Laura Zabel

Laura Zabel is the Executive Director of Springboard for the Arts, an economic and community development agency run by and for artists. Springboard provides programs that help artists make a living and a life, and programs that help communities connect to the creative power of artists. Springboard is a nationally recognized leader in artist-led community development, creative placemaking and cross-sector collaboration. Springboard’s work has been featured by the New York Times, PBS, Wall Street Journal, Stanford Social Innovation Review and The Guardian and directly impacts over 25,000 artists each year in their home state of Minnesota. Through their free toolkits, training and resources Springboard’s programs have been replicated in over 80 communities across the U.S. and internationally. Zabel has been honored with numerous awards, including the YBCA 100, Gard Foundation Award of Excellence, Common Future Local Economy Fellowship and the Bush Foundation Leadership Fellowship. Zabel is on the board of directors of the Metropolitan Consortium of Community Developers and serves as an advisor to Dakota Resources, The Laundromat Project, Local Initiatives Support Corporation and the University of Kansas Department of Theater and Dance.

By |2023-03-31T15:32:08+00:00January 1, 2023|Advisory Council|0 Comments

Alisha Vincent

Alisha Vincent is a dedicated and innovative educator who cares about creating practical and relevant learning experiences that matter to her students and make a difference in the communities that students come from, reside in, and go back to. In addition to being an educator for the past ten years, she has also been a long-time small business owner with her husband. She is proud of her three children and thankful to have them attend a thriving school at Sioux Valley. She loves SD and is an outdoor enthusiast as well.

By |2023-03-31T15:32:31+00:00January 1, 2023|Advisory Council|0 Comments

Rachael Sherard

Rachael’s role as Senior Vice President of Rural Health Services for Avera Health brings a vital perspective to the Dakota Resources board, as healthcare is a critical economic partner of any rural community. She is an engaged Dakota Resources board member, providing experience with community facilitation, grant writing, management and the ability to quantify and document outcome data. Rachael still lives in the same small town where she was born, choosing to commute from her rural community to Sioux Falls each day because of her deep love of the rural lifestyle. She finds it a privilege to serve on a board dedicated to helping rural communities succeed and is proud of the positive influences Dakota Resources has on South Dakota.

By |2023-03-31T15:38:10+00:00January 1, 2023|Board|0 Comments

Rebecca Undem

Rebecca Undem learned early in her life that people are what matters most. As the author of How Mommy Got Her Groove Back™, inspirational speaker, and community advocate, she’s helped hundreds of companies and leaders improve their people processes. Today, she inspires people to live BIG no matter their zip code through her speaking events, retreats/workshops, and podcast, The Small Town Big Talk Show, where she serves up a passionate and playful take on how to bloom where you’re planted. In 2019, Rebecca founded a non-profit organization called Growing Small Towns, which offers dynamic co-working space, entrepreneurial supports, and innovation services to the people who work and live in small towns. Rebecca believes that everyone has something positive to contribute, that if you’re not growing, you’re dying, and that anything really is possible. Her biggest champions and daily dose of reality are her 3 kids under the age of 12, Andrew, Carter, and Brynlee, along with her farmer husband, Jeremiah. They both ground her and keep her from taking herself too seriously. Rebecca and her family call Oakes, North Dakota, home, where her roots are the deepest, and her heart belongs.

By |2023-03-31T15:32:49+00:00January 1, 2023|Advisory Council|0 Comments

Garrett Schweitzer

Garrett Schweitzer is the Market President of Dacotah Bank's locations in Lemmon and Bison. He understands the important role community banks play in rural economic development and takes great pride in helping business owners and farmers and ranchers reach their financial goals. He is active in the community, having served on the Lemmon City Council, Lemmon Area Charitable and Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors, West River Cooperative Telephone Company Board of Directors, and Lemmon Country Club Board of Directors. Garrett and his family love the outdoors and enjoy spending time in the vast, rural areas of western South Dakota and other western states.

By |2023-03-31T15:38:28+00:00January 1, 2023|Board|0 Comments

Erica Stone

Erica Stone is the Director of Future of Work Strategy for Citibank, based in Sioux Falls, SD. She oversees Citi’s Home Office Program across North America and is heavily involved in long-term roadmap activities for Operations. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Citicorp Trust South Dakota. Erica has been at Citi for decades, holding a variety of Chief of Staff and Program Management leadership roles.

By |2023-03-31T15:33:51+00:00January 1, 2023|Advisory Council|0 Comments

Linda Salmonson

In addition to living in rural places her entire life, Linda spent 30 years as the Economic Development Manager for East River Electric Power Cooperative, where she managed a diverse portfolio of community and business development loans andworked with communities in a 60,000 square mile region of South Dakota and Minnesota. In addition to Dakota Resources, Linda serves on the boards of Interlakes Community Action Partnership, Girls Scouts Dakota Horizons, and Estelline Area Economic Development. She lives on a farm between Estelline and Lake Poinsett and is a diehard Jackrabbit.

By |2023-03-31T15:38:50+00:00January 1, 2023|Board|0 Comments

Ryan Mulder

Ryan is the Sioux Falls Market President for American State Bank. With more than 24 years of experience in the financial services industry, Ryan assumed his current role with the bank in 2018. Prior to American State Bank, he was employed with HSBC/Capital One. He joined HSBC in 1999 as an entry level unit manager. He managed several different departments over the years including customer service and credit bureau disputes. Ryan holds a bachelor’s degree from Dakota State University in Madison. He has served as a committee Chair for the Sioux Empire United Way and an 18-year classroom volunteer for Junior Achievement.

By |2023-03-31T15:39:08+00:00January 1, 2023|Board|0 Comments

Tanya Olson

Tanya is a landscape architect and co-owner of Tallgrass Landscape Architecture in Custer, SD. Our mission is to be a creative partner for inspired placemaking, helping to create flourishing communities with high quality everyday lives through collaborative place-inspired design throughout the Northern Great Plains and American West. Tanya's personal commitment to this mission extends to her volunteer activities; she serves on the Custer Area Economic Development Corporation and Foundation Board, the Rushmore Region Board, is the South Dakota section chair for the Nebraska Dakotas Chapter of ASLA and is an organizer of the annual AIA SD Design in the Hills conference. She is a past Dakota Rising Fellow and is honored to support Dakota Resources by serving on the Advisory Council.

By |2023-03-31T15:34:08+00:00January 1, 2023|Advisory Council|0 Comments

Amy Miller

Amy Miller was born and raised a South Dakotan. Growing up in Faulkton instilled in her small-town pride from a young age: Believing that with the right tools anything is possible. She has been a teacher and spent the last 10 years as an administrator for Webster High School. In 2020 she joined the SD Department of Education as the Assistant Director of Career and Technical. Helping students identify career paths that keep our rural life viable and connecting existing industry to our schools to keep the workforce pipeline strong are two of her greatest passions.

By |2023-03-31T15:34:26+00:00January 1, 2023|Advisory Council|0 Comments

Connie Halverson

Rural South Dakota is in Connie’s DNA. Her dad was on the economic development board for many years in her hometown of Lemmon, and Connie was able to witness the challenges and rewards of his work. She spent eight years in the Governor’s Office of Economic Development and is now the Vice President of Public Benefit for Delta Dental of South Dakota. Her background and experience in board governance, grant writing and rural healthcare brings a valued perspective to the Dakota Resources Board. Through her job, Connie has also managed a program that serves several SD reservations. She understands the importance of healthy rural communities to the overall economic well-being of our region.

By |2023-03-31T15:39:49+00:00January 1, 2023|Board|0 Comments

Kelly Melius

Kelly is a farmer, an inventor, a business owner, a former Dakota Rising Fellow and is involved in economic development for Faulk County, where he was born and raised. His love of rural brought him back to his family’s farm after moving to Minneapolis to pursue a career as an electrician. After moving back home, he began designing and patenting farm equipment to help make feeding cattle easier. His products eventually grew into Common Sense Manufacturing, one of the largest employers in the county. His experiences as a “rural risk taker” make him a valuable asset to the Dakota Resources board, where he offers his insights as farmer and rancher, a Dakota Rising alumni and a mentor for other business owners. He believes in giving back to his community and knows that it takes a village to help rural communities thrive—something he has been able to witness first-hand through the significant economic and community growth in Faulk County–considered a “poster child” of success for Dakota Resources.

By |2023-03-31T15:34:47+00:00January 1, 2023|Advisory Council|0 Comments

Glen Marshall

Glen has served the Boys & Girls Club of Rosebud in various ways since 2009. He filled the roles of volunteer, board member, and site director, before stepping into the executive role in July 2014. Glen also served in the United States Army Reserve and taught economics at Todd County High School. Glen has served on the national Native Advisory Board for the Boys & Girls Club of America (BGCA) since 2016 and was inducted into the BGCA Great Plains Area Council Hall of Fame in 2018. Glen holds a B.A. in Economics from Minnesota State University Moorhead. He enjoys spending time outdoors with his wife and dogs.

By |2023-03-31T15:35:04+00:00January 1, 2023|Advisory Council|0 Comments

Onna LeBeau

Onna LeBeau, member of the Omaha Nation of Nebraska, is the Executive Director of the Black Hills Community Loan Fund, Inc. in Rapid City. Onna is a mother to five young men and gaha (Grandma) to 2 beautiful children. Onna grew up in Aberdeen where she started her family, received her Bachelors of Science in Economics and Finance from NSU and career in community development. Onna’s passion for financial education and helping her native people is what drives her to provide services to as many as she is able to reach through her organization. Onna received her Masters in Applied Sciences from the University of Nebraska. In her spare time she loves to go hiking in the Black Hills, kayaking when ever she is able and enjoys listening to all genres of music and traveling while attending concerts with her boys.

By |2023-03-31T15:35:23+00:00January 1, 2023|Advisory Council|0 Comments

Caleb Finck

Caleb Finck is a born and raised 5th Generation Farm and Rancher from a small farm south of Tripp, South Dakota where he lives today with his wife Toni. He is active in his community and promoting Agriculture across South Dakota and holds a degree in Agricultural Leadership from South Dakota State University. Caleb currently serves as a South Dakota State Representative for District 21 and is Chair of the House Transportation Committee. He also serves on several community boards and foundations in the Tripp Community and across the state. It's not uncommon for Caleb's background in a virtual meeting to include the cab of a tractor which he considers "an office with the best view anyone could ask for!"

By |2023-03-31T15:40:26+00:00January 1, 2023|Board|0 Comments

Kelsea Kenzy Sutton

Kelsea Kenzy Sutton works as an attorney for First Fidelity Bank in her hometown of Burke, South Dakota. She is a passionate "homecomer," and when she isn't lawyering she likes to spend her free time working on community development and rural advocacy. She helps run several local nonprofits, and together with her husband launched a statewide leadership initiative to help empower more community-minded, courageous, servant leaders. She loves historical fiction, hot yoga, and spending summers on the Missouri river with her family.

By |2023-03-31T15:35:41+00:00January 1, 2023|Advisory Council|0 Comments

Marc Eyre

Marc Eyre is the Vice President of Electric Operations for Black Hills Energy, where he is responsible for providing safe, reliable electric service to over 70,000 customers in 38 communities throughout western South Dakota, northeast Wyoming, and southeastern Montana. As an essential service provider, Marc knows the importance of investing in rural communities and has a passion for supporting economic development and growth. Outside of work Marc enjoys spending time with his family and serving in his church and community. Marc serves on the Board for Mitchell Technical College’s Foundation, Deadwood - Lead Economic Development Corporation, and United Way of the Black Hills. Marc and his family love the outdoors and all the great recreation western South Dakota has to offer.

By |2023-03-31T15:40:42+00:00January 1, 2023|Board|0 Comments

Clay Hoffman

Clay Hoffman was born and raised in the West River farming and ranching community of Winner, South Dakota. He went on to attend the University of South Dakota and graduated with a BA in Political Science in 2015. After a short stint in politics, Clay currently works as a Loyalty Giving Officer with the SDSU Foundation. In his current role, he works to cultivate relationships with alumni and friends of South Dakota's premier land-grant institution to discover their passions in support of the University. Clay is excited to be part of an organization that is dedicated to a thriving rural.

By |2023-03-31T15:35:58+00:00January 1, 2023|Advisory Council|0 Comments

Blaine Crissman

Blaine Crissman is the President and a Founding Partner of South Dakota Equity LLC. South Dakota Equity is a private equity firm that invests equity in a collaborative approach with management teams and co-investors. The equity investments are available to support growth in companies seeking to expand existing operations in, or relocate to, South Dakota.

By |2023-03-31T15:40:58+00:00January 1, 2023|Board|0 Comments

Jacqson Collins

As a Mitchell resident and Director of Commercial and Agribusiness banking for First National Bank, Jacqson has a unique perspective when it comes to the challenges and opportunities available to rural businesses and agriculture operations. He is connected to rural people and places through his job and is dedicated to helping them succeed. His financial and lending expertise are an asset to the Dakota Resources team, while his connections across the region allow him to spread the word about the valuable programs and resources available to the people living here.

By |2023-03-31T15:41:14+00:00January 1, 2023|Board|0 Comments

Erik Gaikowski

Erik Gaikowski joined AARP as the South Dakota State Director in March 2016, representing over 106,000 AARP members in the state. Erik is a highly respected non-profit leader specializing in volunteer leadership development, strategic staff deployment, and community engagement since 2000. Previously, Erik led the development and coordination of a statewide advocate network and partner organizations to successfully influence health policy, and also developed strategic partnerships with medical, corporate, and public employers to advance organizational priorities to improve the health of all citizens. Erik’s upbringing in South Dakota drives his focus on improving livability in communities across the state, which was the impetus for convening statewide stakeholders to enhance livability and grow community and economic development for all South Dakotans. Erik holds a degree in Political Science from Northern State University. He lives in Sioux Falls with his wife Mandy and two daughters.

By |2023-03-31T15:36:15+00:00January 1, 2023|Advisory Council|0 Comments

Jon Farris

Jon Farris joined BankWest in 2016 and serves as Special Assets Officer, providing assistance in debt recovery solutions. Previously he had worked for DuPont Pioneer as an Account Manager in east central South Dakota leading the sales efforts of Pioneer brand products.He worked for the South Dakota Department of Agriculture (SDDA) from 1994 to 2013, serving as Deputy Secretary, Acting Secretary and Director of the Agricultural Development Division. Prior to joining SDDA, Farris worked as an investment broker, served as an operations manager for a residential district and assisted in infrastructure development for local municipalities. Originally from Woonsocket, South Dakota, he grew up on a diversified farm and family business. Farris received his bachelor’s degree from South Dakota State University and his MBA from the University of Phoenix. He serves on the Mitchell Area United Way on the Board of Directors and is the current chair for the board for Dakotas America working with New Market Tax Credits.

By |2023-03-31T15:36:32+00:00January 1, 2023|Advisory Council|0 Comments

Lisa Carrico

Attorney, licensed in both Illinois and South Dakota. My practice is primarily business and estate planning. Originally from Lapeer, Michigan. Currently on the Board of Trustees for theBoys & Girls Club of Watertown and Vice-President of the Watertown Rotary Club. As part of my civil service to the community, I am currently the President of the Watertown Municipal Utilities Board and have served as the interim City Attorney for the City of Watertown. Prior to opening my own practice here in Watertown in 2008, I served as General Counsel to the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Indian tribe from 2003 to 2007. What I enjoy most about my law practice is helping non-profits and those wanting to start their own businesses and watching them grow and helping them navigate the landscape as they grow and encounter new challenges.

By |2023-03-31T15:41:45+00:00January 1, 2023|Board|0 Comments

Patri Acevedo Fuentes

Patri brings over 20 years of design expertise, cultural sensitivity, and a wild and wonderful wit to her work. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Patri resided in New York, Florida and Texas before making the Black Hills her home. As an architect and community member, Patri finds joy in creating solutions that catalyze smart growth and renewal with a special love for rural and remote communities. An engaged and passionate civic leader, Patri is a 2021 Bush Foundation Fellow. During the fellowship, she expanded her knowledge of public policy and social justice and her capacity for intercultural development, with the goal of creating a more equitable approach to architecture through policy, planning, practice, and participation. She understands that architecture is powerful and permanent and seeks to make the design and construction of places and spaces more just.

By |2023-05-02T14:24:21+00:00January 1, 2023|Board|0 Comments

Brian Depew

Brian Depew is Executive Director of the Center for Rural Affairs based on Lyons, Nebraska. He provides strategic leadership for the Center’s community development, financing and policy change efforts. Brian also serves on the governing body of the National sustainable Agriculture Coalition. He was a 2018 BALLE Network Local Economies Fellow. When not at work, Brian can be found chopping wood, working in the garden and tending a small flock of sheep.

By |2023-03-31T15:37:20+00:00January 1, 2023|Advisory Council|0 Comments
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