Alumni Achievement Awards

Travis Rhoades '07 | Young Alumni

Travis Rhoades, who grew up in Nebraska, earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a marketing emphasis from the University of South Dakota in 2007. In 2013, he and his wife, Kristen, also a 2007 USD graduate, opened their first Scooter’s Coffee drive-thru in Sioux Falls. The couple has since expanded their business to 16 locations across southeastern South Dakota, including stores in Sioux Falls, Tea, Brandon, Harrisburg, Madison and Vermillion.

The Rhoades family emphasizes community involvement, supporting organizations such as The Foster Network, Charlie’s Cupboard, USD Dakotathon, Sioux Falls CASA and several youth sports programs.

They live in Sioux Falls with their two sons, Caleb and Calvin, and are proud supporters of Coyote athletics.

Doyle Estes '71, '75 | USD Legacy

Doyle Estes, originally from Wall, South Dakota, lives with his wife, Kathryn Johnson, in rural Pennington County near Hill City. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of South Dakota in 1971 and a law degree in 1975. He went on to earn a Master of Laws in taxation from New York University in 1978.

From 1975 to 1977, Estes served as assistant attorney general under Attorney General William Janklow. In 1978, he moved to Rapid City, where he has been active in the practice of law and real estate development.

He has served on the South Dakota Banking Commission, the South Dakota Lottery Commission and the Children’s Home Foundation. He currently serves on the South Dakota Board of Directors for Educational Telecommunications. While a student at USD, Estes joined the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. He has remained involved with the organization and now serves as its legal counsel.

He has been an active supporter of the W.O. Farber Center for Civic Leadership since its inception. He and Kathryn are strong advocates for higher education in South Dakota.

Gov. Dennis Daugaard '75 | Public Service

Dennis Daugaard was raised on his family’s dairy farm in South Dakota. He earned a bachelor’s degree in government from the University of South Dakota and a law degree from Northwestern University in Chicago.

He began his career as a trust officer with what is now U.S. Bank in Sioux Falls, later spending nearly 20 years with the Children’s Home Society of South Dakota. Daugaard served six years in the State Senate and eight as lieutenant governor before being elected South Dakota governor in 2010. He was re-elected in 2014 by the largest margin in state history and retired in 2019 after two terms. He focused on job creation, economic development and fiscal responsibility. During his tenure, he eliminated a $127 million structural deficit without raising taxes and led the state to seven consecutive budget surpluses. South Dakota’s bond rating improved to AAA under his leadership.

He and his wife, Linda, live on their family farm near Dell Rapids.

Bruce Nolop '72 | Professional Achievement

Bruce Nolop was born in Minneapolis in 1950 and moved with his family to Mobridge, South Dakota, in 1960. He graduated from Mobridge High School in 1968 and enrolled at the University of South Dakota the following year. While at USD, Nolop was involved in student government, serving as student body president his senior year. He was active in Delta Tau Delta, The Volante, the faculty senate and Dakota Days. He graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa in 1972 with a degree in political science.

He earned law and MBA degrees from Stanford University in 1976, graduating in the top 5% of his MBA class. Over the next five decades, Nolop built a distinguished career as an investment banker, CFO, board member and audit committee chair. He is the author of a corporate finance handbook and a contributor to The Wall Street Journal online.

He and his wife, Susan, have been married for 43 years and live in New York City. They have two sons and three granddaughters.