People in need often start with the Yankton Contact Center. YCC responds to crisis and often hopeless situations experienced by individuals and families throughout the Yankton area to get food, gasoline, temporary housing, some medications and many other social services requiring a connection now. At the Yankton Contact Center, if any man, woman or child is hungry, they can come to us. We are the only food source in town that is accessible every day, all day, right away.
The Yankton Contact Center board of directors and team members are also visionaries. YCC plans to expand services to hire Community Connection Coordinators who will be trained to provide answers in navigating the numerous social service and medical resources in town. Education and support with financial budgeting is also a need for our clients. The vision is to find a new and bigger location to expand and collaborate with others in doing what we all do to make Yankton the best place to live. As you read more about us, you will see that the need is great and growing.
Our History
January 1975: by-laws and appropriate paperwork completed declaring the Yankton Contact Center as a 501(C)3 with funding received from the Church Women United Clothing Center, The Benedictines, County Commissioners, United Way, and the Volunteer Action Committee. The Trinity Lutheran Church provided the first location with furniture for the first year. Following the leadership of Mary Helen Gannon were Carol Pooler, Jennifer Adamson and Troy Thurman. During these years, many projects were started at the Yankton Contact Center and grew to the extent of needing their own home.
Thankfully, when the need for more, new, and varied services grew, leaders in the community responded to collaborate with the demand on the capacity of the Contact Center. Responding to this community crisis, leaders created: Pathways, The Clothing Closet, River City Domestic Violence Center “We Believe” and Food for Thought. Currently, though not fully funded by the County Commission, YCC still calls the space provided by the Commissioners home with furniture, computer equipment, phone service and internet.
Our Future
In 1974, a small group of volunteers had a vision for helping neighbors in need. Over the years, more leaders and volunteers have kept that dream alive. Now is the time to dream bigger because Yankton is growing and is in the top five desirable cities in which to live in South Dakota.
The Yankton Contact Center is often the first place people stop when in need of food, gasoline, temporary shelter, utility payment to avoid shut off or rent to avoid eviction. YCC started with a mission to connect people in need of food, clothing and other social services in Yankton by creating and sharing a printed booklet of information. Times have changed. Demand for a wider range of services has grown and Yankton leaders have responded.
At the Yankton Contact Center, we envision a larger faciity, additional personnel, expanded hours, expansion of services to those in crisis, and the ability to serve and work more closely with other social service agencies, local farmers, volunteers and more. Please help our vision become reality.
Board of Directors
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Fred Binder
Born and raised in Yankton where he completed Sacred Heart School and graduated from YHS in 1968. After completing a degree in History in 1972, Fred became a Peace Corps Volunteer in Costa Rica from 1973- 1977. Fred held many positions with the SD Department of Labor most notably serving as Manager of the Yankton Job Service from 1997 until retirement in 2008. He later assumed an assignment with the Planning and Development District III as a Community Development Specialist. In addition to the Yankton Contact Center BOD, Fred has served on the Yankton Historical Board, RTEC creation board, United Way and Sacred Heart School BOD. Fred and his wife, Janna, have four children and one grandchild.
Randy Christensen
Originally from Sioux Falls, Randy has a B.A. in Psychology and an M.S. in Guidance and Counseling. Randy has over forty years of experience counseling and otherwise assisting people varying widely in age, ethnic background, and adverse circumstances. He has a history as a leader and problem solver having supervised eleven people dispersed in an eight-county area for twenty-four years. He has served on a number of boards and for several years was a member of an agency employee advisory committee that developed and recommended positive change in the agency’s daily operations. He was married to Joanne for 45 years until she passed in 2017. Randy and Joanne had two sons who have blessed him with five grandchildren.
Charlie Gross
Charlie was born & raised in Yankton. He served 24+ years on the City Commission, including 5.5 terms as Mayor. Charlie served as Chairman of the Government Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Commerce for years. After working in the banking industry for 35 years in Rock Island, Illinois, Burlington, Iowa, Council Bluffs, Iowa, and finally in Yankton, starting in 1992. In 2010, he began teaching at Mount Marty where he had been teaching as adjunct since the mid-nineties. His undergraduate degree is from Oakland University, Rochester Michigan, and his M.B.A. is from the University of Iowa. Charlie is a widower, with a daughter & her family in Houston, and a daughter & her family in Highlands Ranch, Colorado.
Trish Kostel
Trish is from Yankton, SD where she graduated from YHS in 1976. She earned a bachelors degree in Social Work from USD in 1989 and a Masters Degree from the University of Iowa in 1991. Trish spent her career working with individuals and families in the area of mental health. She had an opportunity to liaison with law enforcement and the dept. of social services interviewing children from ages 2-18 who have allegedly been physically or sexually abused. Trish worked at the Children’s Home Society in Rocerville, SD where she was a Unit Director supervising and working with a team of employees who helped modify children’s behaviors with the goal of reuniting families. Most recently, Trish worked with hospice and home health in Rapid City, SD. She is divorced with three children and seven grandchildren.
Rich Larson
Born and raised in Yankton, SD Rich Larson attended school at Sacred Heart Catholic school and Yankton High School. He obtained a business degree from Yankton College in 1970. As the son of Kip Larson, owner of Kip’s Inn Restaurant, Rich developed a good work ethic and the spirit of an entrepreneur. In addition to restaurant management, Rich lived in many different cities and worked in various managerial roles with a focus on sales of plastics, large bulk containers for the food, automotive, electronics and large agricultural machine industry. Rich is an active board member with the Yankton Contact Center, and is a Grand Knight of Marty Council 1536 of the Knights of Columbus. He is married to Patricia Lawyer Larson and they have four children and five grandchildren.
Jeff M. Otterman
Pastor Jeff is originally from Southern California. He is married and has two adult children. Ordained in 2001, Pastor Jeff also has a BA in Fine Arts, M. Div, and an MBA. He is a life coach and a licensed mediator. His first position in South Dakota was with a
church in Belle Fourche where he served for ten years. He has served eight years as Reverend of the Trinity Lutheran Church in Yankton. Pastor Jeff is known for his love of laughter and having fun while creating positive memories for all who know him. He works with youth of all ages and the families they come from and brings a strong commitment to the mission and vision of the Yankton Contact Center.
Jennifer Powell
Jennifer comes to the Contact Center’s BOD from a career in education and social services. She received her Bachelor’s in Music Education from Yankton College Conservatory, and her Master’s in Educational Psychology and Counseling from the University of South Dakota. After 38 years in music education and counseling at the high school level, Jennifer joined the staff at Lewis and Clark Behavioral Health Services initiating a new program called Systems of Care (SOC). Jennifer worked 6 more years seeing SOC expand to over 40 SOC professionals throughout the state. Following retirement, she continues to be active in her church and Cornerstones, Adult Education Center. Jennifer lives in Yankton with her husband Ted, also a former music educator. She has four children and three grandchildren.
Open BOD Position
You might be a “seasoned” board member who has the time and talent to share with others in taking the organization to the next level in performance and social service in Yankton. Board membership is the responsibility of every civic-minded citizen, and people who have served on other boards can help mentor and grow others who may be new to community leadership while at the same time sharing the talent they can bring to a board of directors.
Sister Joyce Streff
Sister Joyce Streff was born and raised in Salem, South Dakota. Since 1964, she has been a devoted member of the Benedictive Sisters. She received a BA from Mount Marty College in Occupational Therapy and became a board-certified Chaplin in 2001. During her many years of devotion, Sister Joyce has served in hospitals, rehab centers or long-term care centers in CO, NE and SD. She also worked for three years with St. Vincent DePaul in Sioux Falls, SD. Now “retired” she continues to be very active and has always expressed a keen interest in the health of the Yankton community. Recently, the Benedictine Sisters hosted a collaborative forum inviting several area non-profits. During this session, Sister Joyce became acutely aware of the needs of Yankton citizens and looks forward to serving on the Contact Center board of directors.
Open Board Position
You might be a “seasoned” board member who has the time and talent to share with others in taking the organization to the next level in performance and social service in Yankton. Board membership is the responsibility of every civic-minded citizen, and people who have served on other boards can help mentor and grow others who may be new to community leadership while at the same time sharing the talent they can bring to a board of directors.
Mindy Vogt
Mindy is from Corsica, SD, and came to Yankton to attend Mount Marty College. She graduated with a nursing degree as an RN and currently serves Avera Sister James Care Center as the Director of Nursing. Mindy has three sons, two of whom are married. She is looking forward to welcoming her first grandchild soon.
Open BOD Position One
The Yankton Contact Center needs business and social service minded individuals who wish to contribute to the quality of life in Yankton, South Dakota. You may be new to board leadership so joining this board may help you start to learn, demonstrate and deliver on your leadership skills and abilities. You might learn more about creating a vision, marketing, branding, budgeting, fund raising, collaborating and serving others in need or crisis.
Open BOD Position Two
You might be a “seasoned” board member who has the time and talent to share with others in taking the organization to the next level in performance and social service in Yankton. Board membership is a responsibility of every civic minded citizen and people who have served on other boards can help mentor and grow others who may be new to community leadership while at the same time sharing the talent they can bring to a board of directors.
Join the Yankton Contact Center Board of Directors
Team Members
Rebecca Meier
Rebecca joined the Contact Center staff in January 2023 as the Executive Director. Rebecca grew up in Marion, SD and comes to the Yankton Contact Center after six years with Habitat for Humanity of Clay and Yankton Counties, the last two of which were spent in the Executive Director role. During her time with Habitat, Rebecca was known for providing leadership to staff and a large contingent of volunteers. Rebecca is very close to completing a BS in Business Administration and has completed additional coursework in psychology. She is a qualified Mortgage Originator and brings a focus of business acumen, growth and innovation to the Yankton Contact Center. She also has a certificate in Fundraising from the Philanthropic Institute of Illinois. Rebecca is married to Chris and they four young children.
Kelli Stanage
Kelli Callaghan Stanage was born and raised in Yankton and is a 1978 graduate of Yankton High School. She married her high school sweetheart, Mike Stanage. After working in the field of human resource management for a few years, Kelli started with the Yankton Contact Center in November of 2001 (21 years ago!). She has worked with everyone over the years and continues to be the foundation of a great team. Kelli has completed just about every task throughout the evolution of the Contact Center. She continues to love working at the Contact Center and hopes to stay there another 21 years! Kelli and Mike have three daughters, six grandchildren and one great grandchild.
Christina Blume
Christina was born in Billings, MT and comes to the Yankton Contact Center after teaching as an Herbalist in the Denver Botanic Gardens for 26 years. She commutes from Wausa, Nebraska and is always actively promoting the Yankton Contact Center on the Nebraska side which includes the area supported and served by YCC. Christina’s husband, Steve, passed away in 2001. They had a son and a daughter. Christina was compelled to move to the area at the birth of her identical twin grandsons. Christina pursued a job at the Contact Center because she loves the mission of the Yankton Contact Center and really enjoys being part of a wonderful team.
Liz Gross Lynch
Liz was born in Yankton and is the daughter of Marge Gross who was very instrumental in the initial conception of the Yankton Contact Center in 1974. So, affiliated with YCC most of her life, Liz actually has worked at the Contact Center for the past 17 years. Though she has experienced almost every task with the Center, her primary focus now is with the Representative Payee program. Prior to her career with the Yankton Contact Center, she obtained a teaching degree and taught school for one year. She and her husband, Dan Lynch, owned and operated a restaurant for 35 years. Shortly after celebrating 45 years of marriage, he passed away. They have two children and three grandchildren.