We are so pleased to introduce you to a few new board members for United Way. Please join us in welcoming them and thanking them for their service to United Way and our community at large:
1) Jan Powers, The Powers of Communication: Jan is a local communication professional with over 35 years of experience who holds a master’s degree in Public Relations. She also served as United Way’s Campaign Co-Chair from 2019 – 2021 and helped bring energy, ideas, and success to United Way’s campaign. Jan joins our marketing committee, and we know she will dazzle us all with her skills and knowledge as well as her ability to infuse fun into all that she is involved with.
2) Brock Renbarger, MidWestOne Bank: Brock is a Second Vice President of Commercial Banking at MidWestOne Bank, who fell in love with the area and decided to make this his home after attending University of Dubuque. Brock is involved with Young Professionals and several other nonprofit boards. Most recently, Brock assisted in fundraising for Junior Achievement of the Heartland by participating in Dancing with the Stars, sponsored by Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce. Brock has been instrumental in helping United Way move our Over the Edge 2022 event to the MidWest One Bank location, as our new event host.
3) Gisella Aitken-Schadle, NICC: Anyone who knows Gisella recognizes her as a passionate community leader, working as the District Adult Education and Literacy Development Director for NICC. She has a Master’s in Public Administration and a BA in International studies with a focus in Human Rights and a minor in Political Science. Gisella has sat on the United Way Community Impact committee for a year as well as on our Investment Review Panel, which reads and scores the grant applications coming into United Way.
4) Derek Duehr, Carpenter’s Local 678: Derek is no stranger to United Way and has even participated in Over the Edge in year’s past, working to raise money to impact local lives. Derek is very active in the community, and we are fortunate he is willing to join us on the board and our Community Impact Committee. Derek has been a carpenter for 22 years and a Representative of Local 678 for nearly 5 years. We are grateful for the Union representation Derek will bring to our team as we certainly recognize our communities’ Union members as valued community members.
United Way is strategic in their outreach to attract a comprehensive, talented, and engaged board. When nominating board members, our committee thinks about our geographic coverage area, what sector or skill set that person may bring to the team, as well as the business partnership we may have or want to build within their own employers, if applicable. We also take great care to discuss and invite members to maintain a gender balance as well as representatives who vary in age, ethnicity, and socioeconomic background to help create a strong foundation for our work.
In partnership with our President/CEO, the board helps to support and guide the mission of our organization. Our Board Development committee often nominates members of our various committees to formally join our Board of Directors. If you want to learn more about potentially joining a United Way committee, please reach out to us at
[email protected].
