Our Team
We are all volunteers who believe we can make a difference in our community through educating and empowering our friends and neighbors to take action.
Tamara Keefner
Executive Director
Dr. Tamara Keefner is an assistant professor at the University of South Dakota Department of Nursing. She began her career as a dental hygienist 33 years ago. She discovered the satisfaction of contributing to patient well-being and, after 20 years, found herself wanting to make a more powerful impact. She began a second career as Registered Nurse and earned a Ph.D. in nursing. Her nursing experience includes behavioral health, community health, undergraduate/graduate education, and research. Her research focus in mental health and specifically suicide led to the development of SPEAK Network. When not working, you can find her in her stained-glass studio or spending time outdoors with her husband and granddaughters.
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Dr. Mary Minton is a registered nurse who brings over 4 decades of professional experience, including clinical nursing, community health, undergraduate/graduate education, research, and administration. Her research focus on spiritual care and the transformative aspects of stress and coping align with SPEAK Network's emphasis on personal growth and wellness. She and her husband, Tim, have four sons. She is an avid reader and hiker and is particularly fond of her Corgi, Sami.
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Mary Miller graduated from SDSU College of Nursing. Later received a master’s in Guidance and Counseling at Northern State. She had enjoyed a 30-year career in nursing and spent the last 10 years of her career in Behavioral Health in Rapid City. The highlight of her career was working with nursing students during their clinical experiences. She is excited to be a part of SPEAK Network and be able to help the community understand mental illness and learn how to intervene in a suicidal crisis.
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Mary Kurniawan grew up in South Dakota, and after completing her undergraduate degree, she wandered the world for six years. After gaining life experience and figuring out what she didn't want to do with her life, she went back to grad school and completed her Master's in Social Work in 2008. Through jobs in mental health, hospice, and medical social work, she has loved (almost) every minute of her career as a social worker. In 2015, Mary moved back to South Dakota with her family. She currently works at the Monument Health Family Medicine Residency Clinic, spending part of her time providing therapy to patients at the clinic and part of her time educating resident physicians about topics relating to mental health.
Mary’s passion for suicide prevention began many years ago when she was teaching elementary school. One of her students was a suicide loss survivor, and she wished at the time that she had the knowledge and skills to support him. About a decade later, Mary’s life was forever changed when she lost a family member to suicide. Since moving to Rapid City, she has been involved in suicide prevention work at Monument Health. More recently, Mary joined the SPEAK Network Board and teaches a Positive Self Discovery class. Mary hopes that SPEAK Network's programs lead to fewer people who are alone in a time of crisis and fewer people experiencing the loss of a loved one to suicide.
Board of Directors
