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Dave Newman is the chief medical officer for virtual care at Sanford Health, the nation’s largest rural health system that serves more than 2 million patients across seven states in the Upper Midwest through a network of 56 hospitals and more than 4,000 physicians and advanced practice providers. In this role, Newman provides strategic and clinical leadership for Sanford Health’s landmark $350 million virtual care initiative, advancing scalable models that strengthen access, quality and sustainability for rural and frontier communities in the Upper Midwest.

A practicing endocrinologist and trained clinical informaticist based in Fargo, North Dakota, Newman brings a rare combination of front-line clinical experience, digital innovation expertise and system-level operational leadership. He is recognized as a national leader in rural health transformation with a proven track record of designing and implementing technology-enabled care models that address the most persistent drivers of zip code–based disparities.

Newman is a sought-after expert and trusted voice in the evolving landscape of virtual care and artificial intelligence-enabled delivery. He is regularly invited to deliver keynote presentations, expert commentary and forward-looking insights at major national convenings, including ViVE, Reuters Digital Health Summit, Becker’s Healthcare AI Summit, the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society's AI in Healthcare Forum and the American Hospital Association's Leadership Summit, among others. His leadership has also been featured prominently across national media. In 2023, STAT News profiled him in a documentary highlighting his commitment to harnessing technology to overcome significant access challenges across the Dakotas. In 2024, Newsweek published a feature story showcasing how Sanford Health is redefining the future of rural care through its new Sanford Virtual Care Center.

Newman earned his B.S. from Drake University and his M.D. from the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences. He completed an internal medicine residency at Hennepin County Medical Center and an endocrinology fellowship at the University of Minnesota.

Outside his clinical and innovation leadership roles, Newman is committed to youth development as a volunteer soccer coach for both club-level teams and the Olympic Development Program. An amateur DJ in his free time, he lives in Fargo, North Dakota, with his wife, Tracie Newman, M.D., MPH, and their three children.

Devleena Shivakumar is executive director and head of computational chemistry at Revolution Medicines, where she leads computational efforts to advance targeted oncology therapeutics with a particular focus on pancreatic and lung cancers. With over 20 years of experience in computational chemistry, and drug discovery, Shivakumar brings deep expertise from her previous roles at leading pharmaceutical and technology companies including Merck, Gilead Sciences and Schrödinger.

Shivakumar earned her Ph.D. in computational chemistry from the University of California, Santa Barbara, followed by postdoctoral research at The Scripps Research Institute and the University of Chicago.

She is passionate about exploring and integrating AI/machine learning approaches into traditional drug discovery workflows. Her extensive industry experience spans the full spectrum of drug discovery from early-stage target identification through clinical candidate selection, making her a recognized leader in the field.

Patrick Woodard serves as the chief information officer for Monument Health, where he leads multiyear strategic initiatives focused on patient access, clinician efficiency and happiness, and long-term strategic positioning for the health system. Woodard is board certified in both internal medicine and health care administration, leadership and management. He brings a physician's lens to demonstrate a balance between creative innovation and realism.

Prior to coming to South Dakota, he served as the chief digital officer for Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare and the chief medical information officer for Renown Health in Reno, Nevada. His technology background began as a startup founder during residency, bringing quality to the forefront through technology.

He resides in Rapid City, South Dakota, with his wife and a greyhound and enjoys the beauty of the Black Hills year-round.

Govind Thirumalai is a healthcare data and analytics executive with more than 15 years of experience leading enterprise data strategy, advanced analytics and AI innovation across large health systems. He currently serves as the Vice President of Data and Analytics at Avera Health, where he oversees the organization’s enterprise data warehouse, data science, data governance, AI governance, and the development of clinical, operational and consumer-focused analytics solutions.

Prior to joining Avera, Govind served as the Vice President of Business Intelligence at Parkview Health and held senior leadership roles directing data engineering, data science and enterprise reporting functions. His career spans the full spectrum of healthcare analytics, including EMR integration, population health analytics, predictive analytics and the strategic deployment of AI and GenAI capabilities within clinical and operational workflows.

Govind is passionate about the ethical and responsible use of AI in healthcare, with a focus on improving clinical decision-making, enhancing patient experience and enabling health systems to deliver more proactive and personalized care. He brings deep experience in building cross-functional AI governance structures, guiding health systems through digital transformation, and advancing the use of large language models for real-world healthcare applications.

Govind holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from India, a Master’s degree in Computer Science from Western Michigan University, and an MBA from The Ohio State University.

Dr. Poigai Arunachalam is currently an Assistant Professor of Medicine and Radiology at Mayo Clinic. Dr. Poigai Arunachalam’s primary research and clinical interest focuses on physiologically consistent signal and image processing methods leveraging hybrid Artificial intelligence (AI) and digital engineering techniques. With over 20 years of experience in AI and data science with 15 years in Mayo Clinic, Dr. Poigai Arunachalam’s unique background in biology/physiology, radiation physics and engineering has led to several innovative discovery sciences leveraging artificial intelligence with potential clinical translation to improve human lives. Dr. Poigai Arunachalam established the Digital Engineering and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (DEAL) providing AI consults and technical leadership across all medicine faculties. Dr. Poigai Arunachalam also established the Microwave Engineering and Imaging Laboratory (MEIL) for characterizing dielectric biomarkers for AI-powered noninvasive diagnosis of various diseases. Dr. Poigai Arunachalam also holds graduate Faculty appointment with the Clinical and Translational Science Department at Mayo Clinic and with University of Minnesota’s Biomedical Informatics and Computational Biology Department and have mentored several post-docs, undergraduate/graduate students, DOM fellows and allied health professionals. Dr. Poigai Arunachalam is also the Founder and CEO of Patfoci Technologies Inc. and VitalGenius Inc. that focuses on providing innovative AI powered hardware and software as medical device solutions.

Erica DeBoer, RN, MA, CCRN, CNL, serves as chief nursing officer for Sanford Health, the largest rural health system in the country. In this role, DeBoer provides strategic clinical leadership across quality, safety, research, care management and the integration of enterprise-wide clinical initiatives, with a focus on advancing new care delivery models.

With more than 20 years of experience as a frontline registered nurse, DeBoer’s background spans critical care, clinical leadership, education and clinical informatics. She most recently served as Sanford Health’s senior executive director of nursing and clinical services and clinical informatics, where she championed technology-enabled care, data-informed decision-making and workforce innovation. DeBoer has also served as adjunct faculty for nursing programs at South Dakota State University and the University of Sioux Falls, reflecting her deep commitment to professional development and leadership growth within the nursing profession.

DeBoer oversees Sanford Health’s nursing practice – the largest division of the enterprise workforce – supporting patient and resident care across post-acute, ambulatory, and inpatient settings, including nearly 11,000 nurses across rural and urban communities. She views nurses as essential leaders in care transformation and as a unifying force across the health system, driving safe, high-quality care and exceptional patient experiences.

A strong advocate for aligning employee experience with patient experience, DeBoer sponsors initiatives that leverage technology and innovation to improve care quality, safety and access—particularly in rural settings. These efforts include the use of predictive analytics to inform care delivery and workforce planning, automation of non–value-added work to allow clinicians to practice at the top of their license and advancement of health outcomes. She believes nurses are uniquely positioned to lead these changes and play a critical role in shaping patient-centered care models for the future.

Active in several professional associations, DeBoer holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing from South Dakota State University and a master’s degree in nursing from Augustana University.

DeBoer resides in Lennox, South Dakota, with her husband, Shane, and their two children.

Chulwoo Pack is an assistant professor in the McComish Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at South Dakota State University where he leads the . He has a Ph.D. in computer science from the and a B.S. from South Dakota State University (dual-degree with the University of Ulsan) in 2015 and an M.S. from the university in 2017. His research focuses on scientific knowledge discovery from large-scale multimodal data, aiming to answer this question: how can artificial intelligence and human expertise work together to unlock knowledge hidden in large-scale multimodal data, driving greater accessibility and discoverability? To advance this vision, his work spans information retrieval, multimodal learning, visual reasoning, multimedia analysis, knowledge graphs and explainable AI.

Semhar Michael is an associate professor of statistics at the Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering at South Dakota State University. Her expertise lies in computational statistics with an emphasis on mixture modeling, clustering of time-series and unstructured data, and forensic and health-data analytics. Michael earned her B.S. in applied mathematics from the University of Asmara, her M.S. in mathematics from the University of North Dakota and her Ph.D. in applied statistics from the University of Alabama. Her research spans a broad range of applications from identifying geographic and racial disparities in breast-cancer mortality to developing statistical methods for forensic source-identification and time-series clustering. At SDSU, she teaches graduate-level courses in statistical inference, multivariate analysis and simulation and serves as associate editor for the "Journal of Classification." Michael's work exemplifies the bridge between rigorous methodology and real-world impact, delivering data-driven insights across health, agriculture and justice-system contexts.

Victor E. Taylor serves as the vice provost for graduate education and extended studies and professor of English-interdisciplinary studies at South Dakota State University. He earned his doctorate in humanities with a focus on postmodern studies from Syracuse University and has held faculty and visiting researcher positions at a variety of institutions, including Johns Hopkins University; University of California, Los Angeles; University of California, Irvine; and the University of Pennsylvania.

At SDSU, he oversees the Graduate School, Continuing and Distance Education, Instructional Design Services and the Center for Professional Enrichment and Teaching Excellence. His work also supports initiatives in artificial intelligence innovation and policy development, the scholarship of teaching and learning, and civic engagement through a Mellon Foundation grant for post-carceral students.

As a nationally-recognized humanities scholar, he has published four books and edited seven volumes on topics ranging from literary and religious studies to the philosophy of technology. His current project is a coedited volume on artificial intelligence leadership in higher education with Parlor Press. Beginning in 2026, he serves as the co-director of SDSU’s Center for AI Innovation and Emergent Technologies, which is a hub for the university’s artificial intelligence activities across campus.

Zachariah Dicus is an enterprise solutions architect at KBR supporting the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science Center. He leads generative artificial intelligence, software modernization, DevSecOps, cloud strategy and enterprise CI/CD, and aligning technology decisions with mission outcomes. Dicus has worked extensively on creating scalable agentic AI solutions for enterprise systems, leveraging generative AI and agent-based orchestration to streamline developer workflows and enhance operational agility. His architecture work has standardized development pipelines across programs, improved release reliability and accelerated adoption of modern DevSecOps practices. His current interests include secure SDLC, cost-aware cloud transformation, and applied AI for geospatial and image-processing workloads. Dicus lives in the Sioux Falls area with his wife, three girls and an 11-year-old pug. He enjoys family time, outdoor activities, home technology projects and gardening.

Morrell is the 23rd adjutant general of the South Dakota National Guard. He serves as commanding general for both the South Dakota Air and Army National Guard and guides the preparation of 4,200 Air and Army National Guard citizen-soldiers and airmen and 950 full-time federal and state employees to respond in times of state or national emergency. Morrell serves on the governor's cabinet as the principal adviser to the governor on all matters involving the use of the National Guard.

Morrell entered the Air Force in May 1999 as a Distinguished Graduate of South Dakota State University’s ROTC program. He served on active duty for 12 years before transitioning home to the South Dakota Air National Guard. Morrell is an F-16 command pilot with over 3,000 flying hours and is both a graduate of and former instructor at the United States Air Force Weapons School. He has deployed extensively all over the world for training and combat operations.

Chief Data Scientist, U.S. Strategic Command

Mr. Apprich is the Chief Data Scientist and Chief of the Enterprise Data Science Branch with the Command Data and AI Center (CDAIC) at United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM). In his role, he serves as the Senior Data Scientist and subject matter expert with analysis and oversight responsibilities in the areas of advanced analytical techniques which include Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML).

He has 12 years’ experience as a senior Operations Research Systems Analyst (ORSA), Leading research efforts into the application of advanced analytical approaches supporting the USSTRATCOM Assessment enterprise – having led the research and development of mathematical models to predict the levels of Military and Strategic Risk in the strategic environment.

Mr. Apprich leads the Enterprise Data Science Branch, which is responsible for coordinating the development efforts for a broad range of use-cases across the continuum of data science supporting USSTRATCOM critical mission areas. He chairs the command’s Artificial Intelligence Advisory Group, a multi-disciplinary team in applying cutting-edge analytical techniques, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to enhance strategic assessments and decision-making processes.

Mr. Apprich was born in San Antonio, Texas. He earned his Associate of Arts Degree in Criminal Justice from Marion Military Institute, A Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from the University of Minnesota, and a Master’s degree in strategic studies from the U.S Army War College.

Mr. Apprich was a career U.S. Army Infantry Officer with 28 years of service across all three components of the United States Army – Army Reserve, Active Duty, and Active Guard Reserve (AGR) - retiring from Active Duty in 2011. He commanded Infantry units from Platoon-level to Brigade. He commanded the largest and longest deployment of Nebraska National Guardsmen, Commanding Task Force 1-167 Cavalry, supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom 06-08. He is a Graduate of the U.S. Army Airborne, Ranger, Pathfinder and Jumpmaster Courses and a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College.

Mr. Apprich and his wife Ginger live in Papillion, Nebraska. Their daughter Alyssa is a Senior at Colorado State University; their son Matthew McStay is an educator in the Omaha Area. Mr. Apprich is an avid mountaineer, an instrument-rated private pilot, and a Master licensed skydiver.

Human Capital Planner

U.S. Strategic Command

Air Force Officer

• Served as an aircraft navigator, performing critical roles in nuclear command and control, as well as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions.

Defense Contractor

• Managed the global distribution of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft and ships, ensuring their optimal deployment to most effectively support military commanders and national-level priorities.
  • Served as a software development project manager, overseeing a team responsible for designing and creating advanced resource allocation and planning systems.

Civil Servant at U.S. Strategic Command

• Held the position of Team Lead, where he was instrumental in developing operations that employed U.S. Strategic Command assets, including bombers, ballistic missile submarines, missile defense forces and command and control capabilities. His work focused on sustaining and strengthening strategic deterrence during steady-state operations, pandemic responses and crisis situations.
  • Currently serves as a Human Capital Planner, responsible for strategic workforce planning, organizational alignment and advising on departmental needs to best enable integrated strategic deterrence.

Education

• B.S. Political Science, U.S. Air Force Academy
• Masters of Political Administration, University of Oklahoma

Lieutenant Zachary Sorenson was raised in Sioux Falls, SD and graduated from Roosevelt High School in Sioux Falls in 2008. He went to South Dakota State University from 2008 to 2012 where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics as well as a minor in Computer Science. Afterwards he went to Oklahoma State University from 2012 to 2014 where he earned his Master of Science in Mathematics. In 2015 he joined the Unite States Navy (USN) through the Nuclear Propulsion Officer Candidate program and commissioned before going through Officer Development School in 2016. Following ODS he reported to Naval Nuclear Power Training Command (NNPTC) to serve as a nuclear power school instructor from 2016-2020. He spent time in the enlisted mathematics division and Officer Chemistry, Materials and Radiological Fundamentals (O-CMR) division. In 2020 he was selected for lateral transfer to become an intelligence officer. After completing Naval Intelligence Officer Basic Course (NIOBC) he reported to Carrier Air Wing Seventeen (CVW 17) in 2021 to serve as the staff targeting officer for the air wing. During his time with CVW 17 he performed a deployment aboard USS Nimitz as part of Carrier Strike Group 11 (CSG 11) in the INDOPACOM AOR. Lieutenant Sorenson reported to USSTRATCOM in December 2024 and is currently the team chief for the strategic targets divisions automation team.