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The South Dakota Nurses Association recognized nurses from across the state at its 2025 Convention and Annual Business Meeting.

The convention and business meeting were held in Brookings on Oct. 5-6 with a theme of “Artificial Intelligence: Promise and Perils for Nursing,” drawing 170 attendees over the two days.

Among the nurses recognized for their exceptional service, dedication and contributions to the nursing profession who also have ties to South Dakota State University were:

Distinguished Service – Margaret Hegge (Renner), a 1971 SDSU graduate who received her Master of Education and served on the College of Nursing faculty. Hegge, a Distinguished Professor Emerita, was honored for her lifelong commitment to advancing the profession of nursing, advocacy for ethical practice and dedicated service to the broader nursing community.

During her tenure at SDSU, she secured over $5 million in grant funding to support and elevate nursing education and practice. Hegge’s commitment to nursing ethics is evident in her long-standing service on the American Nurses Association Ethics Advisory Board, and she chaired the steering committee that led the revision of the American Nurses Association Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements, a foundational document that shapes the ethical landscape of nursing practice across the United States.

Pioneer in Nursing Award – Julie Dangel (Scotland), earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from SDSU in 1999 and was later hired on as a College of Nursing instructor. She began her nursing career as a licensed practical nurse in 1978 and went on to obtain her master’s in nursing. She worked as a staff nurse, charge nurse, director of nursing in acute and long-term care settings and an instructor of nursing before retiring in 2019.

While working as a full-time director of nursing, she ran for state legislative office. The eye-opening experience led her to champion the South Dakota Nurses Association’s PAC fundraising chairperson position. Dangel, aka “The Purse Lady,” started passing a purse at every SDNA activity and baking carrot cakes to auction for hundreds of dollars, with the funds raised for SDNA to support legislation that impacts health care issues of South Dakota residents.

Nurse Educator Award – Lea Niederbaumer (Aberdeen), earned her Bachelor of Science in 2015 and her Doctor of Nursing Practice in 2021 from SDSU and is a clinical assistant professor for the College of Nursing. Nominators noted her ability to balance education, mentorship, service and scholarship, making her a vital asset to the nursing profession.

Niederbaumer teaches across all five semesters of the accelerated nursing program and creates a foundation for learning through course content, case studies, open lecture dialogue and simulation debriefing. She mentors new instructors by offering practical guidance and encouraging them to develop their own strengths and teaching style, and she has served in several leadership and service roles in various organizations.

She also leads a multiyear, grant-supported initiative to improve oral health education in elementary schools across the Aberdeen region. This project trains nursing students to assess oral health, apply fluoride, provide health education and connect families to local resources.

Rookie of the Year Award – Rebecca Weitbrecht (Webster), earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from SDSU in 2018. Her nursing career spans nearly two decades, beginning in long-term care and leading to director-level leadership. From 2020 to 2023, she served as the director of critical care and respiratory at Prairie Lakes Hospital, and she currently continues her clinical work at Sanford Hospital in Webster, where she’s been a dedicated nurse since 2016.

Despite her busy professional background, Weitbrecht makes the time to be involved with the South Dakota Nurses Association. She’s someone you can count on, and her quiet leadership and willingness to help behind the scenes have not gone unnoticed. She leads by example, not through formality or title, but through consistency and care.

Hall of Fame Award – Linda Erlenbusch (Aberdeen), earned her Master of Science in Nursing from SDSU in 1993. Her lifelong commitment to nursing, especially in maternal and neonatal care, has left a lasting impact on the health and social history of South Dakota. Through innovation, leadership and advocacy, she helped redefine care for mothers and infants in the state.

As one of the first clinical nurse specialists at Avera St. Luke’s Hospital, she played a vital role in advancing clinical expertise at the bedside. She was a pioneer in neonatal education, and her early work helped standardize life-saving practices and raise the standard of care for newborns across the region. One of her most impactful contributions came through her research on thousands of birth weights and gestational ages of infants born in Eastern South Dakota. She developed a regional birth graph that more accurately reflected growth standards for local populations.

The goal of the SDNA Annual Convention is to offer a forum for nurses to gain knowledge about clinical care, leadership and professional practice issues and to build professional relationships. The South Dakota Nurses Association is a statewide not-for-profit professional association representing registered nurses in South Dakota. It is a constituent member of the American Nurses Association.