A former staff member and election campaigner for Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin is now executive director of the South Dakota Democratic Party.

Erin McCarrick of Rapid City succeeds Rick Hauffe of Sioux Falls, who resigned.

A graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder, McCarrick has taught elementary and high school, served as a project engineer for environmental remediation projects and is pursuing a master's degree in business administration through the University of South Dakota.

Party Chairwoman Cheryl Chapman of Rapid City in a news release said McCarrick's ability to work with people of various backgrounds will help her to continue to build numbers of registered party members at the county and statewide levels.