BURKE, SD – The Billie Sutton Leadership Institute's fourth year is underway and the 2022 Sutton Leaders and Rural POWER class has been announced.
Sixteen 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 were selected for the Sutton Leaders program, and seven were selected for the Rural POWER program launched last year.
After meeting with this year's new class, Sutton Leadership Institute Founder Billie Sutton said,
"Building a better tomorrow is going to require passionate next-generation leaders ready to shape our state's future! That’s why we launched the Institute and have since trained and mentored nearly 60 leaders from across the state who are doing big things in South Dakota – like launching nonprofits and pursuing public service!"
"This new class of Rural POWER and Sutton Leaders is our largest yet, and we're excited to work with another talented group of South Dakota’s most promising leaders and provide them a leadership development experience that will push them to improve themselves, their state, and their communities."
Members of the 2022 class of Sutton Leaders include:
Sydney Bartunek Bender, Sioux Falls
Cheyenne Chontos, Sioux Falls
Cante Heart, Summerset
Micah Lande, Rapid City
Molly O'Connor, Sioux Falls
James Payer II, Sioux Falls
Rachel Pfeifle, Rapid City
Katrin Profilet, Sioux Falls
Catherine Seeley, Pierre
Members of the 2022 Rural POWER class include:
Rebecca Blue, Huron
Brendan Farrell, Tea
Elizabeth Henderson, Buffalo
Tabitha Keller, McLaughlin
Jill Kessler, Eagle Butte
Heidi Kolbeck-Urlacher, Brandon
Bess Pallares, Brookings
Rural POWER 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 fourth 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.