BryAnn Becker Knecht

BryAnn Becker Knecht

Communications and marketing, helping organizations tell their story, building relationships, and community and audience engagement are the themes that run through my career. I have worked in marketing/communications for more than a decade, with experience in the public and private sectors in health care, biofuels/ag technology, and the City of Sioux Falls. 

Most recently, I managed communications, public relations and media relations for Mayor Paul TenHaken’s Office and informed the community about issues and topics that affect their daily lives. I am passionate about community engagement, storytelling that inspires the community, women's leadership, and making an impact in our community.

In Sioux Falls, I am an involved community member and a graduate of Leadership Sioux Falls Class 32. Outside of work, I enjoy running on the bike trails, teaching and practicing yoga, exploring local hiking trails and Downtown Sioux Falls with my husband, and reading. Originally from Pierre, S.D., I received my bachelor’s degree in English and journalism from Augustana University and a master’s degree in English literature from the University of South Dakota.

People of POET: An Advocate for Chemistry, Science in the Community

If Melissa Tille has her way, when elementary and high school students in the Sioux Falls area are asked that age-old question of what they want to be when they grow up, one common response — among the parroted responses of doctors, lawyers and teachers — will be “scientist.” Tille is the Analytical Laboratory Manager at POET and works primarily in POET’s Research and Development arm. Both in and outside of her work at POET, she’s dedicated to sharing with students and community members how che
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Rural Optimism in Challenging Times

By key economic indicators, the ag economy is down. Commodity prices are stagnant, farm income is down and farm debt is up. But that doesn’t deter many young farmers across the Midwest. Instead, this group of young farmers and proponents of agriculture beats to a different drum of what you might call rural optimism. Despite the challenges today of making a living in ag, farmers like Logan Weber of Atlanta, Mo., keep going by having the right perspective. Farmers have resilience on their side,
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POET, University of South Dakota Partner to Form POET Center for Business Analytics

Thomas Tiahrt, PhD, serves as the coordinator of the Business Analytics program at the University of South Dakota’s Beacom School of Business and has been recognized as the inaugural POET Professor of Business Analytics. The problem for many businesses is that there’s often too much of it, and making informed business decisions based on that data — such as predicting the success of an advertising campaign or making optimal portfolio assumptions — requires complex analysis. As the world of big
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People of POET: 'Whatever it Takes'

In the late 1990s, POET — then Broin & Associates — was leading several bioprocessing facility startups simultaneously. The crew was small but mighty and dedicated. Many worked 12-hour shifts, 30 days in a row. Jim Hill was one of those crew members. Steve Lewis, Vice President of Innovation, POET Research, recalls the first time he met Hill while delivering a lever controller. “We met in Luverne. It was 100 degrees outside. When I met Jim and gave him the piece of equipment, he was sweating l
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