Fall Conference | Speakers

Dave Daughton is a retired educator from Corydon, Iowa. He began his career as a high school Biology teacher and coach, and served as a high school Principal and district Superintendent.  He retired in 2019 after 36 years in education.  Dave is currently “failing at retirement”, with roles as the Government Relations Director for the School Administrators of Iowa and as a Legislative Advocate for Rural School Advocates of Iowa. 

As a part of his business, Three D Solutions, LLC., he serves as an educational consultant for various entities, as well as providing leadership training, mentoring and coaching.  Dave also serves on several community boards and is very involved in community development. 

He and his wife Dixie have 11 grandchildren and enjoy ball games and concerts, as well as outdoor activities on their farm.

Dave's education includes Drake University - Education Specialist Degree, Drake University - Masters in Education, and Central College - BA Degree

Debi V.  Durham was named director of the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA, formerly Iowa Department of Economic Development) in January 2011 by Iowa Governor Terry Branstad. Prior to joining IEDA, Durham served as president of the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce. In 2016, Director Durham was recognized by the Des Moines Business Record as a Women of Influence, and in 2014, she was named a Janus Fellow by the Janus Institute, an organization with the mission of contributing to the body of knowledge in economic development and advancing its practice. In 2009, the Downtown Rotary Club in Sioux City recognized Durham as their Key Way award winner, designating a local leader who has “contributed greatly to the health and prosperity of the area through business and community involvement.”  Durham was also recognized by the Iowa Association of Business and Industry as one of “Five Iowa Women You Should Know” in 2007.  In 2003, she was named to the Junior Achievement Hall of Fame and was the Republican Lt. Gubernatorial candidate in 2002.  Durham holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Marketing and Management from Missouri Southern State University. 

Lora Friest is a Tourism Liaison for the Iowa Tourism Office at IEDA. She engages industry partners in implementation of the Iowa Tourism Office’s innovative Marketing Plan, administers the Iowa Tourism Grant and works one-on-one with tourism partners to increase understanding of ITO programs, branding, marketing, economic impact data and other insightful research. She serves as ITO’s liaison to several partner groups including the Iowa Scenic Byway Program, the Iowa Trails Summit and Bird Friendly Iowa. She has 25 years of experience in economic development, including over 20 years as Executive Director of NE Iowa RCD where she built a reputation as ‘a systems change expert’ who fostered partnership and ingenuity to implement hundreds of millions of dollars in projects that benefited downtowns. 

Jason Gross is the Chief Strategy Officer for TruStage, a Madison, WI - based insurance and financial services carrier. In this role he is responsible for leading enterprise strategy and delivering competitive and consumer insights through the Strategy and Insights department he leads.

Prior to joining TruStage, Jason held positions at ManchesterStory, an early-stage FinTech and InsurTech venture capital firm, and at insurance carriers EMC Insurance, Nationwide, and Principal Financial Group.  His roles ranged from leading corporate strategy, innovation, ventures and business transformation functions. Prior to his work in insurance and financial services, Gross also spent 10 years working in the political and public policy arena including service as the Asst. Chief Clerk of the Iowa House of Representatives and Executive Director of Iowa’s National Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service.

He is a frequent speaker on a range of topics, including innovation, leadership development and organizational transformation. His leadership in insurance innovation has been recognized with the “InnovationIowa” Innovation Leader award while at EMC, two NAMIC Innovation Best-in-Class awards and the Plug-and-Play Corporate Innovation award. Gross graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in Economics.

Outside of work, Gross is a practicing artist (www.jwgrossstudio.com) and an active member of industry and community organizations including the Global Insurance Symposium (former Co-Chair), the Global Insurance Accelerator (former Vice Chair), the Iowa Association of Business & Industry (former Board member and Foundation Vice Chair), Leadership Iowa (former Chair, Board of Governors), the Des Moines Art Center (currently President of the Board of Trustees) and Central Iowa Shelter & Service (former Board Chair).  He and his wife, Dia, live in Des Moines and have two daughters studying at Iowa universities.

Bob co-founded Smart Solutions Group in 2001. Since its’ founding, SSG has served over 500 clients throughout Iowa and the U.S. Prior to founding SSG, Bob served for over 15 years as the Business Development and Marketing Director for the State of Iowa Department of Economic Development. He managed the state’s nationally-recognized business development marketing and recruitment program and, the Iowa financial assistance, entrepreneurial services and prospect/project management programs. Bob has nearly 35 years of direct economic development experience. Bob primarily focuses on SSG strategic planning, marketing strategy, site selection clients and executive search projects and has managed hundreds of strategy projects in all sizes of communities, counties, regions and states.

Coming Soon!

At Ahlers & Cooney, Nathan is a member of the Government Law Practice Area and focuses his practice on Urban Renewal & Economic Development. Nathan currently serves on the firm's elected three-person Management Committee and previously served as the firm's Government Law Practice Area Leader.

In Urban Renewal/Economic Development, Nathan advises public entities as they work to creatively renew and develop their municipalities and create new jobs through the use of tax incentives. He works frequently with other attorneys on financings related to economic development projects. His work often involves a variety of public and private sector constituencies, and it requires an appreciation for the perspective of each player with a stake in his clients’ projects. It also requires the ability to work tenaciously to bring a project to fruition.

Christopher Porter is the director of the artificial intelligence program at Drake University and an associate professor of computer science. Prior to coming to Drake in 2016, Porter held postdoctoral positions at the University of Paris Diderot and the University of Florida.  He received a joint PhD in mathematics and philosophy in 2012 and an undergraduate degree in mathematics from Gonzaga University in 2003.

Clark joined Smart Solutions Group in 2005. SSG has served over 500 clients throughout Iowa and the U.S. SSG provides strategic planning, executive searches and the powerful economic development CRM-EDC Forge. Clark started his economic development career after graduating from Iowa State University in Hampton, Iowa as the Executive Director of the Hampton Area Chamber of Commerce & Economic Development. He then went to the Iowa Department of Economic Development where he was a Community Manager and then Director of BRE for Iowa. Clark then became Director of Economic Development of Peoples Natural Gas (Aquila and now Black Hills Energy). Clark has served as President of Professional Developers of Iowa and the Iowa Community Society. He has served on several boards and commissions. Clark also owned and operated Butler House on Grand Bed & Breakfast in Des Moines for nineteen years. Clark has three daughters and a wonderful grandson!

Chris Snider is a professor in the Drake University School of Journalism and Mass Communication. He teaches social media and digital media strategy courses. Prior to joining Drake, Chris was a journalist in Baltimore, St. Louis and Des Moines. He moved to Des Moines in 2005 to start Juice magazine. 

Director Townsend is the Executive Director of Iowa Workforce Development (IWD), a state agency that helps Iowans find jobs and employers find a skilled workforce.  As a result of realignment in 2023, IWD now administers all WIOA programs including Vocational Rehabilitation, various state workforce programs, the unemployment insurance program and disability determination services for the state of Iowa.

Director Townsend has been in her current position since 2015, was reappointed in 2019 and 2023, and confirmed by the Iowa Senate each time.  Director Townsend practiced law in Iowa until she was appointed as the Director of the Iowa Civil Rights Commission in 2011.  Director Townsend previously served in the United States Air Force as a member of Judge Advocate General and retired in 2010 as a Lieutenant Colonel from the Air Force Reserve after 21 years of active and reserve duty