Donna Sharp has made history again. In 2017, Donna was elected as Northern Electric Cooperative’s first woman Board President. Now, she is the first woman inducted into the South Dakota Association of Cooperative’s Hall of Fame.

Four people were inducted this year: Donna, Northern Electric; Ken Schlimgen, Central Electric Cooperative; Jeff Lakner, Agtegra; and Todd Oster, CHS River Plains. In order to be considered for the honor, each person must first be nominated by a cooperative. Those selected to be inducted have demonstrated commitment to cooperative community and made lasting changes to improve and promote cooperatives. Only two other people from Northern Electric have been inducted into the Hall of Fame: Wayne Wright, former Board Member; and Dennis Hagny, former General Manager.

“I really appreciate whoever nominated me. I am very humbled,” Donna said. “I believe in cooperatives and in the cooperative model, because we’re not here for myself. I’m here to make it better for the members. And my fellow directors that I served with, we had to make tough decisions sometimes, as part of the cooperative model, you always put the community first. The decisions you make are to benefit the members, not yourself.”

Donna has certainly demonstrated commitment to both cooperatives and her community. In addition to nine years on Northern’s board, Donna has served on numerous local, state, and national boards, including the National Dairy Board, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Board, the United Dairy Industry Association, the United Dairy Export Council, and more. Donna supported 4-H for 18 years, co-founded the Brown County 4-H 4-Ever Fund, and earned multiple recognitions for service. For a couple of years, Donna was gone one week out of every month, she said.

“It’s just being a public servant, giving back. I was raised that way to do that,” Donna said. “None of these things pay much at all, but it’s community service, you know, giving back.”

Donna and her husband, Gary, both served full nine-year terms on Northern’s board and were elected board president. Gary was instrumental in getting Donna involved. Not only did Donna attend the energy conferences with Gary, when his term was ending, he convinced Donna to run for the board spot.

“That was about the time I was getting off of my national dairy board and my beef promotion. I thought, ah, that’s enough. I was in my late 60s. And he says, ‘No, you would like being on this board.’ So, I applied and served nine years. I loved it,” Donna said.

Donna went into her first term with more knowledge than the average member because of the meetings she went to with Gary. When he first got on the board, Donna said she didn’t know anything about electricity beyond flipping the switch on. She was also already familiar with the duties and responsibilities of a board member due to her numerous years on other boards.

For anyone wanting to get more involved but not knowing where to start, Donna recommends finding something that interests them or affects their life. All the boards that Donna has served on were directly tied to her life and livelihood. As third-generation farmers with children, the Sharps served on school boards, county fair boards, and worked to promote farmers across the nation.

“We believe in public service and community service. These boards also affected our livelihood,” Donna said. “Let’s go promote what we do for a living. Let’s get involved and go to the meetings.”

Donna is not currently on any boards, but she is still very busy. She helps with the farm and, of course, the grandchildren. In addition, Donna is a member of the local chapter of P.E.O. Sisterhood, a national and Canadian organization that helps women with education opportunities. Donna and Gary’s public service legacy is continued in their children: Brian, Brad, and Kristin. They have already served many years on various local boards.

“It’s important to get involved if you want to help make decisions that affect the other members and yourself,” Donna said.