BOARD: Dr. Peg Diekhoff

Dr. Peg Diekhoff has spent 39 years in education, beginning her career in 1987 on the Rosebud Reservation. Her experience with the Todd County School District included serving as a teacher, coach, and school administrator. She was named the 2014 South Dakota Secondary Assistant Principal of the Year. While working on the Rosebud, Peg was a member of the Educational Equity Group and served on the Selective Service Local Board.

Peg’s years on the Rosebud shaped both her professional path and who she is as a person. She came to Rosebud with the values and perspectives of her own middle-class upbringing, and those years opened her heart and mind to a different way of seeing family, community, relationships, and responsibility to one another. Through the people who welcomed her and were willing to teach her, she developed a deep appreciation for Lakota values and especially for the importance of tiospaye. Peg will forever be grateful for what she learned, for the relationships that became so meaningful to her, and for the people who touched her life in ways she still carries with her today.

After leaving Todd County, Peg spent four meaningful years as Project Manager for South Dakota GEAR UP at Black Hills State University. The program gave her the opportunity to work with students, families, and schools across South Dakota on a much broader scale, helping young people see that college and other possibilities for their futures were within their reach. Each summer, students came to Black Hills State to live, learn, build relationships, and experience life on a college campus. For Peg, one of the greatest rewards was watching young people grow in confidence, discover new possibilities, and build meaningful relationships. By the end of each summer, saying goodbye was often hard—a reflection of just how much the experience had come to mean to everyone involved.

Peg’s professional experience has also included serving as an adjunct professor for Black Hills State University. Currently, Peg works for Black Hills Special Services Cooperative under the Compass Partners in Learning Division. As a member of the Compass team, Peg is passionate about family and student voice, DISC, leadership development, and building healthy organizational cultures. She partners with school and community leaders, educators, families, and students to strengthen relationships, deepen self-awareness, and create environments where people feel heard, valued, and connected. Her work is grounded in a “beings before doings” philosophy and a belief that trust, belonging, and genuine partnership are essential to meaningful and lasting change.

Outside of work, Peg treasures spending intentional time with her partner and their four-legged kids, Winston and Suez ZQ, as well as with the family and friends she loves. She values opportunities to connect, laugh, make memories, and simply enjoy being together. Peg also enjoys digital photography, sports, playing fantasy football and spending time connecting with nature.