Brent Steffens was a Lutheran pastor in the ELCA Lutheran Church for 15 years. He served two different terms on the Lutherans Outdoors board, overseeing 4 church owned outdoor bible camps in South Dakota. He has also been in the hotel management business for the last 16 years, and in general management, sales, and public relations for over 30 years.

Brent has served on the Sioux Falls JazzFest committee for the past 10 years, helping as a core volunteer for the Nation’s largest, free outdoor concert, bringing jazz and blues bands to Sioux Falls for a 3-day event each July. Brent serves as the Vice President of The Retreat Executive Board

Orrin Wendt is a retired architect who was in need of a project! Orrin’s expertise is critical to the mission of rehabilitating the grounds and facilities and helping to understand how to better make the facilities serve the needs of various intended users. Orrin’s career spanned 50 years working for various architectural firms in the city of Sioux Falls. He serves as Consulting Architect, and Board Member.

Jerry Fogg a Yankton Sioux Tribal artist, (Wanagi Tatanka) uses materials from native culture to create one-of-a-kind works of art that tell a story. A Ihanktowan Nakota Sioux Oyate, Fogg was born in Los Angeles, CA. He attended Flandreau Indian School in Flandreau, SD, and Dakota State College in Madison, SD.

Jerry has won many accolades for his art including: Mayor’s Individual Excellence Award for the Arts, Sioux Falls; Best of Show 2D: Contemporary Indigeneity, Great Plains Art Museum, Lincoln, NE; Best of Division I, Adornment: Second Annual Gathering of People, Wind and Water; and the People’s Choice Award: Center for Western Studies’ 125th Anniversary of South Dakota’s Statehood Exhibit.

Jerry’s work was selected for the South Dakota Governor’s 6th Biennial Art Exhibition, and he was recently appointed to the South Dakota Humanities Council of Scholars as a presenter in two categories: Art; and the Hiawatha Insane Asylum near Canton. Jerry recently joined The Retreat Board with a special mission of incorporating Native American Arts into our programs.