Movers & Shakers features new hires, promotions and awards involving top executives and organizations. For consideration, email jodi@siouxfalls.business. Guaranteed placement is provided only to partners of SiouxFalls.Business.

Avera Health

Avera Health has been ranked No. 1 on the Forbes list of America’s Best-In-State Employers 2025 for South Dakota. Amazon was No. 2, followed by Sanford Health, the state of South Dakota and Citigroup. The rankings were based on employee evaluations.

Avera Medical Group

Mara Hermiston

Dr. Mara Hermiston, chief medical officer of Avera Medical Group and a practicing rural family medicine physician and obstetrician, has been named to the Becker’s Hospital Review list of Rising Stars: Healthcare Leaders Under 40. Hermiston oversees physician recruitment, regional clinic administration, provider well-being and service line integration for Avera Medical Group’s 1,330 providers across 200 clinics. Her recognition noted that she has advanced 14 enterprise-wide service lines to standardize care, improve quality and reduce cost, including merging women’s and children’s services in conjunction with a major hospital expansion.

Dakota State University

The College of Business & Information Systems at Dakota State University has achieved full reaffirmation of accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs for its business programs, which include the Master of Business Administration, Bachelor of Business Administration and Associate of Science in Business Management.

Eide Bailly

Luke Johnson

Aaron Clayton

Eide Bailly has promoted two staff members:

Aaron Clayton to market leader. Clayton is an audit partner and has been with the firm for 20 years. He works primarily in the health care and telecommunications/electric industries.

Luke Johnson to audit department head. Johnson is an audit partner and has been with the firm for 16 years. He works primarily in the manufacturing and distribution, and telecommunications/electric industries.

Charity Heaton

Charity Heaton has joined Eide Bailly as a business development director. Heaton has more than 20 years of experience working with businesses across a variety of industries.

Sanford Health

Sanford Health has earned gold recognition in 2025 from the American Medical Association as a Joy in Medicine organization. The program recognizes health systems, hospitals and medical groups that prioritize proven methods to reduce burnout and enhance the professional fulfillment of doctors that comes from patient care. Sanford started in the program with bronze recognition in 2021 and received gold recognition in 2023. Recognition levels are valid for two years.

Sanford USD Medical Center

For the fifth consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals for 2025-26 ranked Sanford USD Medical Center the No. 1 hospital in South Dakota. Sanford received high-performing rankings in two adult specialty areas: gastroenterology/gastroenterology surgery and urology. Sanford USD Medical Center also rated as high-performing in 11 procedures and conditions, including leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma, colon cancer surgery, prostate cancer surgery, abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, heart arrhythmia, pacemaker implantation, back surgery, hip fracture, hip replacement, knee replacement and pneumonia.

Woods, Fuller, Shultz & Smith

Several Woods, Fuller, Shultz & Smith attorneys have been recognized in the 32nd edition of the Best Lawyers in America. The publication recognizes attorneys across multiple practice areas as voted on by peers in the region.

• Melanie Carpenter: employment law – management.
• Dan Harmelink: corporate law, mergers and acquisitions law, and real estate law.
• Vincent Jones: business organizations, corporate law, real estate law and energy law
• Beth Lewis: banking and finance law, commercial finance law, commercial transactions/UCC law, corporate law, and real estate law.
• Lisa Maguire: trusts and estates.
• Carey Miler: real estate law.
• James Moore: insurance law.
• Heath Oberloh: corporate law
• Jeff Shultz: employment law – management, labor law – management, and workers’ compensation law – employers.
• Justin Smith: insurance law.
• Ryan Snell: commercial finance law, corporate law, and mergers and acquisitions law.
• Heather Springer: employment law – management, and health care law.
• Greg Starnes: corporate law, and real estate law.
• Jim Wiederrich: administrative/regulatory law, banking and finance law, corporate law, and mergers and acquisitions law.

In the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch listing, Morgan Brekke was recognized in the practice area of health care law, Jordan Feist in the practice areas of commercial litigation and bankruptcy and creditor debtor rights/insolvency and reorganization law, Seth Lopour in family law and government relations practice and Jacob Schneider in commercial litigation and litigation – construction.

American Bank & Trust

American Bank & Trust has hired five staff members.

Keaton Deiter

Rob Goetz

Paul Logan

Jasmine Loos is a personal banker in Lennox.

Paul Logan is vice president, credit administration.

Rob Goetz is an ag-business banker in Lennox.

Keaton Deiter is a trust officer at the Grand Prairie branch in Sioux Falls.

Nick Thune is a credit admin specialist.

Zach Dykstra

Brandon Fauth

American Bank & Trust has promoted three staff members to personal banker: Dayne Peyton at the River Centre branch, Brandon Fauth at Grand Prairie and Zach Dykstra at Ellis Road.

Hy-Vee

Hy-Vee has earned three national honors recognizing its commitment to a strong workplace culture and support for veterans and working families. The grocery retailer earned the Great Place To Work Certification and the Disabled American Veterans Patriot Employer Special Recognition Award for Excellence in Community Support and has been named a Best Place for Working Parents.

Brad Jarabek

McGreevy & Associates

Brad Jarabek has joined McGreevy & Associates as a financial adviser. He has 13 years of experience in his field.

South Dakota Association of Career and Technical Education

Sara Vande Kamp

Sara Vande Kamp, director of the South Dakota Eastern Statewide Consortium for Career and Technical Education, has been named Postsecondary Professional of the Year by the South Dakota Association of Career and Technical Education. Vande Kamp also serves as an adjunct professor in marketing and business courses at Southeast Technical College.