Riverboat Foundation interviews five for board positions

WASHINGTON — The Washington County Riverboat Foundation interviewed five applicants last week for the group’s three open Board of Director positions.

The applicants are vying for a position on the casino-funded group’s board, which has distributed millions of dollars to Southeast Iowa communities and organizations over the years. Board members, who are limited to two, 3-year terms, say it’s a rewarding but demanding experience.

“When I got on this board as a director, I didn’t realize how difficult it would be to give away free money,” said Riverboat Foundation Board President Shawn Ellingson, who is among the members ending their term this cycle. “There’s a lot of work involved and research, there’s a lot of thought that goes into the process … I’m glad that I was able to be a part of it for this many years.”

In order, the interviewed candidates were: Pam Green, Todd Patterson, Heather Marek, Zach Haworth and Jake Engle. Each answered a list of pre-prepared questions, before opening up for other inquiries from current board members.

The group went into a closed session to discuss the candidates after interviews concluded. Ellingson said WCRF would likely name its next three directors at a November meeting.

“Tell us a little bit about yourself”

Green: “I’m a retired nurse, for the last 25 I was a nurse director, and for the last 15 of those in the hospital … I work as a Chamber volunteer regularly, at least once or twice a week, so I keep up on what’s going on in town. I’m from a family of hunters and fishermen, so I’ve got a conservation background and an ag background.”

Patterson: “I’ve lived in Washington since 1997, I’m the CEO of Washington County Hospitals and Clinics. My wife is owner of DeLong construction, we have four children, the oldest of which is 25, and the youngest is a senior in high school.”

Marek: “I am a native to the area, my parents live east of Brighton on Wayland road, so I grew up there, in Jefferson County actually … I sell real estate out of Washington, but we cover Southeast Iowa, up to Iowa City, Cedar Rapids and then out west from there. We cover a large span. My husband farms, we live north of town now, and I’ve been selling real estate since 1992.”

Haworth: “I grew up in Indianola, Iowa, grew up northwest of here. My job’s what brought me over here, I work for the DNR … my grand plan when I was young (was) to move back home closer to central Iowa, but life happens. I met my wife and here we are, eight or nine years later.”

Engle: “I’m a social studies teacher at Fairfield high school, down the road, so I live in Washington but I teach there … I still work part-time in Washington, I work for Hy-Vee at the pharmacy and the garden center, I really love plants so it’s like a hobby of mine. I’ve run that department for a few summers, so that’s always been fun. … I have a little bit of experience working with fundraising and with donors.”

“Why do you want to become a director?”

Green: “Your group has a remarkable history of giving to the community, and it would be really interesting, I think, and rewarding, to be part of it.”

Patterson: “You guys have the ability to provide resources to project, sometimes really transformational projects that have a really positive potential impact on our communities … I want to live in a very strong community, I want to live in a place where it’s doing progressive things, interesting things, making it a better place to live.”

Marek: “Tim and I were supporters of the casino, we knew what it would do for the area, we just thought it was really good for our community, and it’s been wonderful to see all the projects that have been done over the years … it’s nice to see what the board has done all over the county, it’s just such a benefit. I’ve always been intrigued by that.”

Haworth: “When I moved over here in the fall of ‘14, my first kind of exposure to the foundation was through the Friends of Lake Darling, they have benefited greatly from some grants over the years … it started kind of peaking my interest as far as seeing the vast number of projects that this group completes. It just had me curious because they touch so many different areas that impact all of us … and I’d enjoy being a part of that.”

Engle: “Something I always like to do is really give back to a community that gave me really quite a bit growing up … so many rural communities are shrinking, and Washington County is not experiencing that in a way that so many other places in Iowa are. I think a lot of that comes down to the amenities that we have and the services that we have in our community, and so many of those are funded in-part by this organization.”

“What background or activities are you involved in that will be a benefit to the WCRF?”

Green: “I kind of have a broad knowledge of lots of things that go on in the county. The Chamber has a lot of stuff that goes through there, as well as Main Street. With the kids, I go to a lot of their activities, I’m involved in school things and the Y … I have well-rounded knowledge of the county.”

Patterson: “One of the things (we) do at the hospital when you work with limited resources is how you prioritize and how you target those kinds of things that will have the most impact on as many people as possible. I think that’s something I do every day … I’ve got a really strong background in finance, I think I have a strong background in strategy-building, I think I have a good ability to analyze projects that may have some risk in them.”

Marek: “I’m very involved with our church in Riverside, I’ve met a lot of people selling real estate, have met people all over the community, I feel like that’s an asset … knowing and seeing things throughout the community, what might need help, who a person might be to contact for those things. I feel like I’m not honed into just one little spot, I cover a variety of activities and people.”

Haworth: “In addition to working out at the DNR, I work part time for the city of Washington and also in a reserve capacity for the sheriff’s office. Through the years I feel I have done a really good job of networking and meeting people and seeing all sorts of areas of the county. But then along with that, I get to see first hand a lot of these projects, especially the fire and EMS type of stuff.”

Engle: “In college I worked for nonprofit groups, so I know what goes into decisions that they have to make when they’re getting external funding … working in the education field too, that is a career that is constantly on the lookout for grants and supplemental funding for technology, or other resources used in our classroom.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com