Sue Nelson has been elected the Dakota Conference superintendent of education, Pathfinder director and Conference Sabbath school leader. Nelson started her education by following in the footsteps of her mother, who was a nurse. A couple years into the nursing program, though, she realized her true dream was to teach.
Nelson graduated from Andrews University with a bachelor’s of science in elementary education. She taught several years, then took a break to raise her two children. After putting her children to bed each night, she worked on her master’s in administration, which she conveniently completed the same year her youngest entered first grade.
Nelson’s teaching experience includes teaching in one-room schools, being principal and team teaching in pre K-8, presenting small-school workshops to other teachers on how to teach in one-room schools during summer months, and writing curriculum for a reading program.
Nelson is married to Loren Nelson III, who is VP of administration, youth director and camp director for the Dakota Conference. As assistant to the camp director, she has used her many talents to make the Dakota camping program a success.
Nelson and her husband are also master guides in Pathfinders. “I started Pathfinders as a kid, then helped with Pathfinders all the years I was teaching. I would like to find a way to connect Pathfinders, campers and homeschoolers so they could make friends and connect with Christian education,” she said. “Education is so important in the lives of kids. Christian education plays a huge part in pointing kids to Jesus.”
