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Dr. Lisa Schulte Moore, Pete De Kock, Keegan Kult, Kacey Davis and Deidre DeJear join the WFSI Board.
West Des Moines, Iowa (April 23, 2024) – The Wright Foundation for Sustainability and Innovation (“WFSI”) welcomes Dr. Lisa Schulte Moore, Pete De Kock, Keegan Kult, Kacey Davis and Deidre DeJear to its board of directors.
Dr. Lisa Schulte Moore is a professor in the Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management and co-director of the Bioeconomy Institute at Iowa State University. She conducts research and teaches in the areas of agriculture, ecology, forestry and human-landscape interactions. She works with teams of scientists, engineers, students, farmers, and others to restore continuous living cover on the landscape and protect Iowa’s precious soils. She also works with businesses to create new markets to support rural economies and meet society’s goals for clean water, abundant wildlife, and inspiring recreational opportunities.
Pete De Kock joined the City of Clive as Assistant City Manager in April 2018. He collaborates with colleagues, elected officials, business leaders, and residents to promote community engagement and craft inspiring stories. He also helps lead government affairs, IT, grant writing, and strategic projects, including water resources planning. De Kock graduated from Grinnell College and Harvard University, where he studied political and social ethics. After completing his degrees, De Kock started his community building and public service career, spending several years working for the U.S. House of Representatives. Before joining the City of Clive, he led civil society and arts nonprofits in Chicago and Des Moines.
Keegan Kult is the Executive Director of the Agricultural Drainage Management Coalition (ADMC), where he coordinates efforts to speed the implementation of water management practice delivery throughout the United States. ADMC is an industry-led organization recognized as a leader developing and deploying conservation drainage practices. Kult has been working with agricultural water management for more than 15 years and has contributed to 100+ edge of field practice installations, development of new conservation practice standards, and to the scientific literature documenting practice performance and cost effectiveness. He also serves as the President of the Illinois Sustainable Ag Partnership, on the advisory committee for the Overholt Drainage School, Vice-Chair of the Conservation Drainage Network, and as a board member for the Iowa Agricultural Mitigation.
Kacey Davis, FNP-BC, is the Director of Health and Wellness for Dotdash Meredith Corporation. Her experience includes working at Rush University Medical Center emergency department and treating patients as a family nurse practitioner at Primary Health Care, Inc. Davis currently serves on the executive committee of the Broadlawns Board of Trustees. She was elected to office in November of 2022. Additionally, she is on the Board of Directors for the Young Women’s Resource Center. Her past volunteer activities include Best Buddies, Cabrini Green Tutoring Program in Chicago, and volunteer medical missions to Guatemala and Haiti.
Deidre DeJear is a small business owner and voting rights advocate who is driven by her passion to create equitable, inclusive, and accessible opportunities for all. DeJear spearheaded the opening of Iowa’s first Financial Empowerment Center, and has worked on projects such as One Economy, and other financial empowerment efforts. In 2018, DeJear ran as the Democratic Nominee for Iowa Secretary of State, and in 2022, was the Democratic Nominee for Iowa Governor. She founded Vision Leads and co-founded Back 2 School Iowa and LadyLike. DeJear is also a member of the Des Moines Chapter of the Links, Inc., board chair of Count the Kicks, board member of The Directors Council, City of Des Moines Housing Services Board, and Interfaith Alliance.
“I’m excited to add these five new directors to our board,” said Scott Packard, WFSI chairman. “Their knowledge and experience will help move the Foundation forward toward its vision to facilitate positive action toward sustainable and innovative solutions in agricultural and environmental sectors that reduce carbon footprints and minimize risk for our communities.”
The additions come as Robert “Bob” Riley steps down from the board after serving four years on the board since WFSI’s inception in 2020. In that time, WFSI has awarded $525,000 to seven organizations.
“The Wright Foundation for Sustainability and Innovation would not be what it is today without Bob’s support,” says Packard. “His background in conservation, sustainability and regenerative agriculture practices has been invaluable to awarding our grants.”
The new board members join Scott Packard, and directors Austin Kennedy, Ken Roberts and Dr. Sara Crawford. Learn more about all of our board of directors at https://wrightfortomorrow.org/about/board-of-directors/.
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About Wright Foundation for Sustainability and Innovation
Wright Foundation for Sustainability and Innovation (“WFSI”) is a nonprofit organization focused on fostering innovative solutions in renewable agriculture, tree planting and environmental sectors to reduce environmental risk for our communities and the planet at large. Through fundraising and grant-making, WFSI empowers sustainability projects that reduce carbon footprints and promote carbon positive practices. WFSI is headquartered in West Des Moines, Iowa. Visit wrightfortomorrow.org to learn more.
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