Leadership South Dakota

??Calling all alumni! We will be kicking off our new class of 2025 in Pierre next week, and we'd love to see you while we're in town. Join us at Drifters Event Center on Thursday, September 12 for a social hour to meet the class and mingle with other alums, and stick around for dinner and a panel of Leadership SD alumni. Please register and see the full details at https://lnkd.in/gGEg6fYt

Thanks to SDPB for yesterday's interview with our Executive Director, John Meyer! Lori and John discussed kicking off our next Leadership SD class next month in Pierre and leadership topics like personal accountability, vulnerability and authenticity on social media, and more! Give it a listen at https://lnkd.in/gNqE4Sex

Check out ALL these great faces! ?? It’s our first look at the Class of 2025 and the year ahead. Most of the class and Leadership SD team met virtually to make introductions, review key details, answer questions, and hopefully reduce some of those first-session jitters! #iykyk We’re so excited for day one of a fantastic journey ahead in less than a month! ?? #LeadSD

2024 Class Member Highlight // Terri LaBrie It's time to meet our next class member of 2024, Terri LaBrie. Terri is the Director of Community Lending for Dakota Resources. Terri and the Dakota Resources team work with other non-profits in South Dakota and other Community Development Financial Institutions with a community or economic development mission. Dakota Resources focuses on working in rural communities and provides capital through a capital investment fund. For Terri, the best part about her work is traveling the state to visit local organizations and witness community pride and the opportunities each one has. She noted how rewarding it is to be a part of that process by providing capital for projects important to each rural community. #thrivingrural. Terri's view on leadership is: "I've learned that leadership comes in many forms, but it's important to be transparent and lead by example. Creating a culture of trust helps build a team whereby people will be inspired and want to do more than they are asked." When the summer months roll in, Terri's love for the outdoors takes center stage. While she resides in Sturgis, her camper becomes her second home, and she is often found at Custer State Park and other state park campgrounds. Thank you, Terri, for your calm and steady presence in the Class of 2024 and willingness to get outside your comfort zone! Way to lead by example. #LeadSD #LeadershipSD2024

We have some news to share! ?? CONGRATULATIONS and welcome to our 11th flagship class – the class of 2025! Read the full release & list of selected participants on our website: https://lnkd.in/gxJWTNbv See you in September! #LeadSD #LeadershipSD2025

2024 Class Member Highlight // Michelle Cwach We know they've graduated now, but we are still rolling with the Class of 2024 participant features! Up next, Michelle Cwach. Born and raised in Vermillion, Michelle resides in Yankton and works as a Marketing Strategy Partner for Avera Health. In this role, Michelle works as part of an in-house brand team and helps lead enterprise brand strategies for the health insurance division of Avera Health. She is also responsible for the management and execution of integrated marketing campaigns and programs. Michelle loves the Gospel-rooted mission of Avera and the ability to work alongside talented marketers on a large, in-house brand team, dedicating time to strategic thinking and relationship building. A few leadership lessons that resonate with Michelle are: "The actions you take are a vote toward who you want to be. Be better every day!" and "Your purpose runs deeper than your position." We couldn't agree more! ?? Engaging in the Leadership SD program was important to Michelle because "Being around people who are driven to make positive change, be better versions of themselves, and to nurture their teams and communities is incredibly inspiring and makes me a better version of myself. I've also been exposed to so many industries and communities that I knew very little about, and it has given me a deeper appreciation of all that South Dakota has to offer. We can all find ways to live big lives in small towns!" #worldclass Outside of work, Michelle is obsessed with all things homesteading and has a five-year plan to bring sheep and pigs onto their farm. She is also a recent sourdough convert, has started making homemade pasta, and is learning how to crochet. #inhergrannyera ?? Michelle, thank you for your open mind and heart throughout the program year. Your curiosity and perspective helped better inform all of us! #LeadSD #LeadershipSD2024

We'd love to give a?huge?shoutout to our amazing sponsors of our first-ever?alumni?conference, Encore! They all saw the vision of creating a space for our classes to reunite, discover, connect, and do something together again, and all of them helped in such?impactful?ways. A big thanks to?Sanford Health?for hosting us at the fantastic Sanford Event Barn, to?Pinnacle Productions, Inc.?for their impressive room setup, production, sound, lighting, DJ, and emcee assistance, to?Lawrence & Schiller?for their help giving this conference a name to remember and for its visual identity, to?Viaflex?for sponsoring our coffee hour, and to?Edward Jones Financial Advisor Maggie Fitzgibbons?for being our sendoff sponsor. Three cheers for your support and collaboration! ?? by the amazing PINstudios!

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you! We had a spectacular day at our first alumni conference, Encore. Over 120 of our alumni showed up to discover, connect, and do. We heard stories of strength and perseverance, discovered new facts about South Dakota, connected with friends new and old, and challenged each other to continue to do great things within our communities, companies, and state. We appreciate everyone who attended, our amazing sponsors, our talented group of speakers, and our outstanding alumni council. Our hearts are filled with gratitude. Thanks to PINstudios for capturing our day! #LeadSD #Encore24 #LeadershipSD

?? Alumni! The last day to purchase tickets for our first-ever alumni conference, Encore, is this week on Wednesday, April 24! ?? Learn more at https://lnkd.in/gKZBmwuB

2024 Class Member Highlight //?Tarah Heupel Next up on our list of new alum is Tarah Heupel! She is a Marketing Business Partner for Sanford Health and a proud member of the Class of 2024. ?? As a strategic marketing partner, Tarah helps the operations team share the good work happening at Sanford. Her favorite aspect of this work is hearing patients' unique experiences and helping to tell their stories in a way that's impactful for others. Tarah is honored to play a role in sharing their experiences in a way that might help another family going through something similar. When it comes to leadership, Tarah has learned that it isn't confined to a title, as team members at all levels of an organization can lead and impact those around them. Through the program, Tarah shared that "it's been inspiring to meet so many driven and ambitious people, all making a real impact on their communities or organizations. I'm grateful to be a part of Leadership South Dakota and eager to see what we can accomplish together." Two fun facts about Tarah - 1) She has completed five half marathons (even one while pregnant!), and 2) The number one item on her bucket list is appearing on Wheel of Fortune. #VannaCanIBuyAVowel Tarah, YOU are an inspiration to us in so many ways! Thanks for your commitment to the program and your class. #LeadSD #LeadershipSD2024