PIERRE — On Wednesday, the Senate confirmed Gov. Larry Rhoden’s appointment of Miles Beacom and Griffin Petersen to the South Dakota Board of Regents.

“Miles and Griffin have both shown exceptional leadership in all walks of life,” Rhoden said. “They are dedicated problem solvers, and I am confident that their service will lead our universities towards a brighter future.”

Beacom is a graduate of Dakota State University, and he has served as chief executive officer of Premier Bankcard since 1993. Under his leadership, Premier Bankcard has gone from serving 30,000 cardholders to more than 2 million customers nationwide. In 2006, the University of South Dakota in Vermillion named its School of Business in honor of Beacom.

Beacom currently serves on the board of directors for Premier Bankcard LLC, First Premier Bank, United National Corp., and is serving as the 2025 president of the board of the Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce. He also serves on the South Dakota Freedom Scholarship Board, the Sioux Empire United Way, the Sanford Health International, the Dakota State University Foundation, the Catholic Diocese for Eastern South Dakota, and the USD Beacom School of Business Advisory Board.

“I would like to thank Governor Rhoden for this tremendous opportunity to serve on the Board of Regents. The success of our public universities over the past couple of decades is truly remarkable,” Beacom said. Beacom and his wife Lisa have three daughters, one son, and two grandchildren.

Petersen is a junior at the University of South Dakota studying political science and criminal justice, with a minor in history. He hails from Onida and he has served USD’s student body as a Student Government Association senator since his freshman year. Petersen stays active on campus through his involvement as president of the USD College Republicans and as president of his fraternity, Lambda Chi Alpha.

Petersen served as an intern for both of South Dakota’s U.S. senators in Washington, D.C., last summer. He also served as an intern for the South Dakota State House of Representatives during the 98th legislative session.