Director, Leadership & Talent Development

Jackie Payne serves as Director of Leadership and Talent Development at Sagency, where she partners with organizations to strengthen leaders, elevate teams, and build thriving workplace cultures. Through customized leadership development, coaching, and team effectiveness solutions, Jackie helps organizations achieve transformational results by unlocking the full potential of their greatest asset: their people.

With more than 25 years of experience developing leaders across a wide range of industries, Jackie is known for her engaging presence, practical approach, and ability to connect with audiences at every level. She combines strategic insight with genuine empathy to help leaders build trust, communicate effectively, navigate change, and create high-performing teams. Jackie creates meaningful learning experiences that inspire lasting growth and measurable impact.

Prior to joining Sagency, Jackie served as an Enterprise Client Partner with FranklinCovey, partnering with organizations across the country to implement leadership and organizational effectiveness solutions. Her career also includes leadership, business development, and relationship management roles with Augustana University, MIDCO, Wells Fargo, and Concordia College.
Jackie enjoys spending time with her husband, Tory, and their four active boys. She is energized by opportunities to give back through community involvement, volunteering, and mentoring others. Jackie is driven by a desire to make a meaningful difference and create a positive impact wherever she serves.

Founder / CEO / Coach

John Meyer is a leadership coach, founder, and CEO who helps individuals and organizations navigate complexity and change in the age of artificial intelligence. His work focuses on the uniquely human skills — strategic thinking, empathy, and creative problem-solving — that become more critical, not less, as AI capabilities expand. John's closing keynote delivers a compelling case for investing in human leadership as the sustainable competitive edge in a technology-driven world.

Vice President, Midwest Plains

Jessie Schmidt serves as VP of the Better Business Bureau Midwest Plains region, bringing over 14 years of experience in business ethics, consumer protection, and fraud prevention. She works closely with organizations across the region to improve fraud awareness, develop prevention strategies, and strengthen business practices. Her session draws directly from BBB Scam Tracker data and field experience helping companies protect themselves from increasingly sophisticated scam tactics.

Chief Administrative Officer

Jason Miller serves as Chief Administrative Officer at RESPEC, bringing cross-functional leadership experience spanning IT, human resources, and organizational strategy. Jason has led multiple large-scale technology transformation initiatives and understands firsthand that the most complex challenges in change management are rarely technical — they are human. His session challenges attendees to rethink how they communicate, build trust, and align teams when driving change.

Cybersecurity Advisor

Jim Edman is the Cybersecurity Advisor for the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Cyber and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) in South Dakota. As Cybersecurity Advisor, Jim works with critical industry sectors across the state on cyber risk management and improved cybersecurity hygiene.

Prior to joining CISA in 2021, Jim worked with South Dakota state government in the Bureau of Information and Telecommunications (BIT) with experience in applications development and networking technologies for state government, K-12 and Higher Education. Jim served as Chief Information Security Officer for 13 years. Establishing operational, strategic, and collaborative platforms to successfully safeguard constituent and government data. He also served as the Broadband Manager for the ConnectSD project to bring high speed broadband to every South Dakotan. Other positions include Deputy Chief Information Officer and acting Chief Information Officer.

Director of Information Security & AI

Tyler Wainwright leads information security and artificial intelligence strategy at Black Hills Works, where he is responsible for protecting organizational data while responsibly integrating AI into operations. Tyler brings a practitioner's view on building secure, AI-ready environments within mission-driven organizations. 

Director of Business Technology Solutions

Eric Eisenbraun is the Director of Business Technology Solutions with a strong track record of aligning technology strategy with business objectives. He serves as moderator for the Cyber Trivia Challenge and will also present a breakout session during the afternoon program. 

Data Engineer

Josh Henderson holds a master's degree in Computer Science with a specialization in Artificial Intelligence from the University of South Dakota. In his time at Omnitech, Josh has partnered with organizations across a variety of industries to develop data analytics, data engineering, and AI solutions, helping teams better understand their data and use it to make informed decisions. His experience has led to opportunities to present at regional conferences on artificial intelligence and its role in business. Josh also serves on the Steering Committee for the Young Professionals Network and is active in the Sioux Falls business community. He is passionate about helping organizations turn information into insight and insight into action.

West River Business 
Development Manager

Greg Robinson is a business development leader with more than 25 years of experience building strategic partnerships, fostering economic growth, and strengthening communities across South Dakota. As West River Business Development Manager for SDN Communications, he collaborates with businesses, communities, and industry leaders to expand broadband infrastructure and support economic development initiatives.

Greg is passionate about connecting people, creating opportunities, and helping communities thrive through collaboration and innovation. An active community leader and ordained minister, he has served on nonprofit boards and is dedicated to advancing strong businesses, healthy communities, and thriving families.

Sales Engineer

Chris has worked for communications equipment manufacturers and integrators for the past twenty years: designing, programming and training on professional audio systems, cellular broadband networks and for the past nine years, fiber data networks at SDN Communications. He is an experienced technical solutions coordinator with a passion for integrating teams with effective communication, facilitating understanding in conversations between customers, sales representatives and engineers.

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IT Services Engineer

Jennifer Gill helps organizations strengthen security through identity-first strategies that protect users, data, and business operations. Her expertise centers on Microsoft security solutions, Zero Trust principles, and practical approaches to reducing risk while supporting productivity. Jennifer brings a business-focused perspective to cybersecurity, helping leaders understand how identity, access, and security controls work together to support organizational goals while protecting what matters most.

Chief Information Officer

Tony Pannone holds three Microsoft Engineer Certifications and two Cisco Associate Certifications, specializing in systems setup, cybersecurity, and enterprise network design. As Chief Information Officer at Highmark Federal Credit Union, Tony leads IT infrastructure, strategic planning, and leadership development. He is a certified instructor for Crucial Learning, including Crucial Conversations and Crucial Accountability.