Larry Herke

Herke was born on April 25, 1963, in Cedar Falls, Iowa, to Larry W. Herke and Sheila J. (Jacobson) Herke.^[1] He grew up in southern Minnesota and graduated from Mankato East High School in 1981.^[1] He earned a Bachelor of Science in accounting and a Master of Public Administration from Mankato State University (now Minnesota State University, Mankato).^[1][2] He also graduated from the United States Army Command and General Staff College.^[3]

Herke served more than 30 years in the United States Army and the Minnesota Army National Guard, retiring at the rank of colonel in July 2016.^[2] Early in his career, he spent four years on active duty, including one year in Texas and three years in Germany, where he worked with other NATO nations and commanded a Patriot missile air defense system.^[3]

In the National Guard, Herke deployed to Iraq, where he served as chief of staff for a 5,200-soldier brigade combat team.^[3] His military decorations include the Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star Medal.^[3]

After retiring from the military, Herke served as director of the Minnesota Office of Enterprise Sustainability, where he assisted all 24 cabinet-level state agencies in developing sustainability plans to reduce energy and water consumption and solid waste production.^[2][1]

Governor Tim Walz appointed Herke as the 18th Commissioner of the MDVA on January 7, 2019.^[2] Walz, who had known Herke for 30 years since their time together in New Ulm, had previously collaborated with him on armory modernization plans described as "a model for the country".^[2] The Minnesota Senate Veterans and Military Affairs Committee voted unanimously in March 2021 to recommend Herke's confirmation, more than two years after his initial appointment.^[3] Walz reappointed Herke to a second term in January 2023.^[4]

As commissioner, Herke:

• Completed design and secured federal and state funding for three new state veterans homes in Bemidji, Montevideo, and Preston, scheduled to open in late 2023 and early 2024.^[5]
• Completed design and secured funding for a fourth state veterans cemetery in Redwood Falls, which was dedicated in August 2023.^[5]
• Placed more than 1,200 homeless veterans in permanent housing through the "Every Veteran Deserves a Home" plan, which used landlord incentive programs and a low-barrier supportive housing grant to advance Walz's goal of achieving functional zero veteran homelessness statewide.^[5][3][6]
• Reopened the bridge over Minnehaha Creek at the Minnesota Veterans Home in Minneapolis, which had been closed for seven years due to disrepair.^[5]
• Led the department's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[3]

In March 2023, Herke dismissed two senior department officials following allegations of a toxic workplace environment at the Hastings Veterans Home.^[2]

Herke was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in 2023. He took medical retirement from the MDVA, with his last day as commissioner on September 22, 2023.^[2][5] Brad Lindsay was appointed as his successor in December 2023.^[2]

Herke died on September 13, 2024, at the age of 61, at Big Sauk Lake in Sauk Centre, Minnesota, surrounded by family and friends.^[1][7] He was interred at the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery in Little Falls.^[1] He was predeceased by his wife Debra and was survived by three sons.^[1]

MDVA Commissioner Brad Lindsay stated: "We send our deepest condolences to Commissioner Herke's family and express our gratitude for his service to Minnesota Veterans."^[8]