Iowa State University Foundation Announces Seven New Governors

June 8, 2009

Contacts:
Dave Gieseke, ISU Foundation Communications, 515.294.7263

AMES, Iowa-- Seven individuals with strong ties to Iowa State University were recently elected governors of the Iowa State University Foundation.

ISU Foundation governors, who are appointed for life, serve as ambassadors and advocates for Iowa State and the ISU Foundation, providing volunteer and financial support to benefit the university. This group meets semi-annually and many serve on a standing committee, including audit, awards, governance, communications, finance and investment.

The following individuals were elected:

Duane Acker of Atlantic, Iowa, served as the president of Kansas State University and then as assistant Secretary of Agriculture in the U.S. Department of Agriculture before retiring. He has served in various roles at five state universities, including Iowa State. He earned bachelor’s (’52) and master’s (’53) degrees in animal science from Iowa State.

Rose Boughton of Bloomington, Minn., is the retired administrative director for nutrition at Fairview Health Services in Minneapolis. She has served on the advisory board for the Institute of Food Safety and Security at Iowa State. She is a 1958 dietetics graduate of Iowa State.

Jon Hamann of Las Vegas, Nev., served as the worldwide business director for 3M Library Systems. Hamann and his wife Myrna have created an endowment furthering the mission of the Iowa State Library. Hamann is a 1966 chemical engineering graduate of Iowa State.

Gene Lange of Alexandria, Va., is an attorney and partner with Lange, Thomas & McMullen, LLP, in Washington, D.C. He is a member of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean’s Advisory Council and earned bachelor’s degrees in government, history and modern languages in 1969 from Iowa State. The Sac City, Iowa, native is also the owner of the Union State Bank in Winterset, Iowa.

Dana Robes of Boca Grande, Fla., is the president of Dana Robes Boat Builders. He and his wife Martha have focused on student and faculty support and on marketing and recruitment strategies to position Iowa State as a world leader in agriculture and life sciences. He is a 1967 graduate in dairy science at Iowa State.

Thomas Smith of Houston, Texas, is the retired president/owner of Seismic Micro-Technology. He and his wife, Evonne, have established the Smith Family Foundation Departmental Chair in Geology and have supported the Carl F. Vondra Geology Field Camp. Smith holds bachelor’s (’69) and master’s (’71) degrees in geology from Iowa State.

James Waters of Naperville, Ill., is Caterpillar, Inc., vice president of the company’s worldwide production systems. He has served on the College of Engineering’s Industrial Advisory Council and was instrumental in establishing a strategic partner school relationship between Iowa State and Caterpillar. He is a 1981 electrical engineering graduate of Iowa State.

The new ISU Foundation Governors Board of Directors chair will be Steve Schuler of Urbandale, Iowa. Schuler is the executive vice president and chief financial officer of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines. He is a 1973 graduate of Iowa State with majors in industrial administration and accounting and has been an ISU Foundation governor since 2000.

In addition, two new members have been elected to the ISU Foundation Governors Board of Directors including:

Mike Dubes of Eden Prairie, Minn., and Scottsdale, Ariz., is the retired president of Conseco Insurance Company in Indianapolis, Ind., Prior to that position, Dubes worked for several other leading insurance companies. He has been an ISU Foundation governor since 1999 and is a 1966 physical education graduate of Iowa State.

Frankee Oleson of Ames, Iowa, is the executive director of United Way of Story County and a former employee of the ISU Alumni Association. She has been an ISU Foundation governor since 2006 and earned a music degree from the University of Northern Iowa.

The Iowa State University Foundation is a private, non-profit corporation dedicated to securing and managing gifts and grants that benefit Iowa State University.