YP Day on Hill Recap

A group of over 30 young professionals from across Iowa gathered on Tuesday, March 7 for the Young Professionals of Iowa Day on the Hill at the Iowa State Capitol in Downtown Des Moines (DSM). This was an opportunity to discuss with our legislators the issues we believe are important to young professionals throughout Iowa and learn from young professional advocates how we as individuals can get together to make an impact.

An Inside Look at the YP Day on the Hill

The day began with a tour of the capitol, including a tour of the dome on top of the Capitol building — a 91 stair climb! We then gathered in the Legislative Dining Room for a round-table discussion beginning with four young professional Iowa advocates, Zack Davis, the former Iowa State Director at NextGen Climate, Bobbi Bentley an Ankeny City Council Member, Joseph Jones the Executive Director at the Harkin Institute, and Anne Roth the Deputy Campaign Manager for Senator Grassley’s 2016 re-election. The discussion focused around issues facing our state that included fostering connections between rural and urban areas, attracting and retaining young professionals in Iowa, pressing issues being discussed in the 2017 Legislative Session, and how to become an advocate as a young professional. Governor Terry Branstad and Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds as well as Legislators stopped in to join the discussion about the critical role our demographic plays in our state and take questions from the group.

To end the day, we continued the conversation at Peace Tree Brewery for local brews and networking. We look forward to you joining us next year as this event is open to all young professionals!

Written by Lisa Becker
Young Professionals of Iowa (YPIowa) serves as a mechanism to empower emerging leaders to cultivate an environment that attracts and retains young professionals in the state of Iowa. YPIowa seeks to elevate young professionals and the communities they serve through construction of a robust network of connections, advocating effectively for relevant issues and enhancing the visibility of their efforts around the state of Iowa. To learn more on how you can become a member or get involved visit our website.