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President - Cindy Schmit, ACP
Cindy graduated from Nettleton College,
received her Certified Paralegal designation from NALA in January of 2003, and her Advanced Specialty in Trial Practice in April of 2009.
She is employed by John P. Peterson at Peterson Law Office in Sioux Falls working primarily in the areas of plaintiff’s litigation, family law and criminal defense. Cindy has been a member of SDPA since 2000 and NALA since 2003. In addition to the Vice President positions, Cindy has served SDPA as NALA Liaison and Treasurer and has served on many committees. Cindy received SDPA’s Member of the Year award for 2007-2008, and is a member of NALA’s 2010 LEAP Class. Cindy’s husband, Michael, works for Knology in the communications industry. They have three children, Jamie, Jessica, and Kevin. Cindy enjoys walking with her dog, Lucky, riding bike, attending craft shows and decorating cakes.
cindyschmit@sio.midco.net
First Vice President - Tammy Ackerman, CP
CTammy Ackerman, CP, is a paralegal in
the law firm of Lynn, Jackson, Shultz, & Lebrun, P.C., with attorney Haven L. Stuck, Rapid City, SD. She joined the SDPA in June 2005 and NALA in 2006, receiving her Certified Paralegal
designation from NALA in 2006. Tammy has
served as SDPA Public Relations Committee chair and Education Committee chair, and was the Member of the Year 2007 for the South Dakota Paralegal Association. Tammy is a graduate of the 2008-2009 NALA LEAP Class, and serves on the Continued Education Committee (CEC) of NALA in 2009. She is currently the Director of two steering committees in the Aberdeen community: Link-Guiding people to available programs and agencies in their time of immediate need (developing a plan to implement a community action plan to end homelessness), and House of Hope Community Connection (HOH): Mission to develop long term supportive and transitional housing. Tammy enjoys working on community projects and promoting legal education. Tammy obtained an A.A. Degree from Phillips Junior College Paralegal Program in Spokane, WA. She returned to college in 2007 and graduated in May 2009 with a BS in Business (HR minor) from Presentation College in Aberdeen, SD. Tammy is married to Wayne Ackerman and currently lives in Rapid City. She has two adult children and five grandchildren who live in Iowa and California. tammy59ackerman@yahoo.com
Second Vice President - Dixie Riter, CP
Dixie received her paralegal/legal assistant diploma
from the Paralegal Institute and received her Certified Paralegal designation from NALA. She is a member of NALA and SDPA. Prior to joining Schoenbeck Law in October 1998, Dixie was the agency
principal and manager of a bank insurance agency. She assists in the area of civil litigation. Dixie has joined attorney, Lee Schoenbeck, in lecturing before the South Dakota Trial
Lawyer’s Association with respect to subrogation. She has also lectured on the topic of trial preparation on behalf of the Institute for Paralegal Education.
Dixie has served as Secretary of SDPA for the past two years. Originally from Summit, she has three grown children and lives in Watertown, South Dakota. Dixie is active in her church and is a member of the Praise and Rejoice Choir. In her spare time she enjoys running, and in April of 2010 ran the Boston Marathon.
dixie@schoenbecklaw.com
Secretary - Deana Olson, CP
Deana graduated from Minnesota State University
(formerly known as Mankato State University) in 1992. She was employed as a paralegal at the Meierhenry Law Firm from 1994 through 2000 when she commenced employment with Robert R. Nelson,
Avera Health and remains there today; working primarily on civil litigation. Deana became a member of SDPA in 1997 and received her Certified Paralegal designation from NALA in 2004.
Since becoming a member of SDPA, she has served as NALA Liaison and on various committees and was Outstanding Member of the Year for 2005.
Deana and her husband, Royce, have one daughter, Amanda, 11 years old. Together they enjoy spending time with family and friends, camping, motorcycling and doing yard work.
deana.olson@avera.org
Treasurer - Chris Lillo, ACP
Chris has an Associate Degree in Paralegal/Legal
Assistant Studies from Kilian Community College. She has been employed at Woods, Fuller, Shultz & Smith P.C. since 1995 and is assigned to the Business Organizations &
Transactions Practice Group and to the Estate Planning, Tax & Probate Practice Group. Her primary focus areas include probate, wills and trusts, estate tax, real estate, corporate law and secured
transactions.
Chris earned her CLA in 1994 and a Specialty in Probate and Estate Planning in 1995. She has been a member of SDPA since 1993 and is a Past President.
She has also served on several committees, including Membership, Ethics, Public Relations, and Newsletter and most recently served as Parliamentarian. Chris and her husband, Dave, have two boys: Brandon (7) and Connor (4). Chris enjoys reading and, as a family, the Lillos enjoy camping and traveling chris.lillo@woodsfuller.com
NALA Liason - Deb Mathews, CP
Deb graduated from Killian Community College with an
Associate Degree in Paralegal Studies and received her Certified Paralegal designation from NALA in May of 2002. She is employed at Meierhenry Sargent LLP and works with Todd Meierhenry. They
work in the municipal financing area of law. In addition to her paralegal duties at the law firm, Deb does the firm’s accounting. She has been a member of SDPA since 2000, a member of the National
Association of Bond Lawyers (NABL) since 2000 and is currently a member of NALA. Deb has served as Treasurer of SDPA and has also served on several committees since becoming a member. Deb also works
part-time as relief staff at the Children’s Inn. Deb has two grown children, Amber and Jason, one grandson, Dylan, and two “fur kids”, Daisy and Bruno. Deb enjoys reading, walking her dogs and
hiking. deb@meierhenrylaw.com
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