Ben Jones

A native of South Dakota, Ben grew up in Sioux Falls and De Smet. He earned a History degree and then an Air Force commission at SDSU in 1989. Over the next 23 years he served in the USAF in multiple capacities all over the world including Guam, Germany, the UK, and Afghanistan retiring as as a Lt. Col in 2013. Since then he has authored and published several military respective works, was Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Dakota State University and served as South Dakota Secretary of Education. Beginning 12/2020 he became the South Dakota State Historian and Director of the State Historical Society of South Dakota.

Ben joined the Harvey Dunn Society Board in the Fall of 2022 and looks forward to supporting the mission of the Board supporting the vision initiated by his long time friends, Bob and Phyllis Bell.