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TREASURER
Steve Prater, Retired Architect, Facilities Planning and Management, Iowa State, Ames, Iowa. Steve is a retired architect having served his last twenty years with the Facilities Planning and Management group at Iowa State University. Along with providing design services, he also managed major capital projects for many of the university’s colleges and departments. He and his wife, Dorothy (Dot) are currently members of St. John’s Episcopal Parish in Ames where Steve is a Vestry member and the current Junior Warden. Steve and Dot have three grown children (with spouses) spread around the country and a delightful grandson. On the off-hours, Steve enjoys a good sail, a nicely made piece of pottery, a pencil sketch, and thoughtful words.
SECRETARY
Heather Botine, Director of Travel and Merchandise, ISU Alumni Association, Ames, Iowa. Heather has maintained an active role in the community through her volunteer service to Bethesda Lutheran Church, Hope Lutheran Church, Ames campus, Mary Greeley Medical Center Gift Shop, Ames Community School District, United Way, and Boys and Girls Clubs of Story County. Heather and her husband, Gary, raised a son and daughter in Ames and now enjoy their empty nest life in a townhome on Coldwater Golf Course. In her spare time she enjoys playing golf, travel, and visits to her children in Minneapolis and Chicago.
DIRECTOR
Haley Cook, Strategic Engagement Coordinator, Iowa State University Office of the President, Ames, Iowa A forever true Cyclone, Haley graduated from Iowa State University in 2005 with a degree in journalism and mass communication and made Ames her home following graduation. She has served in roles with the ISU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Ames Convention and Visitor’s Bureau and ISU Conference Planning and Management. In her current position, she provides organization and support to the strategic events and initiatives of the Office of the President. Haley has served on the boards of the National Ag Alumni Development Association, YWCA Ames-ISU, Ames Chamber of Commerce and the executive board for FUEL of Ames (formerly Young Professionals of Ames). She grew up on a farm outside of Wall Lake, Iowa, where she currently co-manages a greenhouse with her mom and sister.
DIRECTOR
Luke Jensen, President, RES Group, Inc., Ames, Iowa. Luke was raised in Ames. He attended the University of Northern Iowa where he studied finance and real estate. Luke currently serves as the President of RES Group, Inc., a full-service real estate investment company. Luke strives to build community in Ames and is dedicated to the city’s growth and development. He’s recently served as President of the Central Iowa Board of Realtors and Chairman of the Ames Chamber of Commerce. In his spare time, Luke enjoys golfing, coaching his kids in sporting activities, and traveling with his wife and three children.
DIRECTOR
Jane Halliburton, '65 graduate of Iowa State University in Child Development, Retired Story County Supervisor, Ames, Iowa. During her 24-year career in county government, she worked to improve the lives of countless individuals, particularly at-risk children and adults with special needs. Working closely with others, Halliburton led the transformation of Story County Human Services from facility-based to community-based. She was a founding member of the Story County Dental Clinic Advisory Committee to help low-income families access dental services. She advocated for statewide improvements as a longtime member of the Iowa MHMRDDBI Commission and helped organize the first-ever National Special Olympic Games. Halliburton retired at the end of 2010 and continued her service as a volunteer. She served on the board of Raising Readers, was a board member and president of Heartland Senior Services, and chaired the Community Vitality Center Governance Board. She continues to be active in the League of Women Voters of Ames and Story County and the Rotary Club of Ames.
DIRECTOR
Sheila Lundt (Profile coming soon.)
DIRECTOR
Dr. Pauline Miller, Retired Physician, ISU Thielen Student Health Center, Ames, Iowa. Dr. Miller practiced medicine at the ISU Thielen Student Health Center from 1979 until her retirement. Dr. Miller has been involved in several campus committees and has enjoyed being a Wilderness Canoe Base guide. She is a member of St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church and lives with her husband outside of Ames.
DIRECTOR
Tom Mortice, Market President, South Story Bank & Trust, Ames, Iowa. Tom graduated from Iowa State University in 1996 and, after a 20 year career in banking spent primarily in the Des Moines area, returned to Ames in 2017. Tom is currently a Board Member for Habitat for Humanity of Central Iowa and the Ames Noon Lion’s Club while also enjoying participating in multiple events coordinated by the Ames Chamber of Commerce each year. Tom’s wife and five daughters are devoted Cyclone fans, although the three oldest daughters currently attend school in North Carolina.
DIRECTOR
Melissa Muschick, Vice President, Saltech Systems, Ames, Iowa,
Melissa and her family live in Nevada, IA, where she and her husband grew up. As a mother of two kids, she is actively involved in community and professional organizations in Nevada and Ames. Melissa currently serves as the Vice President for Saltech Systems, a holistic approach technology company that focuses on supporting the needs of small to medium-sized businesses to help them grow and meet their goals (Websites, IT Support, Cloud, Digital Marketing). As the former President of FUEL Story County (Ames Chamber Young Professionals Group) and a current member of the Nevada Booster Board, she continues to be involved in organizations that contribute to the growth and development of the communities that surround her. Melissa has a passion to know people and is always willing to lend a hand to help. She can be described as a person that rarely says "No" when asked and takes great joy in seeing others grow around her.
DIRECTOR
Jon Sargent, President, Todd & Sargent, Ames, Iowa. Jon grew up in Ames and attended the University of Iowa, graduating in 2005 with a Finance major and a Classics minor. After spending 5 years in the finance world in Chicago and getting his MBA from the University of Chicago, Jon moved back to Ames in 2010 to start at Todd & Sargent, an engineering and construction company founded by his grandfather Warren Sargent in 1958. Todd & Sargent serves the industrial agriculture markets, designing and building feed mills, flour mills, pet food plants, grain elevators, and other bulk material storage and handling facilities.
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DIRECTOR
Fr. Jim Secora, Pastor, St. Cecilia Catholic Church, Ames, Iowa. Fr. Jim earned his BA from Loras College, Dubuque, Iowa in 1971. He then studied at St. Mary Seminary and University, Baltimore, Maryland and was ordained a priest on May 31, 1975. Since ordination Father Jim has served in parish ministry, full-time high school teaching, service to the Archdiocese of Dubuque on the Worship Commission, Catholic School Board, Permanent Diaconate Instructor, and Liturgical Master of Ceremonies to Archbishop Emeritus, Daniel Kucera, OSB. Father Jim has served as pastor of St. Catherine, Dubuque; Immaculate Conception, Gilbertville, St. Patrick, Cedar Falls; and is currently pastor of St. Cecilia. His interests include classical music, literature, travel, walking, biking, and anything connected with railroads and trains.
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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Jennifer Ellis, Ogden, Iowa. Jennifer earned her B.S. in Child and Family Services from ISU. She joined Friendship Ark in 2014. She has worked in community based services for individuals with disabilities since 2001 and has held many different positions, working directly with individuals with disabilities as well as in administration. Jennifer and her husband, Paul, have two daughters and live in Ogden, IA. When Jennifer is not attending her daughters' many activities, she is active in her church, enjoys spending time with family and friends, and is passionate in her support of ISU athletic teams.