On the Move January 2025

CHRO Allison Sanderson has accepted the role as COO, effective upon Deanna’s departure in January. Allison has been working very closely with Deanna and has a keen understanding of our operational needs, talent pool and overall culture. Allison has previous program and operational experience from seven years at EmBe, leading the childcare program for nearly 300 children.

Prior to CHS, Allison served seven years at Southeastern Behavioral Health where she led quality and compliance as well as Human Resources, reporting to the CEO. Allison holds a BA in Education with a minor in Special Education and served as a Special Education teacher at Children’s Hospital and School upon graduation.

During her tenure with CHS, she has shown how to develop strong relationships through partnering with our leaders and employees. She has also excelled in action planning for our employee engagement work, our national compensation study and the growth of her human resources team. Allison will work closely with Deanna for the month to ensure a smooth transition.

Kara Flynn has accepted the role of Vice President of Development. Her new role took effect on January 6. She will report to Chief Philanthropy Officer, Jon Mammenga. Kara has excelled in her role as Director of Development in Rapid City and will play an increasingly important role in our campaign. The Directors of Development in the west and east will report to her.

Prior to CHS, Kara served as executive director for the Rapid City Public School Foundation as well as serving on the Rapid City School Board for area three. Community leadership roles include serving as the west river co-chair for the South Dakota Public Broadcasting Sound Vision Campaign, which raised $14 million.

She currently serves on the Friends of South Dakota Public Broadcasting board and as Vice President of the Black Hills Community Theatre board. She is an active member of Rushmore Rotary and the Association of American University Women. Flynn will also be installed as an Honorary Commander at Ellsworth Air Force Base this year. In the past, she served on the Rapid City Cultural Education Task Force, the WDT Dental Assisting Advisory, the RCAS Strategic Plan Core Planning Team and as education co-chair for the City of Rapid City’s Cultural Plan.

Kara holds a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an M.S. from South Dakota State University.

Deanna Larson joined us as our interim COO, expecting to serve for just six months. She resigned from our board to do so and came out of retirement. As you know, that six months extended through the past 20 months as she brought unprecedented and excellent change through process improvements, new services, an integrated care model, COA accreditation for all programs and a renewed focus on quality. Deanna has decided to truly retire this time, effective January 31, 2025. With grandchildren on the way, a newly constructed home and a husband who has been patiently waiting to travel, Deanna has much to look forward to. We thank her for her exemplary service and leadership. Please watch for her upcoming retirement party announcement.