These Are Your Neighbors

TAYN Ep. 81 - Dan Eastgate

Dan is a 4th generation resident of Bismarck. Dan’s great passion is caring for his community and especially the people who call it home. Dan entered the real estate industry nine years ago and became a high-performing Realtor who believes in providing the highest level of service to his clients. He credits his success to his diverse knowledge of the area, relationships throughout the real estate and mortgage industry, and deep-rooted community involvement.  Dan is very involved in the community.  His community involvement includes being a member of the Bismarck School Board, Bismarck Public School Foundation, and the Bismarck Public School Foundation.  He has also been a mentor with Bismarck-Mandan Young Life. Dan and his wife, Lacey, have three boys and two additional members of the family, their dogs. Dan loves spending time with his family and friends. He’s an outdoor enthusiast enjoying camping, fishing, and chasing pheasants. Dan spends a lot of time at basketball games, enjoying sports, and likes to read in his spare time. You can also find him behind the microphone as an announcer at many local high school sporting events.

TAYN Ep. 80 - Dana Henry

Born and raised by two public educators in Klamath Falls, Oregon—the “City ofSunshine”—Dana Henry’s life has been shaped by lifelong learning, showing up,stepping in, and serving wherever she lands. A driven student and athlete, Dana graduated high school in three years and attendedthe University of Nevada, Reno, becoming the first unrecruited walk-on under CoachDevin Scruggs eventually working her way up to earning a division I scholarship herjunior year. She competed in two NCAA national tournaments, earned All-WACAcademic honors three times, set weight room records, served as a student senator,and was named Outstanding Senior for the university all while balancing leadership,academics, and competition. With degrees spanning massage therapy, HR, accounting, speech pathology, and anMBA in strategic management, her unconventional educational path reflects acommitment to learning and public service. A dedicated public servant, she has heldprofessional roles in education, nonprofits, and government. Currently, with the State ofNorth Dakota Information Technology Department, she fills the role of Staff Accountant,Culture Rise training facilitator, and was elected to serve a 6-year term on the StatePersonnel Board. She just celebrated her 5 th year as a state employee and looksforward to the next 25. Athletics continue to anchor her identity. Today, Dana plays in the top women’s leaguein Bismarck and is a high school and collegiate volleyball official. She made history in2023 as the first female wrestling official in North Dakota, officiating the inauguralstate girls’ dual tournament at the Fargodome. Moving to a new state every few years, she found connection through service. Thatphilosophy became her pageant platform—GIVE: Get Involved in VolunteerEfforts—turning interest into action and passion into purpose. Her journey into pageantry began at age six as a “little sister” in the Miss KlamathCounty pageant, an experience that sparked a lifelong passion for service, mentorship,and community leadership behind the glamour of the crown. Dana competed in the MissAmerica Opportunity across three states, earning more than $12,000 in scholarships,and has continued in pageantry through marriage and multiple systems—earningnational and international titles including America’s SUPER Mrs., American RoyalBeauties National Ms., Miss Continental Worldwide, and Mrs. North DakotaAmerica 2025. Offstage, she is deeply invested in the infrastructure of pageantry,serving as an emcee, judge, choreographer, tabulator, planning committee member, andaward-winning behind-the-scenes volunteer as the Veronica Villegas Best Volunteerfrom the Global Beauty Awards. Today, she serves on three nonprofit boards; North Dakota Public Employees LocalUnion 4660, the Young Professionals Network, and Brave the Shave a state-wideorganization helping families facing a pediatric cancer diagnosis. She is on the planningcommittee for the bowling fundraiser and gala for the 31:8 Project focusing their effortsto fight human trafficking, and volunteers with over two dozen other organizationshelping them to more effectively and efficiently serve their mission. A self-described audiobook lover with plenty of windshield time, Dana spends her freehours crocheting, bargain hunting, and attending live concerts (often featuring herhusband’s band). Her guiding belief comes from Winston Churchill:“We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.”

TAYN Ep. 79 - Molly McLain

Molly McLain is an artist, educator, and advocate originally from Valley City, ND.She has worked in the arts, public policy,national and statewide political campaigns, and with non-profits. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Arts and a Minor inPiano Pedagogy from Valley City State University with an emphasis in psychology fromthe University of Montana at Missoula. For a time, she served as the Executive Director for Dakota West Arts Council (DWAC). Molly worked with farmers and ranchers in the Western and Central part of the state forseveral years where she advocated for family farm agriculture and vibrant rural andurban North Dakota communities. She has championed campaigns for healthcareaccess, access to local foods, and solid farm policy that benefit family farm agricultureas a statewide field director and organizational coordinator. She spent part of a decadecreatively activating volunteers for campaigns and engaging disenchanted anddisengaged voters. Molly studied under public artists, mosaicists, and muralists for several years whileliving in Twin Cities neighborhoods creating public art and community gardens. Shepractices public art making in North Dakota through the community polytab muralmethod and mosaics and is diligently learning the Norwegian folk art of Rosemaling. She has been a recipient of the North Dakota Council on the Arts Traditional Folk Arts Apprenticeship on three occasions and spent a month in Sweden studying Swedish folk flowers through a grant from theAmerican Scandinavian Foundation. Currently she runs an arts and consulting business called PlainsCraft and works withagencies specializing in creative community engagement, and public arts curation. She co-manages a farm and ranch business with her siblings, and recently became aCertified Farm Succession Coordinator.Molly has been a practicing, teaching, exhibiting, and public artist and advocate for the last 20 years. She is passionate about creative placemaking through performing and public art as well as pollinator habitats, local food systems, and sound farm policy. She serves on various boards and commits to volunteer for a number of local causes. Molly finds purpose in creative collaboration that furthers sense of community withingenuity and vision. She has a love for her family, kind people, the prairie, folk art andculture, the prairie ecosystem, Midwestern “Salads”, hotdish, and cuisine, and a goodjoke.

TAYN Ep. 78 - Thomas Lawler

Thomas Lawler is the Director of the Lottery Division with more than 23 years of service in the North Dakota Army National Guard, including 21 years on active duty. Throughout his career, he’s held a variety of leadership roles in readiness, aviation operations, human resources, training, and logistics, most recently as a Readiness NCO and Senior Aviation Operations Specialist with Detachment 42. In addition to his military service, Thomas taught human resource management and business research and writing as an adjunct instructor at the University of Mary from 2020 to 2024. He earned both his MBA and bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Mary.Raised on a farm near Linton, North Dakota, Lawler values hard work and time outdoors. When he’s not working, he enjoys hunting, especially bow hunting, for the patience, focus, and chance to slow down. He and his wife, Jaime, live in North Dakota.

TAYN Ep. 77 - Julie Horntvedt

Julie Horntvedt has served as the Executive Director of the North Dakota State Council on Developmental Disabilities for the past nine years. In this leadership role, she is responsible for the overall strategic direction, administration, and daily operations of the Council, a 23-member body appointed by the Governor to advocate for system change and promote inclusion and independence for individuals with developmental disabilities across the state.   Julie provides executive oversight for the Council's federally mandated initiatives, including the development, implementation, and evaluation of a comprehensive five-year State Plan. She is responsible for authoring the Council's annual federal performance report and work plan, ensuring alignment with both state and federal priorities under the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act. As a key liaison between the Council, state and federal policymakers, Julie works collaboratively with public agencies, advocacy organizations, and community stakeholders to advance policies and practices that improve the lives of people with developmental disabilities. She has a strong focus on capacity building, interagency collaboration, and community engagement.  Julie also serves in several appointed and elected capacities that support cross-system advocacy and coordination. She is a member of the North Dakota Olmstead Commission, the Comm unit of Practice for Secondary Transition, Bismarck-Mandan Transit, and the North Dakota Cross Disability Advisory Council. She currently chairs the North Dakota Disability Advocacy Consortium and serves on the board of Uspire ND, contributing to statewide initiatives focused on accessibility, equity, and inclusive education and employment outcomes.