Tell me a little about yourself. I am a native Iowan from Marshalltown. I graduated from Drake University in 1999 with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications. My major was public relations. I have lived in West Des Moines since 1999, and my wife and I were married in 2001 at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church. We are active members of the parish and teach religious education to young people.
What drew you to public relations in the first place? I enjoyed writing and telling stories, and I wanted to put these skills to use for a company instead of writing for a newspaper. The idea of providing news and ideas to journalists appealed to me because I knew what journalists looked for when they wrote stories.
What has your career path looked like? What is your current role? When I was in college, I had an internship at my hometown newspaper. I covered the local baseball team one summer. While it was fun, I realized it wasn't my career path. I started my professional career at ITAGroup in West Des Moines. After two years there, I joined Two Rivers Marketing in March 2002. Since joining the company, I've been part of the public relations department. For much of my career, I have provided writing and media relations services to manufacturing clients. For approximately five years, I was the editor of several custom publications that we produced on behalf of our clients, and I enjoyed that very much. Today, I am a PR and Content Strategy manager for a manufacturer of heavy construction equipment.
How did you get involved with PRSA Iowa? I have been a member since 1999. My involvement grew in 2015 when I joined the board as the newsletter editor. That same year, I earned my APR (accreditation), and I have served on the board ever since. I was the president of the Iowa Chapter in 2020, and for the past two years, I've served as a delegate. I enjoy giving back to the Chapter and helping members as they pursue their APR.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve received? Never stop learning. That's one reason why I've remained active in PRSA, to further my education in the field of public relations and communications. PRSA National and our Chapter offer some great programming at a reasonable price. I also think it's important to challenge yourself and not get too comfortable with the status quo. I like to find ways to challenge myself to do better each year and grow personally and professionally.
What do you like to do in your free time? Spend time with my family. I am married and have four children. I enjoy volunteering for the Knights of Columbus at my Catholic church. Starting in January 2024, I am joining the Special Olympics Iowa board. Outside of these activities, one of my favorite activities is riding my bike on the Central Iowa trails.
