MHCH Foundation Board of Directors

The role of the MHCH Foundation Board of Directors is to shape the Foundation’s strategic direction and ensure that leadership, resources, and finances are aligned to achieve the Foundation’s mission and vision. The Foundation Board meets formally three times each year and on an as needed basis to conduct the Foundation’s business.

Jeff Muchow is a veteran of food and agricultural processing industries. His current work involves senior management consulting in business startups, mergers and turnaround situations for food processing enterprises.  In his prior employment with IBP, Inc., Dakota Dunes, Jeff was president of IBP’s China Joint Venture. He has also worked on projects in Russia, Bulgaria, and Poland and Brazil during the past 15 years. He was previously COO of Townsend Poultry in Millsboro, DE and Partner in Food System Associates in Washington, DC. He received his bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from SDSU in 1968, a master’s degree in agricultural economics from the University of Missouri in 1970, and an MBA from the University of Northern Colorado in 1976. Jeff was former Chairman of the South Dakota State University Foundation, and now a member of the SDSU Council of Trustees. He is currently a member of Universal Capital Management Board of Directors, Foundation Board of Church of the Resurrection, Leawood, KS, and Foundation for FarmHouse Fraternity International. Jeff was a fighter instructor pilot and flight commander in the U.S. Air Force before pursuing a career in food and agri-business industries. He and his wife Mary Jane have a son Austin and live in Overland Park, Kansas.

Lorin Brass is a native of rural southeastern South Dakota and a graduate from Lennox High School, Lennox, SD.  He received a BS degree in Metallurgical Engineering from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and a MS degree in Material Science and Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.  He then joined Shell Oil Company as a Research Engineer at Shell Development Company in 1977.  He progressed through a variety of technical and business assignments primarily in Shell Oil’s Exploration and Production divisions in Texas, California, and Louisiana.  He also held positions in Corporate Planning and was Vice President, Operations for Shell Services Company, a newly formed information technology and services company in the US.  In 1997 he and his family moved to The Hague, The Netherlands, where he became CEO of Shell Services International, the global IT company for Shell.  Once the company was up and running, he moved into Shell International Exploration & Production and was appointed Director of Global Business Development in January 2000, responsible for oil and gas property acquisitions and divestments around the world.  In 2005 he became Senior Advisor of Business Development for all Shell related activities, with particular emphasis on corporate acquisitions and divestments globally.  Lorin retired from Shell in June 2006 after nearly 30 years of service.  Upon retirement, he and his wife returned to South Dakota with residences near Lennox and in the Black Hills.

Since retirement Lorin has been involved with boards of regional non-profits including being the Chair of the Board of Trustees of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology Foundation.  He enjoys collecting and restoring antique tractors and operates a small farming operation.

Lorin and his wife, Mary, have three daughters, all of whom are college graduates and are pursuing their personal and career goals.

Mary (Rausch) Brass, a native of South Dakota, graduated from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in August 1977 with a BS degree in Civil Engineering. She was employed by Brown & Root, Inc. in Houston, TX as a structural engineer in the marine division until Oct 1984. During her tenure with Brown & Root Mary worked on design of offshore structures and pipelines. She also spent nearly two years as the engineering contact with the software development group in research and development. After choosing to pursue a full-time career raising their three daughters, Mary became very involved in volunteer activities in the community, especially the church and schools. Some of these activities included teaching both religion and alternative learning classes, leading adult volunteers in liturgy, being an active member and subsequent President of the PTA, editing the weekly and monthly school newsletters as well as a monthly magazine, and (as an employee) working in the Admissions Office of The American School of The Hague, The Netherlands. Mary and her family have lived in Houston, TX, New Orleans, LA, Bakersfield, CA, and The Hague, The Netherlands. She and her husband are now retired and living in Lennox, South Dakota. Boards that Mary has served on: The School Board of the American School of The Hague, The Netherlands; Lenkota Country Club, Lennox, South Dakota; MHCH Foundation; Brass Family Foundation.

Edward Hamilton, BS Veterinary Science, DVM(cum laude), MAgr Economics, Professor Emeritus, is a former Extension Entrepreneur Coordinator, Livestock Production Analyst, Department of Veterinary Science, SDSU. Dr. Hamilton has 15 years private practice experience and 15 years of University teaching/extension experience. His primary area of expertise is in the integration of health, production, and financial records for production agricultural. He played a key role in the development of Standardized Performance Analysis (SPA) which is a business analysis tool for production agriculture. He has served as a past President of the Farm Financial Standards Council. He has extensive experience with entrepreneurship and business development in rural areas, particularly in the area of establishing value-added projects for crops and livestock. He has owned and operated several businesses over the years to include two veterinary clinics, a maintenance and service company, and numerous animal reproduction business activities. Currently Dr. Hamilton is the President and CEO of BioDak, LLC.

Christine Hamilton owns and manages a fourth-generation farming and ranching business (Christiansen Land and Cattle, Ltd.) in central South Dakota. She serves on several business and civic boards, among them the HF Financial and Home Federal Bank boards, South Dakota Rural Enterprise (SDREI), SDSU Board of Managers, and the South Dakota Biotech Association board. She also owns and manages a wholesale meat business located in a Las Vegas, Nevada. In 2000, she co-founded MHCH, a family foundation dedicated to promoting vitality in rural economies. She has a degree in Philosophy from Smith College and an MBA in Entrepreneurship from the University of Arizona. She has four step-daughters who live in Houston, Texas, and five grandchildren. She and her husband Eddie live in Chamberlain and Sioux Falls, and travel frequently to Texas.