Ken was born and raised in the Glenham and Selby, South Dakota area. His undergraduate study was at Northern State College, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree with highest honors in 1968. Ken then attended the University of South Dakota School of Law, graduating magna cum laude in 1971. During law school, Ken served as Managing Editor of the South Dakota Law Review and published an article with the Law Review. He served as a law clerk to the Hon. Fred J. Nichol, Chief Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota in 1971-1972. He is a member of the Brown County Bar Association, State Bar of South Dakota, the Real Estate and the Probate and Trust Law Section of the South Dakota State Bar. Ken transitioned to Of Counsel in August 2026, but still practices in the areas of business and banking law, wills, trust and probate law, tax law, and real property law, mediation, and arbitration. He is licensed to practice in all South Dakota state courts, the United States District Court for the District of South Dakota, the United States Tax Court of Appeals, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court.