Jan. 11, 2023

Sioux Falls entrepreneur John Meyer has been named the new executive director of Leadership South Dakota.

Meyer, the co-founder and former CEO of Lemonly, takes over for Rick and Val Melmer, who have led the leadership development program since it began in 2014.

Meyer went through Leadership South Dakota in 2018 and started in a part-time capacity this week, learning from the Melmers until he takes on the role full time April 1.

“We were thrilled with the interest in the director position and thankful to the many qualified individuals who interviewed for the role,” Mike Begeman, board chair, said in a statement.

“John has a passion for developing leaders, years of experience growing an organization and a love of South Dakota that aligned with the goals the board had for this hire. We know he is the right individual for the next chapter of Leadership South Dakota.”

In addition to his business leadership, Meyer coaches entrepreneurs and hosts the “Leadmore” podcast.

“I am honored to be selected for this role and grateful for the opportunity to lead in this capacity. We have so many exceptional leaders to learn from in our great state,” he said. “I’m excited to go on this journey with the program participants, and I’m eager to soak up as much knowledge from Rick and Val over the next few months.”

Leadership South Dakota runs two leadership development programs: the flagship Leadership South Dakota program and the Leadership South Dakota for State Government program. The application window for the 2024 flagship class opens Feb. 1, and the next state government class kicks off April 19.