It is my honor to endorse Melissa Hull to serve as the next Treasurer of South Dakota.

Over the past eight years, Melissa has played a key role in the major decisions that have strengthened this office. She doesn’t just understand the work; she’s helped lead it. Her judgment, steady leadership, and work ethic have been central to what we’ve accomplished for South Dakotans.

Through expanded advertising and public outreach, we have increased the return of unclaimed property to South Dakota residents year after year, helping more people find and claim their money. We worked with the legislature and the governor to create a protected unclaimed property trust fund, so that dollars not yet claimed stay secure for their rightful owners rather than being spent as general funds.

We launched the CashIt program in 2020, one of the earliest efforts in the nation to use data matching to proactively identify verified South Dakotans and mail them their unclaimed funds directly. Over 10,000 checks went out in the first year alone, and the program continues every month. Through improved training and technology, we have also prevented millions of dollars in potential unclaimed property fraud each year.

Behind the scenes, we brought modern technology into the daily reconciliation of the state checkbook by using AI to assist in categorizing transactions. Prior to our time in office, these transactions were entered manually, a process that was time consuming and prone to errors. Automating this step has saved staff time and dramatically reduced mistakes.

Melissa had a hand in these efforts. She works hard, holds herself accountable, and leads by example.

There is more to Melissa than her experience inside the office. She is a lifelong South Dakotan, a wife and mother, and a small business owner who understands the real challenges families face. She knows our communities, our values, and the proper role of this office. She will not make promises that belong to other constitutional officers. She understands what this office does and what it does not do.

When experience and integrity matter this much, South Dakota deserves a Treasurer who is ready from day one. This role calls for proven leadership, a deep understanding of the office, and a commitment to putting South Dakotans first. That is Melissa Hull.

She is focused on results. She’s ready to build on the foundation we’ve created and bring her own steady hand to this office.

I have complete confidence in Melissa’s ability to serve the people of South Dakota faithfully. I ask you to join me in supporting Melissa Hull as our next State Treasurer.

Sincerely,