Director
Rick Melmer
Dr. Rick Melmer is the Director of the Leadership South Dakota program. Melmer founded the Leadership South Dakota program in 2014 and has been instrumental in the programs’ move to a 501c3 Non-Profit organization. Leadership South Dakota accepts 40 leaders each year and helps prepare each of them to take a more active role and assume leadership positions at the community, state, and national levels.
Melmer served as the Dean of Education at the University of South Dakota from 2008 – 2013 and the Secretary of Education for the State of South Dakota from 2003 – 2008. Prior to that Melmer worked as a classroom teacher, building administrator and Superintendent of Schools in Wyoming, Iowa, and South Dakota. Currently, Melmer is the Director of RVM Consulting Services and serves as an ambassador for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) program.
Melmer, a South Dakota native, holds a B.A. in Elementary Education and Psychology from Dakota Wesleyan University, an M.A. in Elementary Administration from South Dakota State University, and an Ed.D. in Educational Administration from the University of Wyoming.
