This April, I will celebrate 20 years as CEO of the Ames Regional Economic Alliance. Candidly, when I started in April of 2006, I envisioned staying five to seven years. But life happens. Kids grow up, schedules fill, and you learn quickly what you do not want to disrupt. Before you know it, you have stayed longer than planned—and you are grateful you did.
When you stay in a role this long, focus and consistency are essential. Just as important, however, is the willingness to evolve—to try new things, turn ideas on their head, and resist becoming comfortable or predictable. I take pride in changing things up because the Alliance cannot afford to be stale. When I arrived, we were a team of five, me included. Today, we are twenty employees strong, operating as a four-county regional community and economic development organization. That growth is a source of immense pride—for the work we do, the people I get to do it with, and the dozens of business and community leaders across our region who stand with us every day.
Throughout my tenure, I have tried to be consistent in one core belief: we must think bigger. I was recently refreshed to hear those same words echoed by the CEO of the World Food Prize Foundation, former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, and Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, who shared with me, “As a state, we must think bigger. It is not R or D—it is we. We, as the people of Iowa, must think bigger.”
That philosophy is central to the Alliance. Thinking bigger is not about adding staff or expanding our geographic footprint. It is about looking at opportunities for community growth and asking, why not? As Secretary Vilsack put it, “good enough” is not good enough. We must do better. That means building more homes, attracting more retail, creating more jobs, and supporting meaningful employment that strengthens families and communities. If we want to attract and retain the people our businesses, schools, grocery stores, and human service agencies depend on, our communities must continue to improve and grow.
Thank you for a great 20 years. Whether I am here another five or another twenty, rest assured: the Alliance and I will continue to think big—and push for it—every single day.