BEK Nominating Committee Selects 2026 Board of Director Candidates - Meet Them

The 2026 Nominating Committee of BEK Communications Cooperative met on Thursday, February 19, 2026, to nominate members of the cooperative to run for the open Board of Director seats. BEK Communications Cooperative member-owners residing in Districts I, II, III, and V East will elect one director each.

Serving on the 2026 Nominating Committee are: Burnell Paul, Tom Welder, Randy Kapp, Tim DeKrey, Helen Senger, Deanna Woodson, Kassie McGough.

There are two ways to become nominated for Director: 1- by the Nominating Committee, or 2 - by petition, as provided in the Cooperative’s bylaws (Article IV, Section 4). The bylaws are printed in the BEK/West River Missouri Slope Telephone Directory and are available on the BEK Communications Cooperative website.

The following nominees have been selected by the Nominating Committee:

District I Arena, Driscoll, Menoken, McKenzie, Moffit, Regan, Sterling, Wilton, Wing

• Sanford Williams (Wing) (Incumbent)

District II Crystal Springs, Dawson, Lake Isabel, Lake Williams, Pettibone, Robinson, Steele, Tappen, Tuttle

• Bob Subart (Incumbent)
• Chase Dewitz, Steele

District III Braddock, Hague, Hull, Hazelton, Kintyre, Linton, Strasburg, Temvik, Westfield

• Kevin Bernhardt, Linton (Incumbent)

District IV Burnstad, Lehr, Napoleon, Wishek, Zeeland

• No Election

District V East Absaraka, Alice, Berea, Buffalo-Wheatland, Eckelson, Embden, Dazey, Buffao, Hannaford, Hope, Karnak, Luverne, Leal, Nome-Fingal, Page, Sanborn, Rogers, Sibley, Sutton, Tower City, Valley City, Wallum

• Ed Everson, Hannaford (Incumbent)

District V West Apple Valley, Baldwin, Bismarck, Fort Rice, Huff, Lincoln, Mandan

• No Election

Meet the Candidates

Sanford Williams (Incumbent) - District I

Sanford Williams has served on the BEK Board of Directors for nearly 42 years and says what keeps the role exciting is that there is always something changing. He says he takes pride in helping guide BEK through those changes.

Over the years, Sanford says he’s watched the cooperative grow from the days of basic telephone service to television, high-speed internet, and now cybersecurity and AI. He believes in keeping up with new technology so BEK can continue to move forward and serve its members well.

Sanford has spent nearly his entire life in Wing. He grew up on his family’s farm there, first purchased by his grandfather, worked by his father, and now proudly operated by his son. Aside from four years serving in the U.S. Navy, he’s always called Wing his home.

Sanford and his wife Kim share a blended family of eight children.

Bob Subart (Incumbent) - District II

Bob Subart has served on the BEK Board of Directors since 2019. He says he’s always had a strong interest in business, how it works, how it grows, and how today’s decisions shape tomorrow. He sees BEK as a large and dynamic organization for the region and wants to help guide it through the wave of new, cutting-edge technology.

Bob says serving on the Board has opened his eyes to how complex and forward-looking a modern cooperative must be. He believes BEK is a strong and thriving cooperative and is proud to be part of the team helping keep it that way.

Bob grew up in Robinson, where he still lives and works on the same family farm his grandparents homesteaded. He is now the third generation to work that land.

Bob and his wife, Margaret, have been married for 34 years. Together, they have three sons and six grandchildren.

Chase Dewitz (Steele) - District II

Chase Dewitz is a lifelong member of the Steele area farming community, a fourth-generation farmer, and a new candidate for BEK’s Board of Directors.

If elected to BEK’s Board, Chase wants to focus on smart growth, managing energy costs, and better use of the cooperative’s fiber network to drive economic development in rural areas. He believes BEK can create new opportunities beyond agriculture while keeping service affordable, reliable, and transparent for members.

Chase grew up five miles east of Steele on his family’s farm, first homesteaded in 1916, and still operates it today. After graduating from Steele High School in 2002, Chase studied farm management at Bismarck State College and went on to build a feedlot with help from NRCS through an EQUIP grant. He began custom feeding cattle and expanded that into a larger cattle and grain operation, which he now runs with his wife Erin, additional team members and his father Rob, who checks in on daily activities.

Chase and Erin, a nurse practitioner in Steele, are raising three children: 8-year-old twin boys, and a 5-year-old daughter.

Kevin Bernhardt (Incumbent) - District III

Kevin Bernhardt has served on the BEK Board of Directors for 15 years and currently holds the role of Vice President. During his time on the Board, he says he’s enjoyed watching BEK grow, innovate, and bring essential services to rural homes, farms, and Main Street businesses across North Dakota.

Kevin says he serves because he wants to help keep the cooperative strong and make sure rural members stay connected, competitive, and cared for. He believes a cooperative isn’t about chasing top dollar, rather it’s about the people. It’s that principle he attributes to keeping him grounded.

Kevin grew up in Linton on the same land where he lives today, where his grandfather homesteaded after immigrating to the United States. Today, Kevin’s two sons farm alongside him and are preparing to become the fourth generation to carry on the family’s farming tradition.

Kevin and his wife, Ann, have been married for 37 years. Together, they raised three sons and a daughter and are proud grandparents to nine grandchildren.

Ed Everson (Incumbent) District V East

Ed Everson is the first director to represent the new District 5 East and has served on the BEK Board of Directors for two years. He says he has a long-time interest in technology and how it continues to evolve.

Ed is particularly fascinated with fiber internet and says he’s proud that BEK offers the best internet available through its fiber network. When the opportunity came to serve on BEK’s Nominating Committee, Ed says he decided to get involved because he believes in the future of the cooperative.

Born and raised six miles outside of Hannaford, Ed grew up working on his grandparents’ farms, where he learned the value of hard work at a young age. As a newly married young man, he moved to different parts of the country and worked a variety of jobs, calling himself a “jack of all trades.” Eventually, he and his wife, Cindy, moved back to North Dakota for good. Ed spent 45 years working at the grain elevator in Hannaford.

Ed and Cindy have five children and 11 grandchildren.