Reece Kurtenbach is President and CEO at Daktronics and serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors. Reece sets the course for the company, strategizing how to generate industry leading value to our customers, positively engage our employees, develop strategic partnerships with our suppliers, generate an attractive return for our shareholders, and manage corporate governance and compliance.
As a lifelong learner, he draws on a wealth of knowledge from his experiences across Daktronics to engage the management team to create a compelling vision of the future and to guide the company, through sometimes turbulent periods, towards this vision.
Before he took on his current role, Reece was Daktronics Executive Vice President for Live Events and International, which included professional and collegiate sports venues as well as international markets. He also led engineering for video products and contributed to corporate oversight for product strategies and software platform development. Previously, Reece managed the design group that developed Daktronics first full-color LED video display product – the technology that later launched the company into its current position as a world leader in large screen video displays.
Reece started his Daktronics career in 1982 as a college student employee, working in manufacturing and customer service. After graduation, he left Daktronics to work as an Analog Test Engineer for Unisys and then as a Hardware Engineer at RoMar, Ltd. He returned to Daktronics in 1991.
An advocate for children of all ages, Reece has served on the board of the Boys and Girls Club of the Northern Plains and continues to visit the local Club to work with youth. He serves on the Catholic Foundation Board for the East River Diocese of South Dakota, and he volunteers at his local church. He also sits on the boards of two burgeoning companies – Etulipa and X Display Company.
He is a lifelong learner who enjoys exploring the world, solving complex puzzles, and reading books and articles to expand his perspective. He values his time outdoors, hiking and sailing, as well as exploring new foods and recipes.
Reece graduated from South Dakota State University with a BS in electrical engineering with minors in math and computer science.