2026 Annual Convention

Kyle Scheele | Artist, Author and Innovation Speaker

Kyle Scheele is a keynote speaker, author, and creativity expert known for turning unconventional ideas into high-impact projects. Featured in Fast Company, WIRED, The Washington Post, and BuzzFeed, Kyle has inspired audiences across all 50 states to think differently, embrace innovation, and take action on bold ideas.

Justin Wren | Founder, Fight for the Forgotten

Justin Wren is a former MMA fighter, bestselling author, and founder of Fight For The Forgotten. After overcoming bullying, addiction, depression, and personal struggles, Justin found renewed purpose serving indigenous communities in remote regions of the world. Since 2013, Fight For The Forgotten has provided clean water, land security, housing, healthcare, and freedom from slavery to thousands of individuals living in extreme poverty.

Event Schedule

September 16
Golf Outing | Elmwood Golf Course

September 17
8:00 am Welcome & Opening Keynote | Becoming an Idea Factory:  Innovating for the Next 100 Years, Kyle Scheele

9:30-10:30 am Breakout Sessions

• Transform Care Delivery by Scaling Intelligent Care:  What Works, What Delivers, What Lasts, Peter Haas, MEd, Managing Director, Huron Consulting
• Psychological Safety in Healthcare:  Building Teams that Speak Up, Learn and Perform, Ryan Bouda, Leadership & Change Consultant, LEAP Training & Coaching
• Homeward Bound, Heather Krzmarzick, MBA, Division Director, Long Term Services and Supports, SD Department of Human Services, Sara Spisak, MS, Home Again SD Program Director, SD Dept. of Social Services, Div. of Medical Services
• PIP PIP Hooray! Reducing Harm with Patient Injury Prevention Rounds,  Tanya Cuppy, MSN, RN, CIC, Infection Prevention Strategist, Sanford Health, Kaitlyn Knodel, MSN, RN, CPPS, Director, Quality, Sanford Health   

• Bridging the Healthcare Affordability and Trust Gap: Navigating the Healthcare Affordability Maze and Its Impact on Providers, Patients, and Patient Payments, Shelly Soupir, MBA, CRCR, SVP, Provider Markets, AblePay Health 

10:45-11:45 am Breakout Sessions

• Innovation and the Changing Face of Healthcare Delivery in South Dakota, Mark List, MD, Physician, Avera Medical Group, Patrick Woodard, MHA, MD, Chief Information Officer, Monument Health, Derrick Schaefer, Vice President Data Analytics Operations, Sanford Health, Peter Haas, MEd, Managing Director, Huron Consulting
• Recovery Close to Home: Substance Use Disorder Care in Rural South Dakota, Dr. Maurice Chessmore, Medical Director, Douglas County Memorial Hospital, Jaclyn Woehl, CNP, Lewis and Clark Behavioral Health Services, Loretta Bryan, BSN, RN, CPHQ, Clinical Improvement Consultant, SDAHO
• The Human Side of Change in Healthcare: Leading Through Uncertainty, Technology, and Transformation, Ryan Bouda, Leadership & Change Consultant, LEAP Training & Coaching  

• Safe Hands, Calm Minds, Christina Ruml, CDP, State Long Term Care Ombudsman, SD Department of Human Services - Long Term Care Ombudsman Program, Donna Fischer, CDP, ACL Program Administrator, SD Department of Human Services - Long Term Care Ombudsman Program

12:00-1:30 pm Awards Ceremony

1:45-2:45 pm Breakout Sessions

• Advancing Healthcare Delivery Through Simulation and Educational Preparedness, Travis Spier, MSN, RN, NR-Paramedic, FP-C, CCEMT-P, Enterprise Director, Sanford Health   
• When Things Blow Up: Recovering from a Building Explosion, Brad Dusatko, CHFM, CHC, Director of Support Services, Avera St. Anthony's Hospital
• A View From Washington: Rural Health Updates from D.C. & Implications from RHTP, Zil Joyce Dixon Romero, MPM, Senior State Government Affairs Manager, National Rural Health Association
• Clinical and Clinician Integrated Value Enhancement, Deepak Manmohan Goyal, MD, MBA, FACP, FACHE, Executive Medical Director, Monument Health, Bradley S. Haupt, MBA, CMRP, Vice President of Supply Chain & Contract Mgt., Monument Health
• Building the Rural Healthcare Workforce: The AHEC Approach, Carrie Peschl, Executive Director, Southeast SD Area Health Education Center
• Fostering Resident, Family, and Staff Relationships and Managing Complaints, Cyndi Siders, MSN, RN, CPHRM, CPPS, DFASHRM, CEO/Executive Consultant, Siders HealthCare Consulting, LLC 

3:00-4:00 pm Breakout Sessions

• Paws & Pet: Exploring Animal - Assisted Care for Healthcare Professionals, Paula Lain Smykle, MSW, LCSW-PIP, Clinic Owner & Licensed Clinical Mental Health Therapist, Paula Lain Counseling & Co. 
• Patients as Consumers: Building Trust and Loyalty in Modern Healthcare, Ashley Nelson, MS, BSN, RN, Strategic Advisor, Nursing, NRC Health 
• Inside The Payer Friction Playbook: How Insurers Have Tilted the Field—And How to Even the Score, Mark Craig, Founder and CEO, Write-Off Warrior
• QI on the Run: Turning Data into Action, Holly Arends, QI Coordinator, South Dakota Foundation for Medical Care, Katy Burket, RN, Program Director, South Dakota Foundation for Medical Care
• What's New and What's Next for Nursing Homes, Jodi Eyigor, Vice President, Health Policy, LeadingAge

4:00-6:00 pm Exhibitor Social

September 18
7:30-8:30 am Membership Meetings

8:45-9:45 am General Session

10:00-11:00 am General Session

• 2026 State of the Healthcare Industry, Bradford Koles, Executive Director, Advisory Board 
• Active Threat Preparedness, Drew Moldenhauer, MS, Owner and Master Instructor of Blue Ethos Specialized Training 
• Tuberculosis in South Dakota: Review of TB Epidemiology, TB Program Services and Recommendations for Health Care Facilities, Kristin Rounds, TB Control Program Manager, SD Department of Health
• Managing Risk in Long-Term Care:  Proactive Strategies for Nursing Homes, Assisted Living and Hospice Organizations, Cyndi Siders, MSN, RN, CPHRM, CPPS, DFASHRM, CEO/Executive Consultant, Siders HealthCare Consulting, LLC  

11:15 am-12:15 pm Closing Keynote

A Century of Impact Begins with One Life: Leadership Lessons from the Ring to the Rainforest, Justin Wren 

12:15 pm Closing Celebration

12:30 pm Adjourn