Thursday, January 17

Downtown Embassy Club - Ruan Building

11:45 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Self Manage with Self Awareness

Drive better results with knowing how you can leverage your natural talents to influence clients, coworkers, and employees.   If you can inspire people, you can lead them.

Opportunity to complete a personality test (included with luncheon cost) that you can view from 3 dimensions; the DISC test, the Values/Motivators test, and the Innermetrix/Attribute Index.

Jim Immel Jim had a successful sales career with Principal Financial Group prior to starting Immel and Associates in February 1999.   Jim’s coaching practice allows him to help develop those who influence others.   Jim helps leaders and sales teams improve their performance.   He is often introduced to help business owners with their succession planning.  Jim is driven by his belief that the foundation for successful succession plans begins with leaders and sales team who are prepared to have long-term success.

The assessment tools are an important part of Jim’s practice to help leverage individuals talents and experience while also becoming aware of natural blind spots.  

Thursday, December 20

Downtown Embassy Club - Ruan Building

11:45 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Chris Wood serves the mission of Make-A-Wish® Iowa as the Chief Development Officer.  He brings a diverse mix of professional experience in business development in the private sector cultivating partnerships on both a local and a national level.  Chris has lived in the Des Moines metro for nearly 17 years with a variety of stops along his career journey including roles at Dwolla, Meredith Corporation, KCCI-TV, and the Des Moines Register.  He has been an active member of the community through volunteer efforts for multiple nonprofit organizations and in leadership positions on local boards. He is a current member of the Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute – Community Leadership Program.  Having had a personal heart condition as a young child, he has a passion to focus his professional life on helping other children with life-threatening medical conditions.
 
Make-A-Wish Iowa creates life-changing wishes for children in Iowa with critical illnesses. The Foundation has granted wishes to more than 3,500 children in Iowa with critical illnesses since 1987.  A wish come true empowers children which can replace their fear with confidence, anxiety with joy, and sadness with hope. For many of them, it marks a turning point in their fight against their illnesses.

Jessica Dinh has served as a Volunteer Wish Granter for Make-A-Wish® Iowa since 2015. In this role she serves as an advocate and voice for wish children and provides family support from the beginning to the end of their wish experience. In 2016 she was awarded the Make-A-Wish® Iowa Rising Star Award and the Governor’s Volunteer Award for her dedication to Make-A-Wish® Iowa in 2017. Jessica also serves as an executive committee member for Inspire Iowa’s Future.

Jessica has worked as a nurse in a variety of areas including pediatrics, obstetrics and organ donation. She currently works as the Pediatric Simulator Educator for Blank Children’s Hospital in the Center for Advocacy and Outreach. Her nursing experience has given her valuable experience working with children and their families in difficult and life changing situations. This experience has fueled her passion for Make-A-Wish® Iowa, as she has seen first-hand the impact a wish can have for not only a child, but everyone around them.

Thursday, October 18

Downtown Embassy Club - Ruan Building

11:45 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Kris Saddoris serves as Vice President of Development for Hubbell Realty Company, directing the Development division of Hubbell.  She provides strategic insight and planning for the division and works with developments ranging from multi-family housing, mixed use development, affordable housing, retail and industrial warehouses.  Hubbell Realty currently has over one million square feet in approximately 1,000 units under development in Greater Des Moines, as well as Des Moines’ newest 75 acre urban neighborhood, Gray’s Station. 

She serves as Vice President of the Board of Directors for HOME, Inc., a local non-profit affordable housing developer and as Chair of the Downtown Economic Development Committee.  She is a member of ULI Iowa, CREW Iowa and was a national CREW Impact Award nominee.  Kris was named one of the “15 People to watch in 2016” by the Des Moines Register and recognized as the 2016 Citizen of the Year by the Downtown Des Moines Chamber.  Ms. Saddoris holds both a BS and an MBA degree from Iowa State University.

Thursday, September 13

Meet at the Iowa Taproom (East Village)

 Tour starts at 4 p.m. followed by drinks and appetizers (tour will last around an hour)

Join us as we kick off our 2018-2019 year with “Tour and Tap” Thursday, September 13.  This custom-designed, private walking tour experience through the Iowa Architectural Foundation will take us through the East Village with history expert, Steve Stimmel, AIA!

This is a great chance to network, take in all the sights as well as enjoy some beautiful Iowa Fall weather and get your history lesson to boot! There is no other more fitting place to start and end the tour then of course ... The Iowa Taproom, where we'll enjoy food and drink following the tour.

To learn more about the foundation, visit http://www.iowaarchfoundation.org/.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Thursday, May 17

Downtown Embassy Club - Ruan Building

11:45 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Justin Schoen is a founding board member and past President of the DMMC, and now helps coordinate sponsorship and outreach activities for the organization. Justin owns a marketing and growth consulting firm, Emerge LLC, and is a partner in Mars Cafe and Goquets.

He also serves on a number of other non-profit Boards, including current Board Chair of Central Iowa Shelter & Services.

He plays guitar, worked several years in concert promotions, and managed a touring act in college.

DMMC Website

Thursday, April 19

Downtown Embassy Club - Ruan Building

11:45 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Bob Mitchell, SPHR, is owner and President of Bob Mitchell & Associates, a Human Resources consulting firm.  He is a 34-year member and past president of the Downtown Kiwanis club, served two terms as Lt. Governor and is a Past Governor (Distinguished) of the Nebraska-Iowa District. 

His wife, Jan Burch, SPHR, is a 13-year member and also a past President of the Downtown Kiwanis club, has served two terms as Lt. Governor (Distinguished) and is currently serving as Governor of the Nebraska-Iowa District.  Professionally, Jan is the owner of Jan Burch & Associates, also a Human Resources consulting firm.

Bob and Jan have been heavily involved in the Kiwanis Miracle League at Principal Park since its inception.  He is a past president and is serving as Treasurer, she is the current President.  Together as members of the Ankeny Kiwanis club, they served on the Steering Committee of the Ankeny Miracle Park.  They have both served on many boards and in addition to the Kiwanis Miracle League; Bob is currently in his seventh year on the University of Iowa’s Alumni Association Board, and Jan is a past president of the Des Moines Community Playhouse. 

In 2009, Bob and Jan were named to the Iowa Volunteers of the Year Hall of Fame by Iowa Governor Culver for their role in leading the development of the Kiwanis Miracle League (KML).

They, along with the 17 members of the KML board of directors, truly believe “every child deserves a chance to play baseball.”

Kiwanis Miracle League Website

We all know how busy March can get ... basketball tournaments, spring break trips, St. Patrick's Day festivities ... a variety of options.

So this month, in lieu of our monthly luncheon, we ask you to join us in giving two hours of your time to the local, downtown non-profit Oakridge Neighborhood spending part of an afternoon next week with the children reading, crafting, playing games and just helping to brighten their afternoon. 

Thursday, March 22

Oakridge Neighborhood - Variety Center at 1401 Center Street (Downtown Des Moines)

3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

RSVP to krism@millsmarketing.com.

Oakridge Neighborhood the most culturally diverse neighborhood in Des Moines; it’s a place where people can raise families safely while working toward self-reliance. They call it the intersection of opportunity and community.  One service being offered there is Oak Academy which provides high quality child care and early enrichment education to infants and toddlers and prepares preschoolers to enter kindergarten ready to learn and on a level playing field with other children in their respective classes.  Oak Academy serves not only children who call Oakridge Neighborhood home, but also children from across the Des Moines Metro. The Academy utilizes the research based Creative Curriculum, which is based on principles of child development, individualized for each child and incorporating culturally relevant practices. 

After the event, we’ll be meeting at Hello, Marjorie for a social hour. 

Thursday, February 15

Downtown Embassy Club - Ruan Building

11:45 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Laura Sweet is the VP/COO for Des Moines Performing Arts

Prior to joining DMPA, she was VP for the Ordway in Saint Paul, Minn., and was the Associate Executive Director of the University of Nebraska’s Lied Center for Performing Arts in Lincoln, NE.  Laura is on the Children and Families of Iowa board and executive committee (serving as Advocacy Chair), she is also in senior leadership of the Nexus Executive Women’s Leadership alliance.  She serves as co-chair of the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM) Performing Arts Managers Committee and is in her third year with the Senior Executive Symposium. Laura has a Master of Arts and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the University of Kansas, respectively.  

Des Moines Performing Arts Website

Thursday, January 18

Downtown Embassy Club - Ruan Building

11:45 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Siobhan Spain has 20 years experience in arts administration, which includes serving as administrator at SITE Santa Fe, office manager with Tom Joyce Blacksmithing, and board member at Santa Fe’s Center for Contemporary Art.

While communications specialist at Los Angeles Times, she was a grant adviser for its foundation’s art-related funding programs. Siobhan then directed Mary Goldman Gallery and aided Santa Monica Museum of Art’s “Incognito” fundraising event. Upon returning to Des Moines, she served as executive director at the Center on Sustainable Communities.

Siobhan is now director of Mainframe Studios, a new nonprofit model for providing permanent affordable work space to artists of all disciplines.

Mainframe Studios Website