Distinguished Engineer
Hometown: Brookings
Mechanical Engineering,
David A. Christensen served as student body president during his senior year at South Dakota State College. His early career included jobs with John Morrell & Co. and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In 1962, he became an industrial engineer with Raven Industries, Inc., of Sioux Falls and was promoted to the positions of production manager, vice president and executive vice president. He retired as president and chief executive officer of Raven Industries, Inc. in 2000. He also served as a director of Xcel Energy, Wells Fargo and Co., Raven Industries, Inc. and Medcomp Software, Inc. In 1974, he received the Distinguished Service Award form South Dakota State University and the Distinguished Alumni Award in 1978. Christensen was the recipient of the South Dakota Sales and Marketing Executive of the Year Award in 1993 and was inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame in 1998. He was active in many civic organizations in the Sioux Falls community and received the “Spirit of Sioux Falls Award” in 2000.