Shalika Khindurangala, career coordinator, Iowa State University Ivy College of Business My country was attacked by Russia in February 2022. It happened later at night so I stayed up on the phone with everyone hearing people cry and panic. The Read more…
Melanie Mackey, events and marketing coordinator, West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce I’m a local comedian, and every time I get onstage to tell my story and make people laugh, it’s an act of relentlessly honoring my truth. It’s the Read more…
Lindsey Hayes, commercial loan operations manager, VisionBank I have three children ages 18, 11, 6. I am an alcoholic in recovery for 13 years. I’ve dealt with family and marriage abuse, and dysfunction. I had stage 3 breast cancer in Read more…
Mary Core, business coordinator, Avenue Scholars I went to work after high school for Principal Financial Group (Bankers Life at the time) in an entry-level position. With dedication and receiving their top-notch training, I worked my way to a leadership Read more…
Kathleen Till Stange, independent board director I recently participated in the West Des Moines Citizens Fire Academy. I had already participated in the citizens police academy and citizens EMS academy, so I thought the citizens fire academy would be a Read more…
Brittney Haskins, childbirth education coordinator, UnityPoint Health-Des Moines Selling my business, One Sweet Kitchen, to my employee in late 2020. Being a baker had been my identity for years, but everything in my life was telling me to let it Read more…
By Suzanna de Baca, president and CEO, Business Publications Corp. I recently attended a reunion of my MBA class in October, so it seemed like a synergistic and wonderful coincidence that in the following weeks, two young women separately reached Read more…
As told to Emily Kestel Patty Sneddon-Kisting is the executive director of the Urbandale Food Pantry. She and her wife, Lisa, have two children: Addi and Cooper. Another child, Hudson, died shortly after birth. They are expecting their fourth child Read more…
As told to Emily Kestel Self-proclaimed ‘popcorneur’ Sydney Rieckhoff is the CEO of Almost Famous Popcorn, a small-batch gourmet popcorn company she started with her brother in 2012 at age 14. Now with 50 employees, the company has a factory Read more…
As told to Emily Kestel Denise O’Brien is an activist, organic farmer and co-founder of the Women, Food and Agriculture Network. She lives on a 17-acre farm in Cass County with her husband, Larry Harris. The following story has been Read more…