GENERATION IOWA COMMISSIONERS
Chair
- Jodi Grover, lives in Rowley, Iowa and graduated from East Buchanan High School, Winthrop, Iowa.
She earned her Associate of Arts degree from Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo, then
obtained her Bachelor of Arts from The Upper Iowa University, specializing in education. She earned
an Iowa Teaching License in 2007 and in 2009, Jodi graduated from The Upper Iowa University with a
Master’s in Special Education. Jodi served as a clerk for State Senator Brian Schoenjahn. Currently,
she is a Teacher Education Coordinator at Upper Iowa University at the Des Moines Center.
Vice Chair
Commission Members
- Christian Fong, 32, lives in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and works as Head of Real Estate Capital Markets for
AEGON USA Realty Advisors. He also serves as CEO and President of Corridor Recovery, the non-profit
that coordinated flood recovery for Linn County after the Flood of 2008. After graduating from Underwood
High School in 1993, Christian earned his B.S. in Statistics from Creighton University in 1996 and his MBA
with high distinctions from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth in 2005. As a native western Iowan,
and current eastern Iowan, Christian's passion is to see the next generation, all across the
state, step forward to become a generation of dedicated servant leaders for the state of Iowa.
cfong@Aegonusa.com
319.355.4984
- Claudia Ramirez
- Ragen Cote, 31, is from Sioux City, Iowa. She currently
works as the Title III project director and alumni coordinator for Western Iowa
Tech Community College. She graduated from East High School and attended Buena Vista
University in Storm Lake, Iowa. While at the university she participated in an exchange
program with Hokusei Gakuen University in Sapporo, Japan for one year. After returning
to Sioux City, she graduated from Morningside College with a BA in business administration,
a minor in Japanese and an emphasis in international trade. She has two young children
and is active in her local young professionals group, Sioux City Growth Organization (SCGO) [www.siouxcitygo.com].
rcwitcc@yahoo.com
- Kyle J. Carlson, 28, is from Colfax, Iowa. He currently
works at Planned Parenthood of Greater Iowa as in-house counsel and a lobbyist.
He attended Waverly- Shell Rock High School and earned a BA in Political Science
and Philosophy from Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. He attended Drake
University Law School where he earned his Juris Doctorate and Masters of Public
Administration.
kyle-carlson@msn.com
- Mitchell Gross, 32, lives in Coralville, Iowa. He
currently teaches History, Government and Middle Eastern Affairs and is boy’s head
tennis coach at Iowa City West High School. Mitchell graduated from Grinnell High
School. He attended Ripon College in Ripon, Wisconsin where he was elected student
body president and earned degrees in political science and economics. He is married
and has two young daughters.
- Emiliano Lerda, 28, resides in Urbandale, Iowa and
is currently studying law at Drake University in Des Moines. Originally from Argentina,
Emiliano arrived in Iowa searching for the Bridges of Madison County. Emiliano came
to Cedar Falls in 1999 to study English and he decided to stay. He married an Iowa
native and is the current President and Chair of the Board of Directors of LUX Opportunities,
Incorporated, a non-profit organization that funds scholarships for high school
graduates from developing countries who have excelled in academics, but lack financial
means to proceed with studies at colleges in their home countries.
319.504.6729
emiliano.lerda@gmail.com
- Erik Raker, 34, lives in Des Moines, Iowa and is a co-founder and President of Raker Rhodes (Structural)
Engineering. A graduate of Hoover High School in Des Moines, Erik received his undergraduate degree
from the University of Michigan in 1996 in Chemical Engineering and his Masters of Civil Engineering from
Iowa State in 2000. Erik is currently the Vice Chairman of ACE Mentors of Iowa and an advisor to the
Project Lead the Way program in Des Moines. Erik is married and has two daughters.
Eraker@rakerrodes.com
515.418.6400
- Khara Coleman Washington, is an attorney living in Davenport, Iowa. A native of New Orleans, Khara graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in 1999 with a bachelor's degree in French and English. After graduating from Washington University School of Law in 2003, she spent two blissful years in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, as a judicial law clerk in the chambers of the Honorable Judge David R. Hansen, of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. Recently married, Washington has returned to Iowa to pick up where she left off…enjoying the practice of law, but with ample time left over for friends, family, and community. Currently an associate at Lane & Waterman LLP in Davenport, Washington was previously an associate at Kirkland & Ellis LLP in Chicago. Washington also serves on the board of directors of Ballet Quad Cities.
- Michael Schneider, 26, lives in Grimes, Iowa and
works for the State of Iowa as a Parole Board Liaison Officer. Born and raised in
Iowa, Michael graduated from Hudson High School in 1999. He began his collegiate
career at UNI, but transferred to Wichita State University in 2001. He worked full
time and completed two internships while finishing his degree at WSU, and maintained
a 3.2 GPA. He and his wife returned to Iowa in December of 2006. They are the parents
of a one-year-old son.
reneemikeschneider@mchsi.com
- Kate Gronstal, 31, lives in Council Bluffs and works as a Project Engineer for HNTB Corporation. Kate
received her Bachelors of Science in Civil Engineering and Masters of Public Administration from Illinois
Institute of Technology in Chicago. She currently serves as the Chair-Elect for Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa,
a Board Member of Humanities Iowa, MATHCOUNTS Chair for Grenville M. Dodge Chapter of the Iowa
Engineering Society, a member of Lewis Central High School's Project Lead the Way Community
Partnership Team, a member of the Leadership Council Bluffs Curriculum Committee. Kate is active in
politics and many other community activities.
Kate.gronstal@gmail.com
- Rachel Judisch, 29, lives in Lake View, Iowa and works as a speech-language pathologist at Sports
Rehab & Professional Therapy Associates in Storm Lake. She graduated from Ar-We-Va High School
in Westside. Rachel earned her BA in Communicative Disorders from UNI and her MA in Speech
Pathology from the University of Iowa. Rachel and her husband advocate for young professionals to
return to Iowa.
judischrachel@hotmail.com
- Sarah Hinzman, 24, live in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and works as an AmeriCorps Member for the Eastern Iowa
Conservation Alliance. She is stationed at Wickiup Hill Outdoor Learning Center in Toddville and will finish
her service in August 2009. She also works as a freelance actor and theatre educator in Cedar Rapids and
Iowa City. Born and raised a Cedar Rapidian, she graduated from Jefferson High School in 2003. After two
years in Illinois and four months in London, she landed in LaCrosse, Wisconsin and graduated from Viterbo
University in 2007 with a B.F.A. in Music Theatre and a Minor in Dance. She hopes to receive some sort of
advanced degree in the near future.
Ex-Officio Members
- State Senator, Jeff Danielson
- State Senator, Shawn Hamerlinck
- State Representative, Elesha Gayman
- State Representative, Peter Cownie
- Iowa Workforce Development
- Iowa Department of Economic Development
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