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Good morning, Fearless readers:
I come from a football loving family. I was Brett Favre for Halloween when I was 4. We have been long-time Packers fans, and my sister and I both married Packers fans, too.
My love of NFL football continues to grow every year. Five years ago, my husband started a fantasy football league with a group of our friends.
Our league is 50% women, and three of the four winners so far have been women.
As it turns out, women are a growing demographic playing fantasy sports in the U.S. and Canada. I hear from more and more women that they've joined leagues. It's an interesting trend to see in a sports space that has long been considered men's territory.
Have you noticed more women in your life playing fantasy football? Have you started playing yourself? How do the men seem to treat the women in your leagues? I'd love to hear other women's experiences in this realm!
In this week’s Fearless e-newsletter:
- Angela Franklin is the Business Record's 2025 Women of Influence Alum of the Year.
- 7 takeaways from the 2025 Taking up Space event.
- In the headlines: Kristi Burma was named the 2025 Dentons Human Resources Professional of the Year.
- In case you missed it: Attend the 2025 Fearless Forward event.
- Lots more!
— Macey Shofroth, Fearless
editor
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Business Record names Angela Franklin the 2025 Women of Influence Alum of the Year
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| BY MACEY SHOFROTH, FEARLESS EDITOR
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The Business Record has named Des Moines University President Angela Franklin the 2025 Women of Influence Alum of the Year. The annual award was launched last year to celebrate one of the past Women of Influence who has continued making an impact since being honored by the Business Record.
Franklin was honored as a Woman of Influence in 2014. Business Publications Corp. Chair Connie Wimer launched the program to recognize women who were making a difference in the community but were seldom recognized. All those who’ve received the award in the past were invited to nominate fellow
alumni.
Franklin became the 15th president of Des Moines University Medicine and Health Sciences in 2011. She is from McCormick, S.C. She graduated magna cum laude from Furman University and is a Phi Beta Kappa. She went on to complete her Ph.D. in clinical psychology at Emory University and a year-long clinical internship at Grady Memorial Hospital.
Franklin has more than 25 years of experience in higher education, previously serving as executive vice president and provost at Meharry Medical College in
Nashville, Tenn., where she also held a professorship in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences.
Franklin has made a significant impact in recruiting students to study medicine at DMU. Janice Lane Schroeder, a 2021 Woman of Influence, nominated Franklin for the Alum award.
“Dr. Franklin and her team have been intentional in their curriculum to ensure students are skilled and equipped to work with the most complex cases in a culturally responsive and competent manner,” Schroeder said.
“She has proven her commitment to our state and community by launching a campaign to build a new campus in West Des Moines.”
Tiffany Tauscheck, a 2014 Emerging Woman of Influence and a 2021 Woman of Influence, also nominated Franklin.
“She made her vision a reality,” Tauscheck said. “The new DMU campus is incredible – not just for our region but for our entire state. She is an inspiration.”
Franklin will speak at our Fearless Forward event on Oct. 23 and will be featured in the Oct. 24 edition of the Business Record.
Fearless Forward event details:
Oct. 23 | 10 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. networking; 10:30 a.m.-noon, program and lunch | Downtown Des Moines Marriott
Register for the event
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Our voice, our skills, our knowledge: 7 takeaways from the 2025 Taking up Space event
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| BY MACEY SHOFROTH, FEARLESS EDITOR
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| Panelists share their thoughts at the Taking Up Space event. Photo by Macey Shofroth.
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As I walked up to The Monroe a couple of weeks ago, a line of women spilled out of the door. We had all arrived for the “Taking up Space” event, and the sold-out room was a perfect metaphor for the event’s intent — unapologetically taking up the space we deserve, and celebrating
ourselves and the incredible women around us.
Taking Up Space, organized by Abi Reiland, is a panel and networking event aimed at elevating and empowering businesswomen in Central Iowa. The founders recognized their own struggles in making themselves heard and respected in male-dominated industries and knew other women had to be experiencing similar things.
Reiland opened the event asking attendees to “unapologetically take up space with your voice, your skills and your knowledge.” She modeled this
through her speech filled with personality and vulnerability, poking fun at herself and sharing her anxieties around her outfit choice and if she was being “too much” before ultimately asking a rhetorical question, “Do dudes think like this?”
The room full of women laughed, because we knew the answer.
The panel portion of the event explored many different questions about how women show up in both work and life and forge a path that brings them joy and fulfillment.
Panelists included:
- Dr. Rachel Preisser, co-founder and radiologist, Grace Breast Imaging & Medical Spa
- Nola Cartmill, chief diversity officer, Holmes Murphy
- Erin Gerlich, executive director, Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union
- Erika Macias, president, Hola America Publications, Inc.
- Rachelle Keck, president, Grand View University
- Maggie Ferrentino, associate general counsel, EMC Insurance
The panel was moderated by Alyx Sacks, a KCCI anchor.
Here are seven takeaways from the event:
1. Great leaders care more about people than results
When asked what separates a good leader from a great leader, Cartmill explained that the best leaders value the well-being of their people. When that happens, results follow. She went on to describe the intention with which she takes breaks and cares for herself.
“I can’t show up empty,” she said.
2. Representation matters
Keck told the audience that her friend was walking on the Grand View University campus as Keck waited elsewhere for the announcement that she would become the school’s first female president. A young man and woman walked in front of the friend, wondering why there were so many people on campus.
“I think they’re announcing the new president today,” the young man said.
“I wonder what he’ll be like,” said the young woman.
Keck’s friend couldn’t help but interject.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, but I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation,” he said. “I know your new president, and she’s a bada**.”
“Representation matters,” Keck said.
3. Be present instead of trying to be everything
Preisser used to feel the pressure to be the “do everything” mom. She volunteered for the PTA and made sure her children had all the crafts for school. One day, she was making something for her son and couldn’t play with him.
“Mom, I don’t need that,” he said. “I need you.”
Preisser saw that as a lesson in knowing where her priorities should lie.
4. Be an advocate for yourself
A previous boss would ask Ferrentino to provide her flight itineraries so they could know the moment she could turn her phone back on and be available for phone calls. She acquiesced, because she always did what she was asked.
After leaving the toxic environment of that job, she knew she needed to be a better advocate for herself moving forward.
“Now I ask myself,
‘What would you tell a friend in the same situation?’” Ferrentino said.
5. Walk away when you know they aren’t taking you seriously
Macias urged attendees to pay close attention to how people are treating you to know when your energy is better spent elsewhere. When you’re feeling overwhelmed and you can tell those you’re working with aren’t taking you seriously, it’s time to walk away.
6. Have a personal board of directors
Keck explained her concept of having a personal board of directors that help her make decisions and level up in career and life. There are four positions she says are necessary: the
sponsor, who helps you access opportunity; the spirit fingers, who cheer you on; the sharpener, who challenges you to be better; and the sage, who guides you with wisdom.
7. But for me, who else would?
In a moment she was feeling overwhelmed, a mentor had Cartmill ask herself, “But for me, who else would?” If not for Cartmill, who else would have her specific talents and dedication for advocating for justice and
equity? She reminded us that everyone has something unique they bring to the table that can’t be replaced.
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“THE SECRET OF GETTING AHEAD IS GETTING STARTED.”
SALLY BERGER
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Burma named 2025 Dentons Human Resources Professional of the Year. The Business Record has named Kristi Burma, executive vice president and chief human resources officer at Athene, the 2025 Dentons Human Resources Professional of the Year. Burma has worked at Athene for 12 years. Before that, she was vice president of human resources at Aviva USA, which Athene acquired in 2013. She now oversees human resources strategy for the 10 Athene locations across the United States, Bermuda, Canada and Japan. “As the top HR executive for a market-leading company, she has directly contributed to Athene’s growth, shaped its culture and transformed it into one of
the most generous organizations in the state. Her influence is deeply felt within Athene and across the community,"wrote Rona Berinobis, senior vice president of human resources at Athene, in Burma's nomination.
Bankers Trust announces new chief HR officer. Bankers Trust has promoted Julie Eggleston to the role of chief human resources officer, effective June 16. She succeeds Amanda Young who left the bank in June. Eggleston joined Bankers Trust in 2017 as assistant vice president, human resources operations manager and was promoted to vice president in 2019 and senior vice president in 2023. Before her tenure at Bankers Trust, she held HR leadership positions across
industries, including insurance and aerospace. Eggleston holds a bachelor’s degree in human resources and management from the University of Wisconsin, an MBA in finance from the University of Iowa, as well as several professional certifications.
Iowa College Foundation names new president-elect. The Iowa College Foundation has announced the appointment of Tara K. Connolly as president-elect. Connolly will work closely with current president Ed Finn to ensure a smooth leadership transition and continue supporting Iowa’s independent, nonprofit colleges and universities. She has more than two decades of experience in higher education and philanthropy, most recently serving as executive director of the Des Moines Area Community College Foundation, where she oversaw fundraising efforts, donor engagement and
scholarship expansion across the college’s campuses. She has also worked in philanthropy, public service and civic engagement, including as executive director of development for the MercyOne Des Moines Foundation.
Des Moines' Carol Whitmore elected National Commander of Veterans of Foreign Affairs. Des Moines resident Carol Whitmore was elected Commander in Chief of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States at the 126 VFW National Convention in Ohio in August. She is a veteran of the U.S. Army from 1977 to 2013 and is both the first woman and first Iowan to lead the organization in its 126-year history. She will be formally celebrated at the Commander-in-Chief Homecoming event, Sept. 25-28, at the Embassy Suites Des Moines Downtown.
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Iowa woman's quilt to be featured in Smithsonian's state fair exhibit (KCCI). Iowa Restaurant Association announces 2025 "40 Women to Watch in Hospitality"honorees (Iowa Restaurant Association). Rural hospitals often scrap labor and delivery services after mergers, study finds (Iowa Capital Dispatch). Meet the woman solving the lonely mum epidemic (The Times). Want signs of bipartisanship? In the House, look to women. (The 19th). Nearly Half of Gen Z and millennial
women fear being judged on earning levels and money habits, according to Principal® Foundation survey (PR News Wire).
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Join us for our Fearless Forward event
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Five years ago, the Business Record launched Fearless with a goal to empower Iowa women to succeed in work and life. Join us to celebrate five years of Fearless on Thursday, Oct. 23.
Fearless Forward Event attendees will be active participants in fulfilling our mission: Together we will rise above current challenges by leaning into important conversations where everyone has a seat at the table, we will engage with passionate professionals and we will acknowledge our fears but move forward anyway. Guests will have the opportunity to hear from three inspiring speakers, participate in live content creation that will be
featured in Fearless, partake in motivational exercises and connect with others equally passionate about gender equity. Supporting this event is an investment in the future of the Fearless initiative and all those who benefit from this initiative. Attendees will leave feeling encouraged to act fearlessly in their individual and collective pursuits to create a better world.
Register for the event here.
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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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