Mitchell Technical Institute

MTI Announces New President

Mitchell Technical Institute announces the hiring of its fourth president/ director since the school opened in 1968. Greg Von Wald, Rapid City, has accepted the position being vacated by retiring MTI president Chris Paustian. Paustian will leave MTI in June after 23 years as the school's leader.

Von Wald is currently the CEO and General Manager of Golden West Technologies and Internet Solutions. He retired as a Lieutenant Colonel from the U.S. Marine Corps in 1991 and was CEO and owner of a telecommunications company in Aberdeen until its sale in 1999. Von Wald holds a B.A. from the University of South Dakota, an M.A. from Iowa State University and an M.A. from the Naval War College of Newport, RI.

About his appointment to the MTI post, Von Wald said: "I am honored to be selected to lead MTI. MTI has a great reputation for producing well-trained technical graduates and I hope to build upon this reputation by closely allying the Institute with industry partners in order to fill their rapidly evolving demands for trained workers."

Von Wald's military and education experience includes serving as the head of the Operational Development Team and Faculty at the Marine Corps University. He was selected as part of the team that developed and implemented the Marine offensive plan during Operation Desert Storm; was a battalion commander and battalion executive officer; a military observer for the United Nations Military Observer unit in Lebanon; and was an instructor and operations officer in the NROTC program at Iowa State University.

His public service affiliations include director, South Dakota Chamber of Commerce; director, Presentation Sister's Development Advisory Board; president and director, Dacotah Prairie Museum and Foundation; vice-president and director, Aberdeen Airport Board; and director, Black Hills Vision Economic Development Group.

Von Wald and his wife, Nancy, have one son, Ryan, Gillette, WY, and a six-year old grandson, Jared. He will officially begin his duties at MTI on July 1.