Our Team

Mr. Brock Rops is the Deputy Director for South Dakota Area Health Education Center and Executive Director for South Dakota HOSA-Future Health Professionals. Mr. Rops has been involved as a leader in education for 23 years. He has a passion for inspiring and instilling confidence in students as they begin to get more engaged in their pursuits as future health professionals. Mr. Rops believes the South Dakota HOSA program will answer students' questions regarding careers in health care and the pathway involved to getting there.

Outside of his duties as the SD HOSA State Advisor, Mr. Rops enjoys spending time with his wife Nancy, who is an OBGYN nurse, and two kids Finely(10) and Sutton (8). He relaxes by enjoying a round of golf or a game of basketball.

My name is Meredith Guggenmos, and I am currently a senior at Brandon Valley High School. I will be serving as South Dakota's HOSA president this year. I have been involved in HOSA since my sophomore year of high school. I love all the opportunities HOSA has to offer! Through HOSA, It has been so fun to interact with others wanting to pursue a career in the health sciences. Currently, I work as a CNA at a local nursing home as well as an internship with Sanford Health. via Sanford Aspire. After high school, I plan to pursue a career in Nursing. I'm so excited to see what HOSA has to offer this year!

Hi! My name is Shadia Dakam and I am president-elect this year. I am a junior at Chamberlain High School. At CHS, I am involved in band, oral interp, volleyball, one act play, my school newspaper, swim team, National Honor Society, and science fair. In my free time, I enjoy crocheting, writing, reading, and biking. I have been involved in HOSA since my freshman year. Each year has been exciting to explore what HOSA and the medical field has to offer. I can't wait to help everyone see all these opportunities as well!

My name is Emma Yost and I am this year's state secretary/reporter. At Wagner Community School I am actively involved in basketball, volleyball, softball, track, HOSA, NHS, student council, activities council, and chorus. After HS, I will be attending DWU and player basketball for the Tigers. I am interested in Exercise Science or Pre-Medicine in hopes of pursuing a career in the medical field. When I am not playing sports, Iove to bake, hang out with friends and family, and go to the river.

Hey! My name is Sierra Stiff, and I am the 2022-2023 State HOSA social media coordinator (historian)! Currently, I stay active with volleyball, basketball, symphonic band, and National Honors Society. I also love to collaborate and create, and fortunately, I developed our school's newspaper organization. There is some place in the medical field for me, but I am not sure where yet, as I aspire to be a first-generation med-student. Looking forward to a great year with Brock and the team. This is truly a blessed opportunity!

Hello Everyone! My name is Juliann Seeley and I am the Treasurer for the 22-23 HOSA year. I am currently a senior at Beresford High School and I am involved in volleyball, softball, HOSA, NHS, band, and golf (which I love!). My hobbies include baking/cooking, watching Grey's Anatomy, and hanging out with friends. I can not wait for this year!

My name is Kaylee Morehead, and I am a senior at Iroquois High School. I am currently
serving as the 2022-2023 State Parlimartarian. At Iroquois High School I am involved in HOSA,
FFA, IPAT(Iroquois Peer Assistance Team), National Honor Society, Student Council, and
volleyball. In my free time, I enjoy crafting, searching through Pinterest, going on walks, and
hanging out with family and friends. After high school, I plan on attending SDSU to major in
Human Biology with hopes of a career in the medical field working with children! I am looking
forward to this year serving on the State Officer team and meeting members all across the
state!!

Like many HOSA students, Amy Bialas solidified her interest in healthcare after taking Health Careers I & II in high school. Dr. Bialas is the executive director of medical education for Sanford Health and also an assistant professor within the department of family medicine at the Sanford School of Medicine. A Sioux Falls native, Dr. Bialas has worked in healthcare since 2001. Dr. Bialas had the pleasure of attending the 2011 HOSA National Conference in California, and was convinced that HOSA would inspire South Dakota students to pursue careers in healthcare.

Susan Anderson has been a family physician for 13 years. She is Vice-Chairman and Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine. She is the Director of the Frontier And Rural Medicine Program, the medical school's rural track. She has been active in teaching since she was a medical student and resident. She lives in Canistota, SD and has an outreach clinic in the community and also serves as the medical director of the long-term care facility. She regularly participates in educational activities at the Canistota Public School.

Pam Hilber, PhD, is a 15 year Avera employee. She originally joined Avera as a Psychologist in the Behavioral Health segment of their services. She was then trained and prepared for leadership through Avera's informal and formal staff/leadership development programs. 6 ½ years ago she was named the Director of Workforce Planning for the Avera system. Essentially, this includes securing an adequate workforce to allow for Avera's mission into the future.

Coming soon.

Mr. Josh Hall is the Principal of the Career and Technical Education Academy in the Sioux Falls School District. Prior to his current position, Josh served as Assistant Superintendent (Sioux Falls School District), Middle School Principal (Sioux Falls School District), Middle School Assistant Principal (Sioux Falls School District), and Career and Technical Education Teacher (Rapid City, Brandon Valley, and Sioux Falls).

Josh earned his Bachelor's Degree (BSED) from Black Hills State University; Master's Degree in education (MSCI) from Black Hills State University; and Educational Specialist Degree (Ed. S.) in Secondary School Administration from the University of South Dakota. Josh also earned his School Superintendent certification through the University of South Dakota.

Outside of work, Mr. Hall enjoys spending time with his wife Heather, who is a Special Education teacher, and his three children Carter (13), Berklee (8), and Hadlee (2). Josh also enjoys golfing when he gets an opportunity to do so.

Kristin Larson is a Career Development Specialist with the South Dakota Department of Education, Career and Technical Education Program. In this role she supports the career and college readiness programming for over 30 schools in the southeast region of the state. She is also the statewide career cluster specialist for Health Sciences and Information Technology and the state specialist for K-12 Work-Based Learning (WBL) programs. Before joining the Department of Education, Kristin worked for nearly a decade in K-12 classrooms teaching both CTE and core content classes. Prior to this she worked in human resources, recruiting, and adult training and development in the private sector. She has Bachelor's Degrees in HRM and Secondary Education and a Master's Degree in Educational Leadership and Administration. Kristin is married with a daughter and lives in Harrisburg, South Dakota, where she also serves on the local Planning & Zoning and Parks & Recreation Boards.

Josie Petersen is the Manager of the South Dakota Healthcare Workforce Center which is a part of the South Dakota Department of Health, Office of Rural Health. She oversees numerous programs including workforce development projects, the Healthcare Workforce Report, recommendations from the Governor's Primary Care Task Force, South Dakota Healthcare Workforce Initiative newsletters, and Emergency Medical Services leadership trainings. Prior to this work, Josie was the Primary Care Program Coordinator and has expertise in areas such as healthcare recruitment programs, federal healthcare designations, and community assessments. Josie graduated from the University of South Dakota. She enjoys living in Pierre with her husband and two children.

Tom has been involved in business for over 30 years. Twenty-eight of those years have been spent in supervision and managerial positions. Tom is a proactive advocate on multiple boards. He is passionate towards giving time to the common cause. One, in which HOSA, obviously, belongs.

Corryn Gabbert, MPH, is the Associate Director of Community Programs for the Yankton Rural Area Health Education Center (YRAHEC). At YRAHEC, her responsibilities include engaging students in the K-12 health careers pipeline, engaging community organizations and members in workforce development, and organizing continuing education opportunities for health professionals. Along with her AHEC work, Corryn is the Marketing Specialist for the National AHEC Organization's CDC funded HPV Immunization Project and works with organizations across the nation to promote HPV vaccination and provider education.
Corryn is a graduate of the University of South Dakota twice over (B.S. Health Sciences, 2014 & Master of Public Health, 2017) and is one of USD's 30 under 30 Alumni. She enjoys living in South Dakota and working with a wide range of engaged health professionals.

Mikayla Titus is the Associate Director of Community Programs for Northeast South Dakota Area Health Education Center, NESD AHEC. Her role with NESD AHEC works to get youth interested in health occupations, secondary students interested in rural healthcare, and educational resources to rural communities. She has a passion for working towards sustainable health solutions for underserved areas which can be seen in her efforts with NESD AHEC for the rural and underserved communities in South Dakota.

Mikayla received her Bachelor of Science in Health Administration and Policy from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. She has a multidimensional understanding of health through her work and volunteer experiences. She enjoys giving back to her community by volunteering with various organizations in the Aberdeen community.