About Joy
Joy Hohn is a devoted wife, mother, sister, friend, family farmer, and distinguished commercial pilot. She is a lifelong resident of Minnehaha County, where she and her husband, Rod, farm with her family raising corn, soybeans and cattle.
Rooted in faith, family and farming
Raised working in the fields, Joy is deeply grounded in faith, family, honesty, and integrity, guided by the “Golden Rule”—treating others as you would like to be treated.
Driven by a servant heart
Joy is a dedicated and compassionate advocate. She and her family cared for her elderly parents for nearly a decade to keep them on the family farm. She has also been active throughout Minnehaha County as a student mentor, community leader, and volunteer supporting youth organizations, children’s education, and her church.
Leadership from the ground up
Joy’s leadership skills were seeded on the farm, proven in the air, and expanded through her grassroots efforts advocating for property rights and local control alongside others across the State.
Trusted and steadfast aviator
Inspired by her father, a World War II veteran who encouraged her to fly, Joy became the first female airline pilot in South Dakota. She has logged nearly 13,000 hours of accident- and incident-free flying during her 40-year career as a Captain and First Officer, both domestically and internationally. Joy currently works as a charter pilot, check airman, and instructor pilot for Legacy Aviation and operates her private contract service, Adele Aire, LLC.
Relentless rights advocate
Joy has been a champion and vocal advocate for personal property rights since the Dakota Access pipeline divided her family’s three-generation farm in 2016. Nearly a decade later, her call to public service was inspired by defending her family’s—and others’—property rights against eminent domain threats.
Care for her community
Joy’s grassroots involvement with Landowners for Eminent Domain Reform (LEDR) strengthened her connection to the people of Minnehaha County and beyond. This work has also led to active engagement in local and state government, collaborating with citizens, municipalities, commissioners, legislators, and community leaders across South Dakota to preserve constitutional rights.
Joy is a graduate of West Central High School and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Aviation and Business Administration from Augustana College. She enjoys spending time with her family and the outdoors, as well as traveling, gardening, and hunting.
I believe in honoring the wisdom and experience of our elders that have laid the foundation of our freedoms and respecting the new ideas of younger generations that give us hope for the future.