By: Kate Meadows
Photos: Bailey Sadowsky
When August Hicks talks about her work, there’s a lightness in her voice that makes one thing
clear: she’s exactly where she’s meant to be.
A Rapid City resident for nearly six years, Hicks has spent the past four years working at Black
Hills Federal Credit Union, where she brings both heart and precision to her role in human
resources. It’s a far cry from her early career in emergency management with the U.S. Air Force,
but in many ways, she says, the work isn’t all that different.
“You’re helping people through questions and meeting people where they are,” she said.
Originally from Ada, Oklahoma — “southeast Oklahoma, Tiger King country,” she jokes. Hicks
served 10 years on active duty in the Air Force as an emergency manager. She met her husband
while they were both deployed in Kuwait. Military life eventually brought them to Rapid City
when he was stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base in 2019.
By then, Hicks had just separated from active duty herself and was doing active guard work
while finding her footing in the civilian world.
A role as an HR manager at a school district opened the door to a new path—one that felt like a
natural fit. “I like helping people,” she said. “People are like puzzles, but they’re really complex.”
That calling led her to human resources work with the VA, where she handled employee and
labor relations and commuted daily to Sturgis. The commute was hard on her, she said. It was a
conversation with a friend that eventually brought her to Black Hills Federal Credit Union.
“She told me, ‘They’re just really nice,’” Hicks said. “And she was right.”
For Hicks, “nice” wasn’t just about friendliness; it was about values. Hicks describes herself as
mission-driven and was searching for a workplace that aligned with how she wanted to show
up in the world.
“Integrity matters at Black Hills Federal Credit Union’, she said. ‘They always look at doing the
right thing and treating people like people. A lot of corporate environments can get stuck
behind the rigidity or profits.”
No two days look the same in her role. Hicks works across engagement, retention, and
recruiting, staying current with industry trends while responding to the unexpected.
“You never know when someone is going to come in with an interesting problem that needs
solving,” she said. “Medical issues. Career advancement. Life stuff.”
It’s that unpredictability she loves most.
“I don’t like doing the same thing every day,” she said. “That’s why I loved emergency
management. I like it when my day gets disrupted.”
One meaningful shift from her military days, however, is balance. Emergency management was
often a matter of life or death. Now, Hicks works in an environment that actively encourages a
full life outside the office.
“I haven’t taken my laptop home once in the four years I’ve worked here,” she said. She credits
leadership that walks the talk—from annual compensation reviews and consistent raises to a
culture that encourages employees to show up for their families.
“I’ve heard our CEO say, ‘If your kid has a sporting event or a play, you need to be there,’” Hicks
said. “The more balanced and stable your life is, the more successful you’ll be at work. That’s a
recipe for retention.”
That people-first mindset extends to hiring, too. Hicks is passionate about skills-based hiring
and creating an inclusive workplace.
“Aptitude and attitude matter more than skills,” she said. “If you’re kind, you show up, and you
align with our mission, we’ll probably have a place for you.”
Outside of work, Hicks has fallen hard for the Black Hills and the community that comes with
them. She still remembers the shock of her first September snowstorm, but she wouldn’t trade
it for anything.
“We love it here,” she said. “We’ll be here forever.”
She talks about the peace of the trails, the ability to head outdoors without crowds, and the
ease of building community. She’s part of a book club with 11 women. There are no rules about
the books that get chosen for the group to read, except that no one can have read it before.
For Hicks, Rapid City offers something rare: space to breathe, room to connect, and a
community that shows up for one another.
“It’s tightknit. It’s supportive. It’s easy to make friends,” she said. “I just love it.”
And in a city built on connection, August Hicks is right at home, solving puzzles, helping people
and finding joy in the beautifully unpredictable rhythm of community life.
