Alumni Featured at Fall Symposium

Ten alumni from Dakota State University will be the featured presenters at the fall 2010 Symposium sponsored by the Dakota State University Center of Excellence in Computer Information Systems.  The symposium, themed "A Brand New Day", will be held on Friday, September 24, 2010 at the Straatmeyer Auditorium in the Tunheim Classroom Building on the DSU campus. 

The program will commence at 9:00 am with comments and greetings from President Doug Knowlton, Vice President Cecelia Wittmayer, and Vice President Judy Payne.  

The agenda for the speakers is as follows:

9:00 AM  Welcome and opening comments

9:30 AM  Andrew Zimmer – (BS 2003) – Life as a Developer for Microsoft Dynamics CRM - The Rapid Development Platform 

10:00 AM  Mike Reiprich – (BS 2005) – Involvement is Key

10:30 AM  Chad Knutson (BS 2004, MS, 2006) – Leveraging the DSU Experience 

11:00 AM Brooke Fitts (BS 2006) – Ecesis: Becoming established in a new habitat 

11:30 AM Josh Tirrel (DSU 1998 – 2001) – My Amazing Journey from DSU into the Future 

1:30 PM Wayne Pauli (MS 2001) – The New CIS curriculum and the 4 + 1 program 

2:00 PM Sarah Linneman (BS 2004) – You want to change WHAT? Changing Tech in the Real World

2:30 PM Tara Falor (MS 2005) - IT Environment following the change in the economy and the Dodd Financial Reform Bill

3:00 PM Miles Rausch (BS 2006) - The Bluth Company and Software Development 

3:30 PM Shane Thomas (BS 2009) – Live Your Passion 

4:00 PM (Eric) Buzz Hillestad (BS 2002) – How to Become the Director of IT by Age 25

The theme of the symposium, "A Brand New Day", is borrowed from the first Dakota State College catalog after the mission change to a technology university.  Dr. Wayne Pauli is the Director of the Center of Excellence.  The symposium is open to the public, is free of charge, and promises to be a great day of presentations by these alumni.

Companies represented by the alumni presenters include:

Insight Credit Solutions of Sioux Falls, SD – Brooke Fitts

Inetium, LLC, Shakopee, MN – Andrew Zimmer

South Dakota Army National Guard, Rapid City, SD – Mike Reiprich

Secure Banking Solutions, LLC, Madison, SD – Chad Knutson

Northwestern Mutual, Sioux Falls, SD – Josh Tirrel

Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Minneapolis, MN – Sara Linneman

Citibank, Sioux Falls, SD – Tara Falor

Lawrence & Schiller, Sioux Falls, SD – Miles Rausch

Kalliki Software, LLC, Sioux Falls, SD – Shane Thomas

Avera Healthcare, Pierre, SD – Eric "Buzz" Hilestad