Dennis and Vaune Johnson

Dennis: North Dakota State University BSEEE 1971 MSIE 1974
Vaune: Dickinson State University BS Accounting 1991; University of Mary MBA 2006

Dennis and Vaune are from western North Dakota. Both experienced rewarding careers in business and place a high value on community service. Dennis’s career was as majority stockholder of a manufacturing company and Vaune’s in banking and accounting. Each attributes their success to their parents and their education.

Dennis was the first member of his family to graduate from college. He remembers as a young child depositing gift money in the local bank and his father telling him, “this is for college.” He didn’t know what college was but knew he was going. Vaune returned to college as a young working mother with
two pre-school children. She had a strong desire to be financially independent and realized she needed a college degree.

Dennis and Vaune established these scholarships in recognition of the importance of higher education, and the difference education makes in people’s lives and their communities. They realize higher education is expensive. They were helped by many others, both known and unknown, during their life’s journey. These scholarships are the Johnson’s way of giving back.