Sign up to join us Nov. 1
To celebrate Fearless, the Business Record’s initiative to empower Iowa women to succeed in work and life, a lineup of inspiring women will share their stories of fearlessness and courage. Learn a little about the inspiring speakers:
Heidi Ernst is a 74-year-old physical therapist who has long believed in practicing what she preaches to patients and has done powerlifting, swimming and scuba diving. After her 524th dive on June 7 in the Bahamas, a shark attacked her as she was climbing the boat ladder after completing the dive. She had to have her left leg amputated below the knee at a trauma center in Miami. She lives in Marshalltown.
It’s a shame that with all the hype in the media about shark bites, including what happened to me, that people will have these fears about doing something like scuba diving or snorkeling. Sharks are not out to eat people; their diet does not constitute human flesh. Yeah, great whites have eaten people, but primarily their diet consists of fish. Caribbean reef sharks definitely don’t like people. The shark that bit me, who knows what it thought my leg was?
Heidi Ernst
Abigail Johnson is the founder and CEO of Veterans Tech Support, which offers classes in technology basics to military veterans in eastern Iowa. Johnson started the nonprofit in 2021, when she was 14 years old. Two years ago, Johnson saw a need to help older veterans gain computer skills and realized that she could do something about it. A grant helped get Veterans Tech Support off the ground, and now classes are offered regularly in the Scott County area. Johnson lives in Blue Grass, Iowa, just west of the Quad Cities. Now 16, Johnson has plans for Veterans Tech Support to grow, and she’s looking ahead toward the next moves in her own education and professional careers.
My hope for the future of Veterans Tech Support is being able to spread this nationwide. Obviously, veterans struggling with technology is not a centralized problem. It’s everywhere. I have plenty of places interested, whether they’re in Iowa, Illinois, Georgia – Georgia is interested! I went to the American Legion National Convention in North Carolina because I won the American Legion Auxiliary National Junior Member of the Year, and I ended up being able to talk about Veterans Tech Support myself in front of 1,500 people, which is slightly terrifying.
Abigail Johnson
Monique Scarlett founded Unity in the Community in Sioux City after the slaying of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Florida in 2012. Scarlett has a son, Xavier, and she wanted to do whatever she could to keep him – and everyone – in the community safe. Unity in the Community has a close, ongoing relationship with the Sioux City Police Department and other law enforcement. Scarlett’s goal is to make Sioux City a welcoming, safe and empowering community for everyone – and her dreams aren’t small. In September, Scarlett was one of several partners who came together to host Deaf Awareness Night at a football game. The play-by-play of the big Sioux City North versus Sioux City East game was signed by an ASL interpreter. Scarlett, 56, works full time at U.S. Bank in addition to leading Unity in the Community, which is a nonprofit.
Once we did that peace march, it was community coming together, a diverse community: officers, people Once we did that peace march, it was community coming together, a diverse community: officers, people from the sheriff’s office, Back the Blue, all of it. We all came together. We marched around the block, around the police station, and then at the end, we all held hands. We prayed together as people.
Monique Scarlett
Event attendees will be seated at a table with female leaders, including some of our past Women of Influence honorees, who will lead powerful discussions to share perspectives and insights on succeeding in work and life. Attendees will build additional connections with leaders and other participants as they rotate to different tables throughout the event. Our annual Fearless publication in the Business Record will also be available. All three of the speakers, plus three other Fearless Iowa women, will be profiled in-depth in the Oct. 27 edition of the Business Record.
As part of our Fearless core values, this event will create an atmosphere where everyone has a seat and voice at the table. This interaction will give you not only a chance to learn from others’ experiences and engage in topics facing women in the workplace, but you’ll also have the opportunity to develop and deepen your relationships with women across the state.
Fearless launched two years ago and it has been our privilege to report on gender issues in our weekly specialty e-newsletter and in the Business Record. Countless folks have told us their stories. In doing so, we’ve sought to raise up women and gender diverse folks in our state. That is worth celebrating! We hope you’ll consider attending and sharing information about this event with your friends and colleagues.
Event details: Wednesday, Nov. 1 | 10 a.m. to noon | Des Moines Marriott | Register
