Dakota College at Bottineau (DCB) held its annual employee recognition luncheon last week. Excellence awards, which are determined by students and peers, were presented to faculty and staff.

Recipients Left to Right: Scott Johnson, JaLee Lynnes and Tara DeCrans

The Employee Excellence awards are intended to recognize and reward employee efforts whose job performance adds value to the college experience for students, colleagues, and the campus community. Recipients demonstrate qualities that make it clear their contributions are exemplary and go beyond what is required for the routine discharge of their duties. JaLee Lynnes, Financial Aid Specialist, Scott Johnson, Mathematics Professor and Tara DeCrans, Assistant Nursing Professor are the 2026 recipients.

JaLee Lynnes has been employed with DCB for 13 years. Throughout her years, she has held different positions all while taking pride in helping DCB students, parents, staff, and faculty. She currently holds the financial aid specialist position, in which during that time, has seen changes in leadership in the financial aid realm. She has effortlessly adapted to the changes in her workplace and continues to be a warm, friendly face for students to connect with in their financial aid experience. Her dedication, professionalism, and commitment to those she serves makes her truly deserving of this recognition.

Scott “Scotty J” Johnson, Mathematics Professor, is a 1989 alum of formerly known as NDSU- Bottineau. He started as a mathematics instructor and an assistant hockey coach in the fall of 1999. Nominated by two students, Scott truly embraces the value, support, and passion for teaching in the classroom. Students recognize that Scott intentionally makes the effort to get to know every student he sees, even the ones that aren’t in his classroom. He is very encouraging and kind and makes sure to “check-in” with students, whether it be in the hallway or in the bookstore.

Tara DeCrans has been employed at DCB for six years. She started as a nursing instructor at our Minot location and was named assistant professor in 2023. Nominated by three students, Tara brings kindness, sincerity, and genuine care to everything she does. She embodies the core value of the nursing program and Dakota College at Bottineau in ways that make a lasting difference to the people around her. Students recognize that she shows student-focused values by creating a supportive, inclusive environment where questions are encouraged and mistakes are used as learning opportunities. Her compassion, commitment and heartfelt dedication make her truly exceptional.

In addition to the employee excellence awards, DCB also recognizes our first Staff Emeritus.

The Staff Emeritus is awarded to a former employee of DCB upon retirement. The awardee must have completed a minimum of 10 consecutive years of service as a benefited staff member and be recommended for emeritus staff designation from a supervisor or co-worker, in the form of a letter of recommendation. This year’s recipient is Brad Gangl. With over 25 years of dedicated service to DCB (MiSU-B), Brad served with exceptional distinction in IT, most of those years as the IT Director, providing steady leadership, technical vision, and an unwavering commitment to operational excellence.

Left to right: Jacob Nelson, Staff Emeritus Recipient, Brad Gangl, and Mike O’Toole 

Throughout his employment, Brad was instrumental in guiding the organization through significant technological change. From modernizing core infrastructure, improving system reliability, and supporting organizations growth, Brad ensured that technology consistently enabled – rather than hindered – the company’s mission. His career reflects extraordinary dedication, leadership and commitment to DCB.