Jeremiah Schneider

Jeremiah Schneider has served as Secretary of the South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs since March 2025, leading statewide efforts to support more than 65,000 veterans and their families. As the state's chief advocate for veterans, he is responsible for strategic oversight of programs, policy implementation, and ensuring South Dakota remains a national leader in veteran services. His leadership is grounded in a lifetime of service, accountability, and mission-focused execution.

A lifelong South Dakotan, Secretary Schneider was born and raised in Wentworth and graduated from Chester Area High School in 1995, lettering in football, basketball, and track. Though offered a collegiate baseball scholarship, he chose to enlist in the United States Navy, reporting to Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Illinois. After completing Hospital Corpsman "A" School and Field Medical Service School, he was assigned to Naval Hospital Jacksonville, Florida, where he served on the Medical/Surgical floor and later as a Leading Petty Officer in the Intensive Care Unit.

Following active-duty service, he returned home to South Dakota and later rejoined the Navy Reserve in 2011. In 2012, he mobilized with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 15 to Afghanistan as Construction Security Element Team Husker Corpsman. During that deployment, he earned the Seabee Combat Warfare device, the Army Achievement Medal, and the Combat Action Ribbon. In 2019, he returned to Afghanistan in a NATO billet, serving as Combined Joint Operations Center Patient Evacuation Coordination Cell Chief, coordinating medical operations and asset allocation alongside partner nations across the theater of operations.

He currently holds the rank of Master Chief Petty Officer and serves as Deputy Senior Enlisted Leader for Expeditionary Medical Facility Camp Pendleton, California. His military decorations include the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Navy Achievement Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Presidential Unit Citation, and the Combat Action Ribbon.

In addition to his public service, Secretary Schneider served as Chief Executive Officer of Bethel Lutheran, a comprehensive senior living campus offering skilled nursing, assisted living, and independent living services. In this role, he oversaw healthcare operations, organizational leadership, and long-term strategic planning—further strengthening his commitment to serving those who have dedicated their lives to others.

Across every role—military leader, healthcare executive, and Cabinet Secretary—Jeremiah Schneider is guided by a simple principle: leadership is service. He and his wife, Megan, are the proud parents of four children—Kennedy, Carsen, Myles, and Averie—and reside in southeastern South Dakota. When not serving veterans or in uniform, he enjoys hunting, fishing, golfing, and cooking with his family.