My causes

I am a strong believer in focusing great effort in a limited number of causes.  I would rather participate in a small number of organizations and contribute a lot of time and effort than be a small part of many organizations.  The following three organizations are very important to me, and I support them with significant time and effort.

Institute of Management Accountants – I currently serve as the president of the Illowa (Quad Cities) chapter.  IMA is the world’s leading organization for education and networking for finance professionals in business.  I have been an active member since graduating from college in 1998 and have also served as president of the Waterloo-Cedar Falls (Iowa) chapter.

Junior Achievement – JA is a critical part of our elementary and secondary education.  Our teachers do a wonderful job teaching, but they often need additional help teaching students about our economy and how to manage money.  I have proudly volunteered throughout my career teaching kindergartners through high schoolers about everything from the value of work to how to run their own entrepreneurial companies.  If you want to help our youth understand how business and finance works, this is a great organization to join!

Jeff Hugo Foundation – This cause is much more personal to me.  Jeff was my sister’s fiance, one of my brother’s best friends, and an absolutely fantastic  guy.  Sadly, Jeff left us on June 22, 2009 after an 11-month battle against osteosarcoma, a bone and tissue cancer.  Jeff’s passing left a big hole with all of us who knew him.  My sister, Britt, my brother, Zack, and a number of Jeff’s co-workers and friends started the Jeff Hugo Foundation to raise research funds to fight osteosarcoma.  The foundation has already contributed a $35,000 check to the Robert Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center at Northwestern University Memorial Hospital.