ND author, podcast host to keynote SDSU Extension Energize conference

BROOKINGS, S.D. – South Dakota State University Extension Community Vitality is pleased to announce North Dakota businesswoman and rural advocate Rebecca Undem as the 2025 Energize conference keynote speaker. 
Undem is an author, speaker, podcaster, community and organizational consultant who loves to champion rural communities. As the founder and executive director of the nonprofit Growing Small Towns, Undem helps communities grow and thrive.  
In addition, Undem hosts The Growing Small Towns Show podcast, which explores everything from education to festivals to supporting mental health. Her memoir, “How Mommy Got Her Groove Back,” is about returning to her rural hometown.
Peggy Schlechter, SDSU Extension Community Vitality Program Director, said Undem attended the first Energize conference, which combined with her personal and professional experiences in rural communities, made Undem a perfect fit. 
“It will be fun to have Rebecca there because she is the first keynote speaker that has already attended an Energize conference,” Schlechter said. “She works in a rural community in North Dakota and she has her own business. She gets that big picture of great things that are happening in rural communities and some of the challenges.”
The seventh annual Energize! Exploring Innovative Rural Communities Conference is May 6-7, 2025, in Platte. Registration is $99 by April 1 or $125 from April 2-18. Group discounts are available. To register, visit https://extension.sdstate.edu/event/energize-conference. 
Hosted in a different South Dakota town of 5,000 or fewer people each year, Energize is a walking conference with breakout sessions held at various locations around town. Through those breakout sessions, attendees get to interact with business owners and other community members. One of the new breakout topics this year will focus on rural tourism, which Schlechter said is easily overlooked. 
“People forget, if they have a sporting event, a festival, hunting or even a family reunion – that’s tourism,” Schlechter said. “All communities in South Dakota have tourism.” 
Check https://extension.sdstate.edu/event/energize-conference for a full conference schedule once it becomes available. 
For more information, contact Kellie Kolb, SDSU Extension Community Vitality Field Specialist, at 605-626-2870 or Kellie.Kolb@sdstate.edu; or Peggy Schlechter, SDSU Extension Community Vitality Program Director, at 605-394-1722 or Peggy.Schlechter@sdstate.edu.  

–SDSU Extension