We introduced 3 new members today!
Dana Darger, Kelly Simms and Laney Holtquist. They received their temporary badges, Rotary pins and a 4-way Test plaque.
Dana will be mentored by Jeff Meyer, Kelly will be mentored by Jennifer Rollins, and Laney by Francie Fortune. Let’s give them all a big welcome!
DANA DARGER
Dana grew up in Sioux Falls with 2 brothers, 3 sisters, 1 foster sister, 2 step brothers, and 1 step sister! He is a 1979 graduate of the SDSU School of Pharmacy. He spent 22 years in Pierre and then 23+ years running the Pharmacy Dept for Monument Health before semi-retiring. He’s been married to Julie for 49 years and they have 3 children, Paula, Katie, and Tony. He was a Rushmore Rotarian for 5 years and is returning. He will be an excellent Rotarian and we want to welcome him to Rushmore Rotary!
KELLY SIMMS
Kelly was born and raised in Hutchinson Kansas. He was a Junior Rotatarian through High-School before becoming a Rotary Exchange student to Morhange France in 2005. Following his year abroad, Kelly studied at Kansas State University and was commissioned in the United States Air Force in 2010. After a decade of seeing the world, he married his beautiful wife Hannah from South Carolina in 2019. They have a 3.5 year old daughter named Charlie and own a group therapy practice that provides medical grade mental health tailored to military spouses and their families. Kelly is the embodiment of what Rotary means.
LANEY HOLTQUIST
Laney Holtquist is from Wall, SD, where her grandmother and uncle still run their family's centennial farm. Laney is currently a Nurse Clinician at Monument Health Rapid City Hospital and has worked there since 2012. She graduated with her master's in nursing education in 2017 and was a nursing professor at the University of South Dakota in Rapid City until the school's closure. She then worked full-time for the VA from home for two years, completing telephone triage for Veterans after COVID, while her two young children were growing up. Laney is currently pursuing her doctorate in nursing with a specialization in educational leadership, with plans to complete her degree in early 2027. Laney is married to Joshua Holtquist, and together they have Ethan (5), who attends junior kindergarten at Meadowbrook, and Natalie (3), who attends preschool at St. Paul's Lutheran Church. Laney is also an active member of the South Dakota Nurses Association and an elected member of its Political Action Committee. Sounds like Rotary is the perfect place for her to be!