JTVF - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Accountant
- CEO
- President
- President and CEO / Professional Bio
Alan, a trained accountant, started his professional journey in the accounting department and was promoted to HR manager at Behavior Management Systems, the region's largest behavioral health organization. He was Employee Relations Director for 10 years before eventually serving as the organization's CEO for 12 years. In 2014, Alan dipped his toes in politics after being appointed to serve in the South Dakota Senate by Gov. Dennis Daugaard. In 2019, Alan came on board as CEO of the John T. Vucurevich Foundation.
When Alan isn't making use of his dry humor in staff meetings, you can find him spending time with his wife Carol, his 5 children and 4 grandchildren, camping in the summer, hunting in the fall, spearfishing in the winter, and listening to the Bobby Bones show.
Job Titles:
- Public Information Officer Group, Rapid City Young Professionals Group
Job Titles:
- Communications Director
- Communications Director / Professional Bio
- Member of Our Team
Callie is the newest member of our team. Formerly a self-coined "data therapist", she spent 8 years as a data evaluation consultant at Benchmark Data Labs, helping local organizations make data-driven decisions. Before that she honed her communications skills as a kindergarten teacher in South Korea and as a page for the U.S. House of Representatives. Callie joined the JTVF team in 2022 in the new-to-the-foundation role of communications specialist.
Callie's superpower is planning global adventures on a bargain budget. If you get an out-of-the-office email from her, you can bet she is tucked away in an off-the-beaten-path eatery taking notes on how to recreate the food at home.
Job Titles:
- Speaker Series Coordinator
Carmen is one of our closest connections to John T. Vucurevich. She worked closely with John at United Corporation beginning in 1983, managing rental property and real estate transactions. Upon John's passing in 2005, she moved over to the John T Vucurevich Foundation full time as Program Officer until her retirement in 2016. During her time with the Foundation, she was also coordinator for the Speaker Series beginning in 2006. She continues this legacy annually, making sure this important event goes smoothly.
A life-long disability advocate and former elementary educator, Claudia Vucurevich has previously served on the Board of Directors for Lifescape, South Dakota Guardianship Program, South Dakota Guardianship Trust Fund, and Consumer Credit Counseling Service of the Black Hills. Claudia was daughter-in-law of our Founder John T. Vucurevich. She was married to his son, and former JTVF board member, Tom Vucurevich for 52 years before his passing earlier this year.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Retired Chief Executive Officer and Former Chairman of the Board of Directors for Black Hills Energy
David Emery is the retired Chief Executive Officer and former chairman of the Board of Directors for Black Hills Energy. During his 29 year career with the company, he led the company through a transformative period of sustained growth, growing from a diversified energy company with 61,000 electric customers to an electric and natural gas utility with 1.25 million customers in 800 communities in eight states.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board
- CEO of Rapid City Medical Center
Jennifer Trucano is the current CEO of Rapid City Medical Center, the largest, multispecialty physician-owned practice in the northern Great Plains. Rapid City Medical Center joins patients to form health partnerships, to collaborate across 12 specialties, and to reach best possible outcomes. Prior to this role, Jennifer spent 19 years as an Attorney and Partner at Gunderson, Palmer, Nelson & Ashmore, LLP.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Executive Officer
- Associate Executive Officer / Professional Bio
Jess brings a deep understanding of health services and research to JTVF. She spent 4 years as a Community Health Nurse with the SD Department of Health. From 2008 to 2016, Jess served as Project Manager RN for Sanford Research where she managed biomedical and behavioral research in fetal and infant mortality and fetal alcohol syndrome. Jess joined the JTVF team in 2016 as a Program Officer. She is now our Associate Executive Officer and makes sure we provide structure and support to local initiatives related to our mission.
Jess is an avid hunter. She has two adult(ish) children Maddy (married to Ryan) and Tyler, husband Brent, and a yellow lab named Ruby who all keep her on her toes. She is a Leadership South Dakota Alumni.
Job Titles:
- Grants Director / Professional Bio
Jessica is our social worker turned Grants Director. In 2007 she moved to Rapid City and began at Children's Home Society as a residential treatment counselor. She worked a few different positions for the organization supporting families and children. Jessica joined the JTVF team in 2018 as program associate and was promoted to grants director in 2022.
When Jessica isn't working with a grantee on their application, she is nerding out over the latest sports event, whether it is for one of her three kiddos Graham, Chase, or Claire or her Husband Tyler, a teacher and football coach for Stevens High School.
As former CEO of the Black Hills Area Community Foundation, Liz was an active participant in various nonprofit initiatives for over a decade, many in direct collaboration with the John T. Vucurevich Foundation. Her extensive knowledge of the local landscape, especially the development of affordable housing, addressing food security, and her broad understanding of the challenges faced by those in need will bolster the John T. Vucurevich Foundation's vision of making a community where working families and thriving children reach their full potential.
We mourn the passing of Thomas J. Vucurevich, a pillar of our foundation and a cherished member of our community. Tom, as he was affectionately known, dedicated his life to serving others and leaving a lasting impact on those around him.
Rich, an Air Force veteran, has 32 years of accounting experience under his belt. His attention to the financial details were honed by serving the nonprofit, construction, and restaurant industries. He even spent time as an auditor for the state of South Dakota. Rich joined the JTVF team in 2018 on a part-time basis.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Retired CEO of the John T. Vucurevich Foundation
Sandy Diegel is the retired CEO of the John T. Vucurevich Foundation from 2007 to 2019. As the foundation's first CEO, Sandy built on John T. Vucurevich's personal legacy of giving and worked with the board to set funding priorities consistent with his philosophy. Under her leadership, the foundation facilitated solutions to key challenges, initiated relevant collaborations, and brought awareness to important issues. Prior to her role at JTVF, Sandy had a 19-year career with Behavior Management Systems and was its CEO from 1994 to 2007.
Job Titles:
- Grants Manager
- Grants Manager / Professional Bio
Shelly brings with her decades of administrative excellence. Working her way up from Medical Records to Executive Assistant to the CEO at Behavior Management Systems, Shelly knows how to get things done and make everyone feel valued along the way. Shelly joined the JTVF team in 2008, one year after the foundation began, making her the longest serving staff member in the history of the Foundation.
If you ask her twin adult daughters Tessa and Tori and husband Tony, Shelly is the biggest Dolly Parton fan around. She hopes her grandson Luca follows in her fandom footsteps.
Whitney is Crow Creek Hunkpati Dakota from the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe and CEO of the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation. Whitney previously served as Associate Director and Instructor at The Indian University of North America®. Whitney was a 2019 Honoree of Western South Dakota Child Protection Council. Whitney was named one of 605 Magazine's South Dakota Young Leaders of 2017. Whitney served as Chairman of the South Dakota Humanities Council and Chairman of Visit Rapid City. For 11 years, Whitney was Director of the Ateyapi Program, a culturally based mentoring program working with over 1,000 students each year in the Rapid City Area School District.