Teresa Kittridge, Founder of 100 Rural Women presented in Jamestown North Dakota at a Campaign Academy on Sunday, Feb 9th.   “How to run in a rural district” was a the focus of the panel.  Teresa was asked to present by Vote Run Lead and was joined on the panel by:

Facilitator: Molly McLain  North Dakota Farmers Union Member Relations Specialist

Panelists: Cesar Alvarez was born and raised in New Town, ND, on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation and is an enrolled member of the Three Affiliated Tribes. Cesar graduated from Harvard University in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in Government. His professional experience includes interning for Senator Kent Conrad in Washington, D.C.; working as a legislative fellow for the National Congress of American Indians in Washington, D.C., covering the policy areas of education, veterans/military policy, Native youth, and Native Languages; and has since returned to the Three Affiliated Tribes working in a variety of capacities formerly as a law clerk/paralegal with the Legal Department, and now currently serves as Intergovernmental Affairs with the Office of Councilwoman V. Judy Brugh. Cesar was a ND Democratic-NPL-endorsed District 4 legislative candidate for the North Dakota House of Representatives in 2016. District 4 encompassed 6 rural counties and over 21 townships, tribal and non-tribal communities. Cesar has stayed active in public service where he has served on the Finance Committee for the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party and currently serves as the District 4 Vice-Chairman. Cesar also stays involved with his community by serving on a variety of boards that includes: ND PBS Board of Directors, U.S. Civil Rights Commission ND State Advisory Committee, Bush Foundation ND Advisory Committee, Harvard Alumni Association NAAHU SIG Board, and also serves on the Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College Board of Directors. Cesar is passionate about serving his local community and tribe and the greater North Dakota area. He is also a die-hard Chicago Cubs fan.

Billie Sutton is a fifth generation South Dakotan, he grew up on his family’s ranch northeast of Burke, SD. He was valedictorian of his Burke High School graduating class and attended the University of Wyoming in Laramie on a full-ride rodeo scholarship and earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Finance.

Billie went on to rodeo professionally and was in the top 30 in the world in the professional ranks when his career was cut short. At just 23 years old, Billie was paralyzed in a rodeo accident while competing at the Badlands Circuit Finals Rodeo in Minot, North Dakota.

Billie resides in his hometown of Burke, SD. He still rides horses and has a cattle operation with his family. Billie previously served as manager of the South Central South Dakota Hay Association and now works for First Fidelity Bank as an Investment Executive. Billie is President of the Burke Riding Club which puts on the award-winning Burke Stampede Rodeo.

Billie is married to Kelsea Kenzy Sutton, an attorney with First Fidelity Bank and County Commissioner in Gregory County. Billie and Kelsea have a young son named Liam.

Billie was elected to the State Senate in 2010 and represented the people of his district until being term-limited after 8 years of public service. Billie served four years as the State Senate Minority Leader and ran for Governor of South Dakota in 2018.

Billie founded the Sutton Leadership Institute in 2019 to build the foundation for a stronger South Dakota and more vibrant communities and workplaces by inspiring and preparing the next generation of leaders for service to others.