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Board of Directors
Angie Buhl is a native of Yankton, SD, and earned her bachelor's in psychology and a minor in music from the University of South Dakota in 2007. She has been an active political organizer for several years, having worked with South Dakotans Against Discrimination, The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, and Stonewall Democrats, most recently serving as the development associate at NARAL Pro-Choice South Dakota. During the 2008 presidential primary, Angie served on Hillary Clinton's LGBT advisory committee, and joined the Obama campaign's LGBT committee in July 2008. She is currently based in Sioux Falls, and is working with the EqSD Institute's
Workplace Fairness Project to encourage public and private employers to adopt inclusive non-discrimination policies.
Robert Doody has been the director for the South Dakota chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union since October 2008. Doody, who was raised in Minnesota, has spent his legal career working in the area of Indian Law in South Dakota. Doody has worked extensively on Federal Indian Law issues while in law school, during his employment on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation and on the Rosebud Indian Reservation. While at the ACLU, Doody has started the process of building up a sustainable ACLU with clear objectives and goals that will continue to defend the civil liberties of all people in South Dakota for future generations. received his Juris Doctorate from the University of North Dakota, School of Law in 2005, his BA in Philosophy from the University of Ulster, Northern Ireland and a Master's Degree in Philosophy from the Queen's University, Belfast Northern Ireland.
David Fischer lives in Aberdeen, SD where he is employed as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) at Avera St. Lukes Hospital. David is “out” in Aberdeen and has been successful in changing hearts and minds through community participation, interpersonal relationships and his relentless efforts to speak and write the truth. In 2008 he was instrumental in launching Aberdeen's first PFLAG (Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians & Gays) chapter.
Chuck Fritzel, born and raised in Sioux Falls, SD, owns a small ranch near Deerfield Lake in the Black hills and lives part time in Washington, DC. Now retired, he had a distinguished 30 year career as Vice President, Government Relations with the National Association of Independent Insurers. Prior to that, Chuck served as Legislative Assistant to Republican US Representatives Ben Reifel and Donald Brotzman and held high level positions within Postmaster General Winton Blount's administration. He is past president of the South Dakota State Society of Washington, DC and the Arts Club of Washington. He is a current member of the South Dakota State Historical Society and of the Mount Rushmore National Memorial.
Don Frankenfeld lives in Rapid City, SD. A Republican, Don served as a state senator and chaired the senate tax committee. In 1990 he was the Republican candidate for South Dakota's single Congressional seat, losing to a now-Senator Tim Johnson. As a Bush Foundation leadership fellow, he earned an MPA at Harvard's JFK School of Government. Don often testifies in court as a forensic economicst and financial expert. He testified nearly one hundred times on behalf of claimants to the Federal September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. His testimonial appearances on behalf of a gay survivor in California and a lesbian survivor in Missouri were personally transformational, and led him to become an advocate for gay marriage rights.
Greg Kniffen is a lifetime resident of South Dakota who has seen the beauty and diversity this state has to offer. He was born and raised in Tyndall where he attended Bon Homme High School, graduated in 1990, then furthered his educational career attending South Dakota State University receiving a degree in Civil & Environmental Engineering. Following graduation, he began working for Eisenbraun & Associates in Yankton, SD. A few months after he began working for E&A, he was given the opportunity to purchase the computer programming and installation division of the company. Three years ago, the business expanded into the Sioux Falls area. Politically, he is fiscally conservative and socially responsible believing decisions are best made as close to the decision-maker as possible.
Karen Mudd, Chair of EqSD lives in Sioux Falls, SD with her life partner. An independent non profit consultant, she has over 25 years of experience in areas of non profit marketing and communications, legislative advocacy, philanthropy, and organizational capacity building. Karen is a founding board member of the Rainbow Endowment, a grant-making body that has distributed over $1.5 million to national LGBT projects since its inception. She earned a Master's Degree in Women & Public Policy from George Washington University and a BA from Webster University in St. Louis. Prior to launching her consulting business in 2006, Karen served as director of development for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America in Philadelphia. Currently, Mudd is directing a grant-funded project of the EqSD Institute, securing nondiscrimination policies among South Dakota businesses and municipalities.
Lawrence Novotny, Vice Chair of EqSD lives in Brookings, SD where he works as a quality assurance chemist with South Dakota State University. Besides having a long history of involvement in South Dakota's environmental and social justice movements, Lawrence has also been involved in various former & current LGBT organizations. He is also secretary-treasurer of SD Resources Coalition, treasurer of Brookings County Democrats and a regular writer for the Gayzette. The Brookings Human Rights Committee presented the Dorothy and Eugene T. Butler, Jr. Human Rights Award to Lawrence in 2007 as someone who has shown outstanding commitment to the cause of Human Rights.
Curtis Price, Treasurer of EqSD lives in Rapid City, SD where he works as a Federal scientist in geospatial analysis. He is a graduate of the University of Puget Sound and Dartmouth College. Curtis also serves on the board of The Center West and is the current SD Network Coordinator for Integrity USA, an organization dedicated to the inclusion of LGBT people in the Episcopal Church.
Amy Richards grew up on a ranch east of Sturgis, SD on the Belle Fourche River. She is the granddaughter of a Methodist minister, Reuben Tanquist, and a great uncle, Dr. Benjamin Rush, signed the Declaration of Independence. As a child she attended Farm Bureau, Stock Growers, and Meade County Republican meetings and learned about the power of organizations to create change. Amy graduated from Montana State University in 1990 with bachelor’s degrees in business administration and art, and received a master’s degree in nutrition from South Dakota State University in 2004. Amy, a registered dietitian, directs the University of South Dakota Dietetic Internship Program and lives in Sioux Falls.
Gary Snow resides in Pierre, SD where he owns Gary Snow & Associates, Inc. an environmental consulting and contracting company serving North and South Dakota. He currently serves on the PAC committee for NARAL Pro-Choice South Dakota and was a board member of the Campaign for Healthy Families during the 2006 effort to overturn the South Dakota abortion ban. Gary was a member of the Pierre School Board, Missouri Shores Domestic Violence Shelter board of directors and has been an on-call chaplain at a local hospital for the past 25 years. He has testified at several South Dakota legislative hearings on various social issues over the past three decades and was a registered lobbyist in the early 1990s.
Sharon Ludwick Warner, Vice Treasurer of EqSD PAC, lives in Rapid City, SD. She is a third generation family owner of Rain Bird Corporation, a manufacturer and provider of irrigation products and services. Sharon currently serves and has served on the boards of numerous local, regional and statewide public charities. She has extensive experience in grant making and administration as a member of the Ludwick Family Foundation. Sharon is a lifetime member of the American Association of University Women and longtime women's rights activist.
