Women’s Conference 2020
Speakers
Bethenny Frankel is a self-made businesswoman, TV producer, multiple New York Times bestselling author, and mother. Bethenny recently made a multi-year deal with MGM Television and Mark Burnett to generate unscripted television projects that she will produce, representing the shift in the conversation for women. She is the Founder & CEO of Skinnygirl, a lifestyle brand offering practical solutions to women, including the recent launch of the Skinnygirl Jeanswear Collection, which sold out on HSN within its first few hours. Bethenny can be seen as a guest shark on ABC’s critically acclaimed series “Shark Tank.” She became an instant fan favorite, showcasing her entrepreneurial prowess and gut instincts alongside the panel of investors.
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Bethenny recently left the popular Bravo series “The Real Housewives of New York City,” after eleven seasons to focus more on her daughter, her philanthropy, and her partnership with Mark Burnett. Bethenny has also been named one of the Top 100 Most Powerful Celebrities by Forbes. Bethenny is always ahead of the curve and identifies and capitalizes on business opportunities.
Not fulfilled by business alone, Bethenny’s life’s experiences have inspired her to help other women find their own strength and resilience with the launch of B Strong, in partnership with Dress for Success. B Strong: Find Your Yes, is a real-time, emergency intervention initiative that provides assistance to women who face crises on their road to success.
Additionally, Bethenny established the worldwide initiative, “B Strong: Disaster Relief.” Their program provides people with much needed gift cards, bank cards and critical supplies so they are able to deliver in real time. They collect aid and donations from across the country to help individuals and their families affected by the recent natural disasters impacting Texas, Florida, Mexico, Northern California, Dominica, The U.S. Virgin Islands and New York City. As a result of Bethenny’s efforts, B Strong had marshaled over 10 million pounds of aid that was destined primarily for Puerto Rico. Bethenny helped coordinate the chartering of 55+ private planes to help deliver aid and relief to those hit hardest by the disaster. Raising approximately $1.25 million in cash cards and collecting over $20 million worth of disaster relief to distribute, this has been called one of the largest privately-run humanitarian efforts in US history. B Strong has also supported immediate aid programs in Guatemala following the Volcano De Fuego eruption, North Carolina following Hurricane Florence, Florida Panhandle following Hurricane Michael and most recently in the Bahamas after the devastating effects of Hurricane Dorian. Over 10,000 individuals, companies and foundations have contributed to B Strong’s efforts.
As a runner up on “The Apprentice: Martha Stewart,” her success then led her to Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of New York City,” followed by the spin-off series, “Bethenny Getting Married?” and “Bethenny Ever After…” Viewers were captivated by her wit, wisdom and humor as they followed her personal life becoming a mother and her professional journey creating the Skinnygirl empire. She eventually brought her distinct voice and candid point of view to “Bethenny,” where she hosted her nationally syndicated daytime talk show program. Bethenny started her own TV production company, B Real-ity, producing two seasons of FYI’s “Food Porn,” and was the creator, producer and star of Bravo’s hit real estate show “Bethenny and Fredrik.”
From becoming a natural food chef and marketing Bethenny Bakes, her healthy baked goods service, to selling “Princess Pashminas” at house parties and creating the low-calorie cocktail category with the launch of Skinnygirl Cocktails, Bethenny has always identified and capitalized on business opportunities. A true entrepreneur, to further build Skinnygirl Cocktails, Bethenny partnered with Beam Suntory in 2011 to grow her portfolio to include wines, flavored vodkas, and ready-to-drink cocktails. Since the launch of Skinnygirl Cocktails, she has expanded the Skinnygirl brand into a global lifestyle empire, featuring products for women that offer practical and stylish solutions to everyday problems. With the launch of the Skinnygirl Jeanswear collection in September 2018, Skinnygirl has become more than a brand, but also an attitude that helps empower women to lead healthy lives and feel strong, honest and fearless. Some of the many other Skinnygirl products include microwave popcorn, candy, salad dressings, coffee, tea, liquid sweeteners, water enhancers, shapewear, and most recently candles, skin and body care.
She is the five-time New York Times bestselling author of: “Skinnydipping,” “A Place of Yes: 10 Rules for Getting Everything You Want Out Of Life”, “Naturally Thin: Unleash Your Skinnygirl,” “Free Yourself from a Lifetime of Dieting, The Skinnygirl™ Dish: Easy Recipes for Your Naturally Thin Life”, and “I Suck At Relationships So You Don’t Have To”. She has also authored “Skinnygirl Solutions: Simple Ideas, Extraordinary Results,” the children’s book, “Cookie Meets Peanut”, and the cocktail book, “Skinnygirl Cocktails.”
Prior to founding her own company, Randi was an early employee at Facebook, where she is best known for creating Facebook Live, now used by more than a billion people around the world.
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Randi travels the world, speaking about technology, entrepreneurship, her time in Silicon Valley, and shockingly…how to unplug! When she’s not Facebooking or actual written-word booking, she can be found at the theater – as a two-time Tony Award winning Broadway producer of Hadestown and Oklahoma! – or doing her best to unplug at home with her husband and three children.
motivation and inspiration
2020 WOCO Speakers
Liz is an adventure speaker, most recently following her origins with a trip to India, climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro and flipping 300 pound tires in the Iowa Strongman Games. She created a television show which aired locally and won a regional Emmy. Liz is a regular contributor to the Huffington Post and has authored several best selling books—Curry Up, The 180 Life, the 100-Day Journey and 20 Beautiful Women. Her work has been ranked in BuzzFeed and reviewed by the Huffington Post.
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Deedee Myers, Ph.D, MSC, PCC
Chief Executive Officer of DDJ Myers
Deedee is known for being a thought and practice leader in the field of transformative change and organizational evolution for people and organizations. Her work with boards, executive teams, and staff inspire organizations to adopt evolutionary yet pragmatic communication and behavioral practices that add sustainable and intrinsic value.
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Deedee is widely known for evolutionary strategic planning, deep-seated succession planning from the emerging leader through the board level, generative board practices, and advancing leadership presence and execution so that individuals, teams, and organizations can access untapped potential. She contributes to advancing leadership through frequent speaking engagements, articles, and blogs.
Deedee has a master’s degree in organizational development, a Ph.D. in human development, a master’s level in somatic coaching, and a PCC in coaching from the International Coaching Federation.
Jennifer Owens is founder and president of Jennwork, a women’s content agency, and senior vice president of HealthyWomen, the nation’s leading source for independent women’s health information.
Previously, she launched Spring.St, the place for smart women, and before that served as editorial director of Working Mother Media, reaching millions of women each month.
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In 2010, Jennifer founded the Working Mother Research Institute (WMRI), home to the Working Mother 100 Best Companies, Best Companies for Multicultural Women, Best Law Firms for Women and the National Association of Female Executives Top 50 Companies. And in 2013, launched National Flex Day, an annual spotlight on the benefits of flexible and remote work policies for all employees.
Under her leadership, WMRI published more than a dozen white papers studying the intersection of career and gender, including Breadwinning Moms, How We Flex and Caregivers Crisis. In 2014, WMRI joined with the White House Office on Women and Girls, Department of Labor and Center for American Progress to present the White House Summit on Working Families.
Jennifer blogs on CNBC, IvyExec and The Huffington Post and has been quoted worldwide, including in The New York Times, CNN, Fox Business News, ABC News and Fast Company. “Women Are Overburdened With Their Families’ “Mental Loads” is her most recent essay for New America Foundation’s Better Life Lab on Slate. She serves on the board of director of ProCon.org and as an advisor to numerous entities, including FairyGodboss and Kintsu.
Rosemary Parson
When growing up in Indianapolis, IN; there was tremendous expectation for women and minorities to follow a narrow pathway, established within the culture (at that time), which was prevalent in our society. As such; many parents, educators and community leader were encouraging the youth to challenge such narrow minded thinking, to determine who we were, take risks, and “be the change we want to see”. Societal pressures were great – and yet; I took on that challenge. I stood up against beliefs of constraints for my life, my career and created a vision seen through my lens; embraced my thinking lived the “me brand” to which I dreamed.
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Like the lake effect, I had grown up witnessing; inclement weather in the state, which produced paralyzing results without warning; and families were stuck in time, if action was taken to position one for continued survival. I knew as a child, that a personal life INFRASTRUCTURE or belief system had to be developed, for navigation through life on my terms, regardless of uncontrollable actions – to happen. This mindset became the guide for taking risks and living an unscripted life. And ultimately, established the template for life, around the image seen through my own lens…. my “me brand”.
I plan to share – via short description, seven (7) key tools developed on my unscripted journey, which led to both amazing opportunities and heartbreaking disappointments. Both experiences ultimately, allowed for an exciting career and an eventful life – led authenticity. How these experiences were handled or the road traversed; resulted in a personal “brand” being formed, that well defines my “me brand” and just may inspire the audience.
Katy Wells
Katy Wells is the host of The Maximized Minimalist Podcast and author of The Busy Woman’s Survival Guide to Ditching your Clutter for Good.
Katy has spent years helping busy women bring back balance into their home. She is on a mission to help women find freedom from the piles of stuff and transform their home from a time-sucking, full-time job, into a sanctuary and place they love to raise their family.
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She offers online workshops, podcasts and guides to help women live more joyfully, by having less.
She lives in Asheville, North Carolina with her husband of 8 years and their two sons, River and Levi. When she’s not working, she’s spending time with her family hiking, riding bikes and making memories.
Dr. Ruth MacDonald is Professor and Chair, Department of Food Science and Human
Nutrition, at Iowa State University, and Assistant Dean for Graduate Programs for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She holds a PhD in Nutrition, minor in Food Science, and Masters in Nutrition, minor in Physiology from the University of Minnesota, and is a Registered Dietitian. She was a Post-Doctoral Fellow at Harvard Medical School, Joslin Diabetes Center for 2 years.
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Courtney Conlin
Courtney Conlin is a personal style consultant, fashion styling professor and owner of Conlin Consulting, LLC.
Thanks to her father (and growing up a tomboy), she learned at a young age how important it is to be yourself and honor who you truly are.
While working in the retail industry and as a personal stylist with a cus-tom clothier, she obtained her public relations and business degrees and built her style consulting business.
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Courtney believes every last one of us is entitled to self-confidence and without it, we are cheating ourselves of our potentials.
Michele’s career in television began in the Des Moines, Iowa Market in the late 90’s on KDSM FOX 17 as the FOX Kids Club Personality…she has since grown into a renowned Lifestyle Artisan who creates, hosts and produces unique how-to lifestyle programs for television networks such as PBS, DIY NETWORK, HGTV, CW, and FOX. She speaks to audiences everywhere on how to celebrate the art of every day and demonstrates how engaging in creative pursuits and connecting with nature can ReMake Lives at home, at work, and at play.
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Titles to her credit include B. Organic with Michele Beschen, B. Original, Michele Beschen’s Courage to Create and her most recent development, ReMake.Life. Her dynamic approach to natural, creative living has been called upon for regular features on Good Morning America; The Rachael Ray Show; The Nate Berkus Show, Lowe’s Creative Ideas; Meredith Corporation Special Interest Publications including, Do It Yourself Magazine, Scripps Howard News Service, and other media outlets. She currently contributes to central Iowa’s Morning Lifestyle show, Iowa Live, on KCWI-23 weekday mornings from 7:00 to 10:00 am.
Michele and her two daughters call Madison County home where she owns and operates her living studios and an acreage dedicated to cultivating and teaching the artisanal life through plantings, repurposing, modern homesteading and other natural connections.
Join her:
https://www.remake.life/
https://www.instagram.com/remakelife/
https://www.facebook.com/michelebrown.remakelife
https://www.facebook.com/remakelifesmi/
https://www.facebook.com/borganic/
Joey Beech
Joey Beech combines personal stories as a daughter and a mother with her professional experience to help others live a financially functional life. She wrote A Girl’s Guide to Personal Finance to share important financial lessons of life in an interesting and meaningful way. The result is a book about money you’ll actually enjoy.
Joey has a business education degree from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities and over 25 years of experience in the financial industry.
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She is currently the executive director of Ankeny Economic Development Corporation.
When she’s not working you can find her hanging out with her family and friends.
Angela Tin is an Environmental and Regulatory Compliance professional with a Bachelor’s Degree in Physiology and a Master’s Degree in Cell Biology. She has worked for over 20 years for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, in managerial and policy levels in the Bureaus of Air, Land, and Water. As the current National Senior Director for Clean Air Initiatives for the American Lung Association, Angela is primarily responsible for managing and prioritizing environmental projects. For the past 14 years, she has partnered with industry, state and local agencies in the promotion of outdoor and indoor air quality programs.
Marji Guyler-Alaniz
Marji Alaniz, President and Founder of FarmHer, is a lifetime Iowan and lover of photography. That love, combined with Graphic Design, Journalism and Photography degrees from Grand View University, an MBA from Drake University and an 11-year career in corporate agriculture led her to launch FarmHer in the spring of 2013. Through FarmHer she is bringing the stories of women to the forefront of agriculture, food and rural communities.
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Marji has expanded the FarmHer brand to include a weekly award-winning national cable television show, a weekly SiriusXM radio show and podcast, a diverse array of digital and print media and a line of merchandise. Her work for FarmHer has been featured in an expanse of arenas ranging from an Emmy-winning documentary and the RFD-TV cable channel to USDA’s National Ag Day Celebration, Successful Farming and O the Oprah Magazine.
In a world full of extremes, Annie Brees provides a way to balance food + fitness that’s rooted in self-love. Annie is a personal trainer, co-founder Balance365 Life, mom to three kiddos, and West Des Moines, resident. Annie felt called to create Balance365 because she believes women deserve a more balanced approach to changing their lifestyle. She is on a mission to help cultivate a world-wide cultural shift where women celebrate the beauty in the diversity of our bodies and shift the focus from what we look like to who we are.
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When she’s not hitting the gym or empowering women you can find her sipping coffee, jamming to 90’s hits and curating hilarious insta-stories.
Christina Moffatt
After working for 10 years in corporate U.S.A., Christina decided she was tired of seeing people with no happiness in their day. Her mission became to find what makes people happy. The answer, she discovered, was cupcakes and dessert.
A baker since she could hold a measuring spoon, Christina combined her culinary skills with her management and marketing experience to create Crème Cupcake + Dessert, which expanded from a home-operated bakery to a commercial kitchen in less than a year.
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From a dozen cupcakes for a single order to 2,100 desserts for the Vice President of China, or 4000 for Dam to Dam more and more people around are turning to Crème Cupcake + Dessert to find a way to satisfy their sweet tooth…and find their own joy.
A graduate of DMACC, Iowa State University and University of Toledo CBA Program, Christina not only owns and operates Crème Cupcake + Dessert and serves as the Director of Small Business Resources for the Greater Des Moines Partnership. She also devotes her time and talents to many local boards. Christina has won several awards for her business including DSM Top List for Best Bakery, Cityview’s Best Dessert, Sweet Equality Best Dessert, Runner up for the Iowa Mixology Competition and runner up on The Food Network’s Cupcake Wars. Christina has also been featured in Pastry & Baking North America in the Regional Showcase and Baker in Focus. Christina is also a Business Record’s 40 Under Forty, 2012 Deb Dalziel Woman Entrepreneur Achievement Award Winner by the Iowa Small Business Development Center for the State of Iowa, 2013 Woman of the Year by the Metro Women’s Network, 2015 Women Business Owner of the Year by National Association of Women Business Owners Iowa Chapter, 2016 Finalist for Iowa Women Entrepreneurial Innovation and Leadership Award by Technology Association of Iowa, 2017 Outstanding Alumni of the Year by DMACC, 2018 Ivy Women in Business Inspiration Award by Iowa State University and 2018 Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute Distinguished Leaders Community Vision Inspiration Award.
Megan McKay
Megan McKay is a Knoxville, Iowa native who completed her education at the University of Iowa with a bachelors’ of business administration in Management and Organizations followed a Masters of Business Administration. In 2001 she returned home as the fourth generation of McKay Insurance Agency, Inc and managed a varied book of clients as well as oversaw the operations of the agency. In 2009, she and her business partners started Peace Tree Brewing Company as a way to redevelop Main Street Knoxville and drive economic and cultural development in the community.
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In January 2015, she took over full ownership and management of the brewery and has expanded to a second brewery and taproom in Des Moines as well as a third taproom in Grinnell. In 2019, Peace Tree is in the top 5 largest breweries in Iowa, producing 6000 barrels of beer, employing over 40 fabulous people and wholesale distribution spanning all of Iowa and Nebraska. She is most proud of the way Peace Tree enriches the community through thoughtful beer experiences while upholding the values of authenticity, integrity, innovation, fun, tenacity and family.
In the spirit of community development, McKay also manages 26 Properties with her business and life partner Brian Thomas. Their primary project has been to redevelop the old Chamber of Commerce building into three commercial spaces and five apartments to provide high quality commercial and residential rental options in Knoxville. Additionally, she has lent her entrepreneurial experience to Soap Creek Resources, a 2017 start up engineering staffing and design firm and continues to manage the back end business operations. To give back to her community and continue on the path of learning, McKay currently serves as Board Chair of the Knoxville Hospital and Clinics as she finishes out her third term. She is also the current President of the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce and has enjoyed helping to develop the organization into a valuable asset to the community. McKay was also appointed by the Governor to the Iowa Economic Development Authority board and currently serves as the Due Diligence Committee Chair.
McKay balances out her professional life by enjoying the acreage she shares in Knoxville with Brian and her son Urban. She recharges by working in the yard, cooking, playing cribbage, reading, traveling, being super a fan of her son’s sports teams, and being a supportive bonus parent to Brian’s college age boys, Ben and Gabe.
Whitney Warne
Whitney Warne is a personal brand strategist, business owner and community builder, best known for her roles as owner and photographer at Ivory House Photography and as one half of the Brand Launch dynamic duo. Along with Emily Steele, Brand Launch specializes in building hyper local personal and community brands using grassroots marketing techniques and community marketing strategies.
Brand Launch introduced the #dshummingbird charm to Des Moines in July of 2018.
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#dsmhummingbirds are a group of vocal community builders who love trying new things and sharing their newfound products and services on social media. Together, Whitney and Emily are at the forefront of unconventional, people-focused community marketing and they love spreading the word about incorporating authenticity and community into brand-building strategies! They launched YOUR PERSONAL BRAND LAUNCH educational course in January of 2020 and are so excited to share their knowledge with the city they love most.
Elizabeth Coonan
Elizabeth A. Coonan is a member of BrownWinick and serves as chair of BrownWinick’s Employment Law practice group. Elizabeth represents clients in the areas of employment, workers’ compensation and business immigration law. She assists employers with policy development and enforcement, non-competes and other restrictive covenants, business visas and compliance with immigration laws, litigation and workers’ compensation strategy and provides trainings on drug testing, harassment and FMLA issues.
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Elizabeth also serves as an independent investigator for harassment and other claims. Elizabeth counsels clients regarding discipline and termination situations and compliance with local, state and federal employment and civil rights laws and regulations. She represents clients in proceedings in front of various courts and administrative bodies including the Iowa Civil Rights Commission and the Iowa Division of Workers’ Compensation. Elizabeth also assists clients in dispute resolution using alternate forums and is a certified mediator.
Elizabeth has been selected for inclusion in Super Lawyers for her work in the area of Employment and Labor law and is included in The Best Lawyers in America® for her work in the area of Workers’ Compensation law. Additionally, she is listed in Chambers USA® in the area of Labor & Employment law.
She is a member of the Polk County and Iowa State (Workers’ Compensation and Labor and Employment Law Sections) Bar Associations and serves as a Drake Law Women Advisory Board Member. She is also a member of the Iowa Association of Workers’ Compensation Attorneys. Elizabeth is active in the community as Chair of the Iowa Commission on the Status of Women, serves on the Iowa Department of Human Rights Board, is a member of the Board of Directors for the Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center, a member of the Board of Directors of House of Mercy and serves on the Board of Directors for the Junior League of Des Moines. She previously served on the Broadlawns Advocacy Circle, working on its mental health awareness campaign, has served as the President of the Board of Directors of the Young Women’s Resource Center, is a graduate of and a past member of the Board of Governors of the Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute. She also serves other non-profit organizations in varying capacities.
Elizabeth received her B.A. in Political Science and International Studies from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and her J.D., with honors, from Drake University. She was admitted to the Iowa bar in 2002 and subsequently admitted to practice before the United States District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of Iowa and the United States Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Jill Waage
Jill is Editorial Director of Home Content for Meredith Corporation, where she works on magazines such as Better Homes & Gardens, Magnolia Journal, Traditional Home, and Country Home.
Kellie Markey
Kellie Markey was a proven leader in marketing and business development during the first 15 years of her career. She built her expertise in Direct Marketing in advertising agencies in Chicago and San Francisco before taking a position at eBay to lead installed base communication strategies and eventually managed the assets and equity invests in Asia, Latin America and Canada for eBay International.
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After 5 years at eBay it was time for a change. Kellie spent her time building a hobby web business, improving her handicap and travelling. During this time, she completed her captain’s licensure for sailing vessels spending 1 week blue water sailing from San Diego to Baha, Mexico.
In March of 2012, Kellie left for France to walk the Camino de Santiago – a 625 mile journey across the northern coast of Spain. She left her boots on the shore at Finis Terre and decided to make Des Moines her full-time home.
Having become disconnected from the home she grew up in – she decided volunteerism would be a good way to re-connect with the community, make friends and perhaps even find a new career path.
She became a volunteer with teen girls at Y.E.S.S. and was shocked to learn of the nature and severity of abuse the children in our community are enduring. This experience led her to become a foster parent. At the time she was flipping homes for a living and literally tripped over the home that would become Dorothy’s House.
She purchased the home in 2014 and eventually purchased the home adjacent as well as an empty lot between the two that had become the neighborhood dump. She began working on the homes and properties immediately and as she began sharing her vision found a groundswell of support in the community.
The homes were completed and opened in January 2016. They are a ‘safe place for the practice of life for those whose lives have been interrupted by sex trafficking and exploitation’.
Recognition for her work includes:
2017 Central College Alumni Award for exceptional professional accomplishments and contributions of service to others.
2018 Dowling Catholic Distinguished Alumna Award
2018 Des Moines Register People to Watch
2018 United Way Impact Maker Award
2018 Iowa NAHT Award for Outstanding Anti-Trafficking Service
Miriam De Dios Woodward
Miriam De Dios Woodward is the CEO of PolicyWorks, LLC and serves as a Senior Vice President of AMC, the parent company of PolicyWorks. In her role at PolicyWorks, she leads the team to provide unparalleled compliance and audit services to credit unions across the country. Prior to taking this role in 2018, Miriam was CEO of AMC company Coopera since 2012. Miriam earned her bachelor’s degree with honors from Iowa State University and her Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Iowa.
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She is also a graduate of the Harvard Business School’s Leading Change and Organizational Renewal executive education program. Miriam currently serves on the board of trustees of Grand View University, the board of directors of the Food Bank of Iowa, Iowa State University’s Women in Business Advisory Board and the Next Level Venture Fund II Review Board. Miriam was named a 2016 Woman to Watch by Credit Union Times, the 2015 Latino Business Person of the Year by the League of Latin American Citizens and she is a 2019 recipient of the Business Record’s Forty Under 40 Award.
Beth Shelton
Beth led her organization to record revenue and membership growth while simultaneously spearheading a cultural transformation that led to her organization being named on the selective Best Workplaces in Iowa in 2018 for the first time in history- and again in 2019.
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Beth, a life-long amputee, also serves on the board for the Iowa Amputee Golf Association, raising scholarships for families affected by the trauma and impact of limb loss. She has a lifelong love of sports, having been a 3-time collegiate MVP, and coaches youth teams in basketball and softball, as well as leading her local Girl Scout troop. She also serves on the Women Lead Change steering council as well as serving on her local school board. Beth resides in Des Moines.
Brooke Cook
Inspire, Engage, Drive. Brooke Cook is a Sales and Marketing professional who wholeheartedly believes in the impact of engagement and motivation with people by what matters most — to them. Whether it’s in the form of creating impactful outcomes for Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 clients or consulting and coaching on an individual level, she leverages her vast experience while anchoring to her ATD Master Performance Consultant and IMA Incentive Professional designations. All the while, ensuring she carves out time to roll up her sleeves and work alongside others giving back in the community.
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Leading efforts to keep people aligned, engaged, motivated and focused, while having fun along the way is something Brooke is incredibly proud of. Being focused on all of this, allows for the highest level of engagement and impact – which in turn leads to higher loyalty, performance and advocacy.
Understanding the “why” and “what” success looks like remains at the forefront for Brooke. From walking alongside the team she leads at ITA Group to accomplishing large tasks and projects at home with her husband and five kiddos, Brooke believes it’s important to know how people are wired and what motivates them. Brooke is a firm believer in asking questions to better understand; even the uncomfortable questions. Each person Brooke partners with is different and should be cared for differently, with a high level of emotional intelligence – from her family, to her team at work, to clients – it takes different things to achieve success and feel complete at every turn.
An avid seeker, Brooke is a learner and leans into a quote she keeps top of mind, “If something is challenging your perspective or making you uncomfortable, pay attention, you are about to learn something.” Those who know Brooke, know that she’s a little sassy combined with a dose of classy. Remaining true to herself while being in tune with her audience and meeting them where they are at, is something Brooke shines at.
Brooke is proud member of the Leadership Team at ITA Group, a West Des Moines based, employee-owned company. She is also the humbled Chair of the Ignite Committee; a focused group dedicated to connecting team members to meaningful volunteer engagements that help strengthen our communities and empower a team member’s journey to fulfillment.
Colleen Kelly
Rheya Spigner
Rheya is the third anchor on KCCI 8 News This Morning, she also anchors traffic in the morning and KCCI 8 News at Noon. She has a passion for social issues and has recently taken up the role of focusing on diverse and pressing topics that are reflective of society and Iowa communities.
Rheya started her career in Albany, GA as a multi- media journalist. Her career continued in Augusta, GA where she started as a morning MMJ and quickly became the go to for LIVE breaking news reports. There, she also Anchored a morning segment called “The Morning Top Five”.
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While at WRDW she also started gaining traffic experience by covering traffic for the well known “Masters week” in Augusta.
Rheya is a graduate of ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism. She looks forward to getting to know the city of Des Moines, from the good food to the cold winters.
Julie Stewart
Julie Stewart’s tenure at Prairie Meadows began shortly after the racetrack opened in 1989. As Assistant Director of Marketing and then as Director of Marketing, Julie successfully led the advertising efforts during the introduction of casino gaming in 1995. As Prairie Meadows expanded its corporate giving, she moved into the role of Director of Community Relations.
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Julie has served the community in many volunteer roles. She is very active in Terrace Hill commission, Southeast Polk Dollars for Scholars, and National Advisory Committee for The Robert D. & Billie Ray Center. Julie is a past president and current member of East Polk Innovation Collaborative. She is also a member of the Balance Autism Board of Directors, Des Moines Community Alliance Board of Directors, and Downtown Events Group Chair.
Julie is also a past board member of the Blank Park Zoo Foundation, Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute, Des Moines Arts Festival, Generations Inc., Variety – The Children’s Charity, Better Business Bureau, United Way Campaign Cabinet, and Des Moines University’s Glanton Scholarship Dinner Committee.
Julie earned her B.A. in business administration from Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri. She has been honored as one of Business Record’s Forty Under 40. Julie is also a graduate of the Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute’s Transformational Leadership Program and Community Leadership Program.
Julie is a member of Lutheran Church of the Cross, Altoona Chamber of Commerce, and Polk County Democrats. She and her husband Mark have three children.
Christina Taylor
Dr. Taylor serves as Chief Quality Officer at The Iowa Clinic. In addition to practicing in internal medicine, Dr Taylor directs the population health efforts at the largest physician owned multi-specialty group in Central Iowa . Dr Taylor has a passion for helping transform healthcare delivery toward more patient and family centered care, with improved outcomes and at lower and more transparent cost. Dr Taylor serves on the American Medical Group Association (AMGA) Quality Council and is chair-elect AMGA Foundation Board of Directors.
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Locally, she serves on the Wesley Life Board of Directors is the Chair of the Dept of Medicine for Methodist Hospital in Des Moines. Personally, she is married and has four children and two granddaughters. She enjoys traveling, and entertaining and is a distilled spirits connoisseur. She and her husband, Rob, are beekeepers along w the children and own The Iowa Honey Company. Most recently they are starting a craft distillery in Osceola, IA, called Revelton Distilling Company, to open summer 2020!
Dr. Amy Bingaman
I have lived in 6 states and proud to say Iowa is now the state I’ve lived in the longest! I am a high school dropout and former teen mom. I attended SIU Carbondale (same as Colleen I believe) then GrandView nursing & eventually graduated from Drake in 1997. I graduated from University of Iowa Medical School in 2002. I joined the Navy to pay my way through med school and was stationed at Naval Medical Center, Portsmouth VA for 8.5 years.
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We returned to Iowa in 2010 and I am an OB/GYN with Unity Point and also a provider in our LGBTQ Clinic. I am also our midwives’ medical director, board director for Eyes Open Iowa, involved in research with 13 publications to date, perform expert legal witness and involved in community education.
I’m happily married to Al with 4 children: Denzel 28y, Xander 13y, Zachary 11y, Natalie Marie 9y.
I enjoy traveling, cooking (& eating), reading and running! I’ve done 2 marathons after 40y and hope to run a race in every state before I die 🙂
Dr. Tiffany Torstenson
Dr. Torstenson finished her general surgery residency at MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center in 2012. She went on to a breast surgical oncology fellowship at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., which she completed in 2013. She returned to join in partnership with her mentor and medical director of Katzmann Breast Care, Dr. Susan Beck.
Dr. Torstenson is actively involved in numerous clinical trials and is a huge advocate of these for her patients. She has multiple publications and speaking appearances.
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She is skilled in ultrasonography and her focuses are on oncoplastic breast surgery and nipple sparing mastectomy. She is actively involved in the surgical education of the residents in the general surgery program at MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center.
She lives in Waukee with her husband and their three children, Chayse, Sydney and Dawson. When she is not at the hospital she enjoys spending time with her family and Lucey, the 2014 Drake beautiful bulldog contest winner.
Jennie Baranczyk
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Baranczyk won back-to-back MVC Coach of the Year awards after her team’s historic 2017-18 and 2016-17 seasons. Each team went 18-0 in regular season conference play and then won the MVC Tournament in Moline, Ill. No MVC team has ever gone undefeated in regular season league action. The 2016-17 team finished with a 28-5 record that included a school and MVC record 22-game winning streak. Baranczyk was honored with her first MVC Coach of the Year award and at the national level by being named the espnW Mid-Major Coach of the Year.
During the 2016-17 and 2018-19 seasons, Drake spent multiple weeks ranked in the AP Top 25 poll, including this past season when the team earned the program’s earliest ranking in a season since 2001 after it was ranked No. 24 in the Nov. 26, 2018 poll. The 2018-19 team ranked No. 20 in the final RPI. Baranczyk challenges her teams with tough non-conference schedules that include in-state foes, Iowa and Iowa State, former MVC rival Creighton and top regional and national opponents. The 2018-19 team played the No. 2 toughtest non-conference schedule in the nation with matchups against Notre Dame, South Carolina, South Dakota, South Dakota State, Rutgers, Nebraska, Iowa, Iowa State and Creighton.
Under her leadership, student-athletes have accomplished numerous individual successes on the court and in the classroom. Three student-athletes have been named the Jackie Stiles MVC Player of the Year four times, including Becca Hittner and Lizzy Wendell. Hittner, who will be a senior in 2019-20 and played for Dowling Catholic High School in West Des Moines, has won the MVC’s top player award each of the past two seasons while Wendell claimed the award in 2017. Hittner was named an AP All-America honorable mention in 2019 while Wendell garnered the honor in 2017, the first for a Drake player since 2012.
In addition to four MVC Player of the Year honorees, there have been 22 all-conference selections, including a league-high 16 first team choices and a league-best 34 MVC Player of the Week winners during her tenure. In addition, Baranczyk has coached four MVC Freshmen of the Year honorees (Maddy Dean, Hittner, Sara Rhine and Wendell) and Sammie Bachrodt, who won the program’s first two MVC Defensive Player of the Year awards. Rhine won the school’s first two MVC Sixth Player of the Year awards in 2016 and 2018.
In the classroom, Rhine, who will be a redshirt senior in 2019-20, has earned CoSIDA Academic All-America honors in 2018 and 2019 in addition to being the MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year each of those years. Hittner joined Rhine on the 2019 Academic All-America First Team as Drake was the only school in the nation with two first-team selections. Hittner and Rhine have been on the past two MVC Scholar-Athlete first teams while former standout Caitlin Ingle was a three-time selection to the top academic team from 2015-17. Ingle, who hailed from nearby Runnells, Iowa, and played for Southeast Polk High School, graduated as Drake’s and the MVC’s all-time career assists leader. Bachrodt graduated as the school’s all-time career steals leader.
Baranczyk’s teams have been highly successful in the classroom during her tenure at Drake, starting in 2013-14 as each of her teams earned prestigious accolades from the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association with the Top 25 Team Honor Roll. Drake has ranked in the top 10 for the prestigious WBCA team academic honor in six straight seasons under Baranczyk including a 4th place ranking in 2018-19 with a 3.695 Team GPA.
On a national level, Baranczyk served as an assistant coach at the 2017 USA Basketball Under 19 Team trials that Hittner attended. In addition, Baranczyk has been a featured speaker at USA Basketball Coaches clinics held throughout the country. On the date of her hire, Baranczyk, who was 31 years old at the time, was the second-youngest Division I head women’s basketball coach. Even as one of the younger Division I head coaches, she made an immediate impact in women’s basketball as she attended the 2013 edition of The Center for Coaching Excellence (CCE). Along with 31 fellow WBCA-member college women’s basketball coaches, she completed the invitation-only, two-and-a-half day elite leadership program hosted by Columbia University in New York City.
Baranczyk and her program are actively involved in the Des Moines community. Starting in 2013-14, the program has reached its goal of completing 1,000 community service hours in the Drake and Des Moines communities over the course of the academic year. Baranczyk previously was a member of the board for the Young Women’s Resource Center in Des Moines. She was honored by the Business Record in June, 2017 by being named a 2017 Women of Influence honoree. The award celebrates the work of women who have made a difference.
Baranczyk came to Drake after a two-year stint as an assistant coach at the University of Colorado, where she was on the staff of head coach Linda Lappe, a former Drake assistant coach. Prior to Colorado, Baranczyk was an assistant coach for four seasons at Marquette after two seasons as an assistant coach at Kansas State. Baranczyk graduated from Iowa in 2004 with her bachelor’s degree in communication studies and from Kansas State with her master’s degree in counseling and student development in 2007.
A standout student-athlete on the floor and in the classroom for the University of Iowa, she played in three NCAA tournaments and one WNIT and helped the Hawkeyes win the 2001 Big Ten Tournament. A three-time captain, Baranczyk (Lillis), was a four-year letterwinner at forward from 2000-04 under former Drake head coach Lisa Bluder. One of the best all-around players in Hawkeye basketball history, she was a three-time All-Big Ten Conference selection, earning first-team honors as a junior in 2003 and second-team honors as a sophomore in 2002 and as a senior in 2004. She was an honorable mention All-American in 2003. She graduated as the only player in Iowa history in the top 10 of five major statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks, and is one of only two Hawkeye players to score more than 1,700 points and grab 800 rebounds.
She was the recipient of the 2004 Big Ten Conference’s Medal of Honor. First awarded in 1914, the Big Ten’s oldest award is given annually to a student-athlete in the graduating class of each university that demonstrated proficiency in scholarship and athletics. Baranczyk was also a three-time Academic All-Big Ten pick, a WBCA Scholarship Award recipient, CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree, and a Collegiate Basketball Award for Excellence semifinalist as a senior in 2004.
Jennie and her husband, Scott, have one son, Eli, and two daughters, Jordi and Hope.
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