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 2025 Recipients
Award recipients will be recognized at the Unleash Your Legacy reception and Alumni Achievement Awards ceremony on Friday, October 3, 2025, during the 111th Dakota Days.
Travis Rhoades ’07 – Young Alumni
Travis Rhoades, who grew up in South Dakota, 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 near Hill City with his wife, Kathryn Johnson. A dedicated advocate for higher education in the state, Estes earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of South Dakota in 1971 and a law degree from USD in 1975. He later received an LL.M. in taxation from New York University. Estes began his legal career as an assistant attorney general under William Janklow from 1975 to 1977. In 1978, he moved to Rapid City, where he has remained active in law and real estate development.
As a USD student, he joined Lambda Chi Alpha and has continued his involvement with the fraternity. He is also a longtime supporter of the W.O. Farber Center for Civic Leadership. Estes and his wife continue to champion opportunities for students and the advancement of education statewide.
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.
The Riter Family – Legacy Family of the Year
The Riter family’s connection to the University of South Dakota began in the late 1920s, when Charles and Lillian Riter moved their family from northwest Iowa to Sioux Falls to provide their five children with greater access to higher education.
Their daughters Alice and Dorothea graduated from USD before the Great Depression forced the family to relocate to a farm north of Vermillion. There, Charles raised dairy cows so sons Robert and Carl could attend college.
R.C. Riter entered USD’s law school in 1932 and earned his degree in 1935. He began practicing law in Sioux Falls and later served as an assistant attorney general. In 1939, he moved to Pierre, where he practiced law for more than 50 years. He married fellow USD alumna Jane Goodwin.
While in law school, R.C. was involved in varsity basketball, Strollers and the Coyote yearbook—all while helping on the family farm.
A lifelong supporter of USD and its law school, he helped found the State Bar’s USD Law School Committee. He and Jane were proud that all three of their children became Coyotes.
Their son Charles earned business and law degrees from USD and practiced law in Rapid City for over 50 years, also serving on the USD Foundation Board. Daughter Paula earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from USD and worked in public education in California. Their youngest son, Robert, also earned business and law degrees from USD and practiced law in Pierre for more than 50 years, including two decades alongside his father. He married USD alumna Carolyn Farke.
Their grandchildren continued the legacy: Lindsey (J.D., 2002), Matthew (J.D., 2005), and Shannon (B.A., 1999).
Today, the Riter family’s dedication to USD spans nearly a century and continues across generations.
