Leah Putney Rodenberg honored by Corridor Business Journal

CEDAR RAPIDS – Corridor Business Journal’s annual list of Women of Influence includes Junior League of Cedar Rapids (JLCR) sustaining member and former JLCR President Leah Putney Rodenberg. Rodenberg serves as a program manager (Iowa and Minnesota) with the Alliant Energy Foundation.

“Leah was instrumental in our advancement as an organization, and we are proud that she has been selected as a Woman of Influence,” JLCR President Kristin Roberts said. “This type of honor for our members is a real testament to the benefits Junior League of Cedar Rapids provides.”

The Women of Influence Award is given to women who have made a difference in the Corridor and who are representative role models as leaders in their fields and communities. The entire class of nine women will be honored Thursday, March 7 at a dinner at the Coralville Marriott. Tickets are available at http://www.corridorbusiness.com/events/women-of-influence.

Current active, current sustaining and former JLCR members honored as Women of Influence recipients since the award’s inception in 2006 include Vanessa Solsebee (2012), Amy Reasner (2011), Diane Ramsey (2009), Lydia Brown (2008), Kay Hegarty (2008), Terri Christofferson (2007), Monica Vernon (2006), Lee Clancey (2006) and Lu Barron (2006).

Junior League of Cedar Rapids is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable.

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“Naturally, we’re proud of the members who were selected to CBJ’s 40 Under 40,” JLCR President Kristin Roberts said. “These women are great examples of effective and passionate leaders, not only in Junior League, but also in the community.”

AbouAssaly works as a media consultant/new business developer at the Corridor Business Journal. Prior to starting at CBJ in February 2012, she was the executive director of the Uptown District, and earned her B.A. at Coe College. AbouAssaly has been an active member of JLCR since 2006-2012. A native of Marion, she also volunteers with the Children’s Theatre of Cedar Rapids, St. George Orthodox Christian Church, Linn-Mar School District and the Iowa Women’s Leadership Conference.

Baynes is in her seventh year as a senior commodity specialist at Rockwell Collins; she worked as a purchasing agent for Engineered Seal Products prior to starting at Rockwell. She earned both her undergraduate degree and her MBA at Iowa State University. A native of Cedar Rapids, Baynes joined JLCR in 2006, and serves as Vice President of Membership for Junior League this year. She also volunteers her time with Last Hope Animal Rescue, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and participated in Leadership for Five Seasons.

Moran has worked as a senior international tax analyst at Rockwell Collins since April 2012, and worked at Deloitte as a senior tax analyst for nearly five years. A native of Marion, she has been a JLCR member since 2008, and serves as Vice President of Finance for Junior League this year. Moran is also a member of the YMCA Resource Development committee and the Linn-Mar Alumni Foundation. She earned her undergraduate degree at Boston College and her master’s of accountancy at the University of Iowa.

The entire 40 Under 40 class will be honored at a dinner at the Coralville Marriott on Oct. 23.

Current and former JLCR members honored as 40 Under 40 recipients since 2010 include Jennifer Higgins Bliel (2010), Misty Frank (2010), Nicole Lee (2011), Kristin Roberts (2010), Laurie Wahlert (2010) and Amy Weber (2011).

Jennifer Higgins-Bleil, Kristin Roberts, and Laurie Wahlert were selected from a record number of nominations for the annual Corridor Business Journal award. The Corridor Business Journal Forty Under 40 awards recognize local men and women who have made a significant impact in their business or community early in their careers.

All three women dedicate their time to several organizations in the Corridor and all are graduates of Leadership for Five Seasons.

	Higgins-Bleil, of North Liberty, is a talent management specialist for Van Meter Industrial. She has been a member of JLCR for four years and currently serves as the Vice President of Membership. Higgins-Bleil has also been involved in several other organizations that make an impact throughout the Corridor, including the Arc of East Central Iowa, the Iowa Association of Community Providers, Vision in Motion, and Gateway.
	Roberts, of Cedar Rapids, is executive director at the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Eastern Iowa. Roberts is Vice President of Finance on the JLCR board, her third board term during her five-year membership. She has been involved in organizations throughout the community since moving to the Corridor six years ago, including the American Heart Association, Theatre Cedar Rapids, the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation, and the Rebuild Iowa Long-Term Recovery Planning Task Force.
	Wahlert, of Cedar Rapids, is a private banker at Bankers Trust Co. She has made her mark in JLCR in the short two years she has served in League, most recently organizing more than 200 volunteers for the Ladies Titan Tire Challenge golf tournament this past June. Her other volunteer activities have included the Metro North Rotary Board, the Prairie Board Foundation, the Iowa Women’s Foundation, and the American Cancer Society.

Forty Under 40 honorees will be profiled in the Oct. 25 issue of the Corridor Business Journal and during the Forty Under 40 Awards dinner at the Riverside Casino & Golf Resort on Oct. 26.

Leadership for Five Seasons, a program sponsored by the Cedar Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce, is designed to prepare participants to be community trustees. The goal of the program is to supply the Cedar Rapids community with informed, skilled leaders willing to serve as active volunteers.

JLCR nominates one member each year to the Leadership for Five Season program after an internal application and nomination process. Baynes, 32, has been a member of JLCR for four years and has been chair of the Marketing/Public Relations Committee and assistant chair of the Placement Committee.

A Cedar Rapids native, Baynes decided to apply for the program to increase the value she brings to her job, the community, and volunteer organizations. She had met with several fellow Rockwell Collins employees who had gone through the program and was inspired by their enthusiasm.

“Their experiences in Leadership for Five Seasons left them re-energized about their volunteer roles,” Baynes said. “Many of them took a much more active role in the community based on what they learned during Leadership for Five Seasons. I am looking forward to a similar experience.”

Baynes already contributes her time to several organizations. In addition to her work with JLCR, she volunteers with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Last Hope Animal Rescue and the United Way, and she wrote applications for grants and awards as a volunteer for the Community Health Free Clinic.

The Leadership for Five Seasons program begins this month and continues through May 6. Each year, 35 individuals who have shown a commitment to and a personal involvement in the Cedar Rapids area are selected to participate in Leadership for Five Seasons after an application, nomination, and interview process.

According to Charity Tyler, JLCR member and Director of the Ladies Titan Tire Challenge, the success of the Ladies Titan Tire Challenge is a “culmination of efforts between JLCR and the Cedar Rapids Convention and Visitors Bureau who worked tirelessly to bring this event to the community and we’re enthused to be recognized for energy involved.”

Ann Oleson served as the Vice President of Marketing for JLCR and Marketing Chair of LTTC. “We are thrilled Cedar Rapids can be the host to this event and for this recognition from the Corridor Business Journal. We fully appreciate the support received from KCRG, the Gazette and all of the event sponsors,” said Oleson.
Each winner at the awards ceremony received a $1,500 check. JLCR plans to put the money toward funding upcoming community projects.

Organizations nominated in the category included the Iowa City Community School District’s Coralville Central Family Resource Center and the Theatre Cedar Rapids.

See photos from JLCR volunteering with the Arc: