People You Should Know features new hires, promotions and awards involving top executives and organizations. For consideration, email [email protected]. Guaranteed placement is provided only to partners of SiouxFalls.Business.

Augustana University

Augustana University has been ranked No. 2 in the nation for post-graduate employment by career site Zippia. This is the third year in a row that the university has made Zippia’s list. It also ranked second in the nation in 2019 and 2020. Using Department of Education College Scorecard data, Zippia researched institutions in each state with the highest listed job placement numbers, looking specifically at employment levels 10 years after graduation. Zippia focused on the best colleges from which to graduate with a bachelor’s degree, including colleges that predominantly offer four-year degrees. Augustana ranked second nationally with a 96.05 percent employment rate over the 10-year period.

Sanford Heart Hospital 

Sanford Heart Hospital has received the American Heart Association’s Gold Get With the Guidelines Heart Failure Quality Achievement Award. Program participants apply for the award recognition by demonstrating how their organization has committed to providing quality care for heart failure patients to help them manage their heart failure once at home. The goal is speeding recovery and reducing hospital readmissions for heart failure patients.

Sanford USD Medical Center

U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals for 2021-22 has ranked Sanford USD Medical Center the No. 1 hospital in South Dakota. U.S. News evaluates data on nearly 5,000 hospitals in 16 adult specialties, nine adult procedures and conditions, and 10 pediatric specialties. Sanford USD Medical Center received high-performing rankings in three adult specialty areas: gastroenterology and gastroenterology surgery, orthopedics, and pulmonology and lung surgery. It also rated high-performing in 14 procedures and conditions, including colon cancer surgery, heart failure, abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, aortic valve surgery, heart bypass surgery, transcatheter aortic valve replacement, heart attack, diabetes, kidney failure, back surgery, hip replacement, knee replacement, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pneumonia.

Woods, Fuller, Shultz & Smith

Several Woods, Fuller, Shultz & Smith attorneys have been recognized in the 28th edition of the Best Lawyers in America. The publication recognizes attorneys across multiple practice areas as voted on by peers in the region.

• Melanie L. Carpenter: employment law – management.
• Roger W. Damgaard: bankruptcy and creditor debtor rights/insolvency and reorganization law, and litigation – bankruptcy.
• Bradley C. Grossenburg: corporate law, tax law, and trusts and estates.
• Vincent Jones: real estate law.
• David C. Kroon: employee benefits (ERISA) law, and health care law.
• Troy N. Leonard: litigation – intellectual property, and trademark law.
• Elizabeth A. Lewis: commercial transactions/UCC law, corporate law, and real estate law.
• James E. Moore: insurance law.
• J.G. Shultz: employment law – management, labor law – management, and workers’ compensation law – employers.
• Ryan W. Snell: commercial finance law, corporate law, and mergers and acquisitions law.
• Heather R. Springer: employment law – management, and health care law.
• Gregory Starnes: corporate law, and real estate law.
• Gary P. Thimsen: bet-the-company litigation, commercial litigation, employment law – management, personal injury litigation – defendants, and labor law – management.
• James M. Wiederrich: administrative/regulatory law, banking and finance law, mergers and acquisitions law, and corporate law.

In addition, Heather R. Springer was recognized by Best Lawyers as the 2022 Health Care Law Lawyer of the Year in Sioux Falls, J.G. Shultz as the 2022 Workers’ Compensation Law – Employers Lawyer of the Year in Sioux Falls and James M. Wiederrich as the 2022 Administrative/Regulatory Law Lawyer of the Year in Sioux Falls.

In the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch listing, Jordan J. Feist was recognized for the second year in the bankruptcy and creditor debtor rights/insolvency and reorganization law practice area, and Jordan D. Veurink was recognized in the practice area of trusts and estates.

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Sioux Empire

The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Sioux Empire has promoted two staff members.

Kassidi Smith is the director of operations for the Early Learning Academies.

Elizabeth Steffen is the site director of the Early Learning Empower Campus.

Naomi Blank has been hired as behavior manager for the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Sioux Empire’s K-5 program. Blank most recently served as an English Language Learner teacher for the Sioux Falls School District.

Matthew Abel

Goosmann Law Firm

Matthew Abel, a probate and trust litigation lawyer at Goosmann Law Firm, was recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch for his work in trust and estates litigation.

Junior League of Sioux Falls

The Junior League of Sioux Falls has new officers and members for its board of directors: president, Michelle Harvey; president elect, Anna Johnson; treasurer, Stacia Moeller; recording secretary, Heidi Anderson; and at-large directors, AJ Turner and Harriet Yocum.

The Sampson House

The Sampson House has added three staff members.

Mikena VanLiere

Kayla Hannisch

Reva Graves

Reva Graves is the art director.

Kayla Hannisch is the project manager.

Mikena VanLiere is the account executive.

Xcel Energy

Bob Frenzel has been appointed president and CEO of Xcel Energy. Frenzel joined Xcel as chief financial officer in 2016. He was named president and chief operating officer in 2020. Ben Fowke, the current chairman and CEO, will remain at Xcel as executive chairman of the board of directors. Tim O’Connor was named executive vice president and chief operations officer. O’Connor has served as Xcel’s EVP and chief generation officer since 2020.