Dave Knudson

Dave Knudson is Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Counsel at United National Corporation, where he provides legal and advisory services to the company. Prior to this role, he served as Sr. Vice President – Strategic Advisor for Sanford Health, the largest rural not-for-profit healthcare system in the country. He also practiced law for 35 years at Davenport, Evans, Hurwitz and Smith in Sioux Falls, focusing on healthcare, banking and corporate transactions. Throughout his career as a lawyer and advisor, Dave has worked closely with Mr. Denny Sanford, founder and chairman of United National Corporation and benefactor of Sanford Health, to organize more than $1.5 billion in charitable gifts to various non-profits. Dave has a long-time interest in public service. He was Chief of Staff to South Dakota Governor Bill Janklow in 1995 and 1999, served four terms in the South Dakota State Senate, and served as the Senate Majority Leader from 2007 to 2010. He ran unsuccessfully in the 2010 Republican primary for Governor of South Dakota. He also served on the board of several organizations, including the Sioux Falls Development Foundation and the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce. A native of Yankton, South Dakota, Dave is a graduate of Harvard College and the New York University School of Law. He received an M.B.A. from the University of South Dakota School of Business.