Executive Board
2023-24
President
Daniel Kim
bobolinkdk<at>gmail<dot>com
President-Elect
Dennie Mann
Past-President
Brady Neiles
Secretary-Treasurer
Amanda Pearson
Board Members
Amanda Cheeseman
William Severud
CMPS Representative to TWS Council
Andrea Orabona
Andrea<dot>Orabona<at>wyo<dot>go
View a list of past officers and past executive board members.
View TWS Board of Director Duties.
Committees
Committees support the Chapter’s Executive Board in carrying out chapter projects and objectives. Active participation in committees is crucial for the chapter to be effective at voicing our collective professional opinions on wildlife policy matters in the region, communicating with membership and the public, and recognizing outstanding wildlife conservation and management work by individuals and groups.
**WE NEED YOU! Please consider joining or chairing a committee. To join a committee, please contact a committee chair or an Executive Board member.
REPRESENTATIVES:
Northern Great Plains Working Group, Representative: Rocco Murano (605) 688-4786
STANDING COMMITTEES
Audit
Chair: Past-President
Duties: Conducts an official examination and verification of financial accounts and records of the chapter and reports its findings to the chapter membership during the annual business meeting. This committee is always chaired by the Past-President.
Awards
Chair: Nathan Baker (605) 223-7709
Duties: Solicits, collects, and submits nominations for awards to the Executive Board for selection of award recipients. Two awards are given annually. The first is the Wildlife Professional of the Year Award and is presented to a wildlife professional that has made outstanding contributions to wildlife management in South Dakota. The second is the Citizens Award and is presented to a South Dakota resident that has made a significant contribution to wildlife in the state. The Committee also solicits, collects and submits nominations for graduate scholarships to the Executive Board for selection of scholarship recipients. A MS scholarship is awarded to a graduate student annually. A PhD scholarship is awarded to a graduate student biennially.
Conservation Review
Chair: Mark Norton (605) 773-3096
Members: Matt Morlock, Paul Coughlin, Bob Hodorff
Duties: Reviews legislative proposals, administrative regulations, environmental assessments and impact statements, and other subjects or issues affecting wildlife or wildlife habitat within South Dakota. This Committee also makes recommendations to the Executive Board for any action that should be taken by the South Dakota Chapter regarding these matters.
Education and Information
Chair: Bruce Eichhorst (605) 688-4706
Members: Laura Hubers (605) 947-4521 / Sandy Uecker (605) 352-5894
Duties: Keeps the membership informed of issues, educational programs, and opportunities to expand their knowledge of and to improve the conservation and protection of natural resources in the state and nationwide. Ensures the general public, especially the youth, of South Dakota are aware of and appreciate the natural resources of the state.
Membership
Chair: Chuck Pyle (605) 353-5753
Duties: Responsible for promoting annual and life memberships for SDTWS. On an annual basis, makes contact with wildlife professionals and agencies/organizations across the state to encourage attendance at the annual meeting and to become a member of SDTWS.
Nominations and Elections
Chair: President
Duties: Performs all actions necessary to develop and carry out nominations and elections for SDTWS board positions.
Program
Chair: President
Duties: Performs all actions necessary to develop and implement the program for the SDTWS annual meeting. Primary duties include selecting a meeting topic, student presentations, and plenary speaker(s). This committee is normally chaired by the chapter president.
Resolutions and Public Statements
Chair: Paul Coughlin (605) 773-4194
Duties: Assists authors of resolutions or public statements with editing. Ensures that documents are in the proper format before submittal to the membership for final edits and voting.
SPECIAL COMMITTEES
Arrangements
Chair: Past-President
Members: At least one person from the location
Duties: To contact the facility that will host the meeting and negotiate the contract for needed rooms, equipment, meals, breaks and works closely with the fund raising committee to address their needs for the auction and raffles.
Certification
Chair: Eileen Dowd Stukel (605) 773-4229
Duties: Promote and assist students, young professionals, and others to become an Associate Wildlife Biologist or Certified Wildlife Biologist. Facilitate SD TWS mentoring program.
Chapter History
Chair: Corey Huxoll (605) 773-4195
Duties: Ensures that archived materials are in a format that is secure yet accessible through currently-available technology; obtain and archive, on a regular schedule, all appropriate records from SDTWS board and committee members; and purge materials that exist beyond their retention limits and/or their usefulness.
Energy Committee
Chair: Kent (KC) Jensen (605) 688-4781
Members: Pete Bauman, Connie Mueller, Jill Shaffer, Natalie Gates
Duties: Serve as a clearinghouse for information on all forms of energy development that have an impact on wildlife resources of South Dakota. Keep the membership updated on energy development projects including, wind farms, biofuels, oil and gas. Work with the SDTWS board and membership to compose comment letters and position statements related to energy developments impacts on wildlife as needed.
Fee Hunting and Ownership of Wildlife
Chair: Andy Lindbloom (605) 394-1751
Duties: Responsible for working with the SDTWS board and members on issues related to the commercialization and ownership of wildlife. Examples of such issues include privatization and commercialization of wildlife (e.g., fee hunting, shooting preserves, guiding and outfitting, hunting contests), the Public Trust Doctrine, captive non-domestic wildlife, and the North American Wildlife Conservation Model.
Fundraising
Chair: VACANT
Duties: Solicits and gathers items from chapter members, sponsors, and other entities to be used at the fundraising auction held at the annual meeting. Funds generated from the auction and supplemental raffles are used to offset meeting costs, sponsor scholarships, and support special events throughout the year.
Grasslands Issues
Chair: VACANT
Members: Boyd Schulz (605) 697-2500 / Jim Madsen (605) 882-5250 / Joel Murano (605) 354-1259 / Pete Bauman (605) 882-5140
Duties: Responsible for monitoring issues related to the private grassland resource of South Dakota and keeping both the SDTWS Board and members apprised of needed action items.
Missouri River Issues
Chair: Nathan Baker (605) 223-7709
Duties: Monitors and assesses emerging issues, legislation, and the activities of other Missouri River groups and organizations that impact the Missouri River and its associated habitats in South Dakota. Report to the SDTWS Board and membership any potential issues that may require SDTWS involvement and/or action. Make recommendations to the SDTWS Board on any action that should be taken by the SDTWS membership.
Newsletter
Chair: Jennifer Briggs (605) 256-2974
Duties: The newsletter is published quarterly with issues coming out in January/February, May/June, September/October and December. Newsletter topics include the president’s message, executive board meeting minutes, committee reports, and candidate biographies for executive board.
Public Lands Management
Chair: Eddie Childers (605)433-5203 and Chuck Berdan (605)210-0099
Members: Shelly Deisch, Bob Hodorff, Paul Coughlin, Dennis Mann, Tom LeFaive, and Greg Schenbeck
Duties: Evaluates projects and proposals from public land management agencies; prepare reports with recommended actions to the executive board dealing with management practices and management direction on public lands.
Tribal Fish and Wildlife
Chair: Mike Gutzmer (402) 562-9155
Members: Kent (KC) Jensen (605) 688-4781 / Shilo Comeau (605) 685-6508
Duties:
Wetlands
Chair: Randy Meidinger (605) 380-0380
Members: Steven Huber (605) 996-1564, ext 131 / Pete Bergmann (605) 688-6591
Duties: Monitors and assesses emerging issues that impact wetland resources on private land in South Dakota. Informs the SDTWS Board of potential developments that may impact South Dakota wetlands. Assist the SDTWS Board in developing position statements and other action items that promote wetland conservation.
Wildlife Diseases
Chair: Steve Griffin (605) 394-6786
Members: John Kanta (605) 394-2391 / Jacquie Ermer (605) 345-3381 / Erica Mize (517) 775-9323
Duties: Promotes a regular wildlife disease reporting system to facilitate interagency communication and cooperation. The committee will provide information on disease problems of free ranging and farmed or ranched wildlife, which are significantly important to these populations or to livestock, poultry, or humans.
Wildlife Diversity
Chair: Eileen Dowd Stukel (605) 773-4229 / Silka Kempema (605) 773-2742
Members: Thomas LeFaive (605) 223-2316 / Laura Hubers (605) 947-4521 / Casey Heimerl (605) 773-4345 / Mike Gutzmer (402) 562-9155
Duties: This committee will monitor state, regional, and national issues that might impact rare, nongame, or endangered species in South Dakota. The committee will keep the membership informed via the chapter newsletter and updates at the annual meeting. The committee will assist the Executive Board in reviewing correspondence and related requests for support for or input on specific issues.