BIOGRAPHY

Elli joined the staff in August 2011 after eight years working as the tribal liaison and staff assistant for United States Senator Tim Johnson. In this work, she maintained deep relationships with the nine tribal nations that share South Dakota's geography, as well as the communities surrounding them. Elli finds community development work challenging and rewarding. “I have a passion for working with communities to improve the quality of life for everyone.  Whether it is working with Native nations or North Dakota's and South Dakota’s cities and towns, there are leaders who rise to the occasion to identify tough problems and work to solve them.”

Elli grew up in Watertown, SD, and graduated from South Dakota State University in Brookings. After college, she lived abroad in Dresden, Germany as a Fulbright Fellow and studied at the Technische Universität-Dresden. She and her husband, Joe, have a son who keeps them on their toes!  Elli loves competitive swimming, though she cannot swim as fast as she could in college. She also enjoys walleye fishing and traveling.