BISMARCK, N.D. – The North Dakota State Board of Higher Education appoints former Lieutenant Governor Brent Sanford interim president of Bismarck State College.
Dr. Dan Leingang has been acting president since January 2 after the resignation of President Doug Jensen. Leingang is the BSC vice president for academic affairs and he has chosen to remain in that position. The State Board of Higher Education will begin the process to search for a permanent president.
“Our highest priority remains prioritizing the success of students at Bismarck State College and to continue to ensure a smooth transition of leadership. Our goal is to sustain the work that has been done to position BSC as a polytechnic institution. Brent Sanford has leadership experience in business and state government and can ensure that connection between workforce and BSC remains strong and continues to serve both BSC students and the community,” North Dakota State Board of Higher Education Chair Tim Mihalick said.
Sanford graduated from University of North Dakota with an accounting degree in 1994. He worked for Eide Bailly from 1994 through 2002 and became the chief financial officer of Transwest Trucks in Colorado. He moved back to Watford City, North Dakota, in 2004, taking over his family-run car dealership. He was elected to the Watford City Council in 2006 and was elected mayor in 2010. Sanford served as lieutenant governor from 2016 to 2023. Sanford started working as a consultant with Minnkota Power Cooperative on Project Tundra which captures and stores carbon beneath the soil — and also with the North Dakota Petroleum Council to recruit immigrants to work in the North Dakota oil industry. Sanford has been working with the BSC Office of Workforce and Economic Development on workforce-related initiatives to create a robust workforce pipeline from higher education to industry in high-demand and high-priority occupations.
