Amber Collins is the owner of the Healing Source and the Soul Book Nook, both bookstores that opened this summer. The Soul Book Nook is the first Black-owned bookstore registered in the state of Iowa. Before opening her bookstores, Collins Read more…
Karen Mackey has been the executive director of the Sioux City Human Rights Commission for 16 years. She is one of the co-founders of the Siouxland Pride Alliance, which is a grassroots LGBTQ organization that connects the community through resources, Read more…
Megan Srinivas is an infectious disease physician and public health researcher based in Fort Dodge and is on the faculty at the University of North Carolina. Her research is focused on health inequities that are affecting rural areas both domestically Read more…
Vanessa McNeal is a storyteller, writer and filmmaker. She is the founder and executive director of Story Maven Media, a nonprofit digital media platform that elevates social issues through documentary filmmaking. McNeal is a survivor of sexual assault and uses Read more…
This summer, I traveled 1,453 miles across the state to ask 12 women the same questions: When was a time that you were fearless? What does being fearless mean to you? What does it look like? What does it feel Read more…
Beth Shelton is the CEO of Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa and oversees 50 staff members and 14,000 scouts across the council coverage area. She also leads a troop with more than 50 members, including her daughters. Shelton was born Read more…
Joli Vollers is a retired Department of Natural Resources conservation officer, where she worked for 30 years. At the time of her retirement, Vollers was one of only a handful of women — out of 90 conservation officers — who Read more…
Maria Alcivar Zuniga is a doctoral candidate at Iowa State University, studying human development and family studies. A formerly undocumented student from Ecuador, her dissertation is on the impact of immigration policies on Latinx families and children. Her dream job Read more…
Amy Getty is an English professor at Grand View University, where she has worked for 19 years. She is the club adviser for the American Association of University Women chapter at Grand View and has previously been involved with the Read more…
Rachel Junck is an Ames City Council member and a senior in chemical engineering at Iowa State University. Elected at age 20 in 2019, Junck became one of the youngest women to hold political office in Iowa. She is passionate Read more…