Beacom School of Business hosts the 73rd Annual Beacom Award Banquet
The Beacom School of Business at the University of South Dakota honored faculty, staff, students and an accomplished alumnus at its annual awards banquet for teaching, research and service to the school. The event was held at the Country Club of Sioux Falls on Sept. 9, 2021.
Those who received awards at the ceremony included:
- Beacom School of Business Faculty Excellence Award – Teaching: Klaus S. Beckmann, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of finance. Beckmann serves as the chair in banking for the South Dakota Bankers Association. He is the faculty advisor for Coyote Capital Management and the student chapter of the Financial Management Association at USD. He serves the Beacom School as coordinator of the finance program, chair of the Finance Advisory Council, and chair of the Undergraduate Assurance of Learning committee. He also serves in the USD Senate.
- Beacom School of Business Faculty Excellence Award – Research: Jewel Goodman Shepherd, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of health services administration (HSAD) at USD. She primarily teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in health services administration and epidemiology; administration of health services organizations; and contemporary issues in health services organizations; and managing health services resources, both online and face-to-face. Shepherd serves as the Master of Business Administration (MBA) program director and the Internship Experience Coordinator for both MBA and HSAD students. She also serves as the Beacom School of Business chair of the Graduate MBA Assurance of Learning Committee. Shepherd’s research brings attention to the needs of the underserved and particularly those who depend on emergency departments (EDs) as a usual source of care which contributes to over utilization of EDs.
- Beacom School of Business Staff Excellence Award: Carly Heard is the director of Student Services and has been with the Beacom School of Business for eight years. Heard currently serves as the outgoing president of the South Dakota Higher Education Association, is the treasurer for Heartland Humane Society and serves on the advisory board for Kappa Alpha Theta.
- Beacom School of Business Outstanding Senior Award: Drue Pieper is an accounting student from Norfolk, Nebraska. While at USD, she has been an actively involved as the vice president of finance for Beta Alpha Psi, a peer advisor for the business school and a member of Dakotathon. She has held numerous positions in Alpha Xi Delta. Pieper has been recognized on the Dean’s List, received a Top Performance Award from the Accounting and Finance Department and is the recipient of the PCAOB 2020-2021 scholarship.
- Beacom School of Business Outstanding Graduate Student Award: Kelsey (Berger) Grady, ’20, ’21, is a Sioux Falls native and graduate of Beacom’s joint Bachelor of Business Administration and Master of Business Administration program. Grady majored and had an emphasis in Health Services Administration. On campus, Grady was active as a Dean’s Ambassador and graduate assistant for the Beacom School of Business, ambassador for the USD Foundation and Alumni Association, president of Healthcare Executives Advancing in Leadership, president of Campus Activities Board, finance chair and director of communications for the Student Government Association, and member of Delta Sigma Pi and Beta Gamma Sigma.
"The Beacom Awards Banquet is a wonderful opportunity to recognize the excellence of our students, faculty, staff and alumni,” said Venky Venkatachalam, Ph.D., dean at the Beacom School of Business. “I am proud of the continuous dedication displayed within our school."
