Events

Help us clean up the highway by Jordan Creek Parkway.

Iowa has unique advantages that translate into tremendous opportunities for growing and diversifying its economy through the Biosciences. First, the category consistently outperforms Iowa’s overall private sector growth; second, Bioscience-related employment in the state is 36% above national levels; and third, there is enormous potential for further growth while providing high-paying jobs (average salaries of $68,000 for the Biosciences sector, versus $42,000 for all private-sector jobs).

Nadilia Gomez is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for the Digital and Precision Agriculture biosciences platform at Iowa State University. Gomez most recently served as executive director for the Iowa AgriTech Accelerator. For the decade prior to that, she served in a variety of roles for DuPont-Pioneer and Corteva Agriscience, including the role of digital pillar leader. In that role, she managed a portfolio of research initiatives in digital innovations and trained more than 100 scientists and mentored more than 30 intrapreneurs, providing guidance in Lean Startup methodologies, project valuation, the use of the Business Model Canvas, and the creation of investment memos. As CTO, Gomez works closely with the Digital and Precision Agriculture platform lead and research teams at Iowa State to identify technologies with commercial potential in the Digital and Precision Agriculture space.

Teams for May 24^th and May 25^th to help put flags out at our cemetery.

We start at 9:00 on Tuesday. We have found that two/three hour shifts work best but some stay all day. We welcome all the help we can get.

Volunteers need to be able to walk, place flags in flag holder. Bring gloves, wear clothing per weather.

Meeting offsite at John Deere.

Born to Deaf parents, Diana has been immersed in the Deaf Community all her life. In 1996, she founded Deaf Services Unlimited (DSU), a nationwide interpreting agency, and has been an entrepreneur and practicing interpreter for more than 30 years. Her company provides equal communication access to thousands of Deaf and hearing people throughout the country. During the last 25 years, Diana has devoted her time and expertise at DSU developing solutions and services for businesses and organizations nationwide to ensure equal communication access through sign language interpreting, video remote interpreting, CART captioning services and educational seminars on Deaf Culture ensuring inclusive environments. During this same time, she has closely worked with interpreters in all 50 states to develop their own practices and supported them through education and numerous business opportunities. Currently DSU coordinates services through an extraordinary team who collaborate with over 1,500 interpreters/CART writers nationwide providing services in all 50 states.

Diana Kautzky is President and Founder of Deaf Services Unlimited (DSU), a nationwide interpreting and communication access company providing sign language interpreting, video remote interpreting and captioning services. Diana has been immersed in the Deaf Community throughout her career, is a nationally certified interpreter by profession, and strives to bring greater understanding of the Deaf Community from a Cultural perspective.

Billi Hunt was named the Executive Director of the America’s Cultivation Corridor in February 2018. She brings 25 years of experience in agriculture and the Iowa business community to the Corridor’s efforts to enhance agricultural sustainability and accelerate business development by attracting new companies, talent and capital to central Iowa. She works with America’s Cultivation Corridor investors, partners and other organizations to build the Corridor brand and broaden opportunities within the region.

Prior to joining America’s Cultivation Corridor, Hunt served as government affairs manager for DuPont, leading state-level advocacy, public-policy initiatives and government-related business collaborations for the U.S. Central region, and throughout the United States. She also worked for Optimum Quality Grains, LLC, and Greater Des Moines Chamber of Commerce.

An Iowa native, Hunt received her Bachelor of Science from Iowa State University and her Master of Public Administration from Drake University. She and her husband Mike Elam and children live in Urbandale, Iowa.

Hear about Kevin's exhilerating 98-day trip from Lake Itasca to New Orleans.

My name is Austin Blythe, and I grew up in Williamsburg, Iowa where I attended school until graduating from Williamsburg High School in 2011. In high school I participated in football, wrestling and track. Upon graduating, I attended the University of Iowa on a full ride scholarship to play football for the Hawkeyes.

I played for Iowa from 2011-2015. During my time there I started 52 games, appearing in 4 bowl games including the 2016 Rose Bowl after a 12-0 regular season start. I was a freshman All-American in 2012, and a Rimington Award finalist, which is awarded to the nation’s top center, in 2015.

After I graduated from the University, I began training for an opportunity to play in the NFL. I was drafted in the 7^th round with the 248 pick by the Indianapolis Colts. I spent one year with the organization, starting one game in London. The next spring I was waived and then claimed by the Los Angeles Rams. Over the next four years, I started 69 games including the 2019 Super Bowl against the New England Patriots. In the spring of 2021, I signed a one-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs, appearing in 4 games. This past spring I signed a one year contract to play the 2022 season with the Seattle Seahawks.

In 2015 I married my wife, Kiley. Kiley also attended Williamsburg High School and the University of Iowa. In high school she participated in cross country and track, graduating in 2011. She graduated in 2014 from the university with a degree in Elementary Education. She taught 4^th grade at English Valleys Elementary, in North English, Iowa for two years while I completed my career at Iowa. In June 2016, we welcomed our son, Reed, into the world. Then we had our daughter, Callie, in January of 2020. Our third child, a girl, is due in October via surrogacy thanks to our amazing sister-in-law, Kelly Blythe.

Kavi is a Partner at Bâton Global, a Des Moines-based research and advisory firm with offices in the Middle East and Asia. Kavi leads Bâton’s strategy advisory practice and is responsible for co-leading their non-US business. As a global strategy and finance leader, Kavi has over 20 years of experience advising companies, organizations, investors, and governments on strategic growth and capital allocation decisions. He has advised leading organizations in Iowa and across the world, including the governments of China, the Ukraine, and Russia. Kavi conducts industry and applied academic research on foreign direct investing and geopolitics, and in 2021 helped establish a Singapore-based think tank to provide sovereign, corporate, and financial investors with better data to inform their foreign direct investment strategies. He has been published in leading peer reviewed academic journals including the European Journal of International Management and Thunderbird International Business Review, and comments on foreign direct investing and geopolitics for financial industry press including The Economist and Channel News Asia. Kavi holds a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, a Master’s in International Affairs from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, History, and Political Science from Drake University.

Anthony B. Coleman, DHA (Doctor of Health Administration) is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Broadlawns Medical Center. He assumed his responsibilities on December 6, 2021. Anthony (Tony) was born and raised in Southern California and enlisted in the U.S Navy, serving onboard warships in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. After completing two full sea tours, Tony was commissioned as a Naval Officer. While in graduate school, Tony worked in a rural South Carolina hospital where he discovered his passion for eliminating health disparities among vulnerable populations. During his tenure as a Naval Officer, Tony served in various roles of increasing responsibility, including: Department Head, Medical Administrative Officer onboard USS HARRY S. TRUMAN (CVN 75) and CFO and Executive Board Member at Naval Hospital Beaufort, South Carolina. Some highlights of his 20-year military career include earning the Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist designation, Surface Warfare Medical Department Officer qualification and the Executive Medicine additional qualifying designator. While in the military, Tony received a Secretary of Defense appointment to serve as a United States Senate Youth Program Military Mentor and served as Treasurer of the National Association of Health Services Executives, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote the advancement and development of African American health care leaders and to elevate the quality of healthcare services rendered to minority and underserved communities. Tony is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) and holds the dual distinction of being an Executive Development Program Fellow and Executive Diversity Scholar. He is also a Marshall Memorial Fellow (MMF) of the German Marshall Fund, a non-profit organization designed to increase transatlantic cooperation. During his time as an MMF, Tony traveled to Belgium, England, Spain, Hungary and Germany to study the complexities of the European universal healthcare system.

Broadlawns Medical Center has served as Polk County’s safety net hospital since 1924. If you haven't driven by or had medical services there recently, you will be in for a surprise. Mr. Coleman will talk about the growth of the Center and how it continues to serve the community.