June 1, 2018

Leadership South Dakota has selected 42 class members to participate in the eight-month leadership program, which will begin in September.

The statewide program’s mission is to attract engaged citizens from across the state and then provide them with the background, unique experiences and insights necessary to assume leadership positions at the community, state and national levels.

The purpose of Leadership South Dakota is to develop the future leaders of the state by providing them with experiences that will expand their knowledge of the state, access to extraordinary people who have contributed to the fabric of the state and skills in the areas of leadership and organizational management that will contribute to future success in South Dakota.

“As we approach our fifth year, we continue to be grateful for our sponsors who provide the foundation for our work,” program director Rick Melmer said. “We also are excited about the quality of our applicants. We are attracting some of the finest leaders South Dakota has to offer. Even though the program is still young, we are seeing evidence of impact as our graduates are engaging with their local communities.”

There are 160 alumni of Leadership South Dakota.

The class of 2019 is:

Marsha Anderson, Key Media Solutions

Susan Bill, Mary Kay Cosmetics

Angela Boersma, ID8 Architecture

Toby Bordewyk, Montana-Dakota Utilities

Erin Bosch, EmBe

Ryan Boschee, Great Western Bank

Cathy Bradley, Black Hills Energy

Bryan Breitling, Avera Hand County Hospital

Jon Clayborne, SDN Communications

Jess Evans, South Eastern Council of Governments

Amanda Feldkamp, Oh My Cupcakes

Bradley Fischer, First Interstate Bank

Ryan Gardner, Lawrence & Schiller

Isaac Gerdes, Sanford Health

Sara Hento, Avon School District

Abigail Huisken, South Dakota Trust Co.

Bryan Ingalls, First Bank & Trust

Tommy Johnson, Boyce Law Firm

Michael Kaiser, First Premier Bank

Janet Kittams, Helpline Center

Matt Kull, Thunder Valley Development Corporation

Valerie Loudenback, Grand Prairie Foods

Alex MacDonald, Valley Queen Cheese

Marcus Mahlen, NAI Sioux Falls

Beth Massa, South Dakota Community Foundation

Brendyn Medina, Rapid City Police Department

Jennifer Olson, Premier Bankcard

James Payer II, Girls Scouts – Dakota Horizons

Jennifer Quail, Brookings Economic Development Corporation

Stacy Reitmeier, Avera McKennan Hospital

Tim Schut, First Premier Bank

Nick Sershen, Val-Add Service Corp.

Murray Thompson, Pierre Dental Clinic

Helen Usera, Aspiring Business Consulting

Lin Van Hofwegen, Dakota Resources

Erik Van Laecken, Southeast Technical Institute

Katie Wagner, Washnok – Blackout Motors

Jennifer Weiss, Sanford Health

Bradley Wenande, NorthWestern Energy

Sandra White Shield, Oglala Lakota College

Buck Yerdon, Poet

Mike Zacher, Raven Industries