City attorney leaving to take role with DSU cyber lab

Sioux Falls City Attorney Stacy Kooistra will be leaving his position to take a role related to Dakota State University's new Sioux Falls research lab.

Kooistra has accepted a position as the Chief Operations Officer and General Counsel for the Dakota State University-Applied Research Corporation, a non-profit corporation whose mission "is to develop, operate, and expand the DSU Applied Research Lab," according to a release from the university.

The Madison-based lab will be expanding to Sioux Falls in 2025, and proponents have said it could bring as many as 500 high-paying cybersecurity jobs to the area. The facility was funded with a $50 million donation from T. Denny Sanford, alongside $30 million from the state and $10 million from Sioux Falls.

“The City of Sioux Falls has seen a growing and increasingly fruitful partnership with DSU over the years and to be able to have Stacy continue his public service in this new capacity is a win for all involved,” Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken and City Council Chair Curt Soehl said in the release.

Kooistra was appointed to his role as city attorney by TenHaken in 2018, stepping away from his role as a partner at Myers Billion Law Firm to take the position.

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“I am humbled at the opportunity to play a foundational role in this important undertaking. I have every confidence that, together, we will indeed see significant long-term impacts from this cyber-research initiative to benefit the City of Sioux Falls, the State of South Dakota, and our national interests," Kooistra said in the release.

Kooistra will begin his work with the corporation sometime this spring, the release said. The Sioux Falls City Council will need to approve whomever Mayor TenHaken appoints as the next city attorney.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: City attorney leaving for role at DSU cyber lab