Scyller Borglum | |
|---|---|
| Member of theSouth Dakota House of Representatives from the 32nd district | |
| In office August 8, 2018 – January 12, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Sean McPherson |
| Succeeded by | Becky Drury |
| Personal details | |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Residence(s) | Rapid City, South Dakota, US |
| Alma mater | Pacific Lutheran University (BBA) Duke Divinity School (MTS) Montana Technological University (MA) South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (MA, PhD) |
| Occupation | engineer |
Scyller J. Borglum is an American politician and engineer from the state ofSouth Dakota. ARepublican, Borglum served in theSouth Dakota House of Representatives for the 32nd district from 2018 to 2021.
Borglum unsuccessfully ran to represent South Dakota inU.S. Senate in2020, losing the Republican primary to incumbentMike Rounds.[1]
Borglum is fromGreat Falls, Montana. She graduated fromCharles M. Russell High School in 1995, where she was class president and governor of the Montana Youth Legislature.[2][3] Borglum attendedPacific Lutheran University, where she earned aBachelor of Business Administration. She received aFulbright Scholarship, which she used to study oil and gas development inOslo,Norway.
After her brother, Troy, died in a traffic collision, Borglum went toDuke Divinity School, and earned amaster's degree in theological studies (MTS) in 2003. She then worked in pharmaceutical sales inOregon andTexas.[4]
Borglum attendedMontana Technological University, where she earned a master's degree in petroleum engineering. She then enrolled at theSouth Dakota School of Mines and Technology to earn a doctoral degree in geology and geological engineering, while working as a production engineer in an oil field in North Dakota. She also enrolled atMontana Tech to earn a bachelor's degree in engineering, which she needed to become a licensed engineer. She was laid off from her job in 2015, and moved to South Dakota, where she works as a staff engineer at RESPEC.[4]
In the 2018 elections, Borglum ran to represent the 32nd district in theSouth Dakota House of Representatives. She andSean McPherson earned theRepublican Party's nomination for the district's two seats, even though McPherson, anincumbent, had died of cancer.[5]GovernorDennis Daugaard appointed Borglum to fill McPherson's vacant seat on August 8.[6] She was elected to a full term in November.[4]
Borglum ran in the Republican primary for theUnited States Senate againstincumbentMike Rounds in the2020 election.[1] She positioned herself as an ally of then-PresidentDonald Trump.[7] She accused U.S. RepresentativeDusty Johnson of having worked to intimidate her on Rounds' behalf to keep her out of the Senate race.[8] Rounds defeated Borglum, 75% to 25%.[9]
Borglum is currently vice president for underground storage at WSP Global, an engineering firm.[10] In 2024, Borglum authored the bookSTEM Study Habits: Successfully Navigate Math, Science, Engineering, and Life for Your Degree.[11]
Borglum married Timothy Masterlark, a professor at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, in 2018.[4]
Some rock-salt domes in the U.S. are more than a mile in diameter and are capable of housing more than a hundred storage caverns, says Scyller Borglum, vice president for underground storage at engineering firm WSP Global, and deputy project manager for salt-cavern construction at ACES Delta.