Leadership Iowa April 2008 Newsletter

1982-83 Walt Smith
1983-84 Ron Klipfel
1984-85 Rand Fisher
1985-86 David Oman
1986-87 Jim Swift
1987-88 Toni Jacobson
1988-89 Nicky Schissel
1989-90 Jacque Andrew
1990-91 Becky Stadlman
1991-92 Dennis Lindell
1992-93 Clark Smith
1993-94 Theresa Lewis
1994-95 Mary Foley
1995-96 John Sorensen
1996-97 Mark Ackelson
1997-98 Rita Perea
1998-99 Wayne Cooper
1999-00 Steve Simon
2000-01 Dan Clark
2001-02 Dawn Svenson
2002-03 Leisa Fox
2003-04 Kim Stewart
2004-05 Amy Swenson
2005-06 Drew Conrad
2006-07 Al Lorenzen
2006-07 Pamela Roberts

January Session Recap
by Joseph Jones (2006-07)

The idea of “Designing a New Iowa” was the theme for LI’s January Government Session in Des Moines . This session started out on a Wednesday afternoon at the State Historical Building with the State Auditor, David Vaudt (LI 87-88) giving the class an overview of how the state budget works and how it is reported. This very insightful presentation became the bedrock of the class’ interaction with elected officials and government employees for the remainder of the session.

Following a brief tour of the Historical Building and the annual class photo, the class listened to a bipartisan panel of legislative leaders from both chambers as they seemingly made it a point to discuss all of the common ideas that they shared for the future of Iowa . Wednesday night ended with the ABI reception at the Science Center of Iowa and an optional class dinner at Dos Rios.

Although the morning snow made for a slow start on Thursday, it was certainly not a disappointing start. Former Iowa Governor Robert D. Ray had a very frank and informative conversation with the class about his time in office and about the good things government is capable of achieving. The LI Linkage group made its first presentation and the class heard from Commissioner Gene Meyer of the Iowa Department of Public Safety. He spoke about both state and local government and shared with the class his philosophy on leadership in public service.

The LI class traveled to the State Capitol where they took tours with legislators and met with their individual representatives and senators. Thursday afternoon class members were able to step into the shoes of a politico by playing the Congressional Insight simulation. This was a real eye opener for some of the class who hadn’t considered the many decisions that are made in a short time period or the subjects that have to be sacrificed in favor of something else.

Thursday’s dinner was at the Fort Des Moines Museum where the class heard from Cesar Smith, the museum’s Co-Executive Director. The class learned about a piece of Iowa history that few know about. They were also treated to Templeton Rye and a great meal catered by Brad Magg.

At Grand View College on Friday the class delved into the topic of transforming local government and later that morning they discussed the best ways to begin the conversation on designing a new Iowa . The last speakers of the session were on international relations. One on citizen diplomacy from the US to other countries and the other on the experiences of an immigrant to the US by Alec Zama (LI 04-05).

Thank you to the sponsors of the session: Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino, Iowa Gaming Association, Qwest,

2008 Leadership Iowa Alumni Society Dues

Your 2008 Leadership Iowa Alumni Dues Society notices were sent early in December. The competition for the "Best LI Class of 2008" is beginning to take shape and the class that has the greatest dues collected will be recognized in June at the ABI Convention in Coralville.

The current "Leader"board (as of 4/2/2008) is:      #1        2002-03     $1,475
                                                                        #2        1997-98     $1,450
                                                                        #3        2005-06     $1,275
                                                                        #4      2004-05     $1,125

If you are not sure if you have paid your dues, please click here for a current list of 2008 Alumni Dues Society members. The password is "goli". To submit your dues, please click here to sign up online.

Leadership Iowa Will Build A Green Habitat House

The Leadership Iowa (LI) Class of 2007-08 will build a house with Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity (GDMHFH) this summer, using green building strategies that highlight products produced in Iowa . The build has been named Project LIGHT (Leadership Iowa Green Home Team).

Guiding principles for the home’s construction include increased resource efficiencies (use of energy, water and materials). The goal is to improve the home’s impact on human health and the environment through site selection, design, construction, operation and maintenance. The project will strive to achieve sustainability through natural building focused on durability, and the use of minimally-processed, plentiful or renewable, locally available resources, plus some recycled or salvaged materials.

The LI Class hopes to promote renewable and/or low-impact construction methods produced or developed in Iowa to help ensure a healthy living environment. This is a collaboration between GDMHFH, the Iowa Association of Business and Industry Foundation (ABIF), and the Center for Sustainable Communities (COSC). Collaborators and contributors are part of the Leadership Iowa Green Home Team. For more information, please contact Sid Juwarker (LI 2007-08).

2008-09 Class Schedule Announced

Session I	October 15-17	Opening Session	Rathbun Lake
Session II	November 13-14	Natural Resources/Environment	DeSoto Bend/Council Bluffs
Session III	December 11-12	Workforce/Immigration	Marshalltown
Session IV	January 14-16	Government	Des Moines
Session V	March 12-13	Education	Carroll
Session VI	April 16-17	Economic Development	Mason City/Clear Lake
Session VII	May 14-15	Energy/Transportation	Keokuk
Session VIII	June 10-12	Graduation	Okoboji

Alumni in the News

Father Bob Davies (1992-93) passed away on February 3, 2008. Contact Jim Davies (1989-90) at for more information.
Sandi Stamp (1992-93) was recently featured in the Des Moines Register "You Should Get to Know", click here to read the article.
Al Lorenzen (2006-07) has filed papers with the Iowa secretary of state's office to run in House District 69, which includes Johnston, Grimes, Polk City and northern Polk County. The seat is now held by Rep. Walt Tomenga, a Republican from Johnston.
Terri Schuster (2006-07) is highlighted in the Keokuk Daily Gate with the Southeastern Community College Leadership Academy.
Scott Tornquist (2005-06) has has filed papers with the Iowa secretary of state's office to run in House District 13, which includes Mason City.
Joel Magruder (2003-04), president and founder of Financial Partners Group Inc., earned the Chartered Adviser for Senior Living designation from the American College, Bryn Mawr, Pa. Magruder also qualified for the Court of the Table through the Million Dollar Roundtable from the Premier Association of Financial Professionals.

Please share your news and accomplishments with us by replying to this message.

ABI Annual Convention

Call for Nominations

Name three or more people in your community, your profession, your social circle who are passionate about professional, community and volunteer leadership and want to engage in providing a better future for Iowa .

Nominations are in full swing for the 2008-2009 Leadership Iowa class! Take a few minutes and nominate individuals TODAY at www.leadershipiowa.com. The Leadership Iowa Curriculum Committee has put together another exciting year for next year’s class and a select class of up to 40 individuals will have the opportunity to experience this unique state-wide program. Help us put together another great class by submitting your nominations today!! Nominations are due May 1^st. Applications will be available on-line between May 1^st and June 6^th.

March Session Recap

Muscatine hosted the March Leadership Iowa session on Workforce and Manufacturing. During the optional Wednesday evening gathering, two class members brought karaoke equipment and a guitar to entertain early arrivals. The official session began at the beautiful Bridgestone Bandag Learning Center with an opening LI Linkage that gave a phenomenal history and background of Muscatine , known as the “ Pearl of the Mississippi ”. The new format of LI Linkage has two parts: the first is an overview and history of the city/area the class is visiting and important facts and statistics they should know. The Muscatine group’s presentation was a good primer for the entire session.

On Thursday the class was welcomed by the long-time mayor of Muscatine , Richard O’Brien and the Chairman, CEO and President of Bridgestone Bandag, Saul Solomon. The first panel the class heard from was the ABI’s Manufacturing Council, moderated by Leisa Fox (LI 02-03), including representatives from Agri-Industrial Plastics (Fairfield), Al-Jon (Otttumwa), LyondellBasell Industries (Clinton), Interpower Corporation (Oskaloosa), and Tiger-Hawk Plastics (Fairfield). The dialogue sparked a lot of conversation among the class about issues pertaining to manufacturing in Iowa and it enlightened the class about the current state and future of manufacturing. Paula Nissen from Iowa Workforce Development presented Iowa ’s workforce by the numbers during lunch, providing a good understanding of where Iowa stands in terms of its workforce.

Discussion about the workforce in Iowa continued on Thursday afternoon with a forum addressing workforce issues in the state. Leaders from the Iowa Center for Immigrant Leadership & Integration, Manpower, Wisdom Workers Solutions, Generation Iowa, Iowa Workforce Development, and the Society of Human Resources Managers participated. The class also enjoyed a short bus tour of Muscatine and was able to see the investments the city has made in its natural landscape and the riverfront area. The bus tour ended at Muscatine Food Corp. Grain Processing Plant, one of the primary employers in the city where the class learned about how the products made there impact the rest of the world.

That evening the class had a reception at the Muscatine History and Industry Museum where it was nice to see the physical history of the pearl button industry. After the reception, a dinner was held at the nearby Button Factory Restaurant.

Friday offered a ‘best practices’ panel informing the class about new ideas and practices for training Iowa ’s workforce and developing programs to give skills to those who need to retrain and reenter the workforce. The class also had the opportunity to hear from Dick Stanley, Chairman of the Stanley Foundation, on his philosophy on the importance of a core set of values and that we should work to build international understanding, appreciation for other countries and peoples, and individual citizen diplomacy.

The class ended the session with an amazing tour of IPSCO Steel, about 20 minutes north of Muscatine .

State Capitol Experience
by Randee Slings (2007-08)

I commend the work of my fellow LI class with their concise reporting of the facts and figures, reference material, links and summaries for their assignment of providing clerk notes. My clerk notes, however, will be and are completely subjective because I was assigned the task of reporting on “state capitol experience”. Although I can add factual information or official tour guide verbiage, this would not be reporting on my “experience” as assigned. Therefore, I will simply summarize my state capitol experience, and hope my experience was completely different from yours. As I have found with the clerk notes, we all may see, hear, or experience the same session, yet we each find different information, facts or opinions interesting or important.

Our group only had an opportunity to tour the Senate and House Chambers, and not the entire capitol building. Since we were the last group waiting on our guide to become available, I was able to people-watch. I watched in awe the interaction of Senators, Representatives, and Lobbyist. Those people cultivating relationships, and smoothing feathers reminded me of my elementary school days when the cliques worked “the room”, gaining popularity, or confronting their enemies. Just like the school days, agenda and purpose were clearly visible on the faces of these professionals as they approached one another, smiled, laughed, or frowned. What an awesome experience.

I have lived in Iowa my entire life, but had only viewed the capitol building from I-235. What an intriguing system we have, and what a building to host it. My first look up into the gold dome and into the home of where our laws are debated and created gave me pause. I felt fortunate to have this experience, and chagrin that I had not made this journey sooner. I thought of how this beautiful building must be viewed by the young school-age children walking in their lines, or by those immigrating to rural America for endless opportunities, and even by those, like me, who have passed this building numerous times without really looking.

After taking in the beauty of the building and the intrigue of its guests, State Senator Mark Zieman, Republican from Postville, was kind enough to give us a tour. He first led us into the Senate Chamber, his territory, noting that he liked the smaller setting over that of the House. Zieman explained that although seating is established by seniority (those with seniority most often taking the “back row”); he preferred to be down front with the action. Clerks typed at their computers, chairs filled and emptied, and men and women scrambled. I believe exhilaration was my experience.

We asked questions about accountability of government, expressed our concerns and opinions on current issues, and talked about how our current property taxes deter businesses from locating in Iowa . We asked if Senators have their clerk answer their emails and requests or whether they personally reply. Zieman would only speak for himself, saying if someone “personally” sends a request, he “personally” replies, but if he receives a form letter (cut/paste letter identical to others), then he replies in kind.

We talked about the voting options (Yeah, Nay, or Present). The Senator stated that issues posing a conflict of interest can be voted on as “present”. (I still wonder what happens if you press the wrong button????) Buzz words were used, hot topics were discussed, and I continued to look around and truly appreciate the state capitol experience.

Although you won’t read facts and figures in my clerk notes such as the steel and brick dome is externally gilded with 23-karat gold leaf, or that there are 298 steps from the second floor to the dome, or that the original desks of the Senate Chamber are still being used today, you will find a glimpse of my experience. My experience of my state capitol was humbling and inspiring. I hope your experience was the same, but uniquely different.

Leadership For Iowa Award

The Leadership Iowa Board of Governors invites you to nominate candidates for the Leadership for Iowa Award which will be presented at the Leadership Iowa Graduation and Alumni Conference on June 12, 2008 in Iowa City .

This award is presented annually to an alumnus of the Leadership Iowa program l based on the following criteria:

· Show a demonstrated commitment to serve Iowa

· Have a responsible position of leadership in employment and/or volunteer organizations, resulting in the potential to contribute to leadership development within a local or a statewide setting

· Have demonstrated a leadership role in local or statewide volunteer service to civic or professional organizations

· Have demonstrated the ability to undertake a leadership role on difficult or controversial subjects

· Be involved in projects designed to enhance the quality of life in Iowa

· Ideally be present for the presentation of the award

Last year John Sorensen (LI 1995-96), president of the Iowa Bankers Association, received the Leadership for Iowa Award. Past recipients include: John McCarroll (LI Director 1991), Donna Walgren-King (LI 1983-84), Mark Feldmann (LI 1990-91), Martha Willits (LI 1985-86), Maggie Tinsman (LI 1987-88), David Oman (LI 1985-86), Cynthia Eisenhower (LI 1985-86), Ron Geiger (LI 1987-88), Jodi Tymeson (LI 1999-00), and Sharon Juon (LI 1987-88), and Rand Fisher (LI 1984-85). If you know of others who have received this award, please notify us. We are missing recipient information from the mid 1990s.

Click here to download the nomination form. Please be sure to submit this form by the nomination deadline of May 2, 2008. You may e-mail your completed nomination form to Kay Neumann-Thomas at kthomas@iowaabi.org or fax it to (515) 244-8907.

The winner of this year’s award will be recognized on Thursday evening, June 12, 2008 during the Leadership Iowa Class of 2007-08 Graduation and LI Alumni Conference. This event will be held in conjunction with the Iowa Association of Business and Industry’s Annual Convention in Iowa City June 10-12.

Help Us Find...

Please help us locate the following LI Alumni that are missing from our records by replying to this message.

Bill Aherns (1996-97)	David Dahlquist (1986-87)	Diane Johnson (1986-87)
Rebecca Allmon (1991-92)	Richard Emerson (1991-92)	Molly Kurtz (1991-92)
William Applegate (1985-86)	Barbara Ettleson (1986-87)	Melanie Liebsack (1995-96)
Barbara Bennett (1988-89)	Jeanne Foster (1991-92)	Carol McDonalds Bradley (1984-85)
Caroll Bennett (1982-83)	Ellen Gordon (1985-86)	Scott McKinnie (1985-86)
Patricia Brockett (1989-90)	Maureen Hanson (1994-95)	Tom Mortiz (1991-92)
Kristin Card (1994-95)	John Harvey (1987-88)	David Olson (1986-87)
John Carlson (1984-85)	Suzette Haynes (1984-85)	Ruth Olson (1994-95)
J. Michael Carlstrom (1985-86)	Donald Herman (1987-88)	Martin Postma (1997-98)
Paul Carter (1990-91)	Theresa Herron (1982-83)	Brian Setchell (1983-84)
Andrea Christenson (1986-87)	Debbie Holley (1983-84)	Daniel Stevenson (1984-85)
Tom Clarkson (1985-86)	Ann Humbert (1994-95)	Jo Van Gorp (1993-94)
Darwin Copeman (1988-89)	Mark Jacobs (1994-95)	Beth Wilson (1995-96)
		David Withee (1992-93)
		Thomas Zenge (1987-88)

Copyright © 2007 Leadership Iowa. All rights reserved. Text, graphics, and HTML code are protected by U.S. and International Copyright Laws, and may not be copied, reprinted, published, translated, or otherwise distributed by any means without explicit permission.

To unsubscribe, click here