In the Spotlight: Brent Dirk

The new CEO of Dakota Plains Federal CU has a long history of service to his community and ties to the credit union going back to his childhood.  

Brent Dirk

by Shawn Marie Brummer, Communications Specialist 

Brent Dirk grew up in the small town of Shadehill, South Dakota, where he spent his childhood, graduating from Lemmon High School. He says the biggest influence in his life were his parents, his mentors. He has a long history with credit unions; his father brought him to Lemmon Federal Credit Union (now Dakota Plains FCU) when he was just six years old to open his first savings account.

Following high school, he moved to Aberdeen, and attended Northern State University for a short time. He then moved to Spearfish to attend Black Hills State University, where he received a Bachelor of Science. Following his undergraduate work, he moved to Lemmon and continued his education, receiving his Master of Science from SD State University in 2003.

Brent’s career with the credit union industry began in 2017, when he was hired as VP of Operations and Compliance at Dakota Plains FCU. Prior to that, he worked for 16 years in the Lemmon School District as the Athletic Director, Guidance Counselor, and Head Football Coach.

“In 2017 it became clear I needed a change, and I heard the credit union had a position open. The management and board gave me the opportunity to get started in the credit union business, and the rest is history,” he shared.

For the next four years, he acted as VP of Operations and Compliance, receiving his Credit Union Compliance Expert (CUCE) designation in 2017, before being named Executive Vice President in 2021. On July 1, 2023, he was named the new President/CEO of Dakota Plains FCU when former CEO Darrell Lynch announced his retirement, effective at the end of 2023.

Lemmon Federal Credit Union was chartered in 1957 to serve the local community. The first expansion of the charter was a branch in Faith, SD in 1984; in 1992 the credit union in Hettinger, ND was merged into Lemmon Federal, and the name was changed to Dakota Plains Federal Credit Union. In 1998 a fourth office was opened in Bison, SD and a fifth office was opened in Pierre, SD in 2003.

Currently, Brent oversees a staff of 21 full-time and 2 part-time employees. He shared that he enjoys helping the members – and that it still surprises him how much credit unions are willing to help other credit unions.

The $72MM credit union serves more than 4,800 members, businesses, and entities that live, work, worship, or attend school in Hughes County, Buffalo County, Hyde County, Lyman County, Stanley County, and Sully County, as well as those located in the undeserved areas of Butte County, Corson County, Dewey County, Haakon County, Harding County, Jones County, Meade County, Perkins County, and Ziebach County in South Dakota, and Adams County, Bowman County, Grant County, Hettinger County, and Sioux County in North Dakota.

In addition to his work at Dakota Plains FCU, Brent volunteers and offers his talents to the community in multiple ways. He is a board member for the Arrow Public Transit; serves as the Regional Basketball Official’s Coordinator for the South Dakota High School Activities Association; and has been a basketball official for more than 15 years, including at several state tournaments. He has been a volunteer for the Lemmon Volunteer Fire Department since 1999, and has served as Assistant Fire Chief since 2018.

In his personal life, Brent has been married to his wife, Jenny, for 23 years. They share three children: Zayda, 20 years old  and a student at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, AZ; Andrew, age 18, will soon be attending North Dakota State School of Science at Wahpeton, and Jaxon, 13 years, who will be entering the 8th grade this fall. In their free time, they enjoy spending time with family and friends, attending the kids’ various activities, and fishing and hunting. In 2022, the Dirks returned to Shadehill, completing the circle and building a new home on the land where Brent grew up.

---