After graduating from Hot Springs High School, he went on to attend the University of South Dakota where he initially planned a career in veterinary medicine. David was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and graduated Summa Cum Laude with Bachelors degrees in Zoology and Mathematics. He also earned a MS degree in Mathematics from the University of Wyoming.
Following graduation from the University of Wyoming, David began his 44+ year journey with the State of South Dakota by joining Department of Transportation’s Highway Computer Services unit in 1973. He later held positions with the Unified Judicial System, Department of Health, and Central Data Processing (BIT’s precursor).
In 1985 David was appointed the Director of Computing Services and Chief Information Officer for Dakota State University. In that role, he led management of the university's computing infrastructure to support the incorporation of technology within evolving innovative academic. He also worked closely with BIT in administering the K-12 Data Center, which provides information technology and email services to K-12 schools, state government, and state universities. In 2012, David was appointed Commissioner of the Bureau of Information and Telecommunications.
David and his wife, Betty, have 4 grown children: Michael, Jeffrey, Wendy, and Megan. 2 sons-in-law, Aaron and Bryan and a daughter-in-law, Renae, and 9 grandchildren, Nicholas, Alexander, Andrew, Julianna, Evelyn, William, George, Lucy, and Heidi. David noted that his daughter-in-law is a graduate of the University of North Dakota and son-in-law is a graduate of the University of Minnesota- Duluth, which precludes any discussion of hockey at family gatherings 😊.
In his free time, David enjoys gardening, some mechanics (on devices he can service), reading, and being outside. In his retirement, David is most looking forward to spending more time with family, the possibility of travel, restarting his apiary, and attempting to restore a John Deere B tractor (an item older than himself).
What David will miss the most about BIT is the creativity, depth of knowledge, drive, and camaraderie of the staff.
When asked for the best piece of work advice he could offer, he responded:
When asked for the best piece of life advice he could offer, he responded:
“Recognize and enjoy the gifts and blessings bestowed on you. Be yourself. Listen first, speak third, apologize when you’ve misspoken or misbehave – resolve not to repeat these mistakes.”
When asked to share his final thoughts, David responded:
“Strive to be a respectful coach (not something at which I excel). Suggest opportunities for improvement in others when necessary, graciously accept and act upon similar suggestion to you from others. Enjoy music from the 60s and 70s.”
Here are a few people who wanted to express how proud they are of you:
“WOW! After 44 ¾ years, my husband of 46 ½ years is retiring. Back in 1973, we were both graduate students at the University of Wyoming. We were new parents with a baby son, living off two graduate assistantships. It was then we realized that it was time to leave graduate school and find full time employment. That had become more challenging, as President Nixon had declared a hiring freeze on federal positions, so when a computer programmer position was being advertised for the South Dakota Department of Transportation in Pierre, Dave applied and was offered the job. We packed our few household belongings in a rental truck and headed to Pierre. Housing in Pierre was in very short supply, but we finally found someone who had a basement apartment to rent.
Pierre became our home and our family grew with the addition of another son and two daughters. We were happy with our life in Pierre, but then Dakota State University had a mission change. Dave was offered the position of Computer Center Director, and he accepted the challenge. After 13 years of living in Pierre, we moved to Madison, South Dakota and lived there for 26 years. In 2012, when Dave was offered the opportunity to return to Pierre as Commissioner of BIT, it wasn’t difficult to accept, as we had fond memories of living in Pierre.
It will be different having a husband who no longer leaves for work every morning or answers e-mails at the kitchen table. We have managed many transitions in life together, and hopefully Dave will find retirement enjoyable. Other family members and friends seem happy with retirement, and we are looking forward to the freedom it allows us. We hope to have new adventures and experience new things. The kids and grandkids will probably find us on their doorstep more often when we are out wandering around." - Betty Zolnowsky
“I am very proud of my dad and his many accomplishments, which are too numerous to list without forgetting a few. The quality I admire most is his problem-solving capabilities, which he perfected by remaining calm and rational at all times. My father is always tactful with friendly cordial replies and especially attentive to his disposition in tense situations. When presented with problem, he will focus on the solution, not wasting energy or time indulging the cause of the problem.
A few of the problems my father has encountered includes, but is not limited to, problems with punch cards, limitations of mainframes, magnetic tape issues, disk drive failures, programming bugs, connection terminations, hardware incompatibilities, software glitches, lost signals, human error, budget difficulties, and maybe one mistake.
Please know my father has enjoyed his position with BIT, proud of the men and women he worked with and appreciated being a part of everything you have accomplished. Please wish my dad success in his retirement endeavor filled with grandkids, hobbies, and new adventures.”- Michael Zolnowsky
“Anyone who has worked beside him knows his loyalty to those he works with and his dedication to hard work. If you have had the pleasure of working with him you have probably seen him in the office early or staying late, researching, figuring solutions, or offering insight and guidance on what steps to take to get to the next stage in the future.
However, if you have had the pleasure of working with him then you have probably had the pleasure of his sense of humor. Most of it consists of bad dad jokes and puns (and at family reunions with his brothers the jokes and puns just get worse -trust us!) You probably have heard him say the phrase “pig poop” when the unfortunate has happened or “shoot me an e-mail” if he has been stopped for a request while outside his office. He was also way before his time in making up acronyms as a method of conversing, but his just didn’t seem to catch on.
But truly, the state of South Dakota was blessed with a great employee when he was hired. His care for his work is just a shadow of the care he has for our family. I am truly blessed to have him as my dad.
We expect with more time at home he will move more snow in the winter, mow more grass in the summer, till up more ground for a bigger garden, and maybe get some bees.
We hope you take a vacation! But mostly that you and Mom enjoy the days to come. Your loving (and most favorite and not a whoops child)”- Megan Hamer
“My dad has worked for the State of South Dakota for most of his professional career. Even though his primary responsibilities were in technology, I have always seen him as an educator. Many of his lessons were about technology and policy, but not all of them. He also taught fun things like how to follow through with your softball swing, how to build a fence, and how to vaccinate calves. I hope that in his retirement he can continue to stay current on technology, but spend more time teaching the fun things to his grandchildren.”- Wendy Caveny
“I have always appreciated Z for his honesty and kindness. He has always been supportive of my sometimes crazy ideas and reminded me many times to believe in myself. I will miss his upbeat attitude and friendly smile! Best wishes in retirement!”- Deanne Booth
“Working with, and having Z represent us over the years, has been a great experience. He has maintained and strengthened BIT’s relationships with our agencies, further improving partnerships necessary for IT-related services to the State. He will be missed!” - Tony Rae
“Throughout one’s career you have the opportunity to work for and with many different kinds of individuals. Z is certainly at the unique end of that spectrum for me. I’ve had the opportunity to work with him throughout my career at BIT including while he was at Dakota State University. His approach has always been rooted in a pragmatic perspective. While politics can clutter the message and intent, Z had the ability to see through it and assist with a clear plan. During the planning of the K12 Data Center in 1998 – 1999, his contributions were key to establishing a program that had never been done. To this date, it continues to be the only one of its’ kind in the country. A testament to his vision and foresight. As Commissioner, he has brought a quiet, reserved leadership style. He earned the respect of staff and managers alike by listening more than speaking. His sense of humor and ability to relate to the variety of personalities across BIT has set a great example. His writing and editing skills are phenomenal. He is the best I have ever seen with the ability to polish and wordsmith messages. Truly an art that is being lost these days.
He has been a great mentor to me and I thank him for all of the time & patience he has invested with me.
As your man Bob Seger once said, “The trick you said was never play the game too long.” At 44 years and 9 months, you’re still the same as when we first met in 1984 & the game hasn’t yet passed you by. Congratulations on an impressive career & best of health with life on the ranch. Let the cowboys ride!” - Jim Edman
Commissioner Zolnowsky gave me my FIrst opportunity to work for state government working at Dakota State University. Throughout Dave’s career I always knew he gave people opportunities. In my younger years working for BIT and then back at DSU, Dave helped me “learn“ and for that I am very grateful. Throughout my measly 25 years of service (compared to his almost 45) Dave has been involved one way or another with my career. I just want to take this opportunity to Thank him for his services to the people of South Dakota and numerous students he helped educate or provide technology services to. Job well done Z! Enjoy life and as you’ve told me many times... keep smiling!" - Mike Waldner
Best of luck in retirement, Z! You will be dearly missed!