New Executive Director for Louisa Development Group
The newest member of the staff in the Extension office in Wapello is Angela Shipley, Executive Director of Louisa Development Group. In this role Shipley also will take on the responsibilities of a County Program Coordinator in Communities and Economic Development in Extension.
Shipley has an MBA from St. Ambrose, many years of experience as a small business owner and job experience as the Director of Entrepreneurial Support at the Mount Pleasant Chamber Alliance and a small business consultant with expertise in the areas of marketing and social media. She is looking forward to her work with the many businesses and organizations that are members of Louisa Development Group.
Bundy Earns Certification
Millie Bundy, Farmers & Merchants Bank & Trust’s Vice President of Operations and Information Security Officer, earned the Certified Banking Security Executive credential through the SBS Institute.
Bundy joins a growing community of financial service professionals showing their commitment to strong cybersecurity practices with a cyber-specific certification.
The CBSE designation acknowledges licensing professionals who have demonstrated their experience and proficiency in licensing and the commercialization of intellectual property. It is built on internationally applicable standards of practice, knowledge and ethics to differentiate licensing professionals who have taken the steps necessary to become certified.
Bundy has been employed at F&M Bank & Trust for 14 years. Bundy graduated from the BAI Graduate School of Retail Banking in 2007. She is located in Burlington at the Main Bank.
SCC’s Michael Ash Named 2018 CASE District VI Chief Executive Leader
Southeastern Community College President Michael Ash will receive the Council for Advancement and Support of Education 2018 District VI Chief Executive Leadership Award at its annual conference in St. Louis January 29.
The award recognizes outstanding leadership and service in support of education. It is presented annually to an outstanding president, chancellor, head master or system head of a CASE member institution.
Soon after arriving in 2012, Ash launched the College into an era of change. Working with SCC staff, area educators, and employers, he spearheaded the development of a comprehensive facilities plan, including the $27 million Building the Dream campus expansion initiative, its largest capital development project since the early 90’s.
The Health Professions Center opened in 2016, the Industrial Technologies Training Center opened last year, and the Hall of Sciences will open in August. In addition, Ash partnered with a local development group to erect the 4-story Blackhawk Tower residence hall in West Burlington. He also is working with Burlington area organizations to build an indoor sports complex.
Ash and his team also have launched initiatives that expand access to higher education through a number of new initiatives. Notable efforts include new athletics and international student programing, partnerships with area high schools to expose students to college, a focus on student success and retention, an outreach program called Education Changes Everything, and career training programs in support of area employers.
He also helped secure more than $4 million for scholarships and program funding.
Dr. Ash said while he is humbled by the honor, he couldn’t have done it alone.
“When I got here, I saw in everyone a lot of potential to drive positive change,” explains Ash in a press release. “People wanted to tackle our challenges and grow. All I did was let the cork out of the bottle.”
CASE District VI represents professionals and institutions in the Midwest region of the United States (Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming).
FMCH Names November Employee of the Month
Fort Madison Community Hospital recognized Karen Hall as their November Employee of the Month.
Hall works as a radiology technician in the Radiology Department at FMCH. She has been with FMCH for twelve years.
“My radiology family has been wonderful. They welcomed me in as a new grad when I was just 20. They taught me the ropes and showed me how to be a good team player. I love how my day is never the same. We get to see all walks of life and rarely do we have a dull moment,” Hall said about her job.
Hall enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband and two young children when not working.
FMCH Family Practice Clinic Welcomes Dr. David
Michael David has joined The Family Practice Clinic at Fort Madison Community Hospital.
David is a Board Certified Family Practice Provider and comes to FMCH with more than thirty-five years of experience, mostly in private practice in Kansas and Oklahoma.
He received his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Degree from the Kansas City University, College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed his rotating internship at Osteopathic Hospital of Wichita. David will see patients of all ages, from newborn to geriatrics.
“I am looking forward to being part of the community, taking care of patients who need both preventative and disease management healthcare,” David said.
Alliant Energy offers college Innovation Scholarships
Alliant Energy is seeking applications for its 2018 Innovation Scholarships. Twenty-five $1,000 scholarships will be awarded to the winners in Iowa and Wisconsin.
To qualify, applicants must be age 24 or younger and a dependent child of a current customer, or current customers themselves, of one of Alliant Energy's utility subsidiaries (Interstate Power and Light or Wisconsin Power and Light).
Award selection is based on the submission of a 300-word essay about an innovative idea to solve a problem within the student’s community using science, technology, engineering and/or math. Other selection criteria include participation in a leadership role in community service activities and volunteer work, academic grade point average, and standardized test scores.
Application deadline is February 15. For more information or to apply, visit scholarsapply.org/alliantenergyinnovation.
Keosauqua farmers place in National Sorghum Producers Yield Contest
Charles J. Livesay and Courtney Merrill, both of Keosauqua, Iowa, recently placed in the 2017 National Sorghum Producers Yield Contest. Livesay won state first place in the dryland conventional-till division while Merrill won state first place in the dryland reduced-till division. Livesay won with Pioneer(r) hybrid 84G62, which yielded 92.07 bushels per acre, while Merrill won with Pioneer(r) hybrid 85Y40, which yielded 89.65 bushels per acre.
Livesay and Merrill earned two of the 82 state titles won by growers planting Pioneer(r) brand sorghum hybrids. DuPont Pioneer dominated the contest and won 76 percent of the 108 first-place state awards presented. Pioneer(r) brand sorghum hybrid growers also won 18 of 24 national titles awarded in 2017.
First-, second- and third-place national honors were awarded in each of eight divisions, including dryland conventional-till, dryland double crop, dryland no-till, dryland reduced till, irrigated conventional-till, irrigated double crop, irrigated no-till and irrigated reduced-till.
EPA Awards $760,000 to Iowa State University for Research to Improve Water Quality in Ecosystems
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded $760,000 to Iowa State University for innovative research on the prediction, prevention, control, and mitigation of freshwater harmful algal blooms.
“Harmful algal blooms can contaminate drinking water and impact public health, the environment, and the economy,” said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. “This funding will help detect, understand, and mitigate harmful algal blooms.”
Harmful algal blooms are overgrowths of algae and cyanobacteria in water that can produce dangerous toxins that hurt the environment and local economies. HABs can have devastating effects on ecosystems, communities, and the health of people, pets, livestock, and wildlife. Recent large-scale HAB events in lakes and reservoirs across the country, as well as in large river systems, emphasize the need for further research to improve water quality and protect public health.
Iowa State scientists will use the grant to explore genetic and environmental factors controlling the occurrence of HABs in Iowa's lakes and to produce tools and databases that will be accessible and useful for state and local decision-makers and managers dealing with HABs.
The grant is awarded through the Agency’s Science to Achieve Results program and supports research to better understand the effects from less-common, less studied, and emerging freshwater HAB species and toxins. The research focuses on models and tools to identify indicators states and regions can use to accurately predict when HABs occur and how to prevent them, and identify strategies to control and mitigate HABs and their effects.
Additionally, EPA awarded $681,343 to Ohio State University to develop a watershed classification system to diagnose and manage HABs in the upper Ohio River basin.