Minnesota / Military Affairs Department

Agency file

Military Affairs Department

Source file: Minnesota — State Employee Payroll / ingested Jun 18, 2026

The Military Affairs Department is a government agency that delivers public services and programs within its jurisdiction.

In 2025, this agency had 511 employees with median total compensation of $61,018; the highest distinct record was $249,807.

Year: 2025
Total payroll: $27.8M
Employees: 511
Median total: $61,018
Highest record: $249,807

What the records show

Compensation analytics

These summaries compare pay within the agency before listing individual records.

Salary distribution

$57$132,924+

Hover a bar for its range; click to filter the list below.

How 2025 total compensation is spread across the 511 employees. Each bar is a pay range; taller bars mean more people earn in that range. The amber line marks the median ($61,018) — half earn less, half more. The far-right bar collects the highest earners.

Average pay composition

Base — $52,397 (96%)
Overtime — $935 (2%)
Other — $1,003 (2%)
Benefits — $0 (0%)

What an average paycheck here is made of — base salary versus overtime, other pay (bonuses, allowances), and benefits. A large overtime or other-pay share means take-home often exceeds base salary.

Pay percentiles

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$545

$23,354

$61,018

$78,079

$94,117

The pay ladder for this department. Someone at the 90th percentile earns $94,117 — more than 90% of the department; the 10th percentile earns $545. The shaded band is the middle half of employees (25th–75th percentile).

Largest job titles

Military Personnel

123 · $822

Military Security Guard

43 · $53,379

General Maintenance Worker

32 · $45,240

Airfield Fire Fighter

31 · $73,287

General Repair Worker

15 · $63,278

The most common job titles in this department by headcount, with the median total compensation for each. Click a title to see everyone who holds it.

Trend

Year over year

How this department's total payroll, headcount, and median pay changed across the 2 published years.

Year	Total payroll	Employees	Median pay
2024	$25.3M —	523 —	$55,102 —
2025	$27.8M ▲ 9.8%	511 ▼ 2.3%	$61,018 ▲ 10.7%

Record list

Employees

Page 1

Gary Nierengarten

State Program Administrative Principal/Military Affairs Department

2025 total comp

$249,807

Sub-department: FMO Planners Staff
Base pay: $222,592
Overtime: $21,645
Other pay: $5,570
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $249,807
Hire date: 1998-08-19
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 14
Union / bargaining unit: MN Assoc of Professional Empl
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Morrison

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: P01
Bargaining Unit Number: 214
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Gary Nierengarten works as a State Program Administrative Principal for Military Affairs Department within Fmo Planners Staff. Their tenure dates to 1998, about 27 years as a full-time employee. Gary earned $249,807 in 2025. They are represented by MN Assoc of Professional Empl.

Shawn Manke

Adjutant General/Military Affairs Department

2025 total comp

$198,952

Sub-department: Military Affairs
Base pay: $198,952
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $198,952
Hire date: 2020-08-20
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 1
Union / bargaining unit: Manager
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Ramsey

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: P01
Bargaining Unit Number: 220
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Unclassified
Classified Status: Unclassified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Shawn Manke holds the role of Adjutant General at Military Affairs Department within Military Affairs. Hired in 2020, they have about 5 years of service as a full-time employee. In 2025, their total compensation was $198,952. Union affiliation: Manager.

Robert Kotter

Airfield Fire Fighter Assistant Chief/Military Affairs Department

2024 total comp

$185,651

Sub-department: Duluth Fire Fighter Asst Chief
Base pay: $87,748
Overtime: $47,675
Other pay: $50,229
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $185,651
Hire date: 1987-04-15
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 17
Union / bargaining unit: Middle Management Association
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1.33
Work county: St Louis

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2024: No
Agency Number: P01
Bargaining Unit Number: 216
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Robert Kotter is a Airfield Fire Fighter Assistant Chief at Military Affairs Department within Duluth Fire Fighter Assistant Chief. They have served since 1987 (about 37 years), working full-time, 1.33 FTE. 2024 total compensation came to $185,651. They are represented by Middle Management Association.

Donald Kerr

Executive Director Military Affairs/Military Affairs Department

2025 total comp

$160,488

Sub-department: Executive Director
Base pay: $160,488
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $160,488
Hire date: 2008-02-05
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 23
Union / bargaining unit: Manager
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Ramsey

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: P01
Bargaining Unit Number: 220
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Unclassified
Classified Status: Unclassified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Donald Kerr holds the role of Executive Director Military Affairs at Military Affairs Department within Executive Director. Their tenure dates to 2008, about 17 years as a full-time employee. In 2025, their total compensation was $160,488. Their bargaining unit is Manager.

Edmund Stuart Iv

Airfield Fire Fighter Assistant Chief/Military Affairs Department

2025 total comp

$145,943

Sub-department: Duluth Fire Fighter Asst Chief
Base pay: $98,028
Overtime: $46,616
Other pay: $1,300
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $145,943
Hire date: 1998-06-01
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 17
Union / bargaining unit: Middle Management Association
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1.33
Work county: St Louis

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: P01
Bargaining Unit Number: 216
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Edmund Stuart Iv works as a Airfield Fire Fighter Assistant Chief for Military Affairs Department within Duluth Fire Fighter Assistant Chief. They have served since 1998 (about 27 years) as a full-time, 1.33 FTE employee. Edmund earned $145,943 in 2025. They are represented by Middle Management Association.

Roxanne Kronick

Human Resources Director 1/Military Affairs Department

2025 total comp

$144,494

Sub-department: Finance/Personnel Section
Base pay: $120,616
Overtime: $19,242
Other pay: $4,636
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $144,494
Hire date: 1999-02-08
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 23
Union / bargaining unit: Confidential
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Ramsey

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: P01
Bargaining Unit Number: 217
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Roxanne Kronick works as a Human Resources Director 1 for Military Affairs Department within Finance/Personnel Section. Their tenure dates to 1999, about 26 years as a full-time employee. Roxanne earned $144,494 in 2025. Union affiliation: Confidential.

Jeremy Tautges

Engineer Administrative/Military Affairs Department

2025 total comp

$142,915

Sub-department: FMO Engineers Staff
Base pay: $142,838
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $77
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $142,915
Hire date: 2014-12-31
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 15
Union / bargaining unit: MN Govt Engineers Council
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Morrison

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: P01
Bargaining Unit Number: 212
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Jeremy Tautges holds the role of Engineer Administrative at Military Affairs Department within Fmo Engineers Staff. Their tenure dates to 2014, about 11 years as a full-time employee. In 2025, their total compensation was $142,915. Union affiliation: MN Govt Engineers Council.

Simon Schaefer

Military Personnel/Military Affairs Department

2025 total comp

$138,627

Sub-department: AGO Finance 2
Base pay: $138,627
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $138,627
Hire date: 2023-11-01
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 3
Union / bargaining unit: Excluded All Others
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Ramsey

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: P01
Bargaining Unit Number: 221
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Unclassified
Classified Status: Unclassified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Simon Schaefer is a Military Personnel at Military Affairs Department within Ago Finance 2. Their tenure dates to 2023, about 2 years, working full-time. 2025 total compensation came to $138,627. Union affiliation: Excluded All Others.

Benjamin Labelle

Military Personnel/Military Affairs Department

2025 total comp

$137,715

Sub-department: AGO Finance 2
Base pay: $137,715
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $137,715
Hire date: 2010-08-04
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 3
Union / bargaining unit: Excluded All Others
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Ramsey

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: P01
Bargaining Unit Number: 221
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Unclassified
Classified Status: Unclassified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

At Military Affairs Department, Benjamin Labelle serves as a Military Personnel within Ago Finance 2. Their tenure dates to 2010, about 15 years, working full-time. Their 2025 pay totaled $137,715. Union affiliation: Excluded All Others.

Eric Athman

Military Personnel/Military Affairs Department

2025 total comp

$135,968

Sub-department: AGO Finance 2
Base pay: $135,968
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $135,968
Hire date: 2012-12-19
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 3
Union / bargaining unit: Excluded All Others
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Ramsey

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: P01
Bargaining Unit Number: 221
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Unclassified
Classified Status: Unclassified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

At Military Affairs Department, Eric Athman serves as a Military Personnel within Ago Finance 2. Hired in 2012, they have about 13 years of service, working full-time. Their 2025 pay totaled $135,968. They are represented by Excluded All Others.

Brian Morgan

Military Personnel/Military Affairs Department

2025 total comp

$133,532

Sub-department: C3 Cyber Director
Base pay: $133,532
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $133,532
Hire date: 2023-10-02
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 3
Union / bargaining unit: Excluded All Others
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Ramsey

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: P01
Bargaining Unit Number: 221
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Unclassified
Classified Status: Unclassified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Brian Morgan holds the role of Military Personnel at Military Affairs Department within C3 Cyber Director. They have served since 2023 (about 2 years) as a full-time employee. In 2025, their total compensation was $133,532. Union affiliation: Excluded All Others.

Mark Cross

Architectural Supervisor/Military Affairs Department

2025 total comp

$132,924

Sub-department: FMO Engineers Supervisor
Base pay: $132,924
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $132,924
Hire date: 2015-12-02
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 26
Union / bargaining unit: Middle Management Association
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Morrison

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: P01
Bargaining Unit Number: 216
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

At Military Affairs Department, Mark Cross serves as a Architectural Supervisor within Fmo Engineers Supervisor. Hired in 2015, they have about 10 years of service, working full-time. Their 2025 pay totaled $132,924. They are represented by Middle Management Association.

Nathan Thomas

Engineer Princ/Military Affairs Department

2025 total comp

$129,411

Sub-department: FMO Engineers Staff
Base pay: $129,142
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $269
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $129,411
Hire date: 2015-06-03
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 12
Union / bargaining unit: MN Govt Engineers Council
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Morrison

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: P01
Bargaining Unit Number: 212
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Nathan Thomas is a Engineer Princ at Military Affairs Department within Fmo Engineers Staff. Hired in 2015, they have about 10 years of service, working full-time. 2025 total compensation came to $129,411. Union affiliation: MN Govt Engineers Council.

Kevin Mclean

Engineer Princ/Military Affairs Department

2025 total comp

$129,142

Sub-department: FMO Engineers Staff
Base pay: $129,142
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $129,142
Hire date: 2019-04-17
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 12
Union / bargaining unit: MN Govt Engineers Council
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Morrison

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: P01
Bargaining Unit Number: 212
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Kevin Mclean works as a Engineer Princ for Military Affairs Department within Fmo Engineers Staff. They have served since 2019 (about 6 years) as a full-time employee. Kevin earned $129,142 in 2025. Union affiliation: MN Govt Engineers Council.