Forum on Race and Gender in Politics

Stacey Dahl

Born and raised in Bismarck, ND, Stacey (Horter) Dahl enrolled at the University of North Dakota in 2000. During her time as an undergraduate, Stacey was active in the Greek community as a Delta Gamma, was involved in the UND Student Senate, and served as the lobbyist for the North Dakota Student Association. She graduated summa cum laude in 2004 with a degree in Education. Stacey continued her educational pursuits by enrolling in the UND School of Law, where she is currently in her third year. In her tenure as a law student, she served as the president of the Moot Court Board, is a member of the UND Law Review, and externs at the Grand Forks State's Attorneys office.

In 2004, Stacey was elected North Dakota House of Representatives. She has worked hard for students and residents alike in both the 2005 and 2007 sessions where she led the charge against per-credit payment tuition systems, sponsored student loan reform and advocated for a tuition freeze. She has also worked to provide meaningful property tax relief, strengthen penalties for possession of child pornography, and increase funding for K-12 education. Rep. Dahl serves on the Judiciary, Government and Veteran's Affairs and Constitutional Revision committees. In the interim, she serves on the Judiciary and the Workforce Development committees.

Stacey and her husband, Gabe Dahl, were married in 2006. Gabe is a teacher and activities director in the Grand Forks Public Schools as well as the head coach for the Grand Forks Legion Baseball program.

Merle Boucher

Merle Boucher was born and raised at Rolette, North Dakota and graduated from Rolette High School.  He received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education from Mayville State University. After graduation, Merle returned to his community and taught social studies and business education at Rolette High School for 20 years.  In addition to his teaching assignments, he also coached numerous athletic programs, including being a head varsity basketball and baseball (including American Legion) coach.  Merle was fortunate to have been able to be a part of four teams that participated in state tournament play. (Basketball (assistant) once, high school baseball twice and American Legion Baseball once.

Merle’s wife Susan, is a NDSU graduate. She currently teaches music at the Turtle Mountains Community Middle School in Belcourt. They have four children and six grandchildren. They are landowners and continue to raise beef cattle in the Rolette area.

Elected to the North Dakota House of Representatives in the November 1990 general election, Merle Boucher is finishing his 18th year of legislative service. For the past 12 years, he has been the House Minority Leader. Currently, he is the candidate for Lt. Governor on the Tim Mathern for Governor ticket.

Merle’s paternal French ancestor (Marin Boucher) came to the Quebec colony in 1634. Records indicate that he was accompanied by a brother and his family, and two sisters, their husbands and families. They were a part of group of settlers, who came to help Samuel Champlain save his colonial claim. Typical of the French that came to Quebec, many family members engaged in the fur trading industry and were a part of the voyageur and the courrier du bois (runners of the woods) culture.  Merle is also part Native American.

Heidi Heitkamp

Heidi Heitkamp  is a lawyer and politician from North Dakota. She was attorney general of the state from 1993 to 2001. She ran on the Democratic-NPL ticket for governor in 2000, losing to John Hoeven.

While serving as the Attorney General of North Dakota, Heitkamp's biggest achievement was working on the lawsuit filed against big tobacco. She spearheaded the campaign to hold big tobacco companies responsible for their actions and succeeded in obtaining large amounts of money for each state to use in tobacco cessation programs. The lawsuit also placed restrictions on allowable advertising for tobacco companies.

During her campaign for governor it was announced that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer, which is now in remission. She is currently a director of the Dakota Gasification Company.

Dr. Kate Scheurer

Kate Scheurer received her Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. She has been a member of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at UND since August 2007. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses related to American politics including American Government, Legislative and Executive Processes, and Women & American Politics.

Professor Scheurer’s research agenda addresses the role gender plays in American political institutions, namely Congress and the courts. Her current research examines whether behavioral differences persist between male and female judges.  She is particularly interested in the extent to which gender influences the writings of U.S. Courts of Appeals judges and Supreme Court justices as well as their final voting decisions.

Reverend Ron Cooper

Pastor Ronald Cooper was born in Savannah, Georgia.  After high school, Pastor Cooper attended Ft. Valley State College, Georgia.  In 1981, he joined the United States Air Force and attained the rank of Master Sergeant.  Master Sergeant Cooper finally answered a call that was placed on his heart and became Pastor Cooper in 2004.  In 2005, Master Sergeant Ronald Cooper transitioned to become Mr. Cooper after 24 years of dedicated service to the United States of America.  Realizing the importance of education, Pastor Cooper earned his bachelor's degree in Marketing, Management and Computer Information Systems and a master's degree in General Administration.  He is currently the Deputy Director, SCX Chief of Plans and Resources for the 319th Communications Squadron at Grand Forks Air Force Base. 

Pastor Cooper is the Head Pastor of New Beginnings Christian Center in Emerado.  Along with this duty, he is also an active member of the Prince Hall Masonic Fraternity and current President pro-tempt of the committee formed to establish a branch of the National Association for the Advancement Colored People in the state of North Dakota.  He has been married to the love of his life, Carolyn, for 25 years.  They have 3 wonderful children, Rodney, Khidedra and Jamel.