Why Des Moines Event

Young Professionals Connection (YPC) and the Greater Des Moines Partnership invite all college students and new-hires in Des Moines to join us on Saturday, June 1 at noon at the Greater Des Moines Partnership building in downtown Des Moines for a free-event to highlight an introduction to all of the reasons Des Moines has consistently been named the #1 city for young professionals to work, live, and play. Why Des Moines will feature a panel of young professionals from alma matters across the Midwest (and even the country) who work in a wide array of industries in the Greater Des Moines area; a roundtable discussion with the YPC Board of Directors on how to get involved in Des Moines and transition from college to the working-world; a keynote presentation on work-life balance from Jen Schwartz, Human Resources Consultant at Principal Financial Group; followed by a networking happy hour at Peace Tree Brewery in the East Village. 

Lunch is provided by the Greater Des Moines Partnership at no-cost to our guests. We kindly request your RSVP by Friday, May 31, 2019 in order to reserve your seat and lunch for this fun welcome event to #DSMUSA. Questions may be directed to YPC Community Engagement Director, Abigail Weatherwax, at commengage@ypcDSM.com

YPC and the Greater Des Moines Partnership look forward to welcoming you to downtown Des Moines, Iowa on Saturday, June 1 and sharing why we as young professionals truly believe Des Moines is the best city for young professionals.

Event Schedule:

1. ​12:00 pm - Check-in / Lunch / Welcome from Peter Myers (YPC Director of Professional Development), Jessie Cruise (YPC President), Mary Bontrager (Greater Des Moines Partnership)
2. 1:00 pm - Panel of Young Professionals - Moderated by Ryan Doser (Associate Marketing Manager at Meredith / UNI alumnus)
   • Luke Austin (Retirement Benefits Analyst at Principal / Drake University alumnus)
   • Patrick Kading (Financial Analyst at Global Atlantic & Army Sgt. / Wisconsin alumnus)
   • Ben Mahoney (Engineer at Turner Construction / Iowa State alumnus)
   • Laura Miller (Learning & Development Consultant at Holmes Murphy / Iowa alumna)
   • Erik Pingel (Project Coordinator at ISG / South Central alumnus)
   • Colton Ruegsegger (Insurance Sales at Agri-Business Insurance Services / DMACC alumnus)
   • Lee Robinson (Software Engineer at Hy-Vee / Iowa State alumnus)
   • Adriana Slaughter (Higher Education at Grand View / University of North Texas alumna)
3. 2:00 pm - Roundtable Discussion with YPC Board of Directors
   • ​​Jessie Cruise, YPC President (HR Business Partner Analyst at Principal / UNI alumna)
   • Ryan Bruner, YPC Past President (Sales Manager at Dwolla / Iowa alumnus)
   • Abigail Weatherwax, Community Engagement Director (Recruiter at Intoxalock / Iowa State alumna)
   • Karter Smith, Marketing Director (Business Consultant at Baton Global / Drake alumnus)
   • Greg Lin, Diversity + Culture Director (Higher Education at Drake / University of North Texas alumnus)
   • Ryan Rohlf, Social Director (Realtor at Keller Williams / Simpson alumnus)
   • Peter Myers, Professional Development Director (Educator / Iowa State & Drake alumnus)
   • Brandon Bock, Membership Director (Credit Analyst at Midwest Heritage Bank / Northwestern alumnus)
   • Ashley Randel, Social Media Director (Vibe & Co. / Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business alumna)
4. 3:00 pm - Keynote Speaker: Jen Schwartz, Human Resources Consulting Partner at Principal​
5. 4:30 pm - Networking Happy Hour at Peace Tree Brewery in the East Village

Meet our Keynote Speaker: Jen Schwartz, Human Resources Consulting Partner at Principal
Jen Schwartz is a Human Resources Consulting Partner at Principal where she has been employed since 2003. Schwartz is a graduate of Iowa State University and earned her MBA from Drake University; she is also a member of the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) and holds a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certification. In 2017 Schwartz was named as Principal's Working Mother of the Year. Schwartz' work-life balance includes being a mother to her three children; husband; top national fundraiser for Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) with Team Ben, in honor of her son; attending Cyclones sporting activities, and competing in triathlons.

Schwartz's keynote presentation will focus on Work-Life Balance - the Legend or the Myth? Through Schwartz' personal story through her own stages of life as a young professional and now a working mother/wife, she will guide you in setting yourself up for success as a new young professional in Des Moines. Schwartz will focus on defining your personal and professional goals; sharing your passion with your leader/team; understanding organizational culture and how they align with your values/non-negotiables; and how to effectively utilize paid-time-off (PTO) and volunteer time off (VTO). Schwartz looks forward to welcoming you to Des Moines and why she enjoys working for Principal and raising a family in Des Moines.

Follow Young Professionals Connection and the Greater Des Moines Partnership on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn for more details on the event and our panelists. See you on June 1!