North Dakota Department of Commerce

Shane Goettle, Commissioner of the North Dakota Department of Commerce, has been selected to receive the 2006 John Lee Coulter Award. The North Dakota State University Agricultural Economics Club annually presents the Coulter award to recognize an individual or company who has made outstanding achievements in the agribusiness sector of North Dakota’s economy.

Goettle, who has been Commerce Commissioner since November 2005, received the award April 27 in Fargo and his name – along with past recipients – is on permanent display in Morrill Hall.

As Commerce Commissioner, Goettle has been an advocate for the marriage of agriculture and energy and has helped promote the development of North Dakota’s renewable energy industry.

“I am honored to receive this award,” Goettle said. “Our team at commerce has worked hard to advance our state’s agriculture industry through development of a number of promising new areas including renewable fuels, value-added enterprises and animal agriculture.”

Goettle grew up on a farm near Donnybrook, N.D. He graduated from NDSU with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics. He also holds a law degree from the Hamline University School of Law in St. Paul, Minn.

Prior to his work at the Commerce Department, Goettle served as chief of staff for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development Mission Area. He also held the position of special assistant to the under secretary for Rural Development, as well as acting associate administrator for the Rural Housing Service during a leadership transition.

Award namesake John Lee Coulter was president of North Dakota AC College (now NDSU) from 1921-1929. In 1930, he was appointed to the Tariff Commission by President Hoover and helped draft what became the law stabilizing the domestic sugar industry. He later served as chief economist for the Export-Import Bank. Coulter received his bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of North Dakota.

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