems, video cameras, paging, FF&E and phone systems. He also works with the custodial crew in the cleaning and maintenance of the facilities. John loves being in Minnesota with his wife Kristi who loves the water, sun, and outdoors while being a part of the Pillager Schools and community.
board: Ryan krominga
Ryan has been the Director of Teaching & Learning since 2021. He has been in education for more than 20 years, originally as a middle school and high school math teacher. Ryan works with curriculum for preschool through 12th grade and organizes professional development for all teachers. He also oversees intervention services and State testing. Ryan joined the Pillager Education Foundation to support student success and innovative projects in the classroom.