Board of Directors

With broad experience in landscape horticulture and landscape architecture, Thompson is a licensed landscape architect with RDG Planning & Design. His projects have ranged from less than an acre to spanning seven counties of the Loess Hills region in Western Iowa. He was previously an assistant professor in the Department of Horticulture at Iowa State University. His research and practice career have included nursery and urban/community forestry topics supporting Community Visioning, Trees Forever, and the Iowa Department of Transportation.

Grant Thompson

The Davey Tree Expert Company – Kent, OH

Board Chair

Mr. Curtis leads the Sustainability group at Impact7G, which focuses on urban and regional planning, climate science, and renewable energy. His work aims to establish relationships with key stakeholders to foster realistic and impactful planning and sustainability initiatives. He finds creative ways to engage the public, elected officials, and business owners in a variety of planning processes including brownfield reuse, municipal comprehensive planning, community visioning, and natural resource management. Ben is an experienced public engagement coordinator, providing multidisciplinary outreach services for public, private, and non-profit sectors. Ben is skilled in graphic design, photography, videography, and is certified to operate drones commercially. He also has extensive grant writing and administration experience. Ben obtained his master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning in 2016, with an emphasis on land use and environmental planning.

Ben Curtis

Eocene – Urbandale, IA

Board Chair-Elect

Robin Sempf is the Director of Marketing and Creative Strategy at Alliant Energy. She is responsible for managing the company’s brand and leads the marketing, creative, digital and social media efforts for the organization. In addition, she is the producer of the company’s educational PowerHouse television show. Where she has worked closely with Trees Forever to educate homeowners on planting with safety and energy efficiency in mind. Robin has worked in marketing and communications field for over 20 years with experience in a variety of areas including corporate communications, media relations, social media and creative strategy. She earned her bachelor’s degree in communications from Northwest Missouri State University and completed her MBA at the University of Dubuque in 2019.

Robin Sempf

Alliant Energy – Cedar Rapids, IA

Pete De Kock joined the City of Clive, Iowa, as Assistant City Manager in April 2018. He collaborates with colleagues, elected officials, business leaders, and residents to promote community vitality and craft inspiring stories about Clive. He also partners with colleagues on management, government affairs, water resources, economic development, AI adoption, and other strategic projects. Pete graduated from Grinnell College and Harvard University, where he studied political and social ethics. After completing his degrees, Pete committed to community building and public service. Before joining the City of Clive, he worked for the U.S. House of Representatives and led civil society and arts nonprofits in Chicago and Des Moines. Pete loves cycling, fishing, tennis, basketball, music, and barbecue, but his true love is family and friends. He and his wife have two sons.

Pete De Kock

City of Clive – Clive, IA

Greg Edwards is a lifelong Iowa tech entrepreneur who’s spent the past 25+ years building, growing, and occasionally selling companies. He founded WatchPoint IT, a managed services and cybersecurity firm, along with two additional ventures: Axis Backup, an offsite backup and disaster recovery company, and Canauri, a cybersecurity business known for its patented anti-ransomware platform. Over the years, Greg has helped organizations tighten their security, modernize their systems, and make smarter decisions with technology. He speaks regularly to business leaders about cybersecurity and the real-world impact of AI, cutting through the hype and explaining what actually matters for organizations and their people. Greg cares deeply about Iowa’s communities and protecting the outdoors for future generations. When he’s not working with clients, you’ll usually find him biking, running, flying, or spending time with his family.

Greg Edwards

WatchPoint IT – Cedar Rapids, IA

Alex Gansen is the CFO at the University of Iowa Energy Collaborative (UIEC). UIEC entered into a 50-year partnership with the University of Iowa on March 10, 2020, for the purposes of operating and maintaining the University’s on-campus utility systems with a focus on sustainability goals such as being coal free by 2025. As the CFO at UIEC, he is responsible for all finance and administrative functions of the company. Before stepping into his current role, Alex was the CFO at Price Electric. Prior to the Price Electric role, he was the Controller of CRST Equipment Solutions for 7 years where he was responsible for managing fixed asset accounting, maintenance accounting, corporate purchasing, licensing & overall financial reporting. Before moving back to Cedar Rapids (born and raised), Alex was Assistant CFO at Dorman Trading in Chicago.

Alex Gansen

University of Iowa Energy Collaborate – North Liberty, IA

Mr. Hamell is the General Manager of Gas Operations with Black Hills Energy. Pete joined Black Hills Energy in 2020 bringing extensive leadership experience in operations, logistics and customer service. Prior to joining Black Hills Energy, he spent time in the transportation industry with Ingram Barge and BNSF Railway, Hamell is building the utility’s customer focused and safety driven reputation. Hamell’s role as general manager reflects a strong track record of leadership and his commitment to guide the team as they work safely each day to serve the needs of our customers. He is an integral part of the team and will continue to drive excellence within every aspect of the utility business. Pete is an Iowa native and graduated Iowa State University with a degree in finance. He is a strong proponent of community-based outreach and enjoys building a commitment of support within Black Hills.

Pete Hamell

Black Hills Energy – Grimes, IA

Larry focuses on transactional real estate and corporate law, including platting, sales and leasing transactions, entitlements, and entity documents. He works closely with developers on land development, historic tax credit and LIHTC projects, as well as large market-rate multifamily and mixed-use developments. In addition to his law practice, Larry is president of Laneways Development, LLC, a development company based in Des Moines, Iowa.

Larry James

Conveyance Law PLC. – Des Moines, IA

Dr. Lynn Manternach co-founded MindFire Communications in 2007. She spent more than 13 years helping companies understand the most impactful aspects of their brand through stakeholder research. Lynn retired from MindFire at the end of 2020. Prior to MindFire, Lynn worked as a research analyst for an international media and research company, where she focused on understanding how consumers view brands. Lynn also worked in the television news industry, serving as news director at WOI-TV in Des Moines, and news program producer at KCRG-TV in Cedar Rapids. Lynn holds a Ph.D. and M.S. from Iowa State University and a B.A. from the University of Iowa. She also serves as the president of the Professional Advisory Board for the University of Iowa School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Lynn and her husband are busy with travel and making plans to see as many 80s and 90s bands as possible in the next few years. They have seen more than 425 concerts since 1981.

Dr. Lynn Manternach

MindFire Communications, retired – Le Claire, IA

Sean McMahon is the Global Sustainability Lead for Farmers Edge, where he helps producers and corporations improve profitability and environmental outcomes. Sean is the former founding Executive Director of the Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance (IAWA), an organization dedicated to increasing the pace and scale of farmer-led efforts to improve water quality in Iowa. Prior to leading IAWA, Sean launched and led The Nature Conservancy’s (TNC) agriculture strategy as the North America Agriculture Program Director. Sean also served as State Director of the Iowa Chapter of TNC, the Director of National Land Stewardship Campaigns at the National Wildlife Federation, and held various senior positions at the U.S. Department of the Interior in his three-decade career in conservation. Sean has a master’s degree in Natural Resource Science from Virginia Tech, an Executive MBA from Iowa State and lives with his wife Rebecca and four children in Cumming, IA.

Sean McMahon

Farmers Edge – Grimes, IA

Gale Mote started living her dream job in November, 1990, when she launched her own training and organizational development consulting business. Her consulting practice included non-profit and for-profit clients. In 1994, she received her M.B.A. at the University of Iowa – Tippie College of Business. In 2000, she joined the faculty of the Management and Organization Department. In 2014, she received one of four President and Provost Awards for Teaching Excellence at the University. She is a member of the Association for Talent Development (ATD) – Hawkeye Chapter and also served as a National Advisor to Chapters and was Chairperson of the National Chapter Recognition Committee in 2013. She received her CPTD (Certified Professional in Talent Development) from ATD in 2014. Today, she serves on the Advisory Council for Hawkeye ATD. Gale and her husband have been married for 42 years and live next to Palisades Kepler State Park with their four cats (Chase, Chance, Sandi and Hunter) along with all of nature’s critters who frequent their backyard. They love walking nature trails, Hawkeye Women’s Basketball and trout fishing.

Gale Mote

Gale Mote Associates, retired – Mount Vernon, IA

Mr. Razo is the President of Directional Strategic Consulting, a business strategy, marketing, and product development firm. Joe helps companies and investment clients understand markets and develop products and strategic plans to grow their business. Joe served as the Director of Strategy for the Business and Regional Avionics Division of Collins Aerospace, Raytheon Technologies. Over his more than 35-year career at Collins Aerospace, Joe was a Business Development Director and Chief Systems Engineer for Business Aircraft Retrofit programs. He is a U.S. Patent holder for blockchain technology. Joe has an AAS in Computer Engineering Technology and a BS Electrical Engineering Technology degree from the Milwaukee School of Engineering University, He holds an MBA with a Concentration in Marketing from the University of Iowa. When not helping businesses with their strategic needs, Joe can be found on his 40-acre Iowa timber farm where he has restored a wetland and where he has planted over 12,000 native hardwood trees.

Joe Razo

Directional Strategic Consulting – Marion, IA

A native of the Iowa Great Lakes region, Sackett is an attorney and Sioux Falls Managing Partner with Goosmann Law Firm. His broad business and legal expertise stems from years as a business owner, chief financial officer, in-house counsel, assistant county attorney and legal consultant. He has served in leadership positions on a variety of nonprofit boards, including the Bedell Family YMCA, Imagine Iowa Great Lakes and the Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation. He is an avid runner, having completed multiple marathons and ultradistance races.

Barry Sackett

Goosman Law Firm – Sioux Falls, SD

Will Tuebel is a Partner at TrueNorth Companies, where he specializes in commercial insurance, bonding, and risk management for large multi-state contractors across the country. He is assisting in building the training and development for new hires in roles like his within TrueNorth. He is also involved in National Associations, where he has been invited to speak at regional and national conferences. Will spent most of his life in Eastern Iowa and has a passion for his community and the entire state of Iowa. He and his wife enjoy traveling, supporting collegiate athletics, and spending time outdoors throughout the state of Iowa and the nation.

Will Tuebel

TrueNorth Companies – Cedar Rapids, IA

Originally from Cedar Rapids, Dan has spent his nearly 20-year career at Corteva (formally Pioneer Hi-Bred) working mostly in biotechnology research to discover and test new traits that farmers can use to protect against diseases and insect pests on soybean, corn and cotton, reducing the need for pesticides. He holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in horticulture and plant pathology, respectively, from Iowa State University. After serving on the city of Johnston tree board for a short period, he became a Trees Forever TreeKeeper. For over 8 years, he has been regularly spending his Saturday mornings planting and caring for trees in Des Moines, even bringing out his two sons. He was awarded the 2024 Outstanding Volunteer Award for Central Iowa

Dan Thorpe

Vylor – Johnston, IA

Foundation Trustees

Nancy Lynk is the Senior Vice President of Commercial Banking at US Bank. She also serves as the USBank Market Leader & Community Relations. A central Iowa native, Nancy has continued connections to agricultural industry. A graduate of Iowa State University, she has decades of experience in commercial banking and related financial services business. Nancy has two adult daughters. A committed community volunteer, she is a current trustee of the Tanager Place Foundation, and a board member of the Entrepreneurial Development Center. In the past, she has been a board member of the Cedar River Soccer Association, Area Substance Abuse Council, and the American Cancer Society. Nancy is also part of the Cedar Rapids Economic Alliance Economic Development Innovation Council. Since 1998, she has contributed many hours of service to the Trees Forever Board of Directors and Foundation. Nancy makes gifts to the Trees Forever Foundation to memorialize friends and family members–the contributions are a way to fund tree planting forever and create an ongoing legacy.

Nancy Lynk

US Bank – Cedar Rapids, IA

David was a senior vice president at Transamerica in Cedar Rapids, coordinating business strategies and initiatives across the company’s Global Funds Group. Prior to retiring, he was also a president of the AEGON/Transamerica Foundation. He is active on the executive board of the Boy Scouts and in many non-profits that work with young people, and is a strong believer in teaching mentoring skills

Dave Blankenship

TransAmerica, retired – Cedar Rapids, IA

Scott Packard joined Wright Service Corp. in July 1998. Three years later, John R. Wright appointed Scott to president and COO. In October 2002, Scott took on the position of chairman and CEO of Wright Service Corp. Scott began his career after graduating from the University of Kentucky with a bachelor of science in accounting. Since then, he has held a number of executive positions prior to joining the executive leadership team at Wright Service Corp. He served on the Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA) Board of Directors from 2003-2009 and as Chair in 2009. In September 2016, Scott became the first recipient of the Management Action Programs (MAP) Disciplined Leader Award. This award was conceived to recognize select leaders who have consistently exhibited the qualities of a disciplined leader. Scott is also a past chairman of Area 4 Iowa Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) and presently serves as Vice-Chair.

Scott Packard

Wright Service Corp, retired – Des Moines, IA

Scott joined the Trees Forever Board of Directors in 1998. He recently became a Trees Forever Foundation Trustee, helping us reach goals for our endowment. He has provided challenge gifts for annual campaigns and hosted Legacy Society receptions. Since touring the Bear Creek National Buffer Site north of Ames, Iowa, Scott has been an avid promoter of planting buffers for water quality and wildlife habitat. A now-retired trial lawyer, Scott’s legal specialty was product liability. He considers serving on nonprofit and college boards his civic duty.

Scott Peters

Peters Law Firm, retired – Council Bluffs, IA

Shannon founded Trees Forever as a volunteer in 1989, and served as President & CEO until 2021. Recognized both nationally and locally for her leadership, Shannon is the 2021 recipient of the Lifetime Stewardship Award from the Arbor Day Foundation and the Nonprofit Leader of the Year from the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation. Ms. Ramsay is leading the ReLeaf Cedar Rapids planning team and is a Trustee of the Trees Forever Foundation.

Shannon Ramsay

Trees Forever, Founder, retired – Iowa City