Boards & Committees
The Greater Des Moines Partnership is led by business, civic and community leaders and industry experts.
The Partnership's 2019 Board and Committee Members
See below for members of The Partnership's Board of Directors and other boards, committees and councils.
2019 Greater Des Moines Partnership Board: Executive Committee
| Name |
Representing |
| Kathryn Kunert, Chair |
MidAmerican Energy Company |
| Randy Edeker, Vice Chair |
Hy-Vee, Inc. |
| Tom Mahoney, Vice Chair |
ITA Group, Inc. |
| Gerard Neugent, Secretary/Treasurer |
Knapp Properties, Inc. |
| Dan Houston, Past Chair |
Principal |
| Robert Andeweg |
City of Urbandale |
| Robert Brownell |
Polk County |
| Jay Byers |
Greater Des Moines Partnership |
| Jake Christensen |
Christensen Development |
| Jeff Chungath |
Telligen |
| Jessica Clark |
GuideOne Insurance |
| Frank Cownie |
City of Des Moines |
| Rowena Crosbie |
Tero International, Inc. |
| Christy Gooding |
GuideOne Insurance |
| Greg Halford |
Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations |
| Mike Helak |
U.S. Bank |
| Laura Jackson |
Wellmark |
| Julia Johnson |
Pleasant Hill Chamber of Commerce |
| Bruce Kelley |
EMC Insurance Companies |
| Steve Lacy |
Meredith Corporation |
| Heidi Mason |
Wells Fargo & Co. |
| Eugene Meyer |
Greater Des Moines Partnership |
| Greg Nichols |
Iowa Student Loan |
| Judd O'Connor |
Corteva Agriscience™, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont™ |
| Gary Palmer |
Prairie Meadows |
| Stacey Pellett |
John Deere Company |
| Suku Radia |
|
| Betty Ridout |
Bankers Trust Company |
| Bob Ritz |
MercyOne |
| Jeff Rommel |
Nationwide |
| John Ruan IV |
Ruan Companies |
| David Stark |
UnityPoint Health - Des Moines |
| Hallie Still-Caris |
Nyemaster Goode, P.C. |
| Andrew Traeger |
John Deere Financial |
| |
Updated Jan. 2019 |
2019 Greater Des Moines Partnership Board: Directors
| Name |
Representing |
| Tom Ahart |
Des Moines Public Schools |
| Kim Augspurger |
Saxon, Inc. |
| Jim Brannen |
FBL Financial Group, Inc. |
| Elisabeth Buck |
United Way of Central Iowa |
| Marta Codina |
Wells Fargo & Co. |
| Don Coffin |
Bankers Trust Company |
| Tim Coonan |
Davis Brown Law Firm |
| Jessie Cruise |
Young Professionals Connection |
| Tom Deimerly |
Marshalltown Regional Partnership |
| Rob Denson |
Des Moines Area Community College |
| Louisa Dykstra |
Windsor Heights Chamber of Commerce |
| Greg Edwards |
Catch Des Moines |
| Nora Everett |
Principal |
| Rosalind Fox |
John Deere Des Moines Works |
| Angela Franklin |
Des Moines University |
| Steve Gaer |
City of West Des Moines |
| Joe Gatto |
City of Des Moines |
| Billi Hunt |
Cultivation Corridor |
| Tessie Johnson |
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP |
| Allen Jones |
Register Media/LOCALiQ |
| Karl Keeler |
MercyOne |
| Kristi Knous |
Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines |
| Brian Laurenzo |
Brick Gentry P.C. |
| Frank Liebl |
Newton Development Corporation |
| Gary Lorenz |
City of Ankeny |
| Laura Manatt |
Poweshiek Iowa |
| Marty Martin |
Drake University |
| Mike McCoy |
NCMIC Group, Inc. |
| Matt McKinney |
West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce |
| Sean Pelletier |
EMC Insurance Companies |
| Laurie Rasanen |
Voya Financial |
| Aaron Rector |
Johnston Chamber of Commerce |
| Lisa Remy |
West Des Moines Community Schools |
| Jeff Russell |
Delta Dental of Iowa |
| Scott Seeliger |
Des Moines Downtown Chamber of Commerce |
| Bill Stowe |
Des Moines Water Works |
| Rick Tollakson |
Hubbell Realty Company |
| Mike Tousley |
The Weitz Company, LLC |
| Sheila Treu |
Clive Chamber of Commerce |
| Steve Van Oort |
Polk County |
| Teri Wahlig |
ChildServe |
| Wendy Wintersteen |
Iowa State University |
| Steve Zumbach |
Belin McCormick, P.C. |
| |
Updated Jan. 2019 |
2019 Affiliate Presidents' Council
| Name |
Representing |
| Julia Johnson, Chair |
Affiliate Presidents' Council |
| Jonathan Koester, Past Chair |
Affiliate Presidents' Council |
| Alicia Hadfield |
Adel Partners Chamber of Commerce |
| Peggy Harmeyer |
Altoona Area Chamber of Commerce |
| Michele Starkenburg |
Ankeny Area Chamber of Commerce |
| Crystal Trunnel |
Bondurant Chamber of Commerce |
| Lynn Schattner |
Carlisle Area Chamber of Commerce |
| Sheila Treu |
Clive Chamber of Commerce |
| Scott Seeliger |
Des Moines Downtown Chamber of Commerce |
| Ryan Anderson |
FuseDSM |
| Jeff Holschuh |
Greater Newton Area Chamber of Commerce |
| Andrea Sabus |
Grimes Chamber & Economic Development |
| Shane Hart |
Grinnell Area Chamber of Commerce |
| Andy English |
Indianola Chamber of Commerce |
| Aaron Rector |
Johnston Chamber of Commerce |
| Megan McKay |
Knoxville Chamber of Commerce |
| Jerry Parkin |
Madison County Chamber of Commerce |
| Eric Simon |
Norwalk Area Chamber of Commerce |
| Mark Putnam |
Pella Area Community & Economic Development (PACE) |
| Joe Shepherd |
Pleasant Hill Chamber of Commerce |
| Jon Johnson |
Polk City Chamber and Economic Development Corp. |
| Pat Pithan |
Urbandale Chamber of Commerce |
| Ray Meister |
Waukee Area Chamber of Commerce |
| Matt McKinney |
West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce |
| David Pargulski |
Des Moines West Side Chamber of Commerce |
| Louisa Dykstra |
Windsor Heights Chamber of Commerce |
| |
Updated Jan. 2019 |
2019 Economic Development Board
| Name |
Representing |
| Todd Ashby |
Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization |
| Doug Beech |
Casey's General Stores, Inc. |
| Tony Braida |
Bankers Trust Company |
| Brian Buethe |
Grimes Chamber and Economic Development |
| Kristi Christensen |
John Deere Des Moines Works |
| Chris Costa |
Knapp Properties, Inc. |
| Rob Denson |
Des Moines Area Community College |
| Steve Dickinson |
Cozen O'Connor |
| Kevin Foley |
Des Moines International Airport |
| Amy Friedrich |
Principal |
| Grant Friesth |
Wells Fargo Bank |
| Steven Gaer |
R&R Realty Group |
| Greg Halford |
Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations |
| Michael Helak |
U.S. Bank |
| Craig Ibsen |
NextLevel Ventures |
| Michael Kulik |
Davis, Brown, Koehn, Shors & Roberts, P.C. |
| Kathryn Kunert |
MidAmerican Energy Company |
| Jay Larsen |
Nationwide |
| Jeff Lorenzen |
American Equity Investment |
| Alex Lynch |
East Polk Innovation Collaboration |
| Jim Masterson |
LightEdge Solutions, Inc. |
| Ginger Miller |
DuPont Pioneer |
| Gary Palmer |
Prairie Meadows |
| Joe Pauley |
Andersen Windows, Storm Door Division |
| Steve Shupp |
Alliant Energy |
| Roger Soener |
FBL Financial Group, Inc. |
| Bill Stowe |
Des Moines Water Works |
| Matt McCoy |
Polk County Board of Supervisors |
| Scott Venerable |
Mercer |
| Ross Wendell |
CenturyLink |
| Ben Woline |
EFCO |
| |
Updated Feb. 2019 |
2019 Talent Development
| Name |
Representing |
| Greg Nichols, Chair |
Iowa Student Loan |
| Tom Ahart |
Des Moines Public Schools |
| Michael Anderson |
Principal |
| Sara Bath |
Iowa Workforce Development |
| Lori Chesser |
Davis Brown Law Firm |
| Marci Chickering |
Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Iowa |
| Vicki Comegys |
Catch Des Moines |
| Lonnette Dafney |
Federal Home Loan Bank - Des Moines |
| Rob Denson |
Des Moines Area Community College |
| Justin Haas |
Young Professionals Connection |
| Staci Harper-Bennett |
Youth Leadership Initiative |
| Chick Herbert |
NCMIC Professional Services |
| Craig Jackman |
Paragon IT |
| Damon Jackson |
Wells Fargo & Co. |
| Kelsey Knowles |
Belin McCormick, P.C. |
| Melody Maxted |
Nationwide |
| Renee Miller |
United Way of Central Iowa |
| Melissa Ness |
Aureon |
| Beth Nigut |
EMC Insurance Companies |
| Lisa Remy |
West Des Moines School District |
| Karen Rieck |
FBL Financial Group, Inc. |
| Jackie Rolow |
SHAZAM, Inc. |
| Matt Romkey |
Mercy College of Health Sciences |
| Mondale Smith |
Berkley Agribusiness |
| Georgia Van Gundy |
Iowa Business Council |
| |
Updated Jan. 2019 |
2019 Business Resources and Community Development Board
| Name |
Representing |
| Betty Ridout, Chair |
Bankers Trust Company |
| Elaine Castelline, Past Chair |
Prairie Meadows |
| Matt Connolly |
Iowa Realty |
| Brad Botos |
Great Western Bank |
| Justin Brown |
Downing Construction |
| Howard Eaton |
AFLAC |
| Craig Erickson |
Shive-Hattery |
| Jenica Johnson |
SBDC |
| Karen Kuhn |
Nationwide |
| Sara Larson |
American Trust and Savings Bank |
| Kevin Lentz |
Performance Marketing |
| Joe Nguyen |
Anytime Fitness |
| Betty Ridout |
Bankers Trust Company |
| Mark Roth |
BrownWinick Law Firm |
| Lynn Schattner |
Carlisle Area Chamber of Commerce |
| Mike Vaughn |
BDI Signs |
| Troy Vincent |
Navigate Wellbeing |
| Eric White |
Estes Construction |
| Geoff Wood |
Gravitate |
| |
Updated Jan. 2019 |
2019 Downtown Board
| Name |
Representing |
| Jake Christensen, Co-Chair |
Christensen Development |
| Hallie Still-Caris, Co-Chair |
Nyemaster Goode, P.C. |
| Emily Abbas |
Bankers Trust Company |
| Mike Abbott |
Faegre Baker Daniels |
| Nate Barber |
Belin McCormick, P.C. |
| David Brown |
Wellmark |
| Teri Button |
Principal |
| Jay Byers |
Greater Des Moines Partnership |
| Steve Carlson |
Wells Fargo & Co. |
| Jeff Chelesvig |
Des Moines Performing Arts |
| Frank Cownie |
Mayor, City of Des Moines |
| Lorin Ditzler |
Downtown Chamber |
| Bob Douglas |
Davis Brown Law Firm |
| Justin Doyle |
Blackbird Investments |
| Kyle Gamble |
Hubbell Realty Company |
| Michael Gartner Jr. |
Iowa Cubs |
| Ryan Grant |
Iowa Wolves |
| Sharon Krause |
Kum & Go |
| Katheryn Kunert |
MidAmerican Energy Company |
| Austin Lewis |
Downtown Neighborhood Association |
| Bob Link |
EMC Insurance Companies |
| Josh Mandelbaum |
City of Des Moines |
| Jenny McCoy |
Meredith |
| Matt McCoy |
Polk County Board of Supervisors |
| Gene Meyer |
Greater Des Moines Partnership |
| Jonathan Napier |
BrownWinick Law Firm |
| Gunnar Olson |
Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization |
| Sid Ramsey |
UnityPoint Health |
| Dave Remund |
Drake University |
| Paul Rottenberg |
Orchestrate Hospitality |
| John Ruan IV |
Ruan Companies |
| Kris Saddoris |
Economic Development Chair |
| Scott Sanders |
City of Des Moines |
| Julie Stewart |
Downtown Events Group |
| Ryan Squier |
Operation Downtown Chair |
| Brian Tessau |
Nationwide |
| Greg Wattier |
Slingshot Architecture |
| Mike Wegner |
MercyOne |
| |
Updated Feb. 2019 |
2019 Communications Board
| Name |
Representing |
| Christy Gooding, Chair |
GuideOne Insurance |
| Emily Abbas |
Bankers Trust Company |
| Kristie Bell |
Athene |
| Sarah Boese |
Polk County |
| Sara Bonney |
Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines |
| Annette Bravard |
Pella Corporation |
| Steve Carlson |
Wells Fargo & Co. |
| Sally Dix |
Bravo Greater Des Moines |
| Angie Fagervik-Chia |
UnityPoint Health – Des Moines |
| Lydia Hornung |
John Deere Des Moines Works |
| 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 |
| Dean Kathleen Richardson |
Drake University |
| Sharyl Sauer |
Corteva Agriscience |
| Eva Sweet |
Principal |
| Joey Taylor-Moon |
Hubbell Realty Company |
| Andy TeBockhorst |
United Way of Central Iowa |
| Laura Vanden Bosch |
MercyOne |
| Amanda Wanke |
DART |
| Nancy Wiles |
Farm Bureau Financial Services |
| Jen Schulte |
City of Des Moines |
| |
Updated Jan. 2019 |
2019 Marketing and Public Relations Committees
| Marketing Committee |
|
| Jordan Beynon |
Lessing-Flynn |
| Chris Conetzkey |
Des Moines Business Record |
| Erin Hockman |
DART |
| Cindy Hughes-Anliker |
UnitedHealthcare |
| Angela Jiskoot |
Lessing-Flynn |
| Kendra Kelly |
Meyocks |
| Mark Nichols |
Wells Fargo & Co. |
| Nicole Rasmussen |
First National Bank |
| Alex Rich |
Trilix |
| Rachel Wegmann |
Blackbird Investments |
|
|
| Public Relations Committee |
|
| Katie Bonner |
UnitedHealthcare |
| Jolene Bopp |
American Heart Association |
| Alison Cate |
Goodwill of Central Iowa |
| Chris Conetzkey |
Des Moines Business Record |
| Tom Flynn |
Lessing-Flynn |
| Kristin Hurd |
Hurd Real Estate |
| Kayla Kovarna |
American Heart Association |
| Lauren Vallas |
McGill Junge Wealth Management |
| Jon Miller |
Trilix |
| Elizabeth Sporrer |
Vermeer Corporation |
| Sarah Todd |
MercyOne |
| Amy Varcoe |
Waukee Community School District |
| Sarah Welch |
United Way of Central Iowa |
| Nancy Wiles |
FBL Financial Services, Inc. |
| |
Updated Jan. 2019 |
2019 Operation Downtown
| Name |
Representing |
| Carissa Schmidt, Chair |
Principal |
| Karen Karr, Vice Chair |
BrownWinick Law Firm |
| Michael Anderson |
Principal |
| Lisa Coate |
Nationwide |
| Chris Coleman |
Des Moines City Council |
| Mike Crowley |
Wellmark |
| Chris Della Vedova |
Confluence |
| Niki DePhillips |
Kum & Go |
| John Egan |
Principal |
| Sam Gelb |
The Graham Group |
| James M. Grant Jr. |
Wellmark |
| Briget Grindatti |
Ryan Companies |
| Rachel Holst |
Wells Fargo & Co. |
| TJ Jacobs |
Blackbird Investments |
| Kent Mauck |
Encore Properties |
| David Mazzarella |
Cap Square/Real Capital Solutions |
| Cindy McCauley |
EMC Insurance Companies |
| 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 |
| Kevin Redig |
Meredith Corporation |
| Ron Romig |
Ruan Center Corporation |
| John Rowen |
Polk County |
| Tim Rypma |
RE Properties |
| John Schwechel |
Federal Home Loan Bank |
| Ryan Squier |
Nationwide |
| Steve Stupka |
Lawmark |
| Sandra Swanson |
MercyOne |
| Chris Terhark |
Deloitte |
| Greg Wattier |
Slingshot Architecture |
| |
Updated Feb. 2019 |
2019 Inclusion Council
| Name |
Representing |
| Vicki Comegys, Chair |
Catch Des Moines |
| Kate Hightshoe, Vice Chair |
Hubbell Realty |
| Amanda Banks, Past Chair |
BirdDogHR |
| Kristi Burma |
Athene |
| Becky Campbell |
John Deere Financial |
| Becky Coady |
ABI |
| Lisa Coate |
Nationwide |
| Mark Danes |
Des Moines University |
| Marvin DeJear |
Des Moines Area Community College/Evelyn K. Davis Center |
| Samantha Digmann |
Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa |
| Whitney Ford |
Bankers Trust Company |
| Joe Gonzalez |
Latino Festival |
| Sherry Gupta |
CultureAll |
| 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 |
| Micah Kiel |
Wells Fargo & Co. |
| Michelle Krefft |
Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
| Dr. Erin Lane |
Drake University |
| Greg Lin |
Young Professionals Connection |
| Tiffany Menke |
Urbandale Chamber of Commerce |
| Sherri Nielsen |
Easter Seals |
| Jackie Norris |
Goodwill Industries |
| Maureen Norris |
Des Moines Public Schools |
| Tim Perkins |
Iowa Commission on Native American Affairs |
| John Redlin |
UnityPoint Health – Des Moines |
| Clair Rudison |
Urban Dreams |
| Claudia Schabel |
Schabel Solutions |
| Heather Schott |
Principal |
| Kayla Smith |
Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Iowa |
| Angela Stewart |
Pioneer |
| Sailu Timbo |
Hy-Vee, Inc. |
| Kim Vasquez |
Aerotek |
| Colleen Walters |
MercyOne |
| Angela Weekley |
Veridian Credit Union |
| Amanda Wicker |
Iowa National Guard |
| Nicholas Wuertz |
Lutheran Services in Iowa |
| |
Updated Jan. 2019 |
2019 Youth Leadership Initiative Executive Council
| Name |
Representing |
| Staci Harper Bennett, Chair |
Living History Farms |
| Zachary Walker, Youth Leadership Initiative Director |
Greater Des Moines Partnership |
| Christopher White |
Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Iowa |
| Haley Babcock |
Des Moines Art Center |
| Katie Michalski |
Student, Johnston High School |
| Shaun Boyle |
Wells Fargo & Co. |
| Tyler Jufernbruch |
Student, Indianola High School |
| Will Keck |
Student, Waukee High School |
| Alia Smith |
Student, Ankeny Centennial |
| Amanda Martin |
Drake University |
| Alex Jones |
MidAmerican Energy Company |
| Jaclyn Overton |
SHIFT Interactive |
| Bobbi Sullivan |
Simpson College |
| Chelsea Moore |
Grand View University (AmeriCorps) |
| Justin Anderson |
Wells Fargo & Co. |
| Bethany Crouch |
Wells Fargo & Co. |
| Stephanie Oppel |
Robert Ray Center - Drake University |
| Megan Eischeide |
Iowa State University |
| Lily Quade |
Norwalk High School |
| Alex Tiengkham |
East High School |
| Claire Kelly |
Waukee High School |
| Zach Halter |
Dowling High School |
| Jenna Lee-Johnson |
Indianola High School |
| Jessica Cruz Hernandez |
Hoover High School |
| Chandler Schrock |
Southeast Polk High School |
| Shelby McCasland |
Martinsdale St. Marys |
| |
Updated Jan. 2019 |
2019 International Trade Council
| Name |
Representing |
| Jayne Armstrong |
U.S. Small Business Administration |
| David Basler |
Kemin Industries, Inc. |
| Daryl Bouwkamp |
Vermeer Corporation |
| Tony Braida |
Bankers Trust Company |
| Kavilash Chawla |
Baton Global, LLC |
| Steve Dickinson |
Cozen O'Connor |
| Phil Harrington |
Kuder |
| Brandon Hess |
Cemen Tech |
| Adam Hill |
Scarbrough International |
| Billi Hunt |
Cultivation Corridor |
| Aaron Johnson |
Accumold |
| Peggy Kerr |
Iowa Economic Development Authority |
| Li Zhao Mandelbaum |
China Iowa Group |
| Julie Masimore |
Bankers Trust Company |
| CJ Morton |
Des Moines/Crossroads Cold Storage |
| Tom Murphy |
Accumold |
| Kraig Paulsen |
Iowa State University |
| Doug Roozeboom |
RSM |
| Jason Ross |
Davis Brown Law Firm |
| Chris Sackett |
BrownWinick Law Firm |
| Alyson Schroer |
Scarbrough International |
| Tim Woods |
International Traders of Iowa |
| |
Updated Jan. 2019 |
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 Company |
| 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. 2019 |