House, South Dakota , District #1
Contact Information
Herseth202-225-2801
202-225-5823 (fax)
http://www.house.gov/herseth
Home Town: Aberdeen, SD
Committees: Agriculture, Resources
Bio
Stephanie Herseth is South Dakota's at-large Member of Congress. She is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of moderate Democrats committed to fiscal discipline and strong national security, and is co-chair of the Rural Working Group, which is dedicated to raise the profile of issues important to rural America. She also serves on three committees vital to South Dakota's interests: Agriculture, Veterans' Affairs and Resources. She is Ranking Member on the Veterans' Affairs subcommittee on Economic Opportunity.
Stephanie grew up on her family's farm and
ranch near Houghton, in the northeast part of
the state. She graduated from Groton High
School and attended Georgetown University in
Washington, D.C. where she graduated summa cum
laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. in
Government. Stephanie received her law degree
from the Georgetown University Law Center, was
a senior editor of the law review, and served
on the faculty in 1997.
Stephanie is a
member of the South Dakota Bar. She has worked
on energy and telecommunications issues for the
South Dakota Public Utilities Commission in
Pierre and organized commission meetings with
tribal leaders regarding utility regulation on
the Rosebud and Pine Ridge Indian reservations.
She also worked with the Legal Counsel for the
Elderly, providing assistance to those unable
to afford legal services on issues relating to
housing, Medicare and Social Security. And
through The Fund for American Studies,
Stephanie traveled to the Czech Republic to
teach classes on the American system of
government to central and eastern European and
Asian college students.
Stephanie worked
with U.S. District Court Judge Charles B.
Kornmann in Pierre and Aberdeen. She also
served as a law clerk to the Honorable Diana
Gribbon Motz on the U.S. Court of Appeals for
the Fourth Circuit, and has been in the private
practice of law assisting clients in litigation
matters throughout the United States. Stephanie
currently lives in Brookings, is a member of
Brookings Rotary, and attends Brookings First
Lutheran Church.
In 2003, she served as
the executive director of the South Dakota
Farmers Union Foundation, working to expand the
base of financial support for cooperative
education youth programs as part of the
Foundation's mission to support programs and
advance efforts that further economic
prosperity and cultural vitality in rural South
Dakota. During that year, Stephanie also taught
courses on campaigns and politics at Augustana
College in Sioux Falls and South Dakota State
University in Brookings.
Former Governor
Ralph Herseth was Stephanie's grandfather and
Lorna B. Herseth, South Dakota's Secretary of
State, was her grandmother. Her father, Lars,
served in the state legislature for 20 years
and was the Democratic nominee for Governor in
1986.