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Good morning, Fearless readers:
We hope you find some time to relax and enjoy the holidays as 2024 wraps up!
A little history was made in Iowa last week. With Gov. Kim Reynolds’ appointment of Chris Cournoyer as the next lieutenant governor, Iowa has joined the list of just four states that have had women simultaneously serving in both the roles of governor and lieutenant governor. (Arkansas and Massachusetts both elected a female governor and lieutenant governor in 2022. In New York, Andrea Stewart-Cousins became acting lieutenant governor when Gov. Kathy Hochul succeeded Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo during his third term in 2021.) Learn more about Cournoyer in today’s newsletter.
In this week’s Fearless e-newsletter, you will find:
- A story about Sara Kurovski, Pleasant Hill’s first woman mayor.
- An Iowa Life story about Gabriella Torres, an abstract painter who’s working to make Clinton an arts destination.
- In the headlines: Ankeny City Council appoints Bobbi Bentz mayor.
- In case you missed it: Chris Cournoyer appointed Iowa’s next lieutenant governor.
- Lots more!
— Emily Barske Wood, Business Record special projects editor
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How Sara Kurovski, Pleasant Hill’s first woman mayor, led her city through a devastating tornado
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AS TOLD TO NICOLE GRUNDMEIER
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Sara Kurovski is the mayor of Pleasant Hill. She is also the president and CEO of Make-A-Wish Iowa. On April 26, 2024, an EF2 tornado tore through her Des Moines suburb of more than 10,000 residents. Kurovski had learned an important leadership lesson from previous emergencies: In those first critical moments, you have to sit back and wait while your team does its job. In the following days, she fielded phone calls from traumatized residents, including moms who wanted to check on the graves of their children at the city’s cemetery.
Kurovski’s steady presence enabled the city to move forward together. But the tornado was not Kurovski’s first time facing fear head-on: She was just 29 years old when she became Pleasant Hill’s first woman mayor. She considers her decision to run for mayor as her biggest fearless moment.
Kurovski is a Lincoln High School/Des Moines Public Schools graduate. She received a bachelor’s degree in communications from Truman State University in Kirksville, Mo., and her master’s degree in public administration from Drake University. Her first job out of college was with Metro Waste Authority, which quietly put her on the road to becoming Pleasant Hill’s mayor.
The following story has been formatted to be entirely in her words, and has been edited and condensed for clarity.
I joke that I know way too much about garbage. I had never thought about local government until my time at Metro Waste Authority.
Tom Hadden at Metro Waste Authority was very supportive: "You should get involved in your community." He encouraged me to reach out to some of the community leaders here, talk to them and find a way to participate. I literally brought my resume up to City Hall and said, "Hi, I live here. I would love to participate in some way. I don’t know what that means. But here’s who I am." Having a young female show up and say, "Hi, how can I be helpful?" was intriguing to both some of the elected officials at that time and staff members, and I got invited to participate in some smaller committees in the city and ended up applying and landing on the board of adjustment.
I had no idea what it meant to be on the board of adjustment. I had no idea what I needed to learn. But I thought, "Well, if they’re asking me to do this, they must see something that I bring to the table," and I didn’t know at that time what that was. It was a great learning opportunity and a great time for growth and to ask the questions, especially on tricky topics. I moved on from board of adjustment to plan and zoning.
Mike Richardson, who was the mayor at that time, said, "We should have a conversation," and I thought, "Oh gosh, what did I say at P&Z that he’s unhappy?" That’s the first thing that comes to your mind when the mayor’s like, "We should talk." I went and met with him and a few others and he said, "I’m not running for mayor again, and I want you to run." I said, "I’m not qualified." And he said the most shocking statement that, at that point in my career, anyone had said to me. He said, "You have your master’s in public administration, and I have my GED."
I did say, "No, I have two small kids at home, I can’t run," and he said, "Please think about it." That’s when I was reading "Lean In" by Sheryl Sandberg. I decided, "OK, I’m not going to sit back and do this to myself, and I’m going to run, and I don’t know what I’m doing, but I’m going to run, because I don’t want to say no, because I think I’m not qualified." That I can learn. That’s scary, and I think that, for me, is my personal, largest fearless moment. Because I had no idea how to run a campaign.
I did not know a majority of the people in this community. We were in the middle of a controversial economic development project. I had two small children at home. I just thought, "I don’t know what I’m doing. But I feel like this is a door that’s opening. And if I don’t walk through this right now, I might not ever get that opportunity again."
It was an incredible learning moment. Without having taken that first, really scary, hard step, I don’t think I would have been able to do all these other things that have come along the way that are equally scary, but I could recognize in myself: "This is a hard moment. We can get through this."
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Meet a creative placemaker from Clinton
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FROM "IOWA LIFE" ON IOWA PBS
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Gabriella Torres. Photo courtesy of Iowa PBS's Iowa Life.
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Editor’s note: Fearless will occasionally be sharing some of Iowa PBS’s "Iowa Life" stories featuring incredible Iowa women.
Creative placemaking projects, which use arts and culture to help revitalize communities, are on the rise across the state. Meet Gabriella Torres, an abstract painter who’s working to make Clinton an arts destination.
"I just really hope that other people can feel inspired and feel empowered to do things and to just create, start their business, take those risks. … This story can be anybody's story, really it can. And I just hope more people will because our towns are worth saving. Our towns are worth fighting for, our towns are worth investing in. And there's so much opportunity in places like this."
Learn more about Gabriella Torres and her love of Clinton on "Iowa Life."
"Iowa Life" is an Iowa PBS production that seeks to uncover the diverse tapestry of Iowa's people, cultures and stories. Through compelling interviews, scenic visuals, and authentic storytelling, each episode explores the extraordinary lives of individuals who call Iowa home. Watch episodes Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. or anytime on the Iowa PBS website or PBS app.
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"DECIDE WHETHER OR NOT THE GOAL IS WORTH THE RISKS INVOLVED. IF IT IS, STOP WORRYING."
AMELIA EARHART
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Ankeny City Council appoints Bentz mayor: The Ankeny City Council appointed council member Bobbi Bentz to serve as the city’s next mayor. She is the first female to hold the position. Bentz (pictured) has served on the City Council for 12 years and was appointed mayor pro tem in December 2021. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Cornell College and two master’s degrees and a doctorate degree from the University of Iowa. She currently works as associate director of evidence and outcomes for Eli Lily & Co.
Hardwood meets the heartland in Iowa women’s basketball coach Jan Jensen: Iowa native Jan Jensen has long been a staple of Iowa women’s basketball, from her time as a Drake University standout to her career coaching under Lisa Bluder. She stepped into the head coaching position this year after 24 years with the school. A profile in the Daily Iowan details Jensen’s rural Iowa upbringing, her journey to taking the helm of one of the most notable programs in women’s college basketball, and everything that helped her along the way. (Jensen was a Business Record 90 Ideas speaker and a dsm LGBTQ Legacy Leader in 2020.)
Jodi Schafer named talent attraction director for Collaborative Growth Initiative: Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance hired Jodi Schafer as the talent attraction director for the area’s Collaborative Growth Initiative. She will lead efforts to grow the area’s workforce population. She previously worked in the University of Iowa’s MBA department and as the director of talent management at CIVCO Medical Solutions. The Collaborative Growth Initiative is a partnership among the cities of Cedar Rapids, Hiawatha and Marion, according to a story in the Corridor Business Journal.
This Des Moines restaurant serves $1 burgers: Chelsie’s Courtyard Diner uses a unique and budget-friendly tactic to attract customers. The restaurant offers its "buck burger" special, a $1 burger, every Thursday night. Owner Chelsie Lyons has offered the special for 14 years, beginning with her former restaurant, Players Sports Bar & Grill in Beaverdale. Lyons closed her former restaurant after the city used eminent domain to realign the intersection at Beaver Avenue and 41st Street, according to Axios.
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A transplanted pig kidney offers a grandmother hope for life without dialysis (NPR). Fortune’s 2024 Most Powerful Women in Business (Fortune). No women will lead House committees for first time in 2 decades (ABC News). 40 Black women appointed federal judges under Biden, setting historic record (Essence). NFL inks deal with Betches to produce football content targeted at Gen Z, millennial women (Variety). Caitlin Clark’s jersey retirement ceremony is Feb. 2 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena (The Gazette).
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Cournoyer appointed Iowa’s next lieutenant governor
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Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Dec. 16 the appointment of Chris Cournoyer as Iowa’s 48th lieutenant governor. The announcement comes after former Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg stepped down in September to become the next president and CEO of the Iowa Bankers Association.
A Le Claire resident, Cournoyer was elected to the Iowa Senate in 2018.
In the Senate, she chaired the chamber’s inaugural Technology Committee, including writing and managing the consumer data privacy legislation that Reynolds signed into law in March 2023. Her other past committee appointments included chairing the Education Budget Committee, serving as vice chair of the State Government Committee and sitting on the Education, Natural Resources and Environment, Transportation, and Ways and Means committees. She has also served on the Governor’s STEM Advisory Council.
Read more
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At its core, Fearless exists to help empower Iowa women to succeed in work and life. We believe that everyone has a story to share and that we cannot progress as a society unless we know about one another. We share stories through featuring women in our reporting, featuring guest contributions and speakers at our events.
We are always looking for new stories to share and people to feature. Get in touch with us!
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