Cheri Rath is an experienced leader in rural development and agricultural enterprise. As the Executive Director of the South Dakota Value Added Agriculture Development Center (VAADC), Cheri oversees technical assistance and strategic planning for agribusiness across the state and through regional and national collaborations. Her expertise lies in forging public-private partnerships that integrate professional business services with local, state and national incentive programs to spark economic growth in underserved communities.
With a deep personal commitment to rural advocacy, Cheri has served for over two decades as a foster parent for Native American families—a journey that fuels her professional focus on economically distressed and persistently impoverished areas. Her technical background is rooted in lifelong experience on her family’s grain farm and agricultural equipment business, supplemented by her tenure with the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and the Governor’s Office of Economic Development.
Cheri holds an agricultural degree from South Dakota State University and is a Certified National Development Council Economic Development Finance Professional. An alumna of both Leadership South Dakota and South Dakota Agricultural & Rural Leadership, she continues to champion agricultural enterprise and community growth through her active participation on multiple state and national economic development boards.
