Meet Ben Nesselhuf
Ben Nesselhuf is a son of South Dakota. He was born in Rapid City, to Ed and Diane Nesselhuf. Ed is a retired Lutheran minister who is the founder and former executive director of Prison Congregations of America, a Christian organization that works to organize congregations inside state prisons. Diane is an educator who also founded Sharing the Dream, a non-profit that works with widows and orphans in Guatemala. Ben graduated from Vermillion High School and has a Bachelor of Science from the University of South Dakota.
Having been raised in a family that values public service, Ben started at an early age working to help make the lives of the less fortunate better. At 20, he spent 6 months working at an orphanage in the jungles of Guatemala that his family has 2 adopted children from. At 23 he spent his summer driving across the country organizing a 3,000 mile bicycle ride that raised money and awareness of Prison Congregations of America.
Ben Nesselhuf is serving his third term in the South Dakota State Senate, representing Clay and Turner counties. He has been in the legislature since 2000, serving two terms in the House of Representatives before moving to the Senate. Ben serves in leadership as the Democrat Caucus Chairman. Over his five terms he has served on the Health and Human Services, Commerce, Taxation, Education and State Affairs committees.
During his time in the legislature, Senator Nesselhuf has fought for better education funding for our schools, for our small towns and farmers and for limiting the government’s intrusion into citizens’ lives.