President's Blog

Hello SESHRM Members – Hello May!

What a whirlwind of activity this spring has brought! A huge thank you to everyone who attended the 2025 SoDak SHRM State Conference in Rapid City. From energizing breakout sessions to meaningful networking, the event was packed with insights and inspiration. We’re so proud to have had such strong SESHRM representation!

Special congratulations again to Carrie Moate and Jamie Scoggins for winning conference registrations and to our alternates, Hannah Wilson and Chris Garhart. Of course, we’re cheering on Alyssa Bainbridge, who will attend SHRM25 in San Diego this June. We can’t wait to hear about your experiences and the ideas you bring back to our chapter!

We’re also excited to share that SESHRM has been awarded the 2024 SHRM Silver Excel Award! This recognition highlights our chapter’s commitment to elevating the HR profession through exceptional programming, leadership, and member engagement. Thank you for being a part of that success!

Our May Monthly Meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 20, and will feature Jonathan Fredman, Retirement Plan Consultant at Marsh McLennan Agency. He’ll present “Is Your 401(k) Broken?”—a timely look at the biggest challenges facing retirement plans today and how to address them with smart, strategic solutions. You’ll walk away with tools to evaluate your current plan, boost employee engagement, and stay compliant.

Looking ahead, mark your calendars for the 2026 SoDak SHRM State Conference from April 29 – May 1, 2026, at the scenic Cedar Shore Resort in Oacoma/Chamberlain. We’re already looking forward to another impactful event!

If you’re looking for ways to get more involved with SESHRM, now is a great time to reach out! We have several committee opportunities available, and we’ll soon be preparing for the upcoming Board positions for 2026. Whether you’re ready to lead or just want to lend a hand, we’d love to hear from you—there’s a place for everyone to contribute.

Thank you for all you do to support our chapter and the HR profession.

Wishing you a fantastic May,

Lucinda Noronha

Hello SESHRM Members - Spring has Arrived—At Last!

What a welcome sight—green grass, blooming trees, and sunshine! Spring is officially here, and with it, a big THANK YOU to our incredible Spring Conference Planning Committee. Your hard work made the 2025 Spring Conference not only possible but truly impactful.

A special shoutout to Marla Dziedzic for her engaging session on Navigating Difficult Conversations. I know I’m not alone in saying I left with practical tools that I’ve already started putting into action. We hope each of you took away something valuable to support your professional growth.

We're also deeply grateful to our 2025 SESHRM Spring Conference Sponsors: Woods Fuller, Short Staffed, and Sioux Falls Specialty Hospital. Your continued support makes it possible to bring in such high-caliber speakers.

Congratulations to our giveaway winners!

•  Carrie Moate and Jamie Scoggins won a registration to the 2025 SoDak SHRM State Conference (with Hannah Wilson and Chris Garhart as alternates) in Rapid City at the end of the month.
• And Alyssa Bainbridge is our National Conference Scholarship winner—she’ll be attending the SHRM25 Annual Conference in San Diego in June.

We can’t wait to hear about your experiences!

Mark your calendars:

• Our April Monthly Meeting is coming up on April 15, where we’ll hear from Mark Cotter and Jeff Eckhoff, two of Sioux Falls’ top city leaders shaping our infrastructure and development.
• There’s still time to register for the SoDak SHMR State Conference, happening April 30 – May 2 in Rapid City. Topics will include Culture, Legislative Updates, Talent Acquisition, Employee Relations, AI, and more. It’s going to be a fantastic event—I hope to see many of you there!

Wishing you a joyful and energizing April,

Lucinda Noronha

Hello SESHRM Members!

There’s so much excitement in the air! Let’s kick off this month by giving a big congratulations to Marisa Draper from the Carroll Institute and Mandi Juhnke from Urology Specialists for winning the Spring 2025 SHRM Certification Scholarship.

Spring Conference – March 11th

Our Spring Conference is just around the corner on March 11th, and it promises to be a lively discussion! Marla Dziedzic will be presenting “Navigating Difficult Conversations,” a must-attend session for HR professionals looking to strengthen communication skills in complex workplace situations.

Register now: Spring Conference Registration

SoDak SHRM State Conference – April 30th - May 2nd 

Black Hills SHRM in Rapid City is hosting this year’s conference: “So Much HR, So Little Time.” Check out their website for more details: https://sodak.shrm.org/events

Get Involved with SESHRM

Do you want to get involved but aren’t sure if joining the Board is the right step? Consider joining one of our committees! We work on a variety of initiatives throughout the year, and we’re always looking for fresh perspectives to enhance our chapter. Reach out to learn more!

https://seshrm.org/boardmembers

SHRM Annual Conference & Expo Scholarship

Have you ever wanted to attend the SHRM Annual Conference & Expo? Here’s your chance!

SESHRM is offering a scholarship to one member to attend this premier HR event. Be sure to check our website and follow us on social media for all the details on how to apply. Applications are due March 21st!

Thank you for your continued dedication to our HR community. I look forward to seeing you at our upcoming events and celebrating our members' many successes!

Lucinda Noronha

Hello SESHRM Members!

Winter has finally arrived! If you believe in old wives’ tales, those foggy Fall mornings warned us that we were in for a late snowfall—looks like they were right!

January did what January does best and seemed to last forever. But amidst the winter gloom, our half-day conference was a bright spot! Wendy Alexander delivered an outstanding session on DISC, offering valuable insights on how to apply it both professionally and personally. A huge thank you to our past and current Program Co-Directors for organizing such a fantastic event!

Looking ahead, we’re excited for this month’s meeting, sponsored by the South Dakota Association of Career Counseling Centers: “Winning & Retaining Talent Simplified: Best Practices for Hiring People.” Additionally, our Student Chapter will hold its meeting on February 26th, featuring a discussion on “Landing the Right Talent – A Recruiter’s Playbook.” If you’d like to learn more or get involved with our Student Chapter, please reach out to Alyssa Bainbridge, our Student Chapter Director.

Save the Date!

• Spring Conference – March 11th: Marla Dziedzic will guide us through “Navigating Difficult Conversations.” Don’t miss this insightful session—register now to secure your spot!
• SoDak SHRM State Conference – April 30th - May 2nd: Hosted by Black Hills SHRM in Rapid City, this year’s theme is “So Much HR, So Little Time.” Check out their website for more details: South Dakota SHRM State Council.

I look forward to seeing you at our upcoming meetings and events. Stay warm and remember—Spring is just around the corner!

Lucinda Noronha

Hello SESHRM Members!

As we kick off the new year, I am honored to connect with you as your new Chapter President. This is an exciting moment for our chapter, and I am eager to work alongside each of you to build on our shared passion for advancing the HR profession. Together, we have the opportunity to make 2025 a year of growth, learning, and meaningful impact for our members and the community.

Celebrating Excellence

We closed 2024 by recognizing outstanding contributions to HR and our community. Please join me in congratulating our 2024 Awards for Excellence recipients:

• Distinguished HR Professional of the Year: Julia Disburg, SHRM-CP, PHR
• Emerging HR Professional of the Year: Andrew Erkonen
• Workplace Excellence Award – Community Impact: Minnehaha County
• Workplace Excellence Award – Culture: Howe, Inc.

Strategic Planning for 2025

On January 14th, the SESHRM board met for our Annual Strategic Meeting to outline initiatives for the year ahead. Key focuses include:

• Increasing Membership Engagement: Providing more opportunities for both in-person and virtual participation.
• Diversifying Development Opportunities: Expanding the variety and accessibility of professional growth programs.
• Building a Volunteer Base: Encouraging members to contribute their time and talents.
• Expanding Communication and Outreach: Enhancing how we connect with and support our growing membership.

Additionally, SHRM will be rolling out new initiatives at the national level and working to improve its website for members.

Upcoming Event: January Half-Day Session

On January 28th, we will host our first major event of the year:

• Enhancing Team Dynamics with DISC Training, presented by Wendy Alexander. This interactive workshop will empower HR professionals, managers, and team members to utilize the DISC personality assessment to strengthen team communication and collaboration.
• Cost: FREE for renewed members, $99 for non-members. Be sure to register soon to secure your spot!

Stay Connected

If you haven’t already, follow us on social media to stay updated on news and events. Look for SESHRM on:

• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• X (formerly Twitter)

Special Thanks and Warm Welcomes

A heartfelt thank you to our outgoing SESHRM Board Members: Julia Disburg, Hannah Johnson, Jessica Ashton, and Stephanie Keizer. Your dedication and hard work have made a lasting impact. Please join me in welcoming our newest board members: Heather Holzapfel, Jessica Williams, and Ashlie Gutierrez Terrasaz. We’re excited to have you on board!

Looking Ahead

I am grateful for the opportunity to lead our incredible SESHRM organization this year. With your support, I’m confident we’ll achieve great things together. Here’s to a fantastic 2025!

Warm regards,

Lucinda Noronha

As we wrap up another year, I want to extend my deepest gratitude to all our members, sponsors, and volunteers. Your dedication has made 2024 an incredible year for our chapter that was filled with growth, learning, and meaningful connections.

This will be my final message as your Chapter President, as I prepare to hand over the reins to Lucinda Noronha. It has been an honor to serve in this role, and I am proud of all we’ve accomplished together. I am confident that under Lucinda’s leadership, our chapter will continue to thrive and reach new heights. While we are still seeking a President-Elect to step into this important role, we are fortunate to have a strong collaborative plan in place. I will be working closely with Lucinda and the SESHRM board to ensure stability and continuity during this time of transition.

If you or someone you know is interested in shaping the future of our chapter, please reach out—we’d love to hear from you! The President-Elect position is a unique opportunity to lead, grow, and make a lasting impact on the HR community.

Come and celebrate the season with us at our Annual Social on December 17^th from 3:00 pm – 5:30 pm. This fun and festive event will feature the announcement of our Community, HR Emerging Professional of the Year, and Distinguished Professional for the Year awards. This is a time to connect with fellow HR professionals, enjoy delicious food, fun games, basket raffles, and drinks. We hope to see you there!

Don’t forget to continue the success, education, networking, motivation, and fun by renewing your SESHRM membership for 2025! The deadline to renew is December 31^st this year, and you have to be renewed (and paid) in order to attend the January ½ day session without charge! It’s easy to renew! Just log on to our website and follow the steps from the home page. Please reach out to a board member if you need assistance.

Make sure to join us on January 28^th, 2025, for our ½ day workshop as we welcome Wendy Alexander from POET.  Wendy will be presenting a workshop on how to enhance team dynamics with disc training by providing an understating on how DISC personality assessments can improve team dynamics and communication within organizations.

To all our members, volunteers, and sponsors—thank you for your continued support and engagement. Your dedication makes our chapter a thriving and vibrant community.

Wishing you a joyful holiday season and a prosperous new year!

Thank you,

Monique Vanden Heuvel

November is a time for reflection, gratitude, and preparation as we head toward the close of another year. It’s a season for appreciating the contributions and hard work that bring us closer to our goals, and for setting the stage for what’s to come. As we move through the season of Thanksgiving, let’s take a moment to recognize the impact we each make, support one another, and celebrate the progress we’ve achieved together. Here’s to a strong finish to 2024 and a bright outlook for the year ahead!

Please join us on November 19^th for a very important topic affecting our community.  This session will be providing valuable insights, support mechanisms, resources, and a supportive community for HR professionals dealing with mental health and suicide in the workplace.

Please be sure to vote in our upcoming Board Elections. We have one last chapter meeting in November and then our Holiday Social in December. At the Holiday Social we will be announcing the winners of the HR Professional Awards and the Workplace Excellence Awards.

Don’t forget to continue the success, education, networking, motivation and fun, by renewing your SESHRM membership for 2025! The deadline to renew is December 31^st this year, and you have to be renewed (and paid) in order to attend the January ½ day session without charge! It’s easy to renew! Just log on to our website and follow the steps from the home page!

Just a reminder that anyone who renews their membership by December 31 will have their name put in a drawing for a complimentary 2025 State Conference registration, which will be held in Rapid City, April 30 – May 2. 2024. This will be awarded during our January session.

Thank you,

Monique Vanden Heuvel

How many of you looked at the calendar and could not believe it was October? I know I was certainly in that boat. As the temperatures cool and the leaves change, October is a perfect time to reflect on the year’s progress and look ahead to the final months of 2024.

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Please make sure to join us on October 15th. Emily Shuman from RMADAC will be presenting on Minimizing Implicit Bias. Emily is RMADAC's public spokesperson and works directly with regional and national media to ensure the public understands their rights and responsibilities under the ADA.

Although it’s a busy time for most, please consider nominating a peer for the HR Professional of the Year awards and/or an organization that has taken an intentional approach to encourage diversity, community involvement or their culture for the Workplace Excellence awards. Watch for upcoming information. The nomination period closes on November 8th, 2024.

October kicks off our membership renewal season! Renew your membership by 12/31/2024 to be eligible to attend the January Half Day Workshop for FREE!

The SESHRM Chapter is committed to fostering community involvement and supporting HR Professionals in their pursuit of knowledge and excellence. As part of this commitment, we are pleased to announce that we will offer (2) memberships exclusively for non-profit organizations in 2025. These scholarships are designed to provide valuable resources and education to HR professionals within non-profit organizations, empowering them to support their organizations and employees better. To apply for one of the scholarships, complete the scholarship application on the SESHRM website. The application period closes on October 11, 2024.

If you are interested in one of the SESHRM Board vacancies for next year, please reach out to me or one of our SESHRM board members. This is a phenomenal opportunity for self-development and networking. We are still looking to fill the following positions: President-Elect, Communications Director, Conference Director, Marketing Director, Programs Co-Chair.

Planning for the 2025 SoDak SHRM State Conference, So Much HR, So Little Time, is in full swing. The team from Black Hills SHRM needs your help! We are looking for volunteers to help us with the Vendors & Sponsors Committee and assist us with reaching out to individuals who may be interested in being a Vendor or Sponsor for the upcoming event! If you have some free time available and would be willing to help, please reach out to Mary Drumm mdrumm@petelien.com or Tye Kuyper, tkuyper@monument.health.

Lastly, be sure to watch for more announcements coming soon for our December Social Event! The December Social will be held on December 17th from 3pm-6pm!

Thank you for all you do!

Monique Vanden Heuvel

As we step into September, we find ourselves at the crossroads of summer’s warmth and the crisp promise of fall. It's a month of transitions, where the energy of the new season invigorates our spirits and sets the stage for fresh beginnings.

It is also the time of year when SESHRM begins to prepare for our annual elections. This year, we have several positions that will be open: President Elect, Secretary, Membership Director, Marketing Director, Treasurer, Conference Chair, Communications Director, and Program Co-Chair. Each of these positions offers a unique opportunity to serve our chapter and gain valuable leadership experience. If you are interested in running for any of the open positions, please reach out to myself or one of our current SESHRM board members as we would like to open up our board elections October 2024.

Our September meeting will be presented by Faith Minnich Kjesbo, MAMFT, NDCCDP, manager of Formation and Culture Competence, Avera Mission Services. This will be an interactive session to explore proactive skills and behaviors that will help equip us with different avenues to help effectively navigate diverse views at work.

Watch for upcoming announcements regarding our HR Professional of the Year and Workplace Excellence Awards – then consider who you could nominate in the respective categories. Nominating takes a little thought, but not a lot of time and the value of that recognition pays dividends to that HR Professional or that employer. Employers do not need to be SESHRM members to be nominated.

Lastly, please be watching for an email regarding membership renewals for 2025. Renewals will open up around October 1^st. We are looking forward to a busy fall within the chapter. Don’t forget in December we will come together to celebrate with each other and look forward to another amazing year!

Thank you,

Monique Vanden Heuvel

August is here and it is hard to believe that summer is winding down, kids are getting ready to go back to school in the next couple of weeks and fall weather will be upon us before we know it.

Thank you to all who were able to join us in July for our annual legal update with Jean Bender and Brooke Schmidt. This meeting exceeded our expectations in attendance both virtually and in person. We would like to extend our appreciation to all our incredible speakers who have generously shared their knowledge and expertise with us.

SESHRM is excited to be partnering with the Business Resource Network to celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month with an event in October! More information will be available about this event soon.

Our August meeting will be presented by Rachel Gackle & Christy Westerman, Employee Benefits Consultants with Marsh & McLennan Agency. They will be exploring the progressive evolution of employer wellness programs and exploring innovative ideas for reimagining your own program.

Our organization thrives because of the dedication and passion of its members. As we look to the future, we need additional leaders to help steer our organization. We are calling on you to consider running for one of our open board positions. We are actively recruiting for the following board positions for 2025: President Elect, Secretary, Membership Director, Marketing Director, Treasurer, Conference Chair & Communications Director. Everyone’s involvement is crucial for our continued success and growth. Please reach out to one of our current board members if you are interested as we would like to roll out board elections in October 2024.

Thank you for all you do!

Monique Vanden Heuvel