USD School of Health Sciences Success Spotlight: Lindsay Weber, CNP

Degree: Doctor of Nursing Practice

Current Position: President and CEO of Avera St. Benedict Health Center

Well before Lindsay Weber became President and CEO of Avera St. Benedict Health Center in Parkston, South Dakota last year, she already had a solid understanding of the ins and outs of patient care. 

Weber came to leadership from a career in nursing, earning her BSN in 2007 and working as an RN, first at Mayo Clinic and later in Parkston. After settling in Parkston, Weber continued to grow as a nurse. She became a Certified Nurse Practitioner, providing family medicine in the Emergency Department and overseeing the care of inpatients as a Hospitalist. 

Three years ago, she started looking for ways to hone her leadership skills. "Healthcare is changing fast," says Weber. "I knew that getting more education in this area would put me in a better position to understand the complexity of healthcare management."

She chose the USD School of Health Sciences Doctor of Nursing Practice program for its flexibility (in addition to her duties as CEO, she also has a young family) and for the chance to  apply all that she had learned in her years in nursing.

"This program was attractive and intriguing to me," says Weber. "Especially in a high level leadership position, we need to understand both the business end of healthcare and the healthcare part of healthcare."

When Weber was named President and CEO in September 2022, she could immediately see how the interdisciplinary collaboration she experienced in the DNP program USD would help her in her new role. 

"Being in this role and in the DNP program at the same time means I'm learning things that are applicable to everything I'm doing every day at work," says Weber. "It also helps me relate to other students in the cohort. This program has really helped me to see the bigger picture better."

Weber expects to finish her degree next May.