Home About 2025 Iowa Hunger Summit Speakers

Speakers

Alexis Bylander

Interim Director, Child Nutrition Programs and Policy, Food Research & Action Center

Alexis serves as the Interim Child Nutrition Programs & Policy Director at FRAC, originally joining the organization in November 2020 as a Senior Child Nutrition Policy Analyst. In this role, she serves as a resource for state advocates lobbying on behalf of healthy school meals for all legislation. Alexis has... [ View ]

Lindsy Carroll

Nutrition Educator, WIC

Lindsy is a Nutrition Educator at WIC and a former WIC recipient. She comes from a background in food service and child care. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Dietetics from Iowa State University and a Culinary Arts degree from DMACC’s Iowa Culinary Institute. While in school, she received the... [ View ]

Ilsa DeWald

Local Food and Farm Manager, Johnson County

Ilsa DeWald works for Johnson County, Iowa as the Local Food and Farm Manager. She oversees the Johnson County Historic Poor Farm, a 160-acre farm that provides a public space for connecting to the land and local history through inclusive community-led opportunities. She provides community and resource connections, collaboration assistance... [ View ]

Aaron P. Dworkin

Chief Executive Officer, National Summer Learning Association

Aaron Philip Dworkin is a national leader in the education, out-of-school time (OST) and youth development fields. He currently serves as CEO of the National Summer Learning Association, a 30-year old national non-profit organization whose mission is to ensure every young person in America, regardless of income, background and zip-code,... [ View ]

Linda Gorkow

Executive Director, Iowa Food Bank Association

Linda Gorkow is the executive director of the Iowa Food Bank Association (IFBA), a collaboration of the six Feeding America member food banks serving all 99 counties in Iowa. Together, the food banks coordinate efforts to provide food to more than 1,500 nonprofit organizations serving Iowans. Throughout her career, Linda has... [ View ]

Alison Hard

Director of Public Policy, National WIC Association

Ali is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist with a wealth of experience in federal nutrition policy. Her educational background includes a BA from Columbia University and a Masters in Nutrition and Public Health from Teachers College, Columbia University. Ali previously served as the Chief Policy Officer at USDA Food and Nutrition... [ View ]

Kenzie

National Youth Council Student Leader, GENYOUth

Kenzie is a dedicated varsity and AAU basketball player with a deep passion for advancing equality in women’s sports. As a Game Grower Ambassador for the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream, she helped introduce a variety of sports and equipment to underserved elementary school students, making athletics more accessible to the next... [ View ]

Laura Kloewer

Public Relations and Outreach Coordinator, Montgomery County Memorial Hospital

Laura Kloewer is the Public Relations and Outreach Coordinator at Montgomery County Memorial Hospital (MCMH) and Board Chair of Live Well Montgomery County, a nonprofit coalition dedicated to improving health and nutrition access in southwest Iowa. With more than 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector and over a... [ View ]

Ann Marie Krautheim

Chief Executive Officer, GENYOUth

Ann Marie Krautheim, MA, RD, LD is the CEO of GENYOUth, a premier national nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring schoolchildren thrive by living well-nourished and physically active lives. With a distinguished career in nutrition and public health, she has championed innovative solutions to address health inequities and ensure equitable access... [ View ]

Nicole Leidal

Healthy Food Access Specialist, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach

Nicole Leidal serves as a Healthy Food Access Specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, providing pantry coaching along with nutrition education. She has over eight years of experience working with the SNAP-Ed Program and facilitating nutrition education with Iowa State Extension and Outreach. [ View ]

Tom Martinez

Member, Coralville Community Food Pantry Board of Directors

Tom Martinez received a Master of Arts in Political Science from the University of Iowa with a foundation in American politics, public policy and political methodology. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of New Mexico. He has experience in both public service and nonprofit sectors. His... [ View ]

Kelly McMahon

Kindergarten Teacher, Hoover Community Schools and Vice President, Iowa State Education Association

Kelly McMahon is a 1997 graduate of West Delaware High School. She earned her B.A. in Elementary Education from the University of Northern Iowa in 2002. Upon graduating from college she moved to Milwaukee, WI and taught at Lancaster Elementary School and earned her M.A. in Reading and Language Arts.... [ View ]

Patricia Montague

Chief Executive Officer, School Nutrition Association

Patricia (Patti) Montague currently serves as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the School Nutrition Association (SNA) and School Nutrition Foundation (SNF). SNA is a 501(c)(4) professional association with more than 50,000 members who are responsible for providing healthy and nutritious meals to students in primary and secondary schools across the... [ View ]

Linda Nageotte

President & Chief Operating Officer, Feeding America

In her role as President & Chief Operating Officer, Nageotte helps define and implement strategy for the enterprise, co-leads work to design a strategic framework for the national network and oversees a critical portfolio including sourcing and supplying food, network relations, technology, research and innovation and board governance. Nageotte brings 30+... [ View ]

Yolanda Pina

Breastfeeding Peer Counselor, Broadlawns Medical Center WIC

Yolanda Pina was born in Chicago, Illinois and raised in Des Moines, Iowa, where she currently lives with her husband and three children. In her free time, Yolanda enjoys reading and spending quality time with her family. A proud graduate of East High School in Des Moines, she attended college... [ View ]

Bambi Press

Health Aging Director, Iowa Department on Aging

In her role with the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, Bambi Press oversees Older Americans Act congregate and home-delivered nutrition services across Iowa. She also supports the national aging network in modernizing and building the capacity of aging nutrition programs through the Nutrition and Aging Resource Center. Bambi previously... [ View ]

Chris Schwartz

Executive Director, Iowa Food System Coalition and Supervisor, Black Hawk County

Chris Schwartz is the Executive Director of the Iowa Food System Coalition and the current Chair of the Black Hawk County Board of Supervisors. For more than 25 years, Schwartz has been a community and political organizer, having worked on nearly every progressive cause of our time. Prior to joining... [ View ]

Katie Sorrell

Policy, Systems and Environmental Change Coordinator, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach

Katie Sorrell is a Registered Dietitian with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, overseeing food pantry coaching and Growing Together Iowa, a donation gardening program. Katie has two decades of experience with SNAP-Ed funding at ISU, the Iowa Department of Public Health and the University of California San Diego. Katie... [ View ]

Christie Welter

linics Navigator, Montgomery County Memorial Hospital

Christie Welter, LBSW, CLC, serves as the Clinic Navigator at Montgomery County Memorial Hospital (MCMH) + Clinics, where she plays a vital role in supporting patients with non-medical needs that impact health. With over 30 years of experience in social work and healthcare, Christie brings both professional expertise and a... [ View ]