Jeff Schone
Jeff Schone was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and raised in Burlington, a community similar to New Ulm in its rural character and ties to agriculture. He graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 1987 and served as pastor of two large rural congregations in Wisconsin and Arlington, Minnesota. In 1997 he accepted the call to Martin Luther College, where he currently serves as Vice President for Student Life. He holds an MS in Counseling and Student Personnel from Minnesota State University-Mankato and has taught courses in theology, sociology, and counseling. While at MLC, he also coached the women’s soccer team for 15 years.
Committed to community service, he has served on New Ulm’s safety commission, the board of the New Ulm youth soccer organization, and various mental health committees. He and his wife, Sue, whom he married in 1983, have four children and nine grandchildren. Sue is a longtime elementary educator at St. Paul Lutheran School in New Ulm.
Pete Neigebauer
Pete Neigebauer has lived in the New Ulm area since 1979, when he moved here to teach agricultural classes at New Ulm Public Schools. He and his wife, Linda, reside on their farm outside New Ulm and have three daughters and eight grandchildren.
He enjoyed a 43-year career in agricultural education, beginning in Mazeppa before serving as an FFA advisor in New Ulm. In 1989 he joined Mankato Area Technical Institute (now South Central College) as an agribusiness instructor, where he taught for over three decades. He held leadership positions in the Minnesota and National Associations of Agricultural Educators, advised student organizations, and helped develop study abroad and mentoring programs.
His community involvement includes service on the New Ulm Medical Association Advisory Board, leadership of the PrairieLand Economic Development Corporation, and volunteer tax preparation for United Way. He has received numerous honors for his contributions to agricultural education, including induction into the Minnesota FFA Hall of Fame.