Alumni Achievement Awards
Recognizing Outstanding Alumni
A cornerstone Dakota Days event, the Unleash Your Legacy Alumni Achievement Awards celebrates outstanding alumni for their personal and professional achievements, service within their communities and loyalty to USD. Honorees are recognized in five categories: Young Alumni Award, USD Legacy Award, Public Service Award, Professional Achievement Award and Family of the Year.
Young Alumni Award
This award recognizes an outstanding alum under the age of 40 who has demonstrated exceptional leadership in their professional field or public service. Honoring those who embody the values of excellence, innovation and service, the award celebrates alumni making a meaningful impact in their communities and industries, inspiring others through their achievements and commitment to leadership.
USD Legacy Award
This award recognizes individuals who have strengthened USD's reputation and influence, embodying the university's tradition of excellence and commitment to shaping a better future. Honorees may be distinguished by sustained contributions of time and talent, organizational leadership, public service, philanthropy or a combination of these.
Public Service Award
This award recognizes those who have dedicated their time to bettering their communities and the lives of others through careers or volunteerism in government, nonprofit organizations, education, health care, advocacy or community initiatives. The award honors individuals who have made a lasting impact on society and exemplify a lifelong commitment to serving the public good and addressing critical social needs.
Professional Achievement Award
This award recognizes an alum who has demonstrated outstanding professional success, leadership and innovation in their field. It honors individuals who have made significant contributions to their profession and celebrates career excellence, entrepreneurial ventures and efforts that drive meaningful change. Recipients exemplify dedication, expertise and a lasting impact in their work.
Family of the Year Award
This honor recognizes a family whose strong and lasting connection to USD spans generations. Through continued involvement, shared experiences and enthusiastic display of Coyote pride, they embody the spirit of community and tradition that defines the university.
Let's Meet the 2026 Recipients
Award recipients will be recognized at the Unleash Your Legacy reception and Alumni Achievement Awards ceremony on Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, as part of the 112th Dakota Days celebration.
Rachelle Norberg '15 | Young Alumni
Rachelle Norberg, a fifth-generation Burke, 17Թ, farm kid, earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from the 17Թ in 2015 and a law degree from the USD Knudson School of Law in 2018. She returned home through 17Թ’s Rural Attorney Recruitment Program and now serves Burke and surrounding communities as a general practitioner and title abstracter.
In 2025, Norberg was appointed co-chair of the State Bar of 17Թ’s Project Rural Practice Committee, where she supports efforts to expand access to legal services across rural 17Թ.
She also serves on the board of Community Memorial Hospital and the Burke Business Promotion Corporation, focusing on housing and rural health care development. Norberg and her husband, Noah, support area youth programs and USD Athletics.
Casey Peterson '75 | Public Service
Casey Peterson, CPA, has dedicated nearly five decades to public service across 17Թ, with contributions spanning economic development, healthcare, education, science, philanthropy, youth programs and community development.
A graduate of the 17Թ School of Business, he passed the CPA examination in a single sitting prior to graduation in 1975 and founded his accounting firm in 1977. The firm has since served businesses, agricultural operations, nonprofits, government entities and families throughout the five-state region.
Peterson has provided more than 20 years of leadership as chair of the 17Թ Science and Technology Authority, helping guide the transformation of the former Homestake Gold Mine into the Sanford Underground Research Facility, a global center for scientific discovery and STEM education.
His service also includes leadership roles with numerous healthcare, economic development and civic organizations. He and his wife, Kathryn, have established scholarships supporting students at USD, Chadron State College and the Kadoka Area Community Foundation. He is a recipient of the AICPA Public Service Award.
Mike Kujak '88 | Professional Achievement
Mike Kujak, originally from Yankton, 17Թ, earned dual degrees in chemistry and physics from the 17Թ in 1988. During his time at USD, he was active in campus life as a resident assistant, intramural athlete, USD Strollers member and Dakota Days royalty candidate. He later earned an MBA from the University of St. Thomas in 2008.
Kujak has built a 36-year career in healthcare, with more than two decades in the medical device industry focused on commercialization, business development and growth strategy.
He currently serves as president and chief executive officer of Francis Medical, a medical technology company developing minimally invasive treatments for prostate, bladder and kidney cancers.
Under his leadership, Francis Medical has advanced its Vanquish® water vapor ablation technology and achieved key clinical and regulatory milestones. Kujak and his wife, Adria, reside in Chaska, Minnesota, and have two children, Conner and Elizabeth.
Pierce McDowell III '83 | USD Legacy
Pierce H. McDowell III earned a Bachelor of Science from Arizona State University and a Juris Doctor from the 17Թ. Throughout his career, he has served on numerous nonprofit boards and State Bar committees, including as a founding member of 17Թ’s Governor’s Trust Task Force.
McDowell built a distinguished career in trust and estate planning, helping establish 17Թ as one of the nation’s premier trust jurisdictions. He previously served as co-founder and president/chief trust officer of Citicorp Trust 17Թ and also practiced law at Woods, Fuller, Shultz and Smith in Sioux Falls. He held additional trust administration and business development roles at Norwest and First Bank.
McDowell later co-founded 17Թ Trust Company, where he served as co-chairman and co-chief executive officer until his retirement. Following the company’s 2023 merger with Jersey Trust Company, the organization became JTC 17Թ Trust Company, part of a national independent trust company with more than $220 billion in assets under administration. He is widely recognized as a national authority on trust law and is frequently quoted by Forbes and other publications. McDowell resides in Sioux Falls.
The Nelson Family | Legacy Family of the Year
The Nelson family’s connection to the 17Թ spans four generations. That legacy began in the early 1950s when Wes Nelson earned his accounting degree from USD, where he also met his wife, Gail. After serving in the Korean War, he joined his father, Jim Nelson, at Nelson & Nelson in 1957. The firm was originally founded in 1923.
Chuck Nelson continued the family tradition, earning his bachelor’s degree in accounting from USD in 1983 before joining Nelson & Nelson. During his time at USD, he was active in campus life as a member of Lambda Chi Alpha, while his wife, Kristi, was a member of Alpha Xi Delta. He remains active with the fraternity as a board member. Chuck’s brother also attended USD, earned his medical degree in the early 1990s and was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha.
The next generation carried the tradition forward. Jillian Nelson graduated from USD in 2013 with a degree in accounting and joined Nelson & Nelson full time that fall after serving as treasurer of the Alpha Phi house corporation. Sarah Nelson graduated from USD in 2016 with a degree in marketing and was also a member of Alpha Phi, continuing the family’s longstanding connection to the university.
