Freedom Works Here.
Thank you for joining us at the Sioux Falls Convention Center on April 10 to learn about and discuss key programs that were aimed at expanding broadband infrastructure and promoting digital opportunity for the citizens of South Dakota. South Dakota’s plans for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program was discussed and and the NTIA and South Dakota’s slide decks are linked.
Dr. José-Marie Griffiths is President of Dakota State University in Madison, South Dakota. President Griffiths has spent her career in research, teaching, public service, corporate leadership, workforce and economic development, and higher education administration, with special focus on work in STEM fields. She has served in presidential appointments to the National Science Board, the U.S. President’s Information Technology Advisory Committee, and the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science. She was a member of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, part of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for 2020. This work is continuing with the Special Commission on Special Projects (SCSP), and President Griffiths is an expert advisor for this group. She is also a member of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) Task Force on Artificial Intelligence and National Security. She also participated in the White House Cyber Workforce and Education Summit. President Griffiths has led projects for over 28 U.S. federal agencies such as the National Science Foundation, NASA, the Department of Energy, and various intelligence and military agencies, with over 20 major corporations such as AT&T Bell Laboratories, IBM and Apple, in over 35 countries, and has worked with seven major international organizations, including NATO and the United Nations. She has received over 20 significant awards in science, technology, teaching, and the advancement of women in these fields. Recent honors include being named one of the 50 Influential Women in AI by InspiredMinds!, receiving the Council for Advancement and Support of Education’s Chief Executive Leadership Award for District VI, and being named to the South Dakota Hall of Fame in 2023. Since coming to Dakota State University in 2015, President Griffiths has led DSU into transformational growth and advancement, a time of rising in almost every endeavor in which the university is involved. Dakota State has seen substantial increases and profound quality improvements in student enrollment; student quality; breadth and depth of academic programs, degree and non-degree-seeking, on-campus and online; scholarship support for students; applied research & development; contributions to state, regional, and national workforce and economic development; partnerships with corporate, non-profit, and government enterprises, locally, regionally, and nationally; new construction and renovation of campus facilities, especially customization of those facilities to support the development and deployment of innovative leading-edge technologies for hands-on teaching/learning, from infrastructure to hardware/software; and private and corporate philanthropy. President Griffiths has a B.Sc. (Honors) in Physics from University College, London; a Ph.D. in Information Science from University College, London; and completed a post-Doctoral fellowship in Computer Science and Statistics at University College, London. She was also awarded an Honorary degree (D.Sc.) from University College, London for her career and success in science & technology, higher education, and regional/national leadership.
Jared McEntaffer is the CEO of the Dakota Institute. McEntaffer is a South Dakota native with years of experience in analyzing and communicating about the South Dakota economy. McEntaffer earned his bachelor’s degree at South Dakota State University and his PhD at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He began his career teaching Economics at Big 10 Universities but returned to South Dakota in 2017 to lead Benchmark Data Labs, an innovative data consulting and outreach organization. Now McEntaffer brings his experience and expertise to the Dakota Institute for Business and Economic Analysis. His research fields include economic impact modeling, economic forecasting, regional labor market assessments, and treatment effect estimation.
