NDEA Leaders

NDEA President Dakota Draper, former NDEA Southeast Director on the NDEA Board, is a proud 1981 graduate of Minot  State University with teaching degrees in history and business education. After obtaining his degrees, he went on to teach and coach at Hillsboro High School for the next 14 years. During which time he served as president and a negotiator for the Hillsboro Education Association.

In 1994, Draper joined Fargo Public Schools, teaching middle school students American History at Ben Franklin Middle School. With the Fargo Education Association, Draper was again a negotiator and a local president.  During his term as president, he helped put together a community rally for support of public education in the spring of 1999. Draper served the FEA as their representative to the FPS Health Insurance Committee and is on the support team for negotiations.

Draper has served on four NDEA commissions, Public Relations Instructional & Professional Development and Government Relations (GRC), and Resolutions. Currently, Drapers serves as chair of the Resolutions Ambassadors.

Draper married his wife, Vicki, in 1980.  They have been blessed with two fantastic daughters, Corey and Caitlin. Corey attends the University of Colorado – Denver, and Caitlin is attending the University of North Dakota.

800-369-NDEA or 701-223-0450 (O)
701-224-8535 (fax)
Click here to email Dakota Draper

NDEA Vice President Mark Berntson, a West Fargo High School band instructor, has served on the NDEA Instruction and Professional Development Commission (IPD) and as president of both the West Fargo and Beulah Education Associations.

He was born in Valley City and grew up in Lisbon. Berntson received both his bachelor's and master's degrees in music education from the University of North Dakota (UND). Other activities include being a Big Brother, playing trumpet in the Lake Agassiz Concert Band, and serving as past president of the North Dakota National Band Association.

Berntson has also served as chair of the North Dakota All-State Music Festival Committee for six years. He was the recipient of the NDNBA Allegro Band Award and the West Fargo Education Association Gold Torch.

He is single and lives in West Fargo.

701-356-2050
Click here to email Mark Berntson

NEA Director Alicia Bata, formerly NDEA Ethnic Minority Board Member, was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she attended public elementary and secondary schools.

After graduating from high school in Argentina, she became a senior exchange student at Adams, North Dakota.  She returned to Argentina, but in 1982, she moved back to North Dakota and married a farmer.  She received her Bachelors of Arts, teaching certificate, ESL/Bilingual Endorsement, and Masters of Science in Education/General Studies from UND.

Bata is presently teaching Spanish at Cavalier High School--broadcasting over Interactive Television to seven schools in the Northern Red River Valley. She was a member of the NDEA Minority Affairs Commission, and has had the opportunity to be a presenter at bilingual and foreign language conferences.

She and her husband have four children.

701-944-2501
Click here to email Alicia Bata

NDEA Executive Director Greg Burns heralds from the state of Minnesota where he had extensive union experience as a manager.  Most recently he was Deputy Executive Director for Education Minnesota, the first merged state affiliate of the NEA.

In the position of Deputy Executive Director, Burns was responsible for hiring and supervising managerial, professional and support staff.  He was responsible for the budget for all of the field operations.  Burns also assisted in the negotiation of professional staff and support staff collective bargaining agreements.

Prior to Education Minnesota, Burns was Chief of Staff for the prior Minnesota Federation of Teachers, a role equivalent to that of our Executive Director.

Before becoming a manager in the Association, Burns did staff work for 12 years.  In that role he was chief spokesperson in over 60 negotiations, conducted more than 12 grievance arbitrations, organized new locals, lobbied and designed and delivered training.

Burns was a German and English teacher before he went to work for the Association and served as chair of the Language Arts Department for the Melrose Public Schools.

In the education and training area, Burns holds a bachelor of science in German Education from the University of Minnesota; is an English Major from St. Cloud University; and has 30 credits of additional study plus extensive workshop and seminar training in public sector labor law, negotiations, grievance administration, arbitration and organizing.

701-223-0450 or 800-369-6332
701-224-8535 (fax)
Click here to email Greg Burns