Sept. 26, 2021

Longtime Lutheran Social Services of South Dakota president and CEO Betty Oldenkamp plans to retire this year, and chief operating officer Rebecca Kiesow-Knudsen has been named her successor.

Oldenkamp has held the role for the past 15 years.

She plans to transition with Kiesow-Knudsen for the next 12 weeks until her retirement Dec. 17.

“It was a unanimous decision by the board to appointment Rebecca as the next president and CEO for LSS of South Dakota,” board chair Paul Bruflat said. “Lutheran Social Services has an impactful and far-reaching presence in South Dakota. We are excited to have Rebecca lead us into our next 100 years of service. She has demonstrated extreme passion for the mission of LSS, deep knowledge of our programs and a vision for the future.”

Kiesow-Knudsen grew up in Sioux Falls and graduated from Lincoln High School before earning her bachelor’s in political science at Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota and a Master of Public Administration from USD.

She has had a 20-year career at LSS, from its first director of mentoring services to vice president of community services and COO.

“I feel blessed and humbled by the opportunity to help guide the strategic direction of the agency as the new president and CEO,” she said. “LSS has 100 years of history delivering high-quality, essential services to meet the changing needs of the people of South Dakota, and I hope to help steward that tradition into the next 100 years.”