Ten people whose life work has enriched the state will be the newest inductees into the South Dakota Hall of Fame– including one from Fort Pierre.
Tad Perry is being recognized for his work in Education. This year’s other honorees are: Randell Beck (Professional), Dennis Daugaard (Political), Paul Gnirk (Business), Charles Hart (Medical), Shantel Krebs (Political), Grace Martin Highley (Professional), Ronald Reed (Education), Mark Shlanta (Business) and Beverly Stabber Warne (Medical).
An in-person Honors Ceremony will be held Sept. 9-10, 2022, in Chamberlain/Oacoma. The Hall of Fame’s mission is to “Champion a Culture of Excellence” and is built upon the recognition, celebration, and preservation of the stories of South Dakotans instrumental in establishing that culture.
Perry and the other inductees will join over 700 South Dakotans already enshrined in the state Hall of Fame in Chamberlain.
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Tad Perry– Fort Pierre, SD | Education
“A Strong Commitment to Higher Education”
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At his retirement, Tad Perry capped a nearly 40-year career in higher education. When Perry retired as executive director of the South Dakota Board of Regents in 2009, his 15 years of service made him the longest-serving state higher education executive officer in the nation. To this day, his service is the longest of any South Dakota chief executive in the Regents’ history. His priority, whether as a public servant, elected official or community volunteer, is to create new opportunities that keep young people in South Dakota. Evidence of Perry’s impact on South Dakota’s higher education is found anywhere one turns on a university campus today. However, the South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship will serve as one of his most visible and enduring legacies.
Randell Beck– Sioux Falls, SD | Professional
“A Voice of Wisdom in Journalism”
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Randell Beck didn’t travel life’s easy road. A native of a small Kansas town and a college dropout, he spent several years traveling America, living on the streets, panhandling for food. Finally, he was ready to try again–at the University of Missouri, in journalism. It was a good fit. He became nationally recognized for his achievements as South Dakota’s Argus Leader executive editor and president/publisher and is a dedicated proponent of justice, truth, education, and diversity. Beck is a voice of wisdom and a man with the determination to make a difference. He demonstrated that access to information can help South Dakota shape its own future and overcome its obstacles so long as the framework for that access is truth.
Dennis Daugaard– Garretson, SD | Political
“A Servant Leader of South Dakota”
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Throughout his career, Dennis Daugaard has been a “servant leader.” He left a successful career in banking to become development director, and then executive director, of the Children’s Home Society of South Dakota. His fundraising skills and fiscal management made the Children’s Home financially strong enough to expand and serve more people. Daugaard carried that attitude of servant leadership into the State Legislature, where he was known as a conscientious legislator; reading every bill and withholding judgment until he could hear all sides. Daugaard served as Lieutenant Governor before running for Governor in 2010. When he retired in 2019, he served in the State Capitol for twenty-two years and left office as a widely admired public figure.
Paul Gnirk– Rapid City, SD | Business
“Solving South Dakota’s Most Challenging Problems”
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Dr. Paul Gnirk was a founding member of RESPEC, Inc. and its president from 1969 to 1991. RESPEC is a global leader in geoscience, engineering, data, and integrated technology solutions for major industry sectors. Starting with two employees, the company now is working on some of South Dakota’s most challenging problems, including creating a model for managing flooding along the Big Sioux River from Watertown to Sioux Falls and Sioux City. For the past 13 years, Dr. Gnirk has served as a South Dakota Board of Water and Natural Resources member, where he has used his geological expertise to creatively extend drinking water to communities and ranches. He has provided employment for many Ph.D. engineers and scientists and has advocated scholarship opportunities for students. A former SDSM&T Alumni President, Dr. Gnirk was awarded the university’s March Medal which exemplifies a caring spirit for students.
Charles Hart– Rapid City, SD | Medical
“Caring for the Health of the Community”
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Charles Hart, MD, MS, practiced Family Practice and Emergency Medicine and later in his career became CEO of Regional Health. Dr. Hart was instrumental in developing healthcare systems that address the multiple needs of communities. Throughout his career, Dr. Hart was very active in and provided leadership to community, state, and national organizations in the healthcare and business sectors. His major focus was on population health and improving communities. His impact can best be measured by the breadth of these efforts which focused on the needs of specific disadvantaged populations that in many cases are overlooked. Dr. Hart played a major role in providing leadership for the growth and development of Regional Health, now Monument Health, the major healthcare provider within a 300-mile radius.
Shantel Krebs– Canton, SD | Political
“A Lifelong Dedication of Service to Others”
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Many great leaders are remembered for their success in one area; Shantel Krebs has excelled in many different roles with a positive impact. Ascending from Miss South Dakota to the CEO of Miss America is a rags to riches story worth telling, but for Shantel, those are just the current bookends to a lifelong dedication to serving others. Shantel is a proven problem-solver who has used her leadership, innovation, and grit to benefit South Dakota. In the legislature, Shantel not only introduced and passed over 500 pieces of landmark legislation, but she also blazed trails by being the first woman to chair the House Transportation Committee and one of the first women to chair the powerful Ag Committee.
Grace Martin Highley (1895–1985)– Hot Springs, SD | Professional
“A Trailblazer in Child Welfare”
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Grace Martin Highley was born in 1895 on her family’s homestead near Hot Springs. She had no graduate training in welfare services, but instead, gained her training through first-hand experience. In 1939, she became director of South Dakota Child Welfare. For 21 years, she built a program, nationally recognized, based on the needs of children and on goals and professional training which did not exist in 1939. She became a skilled practitioner who knew social work theory well. In 1978, Augustana College awarded Grace an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters for her leadership and service in helping those in need. She continued into her eighties to mentor and serve as an unofficial advisor to agencies and individuals, all while “keeping an eye on the child.”
Ronald Reed– Rapid City, SD | Education
“A Tireless Advocate for South Dakotans with Special Needs”
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The impact of Ronald Reed’s work can be felt all across the state, from Vermillion to Pierre to the Black Hills. For over five decades, Dr. Reed has worked tirelessly and behind the scenes to enrich the lives, not only of individuals with special needs, but of all South Dakotans. Governor Richard Kneip described Dr. Ron Reed as “a visionary in terms of identifying and dealing with the challenges and problems in education.” He served at a pivotal moment in the national fight for disability rights as he advocated for and led the state’s implementation of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the first disability civil rights law to be enacted in the United States.
Mark Shlanta (1965–2022)– Sioux Falls, SD | Business
“Changing the Landscape of Communication in South Dakota”
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Mark Shlanta’s 23 years at SDN Communications changed the technology and communications landscape of South Dakota. During his tenure, the Sioux Falls-based broadband network expanded its fiber optic footprint in South Dakota that also extends into surrounding states of the Northern Plains. Mark’s work in expanding SDN’s broadband network and services created the infrastructure for South Dakota to lead on multiple technology fronts, including telehealth, mobile/cellular data coverage, and connecting classrooms–leading South Dakota to become the first state in the nation to ensure every school had internet connectivity. Mark continually pushed innovation and dreamt of a day when every single South Dakotan would have access to broadband for communications and quality of life services.
Beverly Stabber Warne– Rapid City, SD | Medical
“A Humble and Hardworking Mentor”
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Throughout a giving career spanning more than twenty dependable positions, Beverly Stabber Warne consistently held increasing roles of responsibility in several South Dakota establishments. Beverly is recognized locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally as a leader in the advancement of the ever-expanding nursing profession. She continues to be an advocate and mentor and is employed at South Dakota State University (SDSU) College of Nursing as an instructor/mentor/coordinator of the Native American Nursing Education Center in Rapid City. The center’s goal is to increase and diversify the nursing workforce in South Dakota. She has worked to prepare advanced practice nurses at the professional doctorate level, focused on preventative care in rural, underserved, and Indigenous populations.
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