U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson to Deliver Keynote Address at South Dakota Mines 190th Commencement Ceremony

U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson will give the commencement address during the South Dakota Mines 190th commencement ceremony at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in the Fine Arts Theatre at The Monument in Rapid City. Those who wish to view the ceremony online can find information here.

The event includes a total of 119 graduates. This includes one associate, 67 baccalaureates, 41 master’s, and 10 doctoral degrees. The names of all graduates and more detailed biographies for our honored guests can be found in the commencement program.

This year’s senior class representative speaker is Claire Peasley, who came to South Dakota Mines from Wheatland, Wyo., where she was homeschooled.

Peasley has been involved in various clubs and activities while at Mines. She has served on the Campus Ventures Servant Leadership Team since August 2020 and as a campus resident advisor since August 2021. She participated in the university's 2023 Leadership Summit and was named to the homecoming court in September 2023. She has worked as a certified nursing aide at the Platte County Legacy Home and completed civil engineering internships in Rapid City with Mead & Hunt in the summer of 2023 and Advanced Design Engineering & Surveying in the summer of 2024.

After graduating from Mines with her bachelor's degree in civil engineering, Peasley will join Interstate Engineering in Spearfish, S.D., as a staff engineer.

Mines will also award an honorary doctorate of public service to Jeane Hull.

Jeane Hull

Jeane Hull received a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Mines in 1977 and obtained her master’s in business administration from Nova Southeastern University. She retired in 2015 from Peabody Energy, where she was the executive vice president and chief technical officer responsible for global engineering services and supply chain management activities as well as technical, projects, and operations support functions for Peabody’s United States and international platforms. Before joining Peabody, Hull was the chief operating officer for Kennecott Utah Copper, a subsidiary of mining and metals giant Rio Tinto.

Hull has been active with the university for many years. She was a long-time member of the University Advisory Board, served on the board for the Center of Alumni Relations and Advancement (CARA), has been a volunteer lecturer in the Department of Mining Engineering and Management for the past four years, and has been a mentor for the Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) program. She and her husband John, a 1977 mining engineering graduate, support a variety of scholarships and programs, including the Hull Mining Engineering Professorship and two scholarships that support basketball and golf student-athletes. They helped start the Next Gen challenge that raised significant donations for the Nucor Mineral Industries Building.

U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson

Dusty Johnson brings an energetic and optimistic style to Washington as South Dakota's lone voice in the U.S. House of Representatives. A recognized leader in issues related to rural America, agriculture, and welfare reform, he serves on the Agriculture Committee and as Chairman of the Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development Subcommittee. As a member of the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, Johnson has been focused on finding solutions to the supply chain crisis through his Ocean Shipping Reform Act which passed the House in 2021.

Prior to being elected to Congress, he served as chief of staff to the governor and as vice president of Vantage Point Solutions, a South Dakota-based engineering and consulting firm specializing in rural telecommunications. Johnson grew up in central South Dakota and holds degrees from the University of South Dakota and the University of Kansas. An active community volunteer, he has served as a Sunday School teacher, adjunct faculty member at Dakota Wesleyan University, and president and board member of Abbott House, an agency serving abused and neglected children. He lives in Mitchell with his wife and three sons.

Members of the media are welcome to attend the ceremony and interview graduates and university officials after the event.