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Good morning, Fearless readers:
Who were your first mentors and idols?
When I was growing up, my family didn’t have cable. But we did have "The CBS Evening News," which I watched religiously. One of my first childhood heroes was Connie Chung. I loved everything about Chung — her depth of knowledge, her tough questions, her steady voice, her refusal to back down, even her perfectly matched, jewel-toned outfits. She was the woman I desperately wanted to be.
Chung recently published her memoir, highlighting how booze and bawdy jokes helped her break into journalism’s boys club. Unfortunately, those boys clubs still very much exist in journalism. I've experienced them. We have a long way to go, Fearless friends.
Who inspired you as a child, even from a distance?
In this week’s Fearless e-newsletter, you will find:
- A story about our upcoming free, virtual Fearless event: What role do mentors play in empowering women in the workplace?
- A story about Mayuri Farlinger, president, Interstate Power and Light Co. and vice president, operations, Alliant Energy.
- In the headlines: Michelle Book will retire as Food Bank of Iowa CEO at year’s end. Melissa Vine will leave the Beacon as executive director after her replacement is hired.
- In case you missed it: The Lauridsen family gave a record-breaking $3 million gift to Ballet Des Moines.
- Lots more!
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Join Fearless for a discussion on mentorship and women in leadership
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BY EMILY BARSKE WOOD, BUSINESS RECORD SPECIAL PROJECTS EDITOR
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Our next, and final, Fearless Focus virtual event of 2024 will focus on leadership and mentorship. We will discuss the role mentors play in empowering women in the workplace.
Event details
Oct. 3 | Noon to 1 p.m. | Register for the free virtual event
Elevating more women into leadership roles is still a key priority for equity advocates. Mentorship has been seen as one solution to the barriers that women face in ascending to formal leadership positions. In this conversation, we will talk about the challenges women face in becoming leaders and how mentors can help guide the next generation. Hear advice on how to find a good mentor and how to be a good mentor. Come ready to be inspired and learn tips you can apply to your own career or community involvement.
Ahead of the event, we asked our speakers to answer a question to give you an idea of what you might hear in the discussion.
Question: What’s one strategy you believe will help create gender parity in leadership positions?
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Bridget Cravens-Neely, CEO, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Iowa: There are several strategies related to building gender parity in leadership. I don’t know that I can narrow it down to just one. For example, understanding what motivates women and recognizing our value are two strategies that are important. Women have proven for decades that we have the mental and physical ability to handle leadership roles traditionally held by men, but we are still tested and required to prove we can handle tough decisions and that we are competitive enough. Studies show that women are more team-oriented, which means we will fight hard for the right cause. Other women hiring women into leadership is another strategy that needs to continue. Yes, there are men in positions of power who recognize our value and understand our motivations, but are they willing to invest in our advancement by choosing us for positions of power? I think we are in a time when we’ll see.
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Monica Friedman, chief human resources officer, LCS: Gender parity comes from an intentional focus and approach that combines several key efforts starting early — and throughout — the employment process. Focusing on diverse candidate pools during recruitment can create a gender-balanced internal talent pipeline for leadership positions and future succession planning. Once great employees are in place, intention and balance throughout leadership development programs and cohorts will prepare diverse succession pipelines. I am also a strong believer in soliciting and listening to feedback. It is important to review turnover data to identify trends that may be negatively affecting retention and use employee engagement initiatives to actively seek and react to feedback to gauge if there are perceived barriers for individuals seeking to move into leadership roles. Senior leaders must identify where improvements can be made. It is imperative to understand those perceptions and communicate openly to address the concerns. Intentionality is key.
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Emilia Marroquin, multicultural board member, SALUD: As a Latina woman, I feel a deep responsibility to help change this and advise organizations on how to get there. As part of their diversity, equity and inclusion commitments, companies and organizations should look for ways to constantly empower Hispanic women to pave their way toward leadership positions. When designing and evaluating programs, leaders must consider centering the experiences and voices of all participants. Recently, the community created a group called "Latinas Rising Together." The main idea is to find new generations and mentor them. We want to remind everyone, at all levels of the endeavor, about the issues impacting our community and to come up with collective solutions to help tackle some of the challenges we all face.
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Mollie Ross, vice president of operations, Technology Association of Iowa: One strategy successful organizations use is offering flexible work schedules for appropriate roles. This allows professionals to manage their time effectively without sacrificing career growth or personal priorities. However, flexibility should come with clear expectations, such as required hours or peak times, and open communication about potential limitations for advancement. By removing rigid schedules, organizations not only attract a broader talent pool but also reduce employee stress — both physically and mentally — leading to improved performance and engagement.
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Barbara Wilson, president of the University of Iowa, will also serve as a speaker.
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A Closer Look: Mayuri Farlinger:
President, Interstate Power and Light Co. and vice president, operations, Alliant Energy
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BY SARAH DIEHN, BUSINESS RECORD STAFF WRITER
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Mayuri Farlinger was already familiar with the utility industry when she accepted an internship at Alliant Energy because her dad worked in the field for more than 40 years.
She said in her 20 years with the public utility, which operates utility companies in Iowa and Wisconsin, one thing she’s learned is that a lot of elements have to come together to make sure that "the lights stay on and the gas flows."
"That’s one of the things that I love about this industry and the work that I do is that there is an opportunity every day to learn something new because there is so much happening," Farlinger said.
Providing an essential service to residents and businesses makes the work meaningful to her.
"Once I came in for my internship and then started in those early years, I realized that the work that we do within this industry has such a big impact on everybody’s lives every single day. A lot of times customers don’t even think about us, but they rely on the service that we provide for everything that they do," she said.
In May, Farlinger became president of Interstate Power and Light Co., Alliant’s Iowa utility company, succeeding Terry Kouba, who retired. She served as vice president of community and customer engagement before becoming president, in addition to various past roles in Alliant’s finance, regulatory, field engineering and customer renewables departments.
Her responsibilities as president include helping Alliant move toward its clean energy goals. Currently about 50% of the energy provided to customers in Iowa comes from renewable energy generation, Farlinger said.
She said Alliant’s companywide clean energy vision includes an "aspirational" goal of reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
The utility’s mix of energy sources has shifted in recent years. It produced 19% of its energy portfolio from coal in 2023, down from 44% in 2005. Energy produced from renewable energy sources sits at 43%. That’s up from 5% in 2005, with a goal to reach 50% by 2030.
Other movements on Alliant’s 2030 clean energy goals include reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 38% between 2005 and 2022, with a goal of reaching a 50% reduction from 2005 levels over the next six years. The utility is also working to reduce its electric utility water supply by 75% and electrify all light-duty fleet vehicles before 2030.
Being in a customer-facing role over the past few years, Farlinger said what customers want has and will continue to guide Alliant’s organizational strategy and investment.
"I’ve been in many roles where I have the opportunity to talk to large customers, I have the opportunity to talk to residential customers. One of the themes that we see from industry is that desire for sustainable energy. Some customers are on a faster path than others, and for those customers, we’ve got different solutions," she said.
The Business Record recently caught up with Farlinger.
This Q&A has been edited and condensed for clarity.
From your 20 years of experience with Alliant, what kinds of changes have you observed in the energy industry?
Customer expectations are changing, and our industry has to be able to meet the needs of our customers, their energy needs today and their energy needs in the future. As I think about some of the things that have changed, you see sustainability continue to grow as an area of focus for our customers, and that’s something that we’ve been working on for years now. We have a clean energy vision and goals that we’re executing on because that’s work that’s important to our customers. In addition to it being important to our customers, it’s really important to us to continue to have a really diverse energy mix, so as we think about the resources that are going to generate the power that is delivered to our customers, we are focused on making sure that it’s reliable, that it’s affordable, that it meets the needs of customers.
Can you share an update on Alliant’s clean energy goals and progress in Iowa?
We have a goal to eliminate coal from our generation fleet by 2040, and then an aspirational goal to get to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from our utility operations by 2050. As we continue with the transition, we’ve introduced over a gigawatt of wind to the state of Iowa. Right now, we’re moving forward with 400 megawatts of solar throughout the state. We’re introducing battery technology; we’ve got some small batteries on our system right now that we’re learning from to continue that deployment into the future. And we’re looking at new technologies all the time because that technology continues to change, evolve, become more efficient, and so we want to make sure that we’re apprised of all those changes and then deploying the appropriate resources.
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"FRIENDS. SISTERS. MOTHERS. PROFESSORS. WHEN WOMEN AFFIRM WOMEN, IT UNLOCKS OUR POWER. IT GIVES US PERMISSION TO SHINE BRIGHTER."
ELAINE WELTEROTH
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Left: Michelle Book. Right: Melissa Vine. Business Record file photos.
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Michelle Book to retire as Food Bank of Iowa CEO at year’s end: Food Bank of Iowa CEO Michelle Book announced she will retire Dec. 31 after leading the organization for nearly nine years. Since Book became CEO in 2016, some of the food bank’s progress includes increasing food distribution by 230%, acquiring then-Food Bank of Southern Iowa in 2018 and opening 162 school pantries, a news release said. Read more from the Business Record here.
The Beacon starts search for new executive director: The Beacon, a Des Moines nonprofit that helps women who have experienced trauma and systemic inequity, is starting the search for a new leader. Current Executive Director Melissa Vine will remain at the Beacon until her replacement is found, according to a social media update signed jointly by Vine and the Beacon’s board president, Shannon Sobek, on Sept. 16. Read more from the Business Record here.
Western Iowa treatment center is the dream of a woman who overcame her own addiction, incarceration: Sioux City officially approved selling land to a nonprofit for an inpatient addiction treatment facility, which city officials say is greatly needed. The project is the dream of a woman who overcame her own addiction. The idea for an intense, inpatient treatment center came several years ago when Rachelle Rawson served time behind bars for conspiracy to distribute illegal substances, according to this story by Iowa Public Radio.
Caitlin Clark breaks WNBA rookie scoring record as historic season rolls on: The NCAA’s all-time leading scorer added another scoring title to her resume. Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark set the WNBA record for points in a rookie season, eclipsing Hall of Famer Seimone Augustus during a 110-109 victory over the Dallas Wings on Sept. 15 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, according to this story by the Washington Post.
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Sexual harassment is as common today for women in the workplace as 5 years ago, study finds (CBS News). What could a menopause-friendly workplace look like? (New York Times). States are turning to employers to boost child care benefits (the 19th News). Scientists mapped what pregnancy really does to a mom’s brain (Washington Post). Feds rarely punish hospitals for turning away pregnant patients (Associated Press). Women hold other women back in the workplace. It’s called the queen bee syndrome. (The Print).
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Lauridsen family gives record-breaking
$3 million gift to Ballet Des Moines
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BY NICOLE GRUNDMEIER, BUSINESS RECORD STAFF WRITER
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Photo by LB Creative Studios, courtesy of Ballet Des Moines.
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Ballet Des Moines has received a $3 million gift from Des Moines philanthropists Nix and Virginia Lauridsen.
The donation was announced Sept. 12 at a ribbon-cutting for Ballet Des Moines’ new downtown campus at 655 Walnut St. The money will support operations and an endowment and allow for more performances with live music, according to a news release. It’s the Lauridsens’ largest single donation to a local performing arts organization.
Including the donation, Ballet Des Moines said it raised more than $4.8 million during its now-complete capital campaign, exceeding the campaign’s goal.
"Virginia and I support organizations that have a clear vision and a steadfast commitment to raising the bar for arts within our community," Nix Lauridsen said in a prepared statement. "We have been impressed by the innovation, collaboration and artistic prowess shown by Ballet Des Moines and know this gift will ensure the company’s continued excellence and growth."
The Ballet Des Moines Lauridsen Campus for Arts and Education gives the ballet a permanent home for its professional company and space for outreach and education programs. The ballet’s 2024-25 season begins Oct. 18-19 at Hoyt Sherman Place with "Movimiento." More information is at balletdesmoines.org.
The capital campaign was led by Connie Wimer, owner and chair of Business Publications Corp., and Kirk Besh, senior vice president at West Bank.
The Lauridsen family has donated millions of dollars to Des Moines-area groups and causes, including the Lauridsen Skatepark in downtown Des Moines. Nix Lauridsen owns Lauridsen Group, seven independent companies that make products to enhance the health and nutrition of people and animals. The Lauridsen Group is headquartered in Ankeny.
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"This extraordinary gift underscores the bright future of Ballet Des Moines, and our city," Blaire Massa, CEO of Ballet Des Moines, said in a prepared statement.
Ballet Des Moines said donors contributing over $50,000 were:
- EMC Insurance Cos.
- The Ruan Foundation
- American Equity Investment Life Insurance Co.
- Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines
- Krause Gentle Foundation
- Polk County Board of Supervisors
- Prairie Meadows
- Bravo Greater Des Moines
- Sammons Financial Group
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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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