Ryan Taylor and Levi Andrist have joined the board of directors for Bismarck, N.D.-based Starion Bank.
Taylor, a fourth-generation rancher, is the director of public policy at Ducks Unlimited. He owns and manages Taylor Ranch, which his family homesteaded in 1903. Taylor was inducted into the N.D. Cowboy Hall of Fame in 2010. While attending North Dakota State University, Fargo, he founded Sandhill Communications.
A well-known speaker, performer, columnist and author, Taylor has served as the state director of rural development in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A North Dakota state senator from 2002-12, Taylor has bachelor’s degrees in agricultural economics and mass communications from North Dakota State University.
“Ryan is the quintessential cowboy,” said Craig Larson, chair of the Starion Bank board of directors. “His heart is in rural America, sustainable farming and ranching practices, and the conservation of our natural lands and resources. We know his experience in regenerative agriculture, public policy and public service will be invaluable to us in the coming years.”
Andrist, a Bismarck lawyer and shareholder at GA Group, PC, interned on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., and served as the editor in chief of the North Dakota Law Review. He served as a law clerk to North Dakota Supreme Court Chief Justice Gerald W. VandeWalle. Andrist graduated from Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn., with a bachelor’s degree in music. He has a law degree from the University of North Dakota School of Law, Grand Forks, where he graduated with distinction and was elected to the Order of the Coif.
“Levi has such finesse in navigating discussions with the legislative and executive branches of state government, as well as a deep knowledge of the ins and outs of highly regulated industries like banking,” Larson said. “And he brings a fresh perspective on community building. I look forward to his insights and his growth as a director.”