BURKE, SD – The Billie Sutton Leadership Institute's third year is underway and the 2021 Sutton Leaders and Rural POWER class has been announced.
Fifteen members of the new class met for a training seminar this past weekend in Oacoma to kick off the year-long leadership development program. Nine of those participants were selected for the Sutton Leaders program. Six are participants in the new Rural POWER program launched this year.
After a weekend seminar with the new class, Sutton Leadership Institute Founder Billie Sutton said,
"I'm always amazed by the passion and dedication of the South Dakotans who apply for this opportunity to give back to their community. This year's class is full of South Dakota's most promising leaders. The inaugural Rural POWER participants will undoubtedly fuel the growth of small town South Dakota, and the third class of Sutton Leaders are ready to serve their communities across South Dakota!"
Members of the 2021 class of Sutton Leaders include:
Callee Ackland, Rapid City
Brianna Doran, Brookings
Denise Hall, Brookings
Heather Hansen, Sioux Falls
Liz Larson, Sioux Falls
Raeann Mettler, Spearfish
Jessica Meyers, Sioux Falls
Jennie Palmer, Pierre
Megan Red Shirt-Shaw, Vermillion
Members of the 2021 Rural POWER class include:
Wayne Ducheneaux, Eagle Butte
Sara Hento, Avon
Joshua Hofer, Freeman
Jordan Jones, Rapid City
Krecia Leddy, Stockholm
Katy VanderPol, Platte
Rural POWER, sponsored by the South Dakota Farmers Union, seeks to grow a new generation of rural leaders and encourage involvement in local rural cooperatives providing essential services to South Dakota communities.
Sutton Leaders is the Billie Sutton Leadership Institute's original program, now in its third year, focused on leadership development, community engagement, and public service across South Dakota.
The non-partisan Billie Sutton Leadership Institute is dedicated to inspiring and preparing the next generation of leaders to build a stronger South Dakota and more vibrant communities and workplaces through service to others. Billie Sutton is a former state senator, 2018 candidate for governor of South Dakota, and founder of the Billie Sutton Leadership Institute.