Sept. 30, 2025

This week’s Up-and-Comer is Augustina Osabutey, a water quality analyst for the city of Sioux Falls.

Name: Augustina Osabutey

Age: 33

Hometown: Axim, Ghana

What brought you to Sioux Falls?

I have always wanted to live in South Dakota because I made wonderful friends, who are now like family, while pursuing my doctorate at South Dakota State University. It was an answered prayer when my husband’s job brought us to Sioux Falls. It meant we could be closer to the amazing PEO sisters here and our adopted family and friends in Brookings.

What keeps you in Sioux Falls?

Sioux Falls is a beautiful city with vibrant community spirit. My family and I enjoy its social amenities, safety and opportunities for growth. It’s a wonderful place to raise children. In addition, we love that we are closer to family and friends.

What’s your favorite thing about your job?

My favorite part of my job is contributing to the delivery of safe, high-quality water to the Sioux Falls community, helping protect public health and promote environmental stewardship. I also value working alongside my supportive colleagues and supervisors with a wealth of knowledge and experience that continues to enrich my professional growth.

How did you get connected to your field?

I developed the passion for environmental protection and stewardship while working at Gold Fields Ghana Ltd. as a heavy mining equipment maintenance planner after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from University of Mines and Technology in Ghana. Growing up in Ghana, I experienced firsthand the challenges of obtaining clean drinking water, which deeply influenced my commitment to finding sustainable water solutions. With this newfound passion and my experiences, I decided to pursue a master’s degree in environmental engineering from Montana Technological University and continued to South Dakota State University for my doctorate in agriculture, biosystems and mechanical engineering, where I focused on water and wastewater treatment.

Describe your workplace in three words.

Peaceful, hospitable, supportive.

What is something someone might be surprised to learn about you?

I am the author of The Little Guardians Series, a collection of children’s books that teach environmental stewardship through engaging stories about clean water, soil conservation and clean air. The proceeds from the books sales support environmental education programs for children in the United States and Ghana through Teen Lead Foundation. The books, including “The Soil of Life,” “Nana’s Magic Waterfall” and “The Air Keepers,” can be purchased on Safari-Treasures.com.

What’s your favorite way to give back to your community?

Through my nonprofit, Teen Lead Foundation, I work with a team to equip children with the knowledge, tools and confidence to lead change. We inspire youth through environmental education, leadership training, entrepreneurship, STEAM exploration and life-skills mentoring. Additionally, I lead projects to provide clean drinking water wells to villages in Ghana without access to clean water.

What’s one business you’d like to see in Sioux Falls that isn’t here now?

A book printing company. As an author and after meeting many talented local authors, I’ve seen the need for a printing option in Sioux Falls so we don’t have to rely on out-of-state companies.

If you had $1 million to start a business, what kind of business would it be?

I would establish a book printing and publishing company to support local authors, create jobs, sponsor Teen Lead Foundation’s environmental programs for children and encourage storytelling in our community.