Iowa West Elects New Members, Officers

(Council Bluffs, IA) The Board of Directors of Iowa West recently elected four new board members to serve a 3-year term. In addition, four current board members were re-elected to serve another 3-year term. They are Amy Crawford, Matt Gronstal, Susan Miller, and Phil Reed. The newly elected members include:

• Jason James of Council Bluffs
• Kirk Madsen of Council Bluffs
• Tamara Pavich of Council Bluffs
• Jack Ruesch of Council Bluffs

Board officers for 2016 include:

• Rick Crowl of Council Bluffs was re-elected as IWF Chair;
• Bob Schlott of Council Bluffs was re-elected as IWF Vice-Chair;
• Amy Crawford of Council Bluffs was re-elected as IWF Secretary/Treasurer;
• Rick Killion of Council Bluffs was elected as IWRA President;
• Doug Goodman of Council Bluffs was elected as IWRA Vice-President; and
• Mark Genereux of Council Bluffs was re-elected as IWRA Secretary-Treasurer

Due to term limits, three Iowa West Foundation Board members retired following the January Iowa West Foundation Board meeting: Deb Bass, Dr. David Kuper, and Gary Woods.

“We are forever grateful for their tremendous service over the years,” Tulipana said. “During their tenure, these individuals have been key to transforming the direction of the Iowa West Foundation by allowing us to move toward more transparency and a more proactive approach to our strategic initiatives.”

Bios

Jason James is a co-owner, broker and agent for Heartland Properties in Council Bluffs. He is active in a variety of service organizations, including as a current board member of the Council Bluffs Arena Commission, the Jennie Edmundson Foundation and Habitat for Humanity of Council Bluffs. In the past, James has served on the Council Bluffs Chamber of Commerce Board, Noon Rotary and Council Bluffs Building and Trades. A life-lo ng resident of Pottawattamie County, he has worked the past 21  years as a real estate broker in Council Bluffs. James also volunteers for the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo.

Kirk Madsen is an Account Executive and leader of the Entrepreneurial Unit of the Property and Casualty Division for SilverStone Group. A life-long resident of Council Bluffs, Madsen is a past Board Chair for the Council Bluffs Chamber of Commerce, the Iowa School for the Deaf Foundation and the Ameristar Casino Advisory Committee. He is a current board member of the City of Council Bluffs Board of Health, MICAH House and Iowa Western Community College Board of Trustees. Madsen is a past graduate of Leadership Council Bluffs and actively involved with numerous advisory committees and fundraising efforts throughout the city. A former teacher and leader in the education field, Madsen served in the Council Bluffs Community School District from which he graduated and has continued to be involved in education efforts.

Tamara Pavich has been a bicycle tour operator in Iowa for over 25 years, providing support services on RAGBRAI, and recently on other rides and outdoor events in several Midwestern states.  For ten years, she served as the Community Services administrator for the Council Bluffs Community School District.  She served on the Bluffs Arts Council board, chaired the Renaissance Faire of the Midlands Advisory Council, and promoted the Wabash Trace Nature Trail project.  During ten years in Honolulu, she earned masters and doctoral degrees in English from the University of Hawaii at Manoa where she also taught courses.  She returned to Iowa in 2008 and has since served on the Council Bluffs Guild of the Omaha Symphony and Bluffs Arts Foundation boards. Pavich is a graduate of Leadership Council Bluffs and Leadership Iowa.  Her business is located in Minden, Iowa.

Jack Ruesch has served as a lawyer in the Council Bluffs community for nearly 40 years and is currently a partner at Telpner, Peterson, Smith, Ruesch, Thomas and Simpson, LLP, He was a member of the very first Leadership Council Bluffs class and also has served on numerous boards including the Alzheimer’s Association Iowa Chapter, the Council Bluffs Senior Center and the Historic General Dodge House for which he is the current President. He’s also been involved with the Boy Scouts of America Mid-America Council as a volunteer and council trustee. In 1992 and 1993, he served as Mayor Pro Tem, as part of his service on the Council Bluffs City Council from 1990-1994. Ruesch provides legal services for the Council Bluffs Housing Trust Fund and has served on the Legal Services Corporation Advisory Committee. He is a former member of the Council Bluffs Planning Commission.

About the Iowa West Foundation

The Iowa West Foundation is one of the largest private foundations in the Midwest. It has distributed more than $300 million in grants to non-profits and governmental agencies through southwest Iowa and eastern Nebraska since the inception of its grant program in 1996. Funding for the grants comes from investment earnings and the Iowa West Racing Association, which receives contractual fees from casino operators, Ameristar and Harrah’s. IWRA is the license sponsor for Ameristar and Harrah’s and the license holder for Horseshoe-Bluffs Run.