Operations Team
Meet the Iowa Governor's STEM Advisory Council's Operations Team
The Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council’s Operations Team oversees STEM in Iowa and works tirelessly to continue to advance STEM awareness and knowledge with various events, programs, and partnerships throughout the state.
Jeff Weld, Ph.D.
Jeff Weld, Ph.D. is Executive Director of the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council, a post he’s occupied since 2011. Additionally, Jeff provides STEM education policy and programming advice to regional, state, national and international organizations, including the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy where he led the production of America’s Strategic Plan for STEM Education, a five-year strategic plan published in late 2018. He is on extended leave from a faculty position in the Department of Biology at the University of Northern Iowa.
Contact Jeff Weld at weld@IowaSTEM.org
Carrie Rankin, B.A.
Carrie Rankin is the associate director for the Governor’s STEM Advisory Council. Carrie's primary responsibility is operational management of the STEM Council. She also develops corporate, private sector and grant partnerships on behalf of the STEM Council to further the investment in Iowa STEM Council initiatives. Carrie brings more than 17 years of development experience to this position, previously serving as executive director with the Waterloo Schools Foundation, and as development director with both the Allen Hospital Foundation and University of Northern Iowa (UNI) Foundation. A 1989 UNI graduate, Carrie earned her bachelor of arts in chemistry and marketing.
Contact Carrie Rankin at rankin@iowastem.org
Kari Britain, MPA
Kari Britain is the senior program manager of the Governor's STEM Advisory Council operations center. As senior program manager, she is responsible for the fiscal oversight, contracts, office operations, project management and coordination of the interface of protocols, precedents, sequencing and resources in alignment with the broader vision and goals of the STEM Council. Kari brings decades of executive office management experience in both the public and private sectors. She also has academic preparation in public administration, as well as secondary education and office administration.
Contact Kari Britain at britain@iowastem.org
Lindy Ibeling, B.A.
Lindy Ibeling is the communications manager for the Governor's STEM Advisory Council. As communications manager, she is responsible for strategic communications and marketing plans, implementation of regional and statewide communications, and conferences and events. Lindy brings more than 11 years of experience in public relations, event management, and marketing to this position. Most recently, she served as vice president of a public affairs and public relations firm, where she played a critical role in developing and implementing effective strategies for clients in a wide array of industries. Lindy is a graduate of Wartburg College where she earned her bachelor of arts in communications with a public relations emphasis and a business minor.
Contact Lindy Ibeling at ibeling@iowastem.org
Tanya Hunt
Tanya Hunt is the Program Coordinator for the Governor’s STEM Advisory Council. As a Project Coordinator she facilitates communication and promotion of our STEM Best programs throughout the state. Tanya has over 10 years of experience in working with the educational sector. Her specialty and background have been in facilitating and working within partnerships throughout the private and public sectors particularly in project development with school districts. Tanya obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in Occupational Therapy with a focus in Child Development and Family Services.
Contact Tanya Hunt at hunt@IowaSTEM.org
Ann Gritzner
Ann Gritzner is the Program Coordinator for the Governor’s STEM Advisory Council. As a Project Coordinator she facilitates communication and promotion of our Iowa STEM Teacher Externships Programs throughout the state, as well as supporting the STEM BEST Program. Ann has over 30 years of experience in STEM education. Ann was a secondary science teacher with a passion for project based learning. She received the 2019 Iowa STEM Teacher Award, led and scaled the STEM BEST Program at Central Community School District to become a K-12 model experience in STEM for Iowa. Most recently, she was an instructional coach for PreK-12 teachers. Ann obtained a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Iowa in science education.