News

Des Moines, IA April 9, 2009 -- Leadership Iowa (LI), Iowa's premier issues awareness program, is seeking nominations for its 2009-2010 class. Please visit www.leadershipiowa.com before May 1 to nominate a potential or already active influencer in your community. Self-nominations are also welcome. Leadership Iowa is a program of the Iowa Association of Business and Industry (ABI) Foundation. For 27 years the program has educated, motivated and developed a network of informed leaders and encouraged their ongoing involvement in their local communities and in their state to create a better future for Iowans.

Since its inception in 1982, Leadership Iowa has graduated over 800 individuals from the private and public sectors, representing every geographical region of Iowa. Each year, approximately 40 talented individuals are selected to participate in the program.

The 2009-2010 Leadership Iowa class, once selected, will meet once a month from October through June at various Iowa locations. Each session stresses hands-on learning, focuses on critical issues/vital Iowa topics and features interaction with subject-matter experts, small group activities and leadership development. Locations and topics for 2009-10 will include Storm Lake (Opening Session), Clarinda (Agriculture/Renewable Energy), Fairfield (The Iowa Economy), Des Moines (Government), Cedar Rapids (Disaster Preparedness and Response), Dubuque (Education), Quad Cities (Healthcare), and Ames (Closing Session).

'Leadership Iowa is a highly interactive program allowing participants to immediately apply newly developed skills to real life issues,' says Dan Anderson, Iowa Area Development Group, chair of the Leadership Iowa Board of Governors 2008-09.

For more information about Leadership Iowa, contact Kay Neumann-Thomas at 515-235-0564, 800-383-4224 ext. 564 or visit www.leadershipiowa.com.

About the ABI Foundation:
The Iowa ABI Foundation, established in 1984 as a 501 (c)(3) organization, has worked diligently for the past 23 years to reach students, teachers, and communities across the entire state of Iowa and has the good fortune of well-respected, successful programming. Today, the Foundation helps develop Iowa's workforce and leaders through statewide programs such as Business Horizons, Leadership Iowa, and Young Professionals of Iowa. The ABI Foundation was created by the Iowa Association of Business and Industry.

About the Iowa Association of Business and Industry (ABI):
ABI is a broad-based organization of Iowa businesses working together to promote Iowa commerce. The philosophy behind this expanded organization is simple: there is strength in numbers. By including more and more diverse Iowa businesses, ABI is able to play an even more active role in shaping Iowa's future. Uniting around the key issues, which all businesses have in common provided ABI, and each ABI member, with a strong voice for change and progress in Iowa.

Today, ABI represents a diverse group of businesses, including manufacturers, processors, retailers, insurance companies, financial institutions, publishers and printers, transportation services and the professions. Large or small, urban or rural, each member business adds its own particular resources and expertise to the growing strength of the Iowa business community; and, in turn, each receives the many benefits ABI membership provides.

Today, ABI has over 1,400 business members that employ over 300,000 Iowans.