Boards & Committees
The Greater Des Moines Partnership is led by business, civic and community leaders and industry experts.
The Partnership's 2018 Board and Committee Members
See below for members of The Partnership's Board of Directors and other boards, committees and councils.
2018 Greater Des Moines Partnership Board: Executive Committee
| Name |
Representing |
| Dan Houston, Chair |
Principal |
| Kathryn Kunert, Vice Chair |
MidAmerican Energy Company |
| Randy Edeker, Vice Chair |
Hy-Vee, Inc. |
| Jim Brannen, Past Chair |
FBL Financial Group, Inc. |
| Kristie Bell |
Kum & Go |
| Robert Brownell |
Polk County Board of Supervisors |
| Jay Byers |
Greater Des Moines Partnership |
| Elaine Castelline |
Prairie Meadows |
| Jessica Clark |
GuideOne Insurance |
| Don Coffin |
Bankers Trust |
| Tim Coonan |
Davis Brown Law Firm |
| Frank Cownie |
City of Des Moines |
| Rob Denson |
Des Moines Area Community College |
| Kim Felker |
Deloitte |
| Steve Gaer |
City of West Des Moines |
| Allen Jones |
Register Media |
| Bruce Kelley |
EMC Insurance Companies |
| Jonathan Koester |
Windsor Heights Chamber of Commerce |
| Steve Lacy |
Meredith Corporation |
| Tom Mahoney |
ITA Group, Inc. |
| Heidi Mason |
Wells Fargo & Co. |
| Eugene Meyer |
Greater Des Moines Partnership |
| Greg Nichols |
Iowa Student Loan |
| Judd O'Connor |
DuPont Pioneer |
| Gary Palmer |
Prairie Meadows |
| Joe Pauley |
Andersen Corporation |
| Suku Radia |
|
| Bob Ritz |
Mercy Health Network |
| Jeff Rommel |
Nationwide |
| David Stark |
UnityPoint Health – Des Moines |
| Hallie Still-Caris |
Nyemaster Goode, P.C. |
| Rick Tollakson |
Hubbell Realty Company |
| Chad Tope |
Voya Financial |
| Andrew Traeger |
John Deere |
| Steve Zumbach |
Belin McCormick, P.C. |
| |
Updated Sept. 2018 |
2018 Greater Des Moines Partnership Board: Directors
| Name |
Representing |
| Tom Ahart |
Des Moines Public Schools |
| Robert Andeweg |
Nyemaster Goode, P.C. |
| Ryan Bruner |
Young Professionals Connection |
| Elisabeth Buck |
United Way of Central Iowa |
| Ben Buenzow |
Urbandale Chamber of Commerce |
| Fred Buie |
Keystone Electrical Manufacturing Co. |
| Jeff Chungath |
Telligen |
| Marta Codina |
Wells Fargo & Co. |
| Paul Eddy |
Wellmark, Inc. |
| Greg Edwards |
Catch Des Moines |
| Karen Eischen |
Pella Area Community & Economic Alliance |
| Miriam Erickson Brown |
Anderson Erickson Dairy Co. |
| Nora Everett |
Principal |
| Angela Franklin |
Des Moines University |
| Joe Gatto |
City of Des Moines |
| Terry Handley |
Casey's General Stores, Inc. |
| Mike Helak |
U.S. Bank |
| Kent Henning |
Grand View University |
| John Irving |
Baker Electric Inc. |
| Tessie Johnson |
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP |
| Kristi Knous |
Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines |
| Brian Laurenzo |
Brick Gentry P.C. |
| Gary Lorenz |
City of Ankeny |
| Marty Martin |
Drake University |
| John Mauro |
Polk County Board of Supervisors |
| Cindi McDonald |
Waukee Community School District |
| Mike McCoy |
NCMIC Group, Inc. |
| Gerry Neugent |
Knapp Properties, Inc. |
| Anita Norian |
Kemin Industries |
| Sean Pelletier |
EMC Insurance Companies |
| Matt Pick |
Des Moines East & South Chamber of Commerce |
| Amanda Reid-Raper |
Norwalk Area Chamber of Commerce |
| John Ruan |
Ruan Companies |
| Mark Rupprecht |
R&R Realty Group |
| Bill Stowe |
Des Moines Water Works |
| Tom Swank |
American Enterprise Group, Inc. |
| Randy Tennison |
West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce |
| Ryan Waller |
City of Indianola |
| Wendy Wintersteen |
Iowa State University |
| Rob Woollums |
Johnston Chamber of Commerce |
| Linda Wunsch |
Greater Dallas County Development Alliance |
| |
Updated Jan. 2018 |
2018 Affiliate Presidents' Council
| Name |
Representing |
| Jonathan Koester, Chair |
Affiliate Presidents' Council |
| Justin Brown, Past Chair |
Affiliate Presidents' Council |
| Marc Riley |
Adel Partners Chamber of Commerce |
| Luke Sibley |
Altoona Area Chamber of Commerce |
| Lydia Hornung |
Ankeny Area Chamber of Commerce |
| Tara Cox |
Bondurant Chamber of Commerce |
| Stephany Goodhue |
Carlisle Area Chamber of Commerce |
| Cinnamon Rost |
Clive Chamber of Commerce |
| Lorin Ditzler |
Des Moines Downtown Chamber of Commerce |
| Matt Pick |
Des Moines East & South Chamber of Commerce |
| Jessi Branderhorst |
Greater Newton Area Chamber of Commerce |
| Holly Davis |
Grimes Chamber & Economic Development |
| Michelle Andrews |
Grinnell Area Chamber of Commerce |
| Andy English |
Indianola Chamber of Commerce |
| Rob Woollums |
Johnston Chamber of Commerce |
| Dan Evans |
Madison County Chamber of Commerce |
| Amanda Reid-Raper |
Norwalk Area Chamber of Commerce |
| Mark Putnam |
Pella Area Community & Economic Alliance |
| Julia Johnson |
Pleasant Hill Chamber of Commerce |
| Josh Maclean |
Polk City Chamber and Economic Development Corp. |
| Ben Buenzow |
Urbandale Chamber of Commerce |
| Kevin McCormick |
Waukee Area Chamber of Commerce |
| Randy Tennison |
West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce |
| Matt Connolly |
Des Moines West Side Chamber of Commerce |
| Jonathan Koester |
Windsor Heights Chamber of Commerce |
| |
Updated Jan. 2018 |
2018 Economic Development Board
| Name |
Representing |
| Joe Pauley, Chair |
Andersen Windows |
| Todd Ashby |
Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization |
| Hollie Askey |
City of Norwalk |
| Doug Beech |
Casey's General Stores, Inc. |
| Tony Braida |
Bankers Trust |
| Chris Costa |
Knapp Properties, Inc. |
| Rob Denson |
Des Moines Area Community College |
| Steve Dickinson |
Cozen O'Connor |
| Kevin Foley |
Des Moines International Airport |
| Rosalind Fox |
John Deere Des Moines Works |
| Grant Friesth |
Wells Fargo Bank |
| Amy Friedrich |
Principal |
| Steven Gaer |
R & R Realty |
| Greg Halford |
Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations |
| Michael Helak |
U.S. Bank |
| Craig Ibsen |
Next Level Ventures |
| Michael Kulik |
Davis, Brown, Koehn, Shors & Roberts, P.C. |
| Kathryn Kunert |
MidAmerican Energy Company |
| Jay Larsen |
Nationwide |
|
| Derek Lord |
City of Ankeny |
| Jim Masterson |
LightEdge Solutions |
| Ginger Miller |
DuPont Pioneer |
| Gary Palmer |
Prairie Meadows |
| Steve Shupp |
Alliant Energy |
| Roger Soener |
FBL Financial Group |
| Bill Stowe |
Des Moines Water Works |
| Steve Van Oort |
Polk County Board of Supervisors |
| Scott Venerable |
Mercer |
| Ross Wendell |
CenturyLink |
| |
Updated Jan. 2018 |
2018 Talent Development
| Name |
Representing |
| Greg Nichols, Chair |
Iowa Student Loan |
| Dr. Tom Ahart |
Des Moines Public Schools |
| Amanda Banks |
Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Iowa |
| Ed Brown |
The Iowa Clinic, P.C. |
| Lori Chesser |
Davis Brown Law Firm |
| Marci Chickering |
Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Iowa |
| Jessie Cruise |
Young Professionals Connection |
| Rob Denson |
Des Moines Area Community College |
| Joel Duncan |
Aureon |
| Brianne Fitzgerald |
Iowa Commission on Volunteer Services |
| Craig Jackman |
Paragon IT |
| Damon Jackson |
Wells Fargo & Co. |
| Wendy Jensen |
Nationwide |
| Mel Justice |
Athene |
| Kelsey Knowles |
Belin McCormick, P.C. |
| Mandy McReynolds |
Principal |
| Renee Miller |
United Way of Central Iowa |
| Melissa Ness |
Aureon |
| Jennifer Reha |
Iowa Workforce Development/Iowa Works |
| Jackie Rolow |
SHAZAM, Inc. |
| Matt Romkey |
SHAZAM, Inc. |
| Christopher Sackett |
BrownWinick Law Firm |
| Rachel Sinclair |
Core Principles Consulting |
| Mondale Smith |
Berkley Agribusiness |
| Georgia Van Gundy |
Iowa Business Council |
| Scott Venerable |
Mercer |
| |
Updated Jan. 2018 |
2018 Business Resources and Community Development Board
| Name |
Representing |
| Elaine Castelline, Chair |
Prairie Meadows |
| Sara Larson, Past Chair |
American Trust and Savings Bank |
| Justin Akers |
Iowa Small Business Development Centers |
| Jayne Armstrong |
U.S. Small Business Administration |
| Brad Botos |
Great Western Bank |
| Justin Brown |
Affiliate Presidents' Council |
| Matt Connolly |
Des Moines West Side Chamber of Commerce |
| Lorin Ditzler |
Des Moines Downtown Chamber of Commerce |
| Howard Eaton |
AFLAC |
| Julia Johnson |
Pleasant Hill Chamber of Commerce |
| Karen Kuhn |
Succession Planning Task Force |
| Kevin Lentz |
Succession Planning Task Force |
| Joe Nguyen |
Anytime Fitness |
| Betty Ridout |
Bankers Trust |
| Marc Riley |
Adel Partners Chamber of Commerce |
| Mark Roth |
BrownWinick Law Firm |
| Luke Sibley |
Altoona Area Chamber of Commerce |
| Troy Vincent |
Navigate Wellbeing Solutions |
| Mike Vaughn |
BDI Signs |
| Geoff Wood |
Gravitate |
| |
Updated Jan. 2018 |
2018 Downtown Board
| Name |
Representing |
| Hallie Still-Caris, Co-Chair |
Nyemaster Goode, P.C. |
| Rick Tollakson, Co-Chair |
Hubbell Realty Company |
| Emily Abbas |
Bankers Trust |
| Mike Abbott
|
Faegre Baker Daniels
|
| Teresa Adams-Tomka |
Kitchen Collage |
| Nate Barber |
Belin McCormick, P.C. |
| David Brown |
Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Iowa |
| Teri Button |
Principal |
| Jay Byers |
Greater Des Moines Partnership |
| Jeff Chelesvig |
Des Moines Performing Arts |
| David Chivers |
Register Media |
| Greg Chodora |
Nationwide |
| Jake Christensen |
Christensen Development |
| Angela Connolly |
Polk County Board of Supervisors |
| Frank Cownie |
City of Des Moines |
| Russ Cross |
Wells Fargo & Co. |
| Bob Douglas |
Davis Brown Law Firm |
| Justin Doyle |
Blackbird Investments |
| Tony Filippini |
Downtown Neighborhood Association |
| Eric Fischer |
Young Professionals Connection |
| Michael Gartner Jr. |
Iowa Cubs |
| Ryan Grant |
Iowa Wolves |
| Jeff Hatfield |
The Graham Group, Inc. |
| Sharon Krause |
Kum & Go |
| Kathryn Kunert |
MidAmerican Energy Company |
| Bob Link |
EMC Insurance Companies |
| Jenny McCoy |
Meredith Corporation |
| Eugene Meyer |
Greater Des Moines Partnership |
| Sid Ramsey |
UnityPoint Health – Des Moines |
| David Remund |
Drake University |
| Paul Rottenberg
|
Orchestrate Hospitality
|
| John Ruan IV |
Ruan Companies |
| Davis Sanders |
RDG Planning & Design |
| Scott Sanders |
City of Des Moines |
| Dave Schwartz |
YMCA of Greater Des Moines |
| Ryan Squier |
Operation Downtown |
| Julie Stewart |
Prairie Meadows |
| J.R. Textor |
Des Moines Downtown Chamber of Commerce |
| Mike Wegner |
Mercy Medical Center |
| |
Updated Jan. 2018 |
2018 Communications Board
| Name |
Representing |
| Kristie Bell, Chair |
Athene |
| Emily Abbas |
Bankers Trust |
| Sarah Boese |
Polk County |
| Sara Bonney |
Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines |
| Annette Bravard |
Pella Corporation |
| Steve Carlson |
Wells Fargo |
| Sally Dix |
Bravo Greater Des Moines |
| Angie Fagervik-Chia |
UnityPoint Health – Des Moines |
| Angela M. Gallagher |
John Deere |
| Christy Gooding |
GuideOne Insurance |
| Lisa Hamilton |
EMC Insurance Companies |
| Ben Handfelt |
Catch Des Moines |
| Tina Hoffman |
MidAmerican Energy Company |
| Mike Moore |
Nationwide |
| Gunnar Olson |
Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization |
| Cindy
Pearce-Karrick
|
NCMIC Group, Inc.
|
| Dean Kathleen Richardson |
Drake University |
| Sharyl Sauer |
Corteva Agroscience |
| Eva Sweet |
Principal |
| Joey Taylor-Moon |
Hubbell Realty Company |
| Andy TeBockhorst |
United Way of Central Iowa |
| Laura Vanden Bosch |
Mercy Medical Center – Des Moines |
| Amanda Wanke |
Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority |
| Nancy Wiles |
FBL Financial Group, Inc. |
| Shekinah Young |
City of Des Moines |
| |
Updated Jan. 2018 |
2018 Operation Downtown
| Name |
Representing |
| Harold Capps |
EMC Insurance Companies |
| Lisa Coate |
Nationwide |
| Mike Crowley |
Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Iowa |
| Chris Della Vedova |
Confluence |
| Niki DePhillips |
Kum & Go |
| John Egan |
Principal |
| Steve Gatton |
Meredith Corporation |
| Sam Gelb |
The Graham Group, Inc. |
| James Grant |
Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Iowa |
| Kerry Gumm |
Principal |
| Rachel Holst |
Wells Fargo & Co. |
| TJ Jacobs |
Blackbird Investments |
| Karen Karr |
BrownWinick Law Firm |
| Kent Mauck |
Encore Properties |
| David Mazzarella |
Real Capital Solutions |
| Randy Minear |
Terrus Real Estate Group |
| Cheryl Moore |
Hubbell Realty Company |
| Erin Olson-Douglas |
City of Des Moines |
| Angie Pfannkuch |
Christensen Development |
| Joe Price |
R&R Realty Group |
| Sid Ramsey |
UnityPoint Health – Des Moines |
| Ron Romig |
Ruan Center Corporation |
| John Rowen |
Polk County |
| Tim Rypma |
RE Properties |
| Carissa Schmidt |
Principal |
| Ryan Squier |
Nationwide |
| Steve Stupka |
Lawmark |
| Sandy Swanson |
Mercy Medical Center – Des Moines |
| Chris Terhark |
Deloitte |
| Greg Wattier |
Slingshot Architecture |
| |
Updated Jan. 2018 |
2018 Inclusion Council
| Name |
Representing |
| Amanda Banks, Chair |
BirdDogHR |
| Melissa Sturm-Smith, Vice Chair |
Drake University |
| Claudia Schabel, Past Chair |
Schabel Consulting |
| Tim Billerbeck |
Wells Fargo & Co. |
| Mary Bontrager |
Greater Des Moines Partnership |
| Rebecca Campbell |
John Deere Financial |
| Lindsay Cannaday |
Bankers Trust |
| Bea Cisler |
Hy-Vee, Inc. |
| Becky Coady |
Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve |
| Lisa Coate |
Nationwide |
| Vicki Comegys |
Catch Des Moines |
| Josh Coughlin |
DuPont Pioneer |
| Mark Danes |
Des Moines University |
| Marvin DeJear |
Des Moines Area Community College/Evelyn K. Davis Center |
| Samantha Digman |
Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa |
| Joe Gonzalez |
Latino Festival/Des Moines Police Department |
| Sherry Gupta |
CultureAll |
| Kate Hightshoe |
Hubbell Realty Company |
| Daniel Hoffman-Zinnel |
One Iowa |
| Heather Hooks |
Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines |
| Nu Huynh |
Iowa Asian Alliance |
| Robin Jenkins |
State of Iowa |
| Annette Jorden Williams |
GuideOne Insurance |
| Izaah Knox |
Urban Dreams |
| Michelle Krefft |
Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
| Jesus Lechuga |
Mercy Medical Center – Des Moines |
| Tiffany Menke |
Urbandale Chamber of Commerce |
| Steve Molitor |
Young Professionals Connection |
| Goizane Mullin |
Catch Des Moines |
| Sherri Nielsen |
Easter Seals |
| Michael Patrick |
DuPont Pioneer |
| Tim Perkins |
Iowa Commission on Native American Affairs |
| Sanjita Pradhan |
Greater Des Moines Partnership |
| John Redlin |
UnityPoint Health – Des Moines |
| Heather Schott |
Principal |
| Maureen Taylor |
Des Moines Public Schools |
| Sailu Timbo |
Hy-Vee, Inc. |
| Kim Vasquez |
Aerotek |
| Angela Weekley |
Veridian Credit Union |
| Christopher White |
Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Iowa |
| Nicholas Wuertz |
Lutheran Services in Iowa |
| |
Updated Jan. 2018 |
2017 Youth Leadership Initiative Executive Council
| Name |
Representing |
| Brianne Fitzgerald, Chair |
Volunteer Iowa |
| Zachary Walker, Vice-Chair |
Grand View University (Student) |
| Staci Harper Bennett |
Des Moines Art Center |
| Christopher White |
Wellmark, Inc. |
| Nick Miller |
Drake University (Student) |
| Trinity Hopkey |
Norwalk High School (Student) |
| Tyler Jufernbruch |
Indianola High School (Student) |
| Amanda Martin |
Drake University |
| Shaun Boyle |
Wells Fargo & Co.. |
| Alex Jones |
MidAmerican Energy Company |
| Greg Jackson |
Wells Fargo & Co. |
| Brad Holland |
Dowling Catholic High School (Student) |
| |
Updated Oct. 2017 |
2018 International Trade Council
| Name |
Representing |
| Jayne Armstrong |
U.S. Small Business Administration |
| David Basler |
Kemin Industries |
| Daryl Bouwkamp |
Vermeer Corporation |
| Tony Braida |
Bankers Trust |
| Kavilash Chawla |
Baton Global, LLC |
| Patricia Cook |
U.S. Department of Commerce/Commercial Service |
| Mike Crum |
Iowa State University |
| Steve Dickinson |
Cozen O'Connor |
| Kevin Ekstrand |
Scarbrough International |
| Phil Harrington |
Kuder |
| Brandon Hess |
Cemen Tech |
| Aaron Johnson |
Accumold |
| Peggy Kerr |
Iowa Economic Development Authority |
| Li Zhao Mandelbaum |
China Iowa Group |
| Julie Masimore |
Bankers Trust |
| CJ Morton |
Crossroads Cold Storage |
| Tom Murphy |
Accumold |
| Doug Roozeboom |
RSM McGladrey |
| Jason Ross |
Davis Brown Law Firm |
| Chris Sackett |
BrownWinick Law Firm |
| Tim Woods |
International Traders of Iowa |
| |
Updated Jan. 2018 |
2018 Young Professionals Connection
| Name |
Representing |
| Ryan Bruner, President |
CO-OP Financial Services |
| Abby Rodewald, Past President |
Heart of Iowa Market Place |
| Jessie Cruise, President-Elect |
Principal |
| Phil Kreznor, Secretary and Treasurer |
Value Wealth Management |
| Kendra Simmons, Community Engagement Director |
Fredrikson & Byron |
| Jessica Campbell, Volunteer Chair |
Bankers Trust |
| Jonathan von Arb, Civic Chair |
Mercer Market Place |
| Thalia Sutton, Diversity and Culture Chair |
Yen Press |
| Brenton Marcum, Marketing Chair |
Two Rivers Marketing |
| Brandon Bock, Membership Chair |
Midwest Heritage Bank |
| Patrick Binning, Professional Development Chair |
Softpath LLC / State of Iowa |
| Paul Maxheimer, Social Chair |
UnityPoint Health |
| Kayla Flores, Athletics Coordinator |
Tarbell & Co. PLC |
| Eric Fischer, Impact Downtown Coordinator |
Nyemaster Goode, P.C. |
| Jared Lanning, Webmaster |
Farm Bureau Financial Services |
| |
Updated Jan. 2018 |