We are thrilled to announce the appointment of our new State Director, Ted Rives. Ted has always had a passion for inclusion, community building, and making a difference, Ted brings a wealth of experience and a fresh vision to Best Buddies Iowa.

Before becoming State Director, Ted was the Director of Development for Best Buddies Iowa. He played a key leadership role in driving the organization’s fundraising efforts, fostering relationships, and ensuring the sustainability of it programs.

Under Ted’s leadership, Best Buddies of Iowa is excited to continue our mission, to create opportunities for one-to-one friendships, leaderships development, and employment for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Another newbie joining the Best Buddies of Iowa Team is Nash Van Bibber who will our Program Manager!

Nash brings a wealth of experience in digital media and has a passion for making a difference in the lives of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We are confident that he will play a key role in expanding our programs, building meaningful community. Please welcome Nash to the Best Buddies family!

A huge congratulations to our Employment Consultant Abby Konecne as she was awarded Employment Consultant of the year at our Best Buddies Staff Leadership Conference in the beginning of January.

The award is given to one EC throughout the entire organization of Best Buddies and is recognition of the significant contributions of the people who go above and beyond to help individuals with disabilities succeed in the workforce. We are so proud of Abby’s dedication, hard work, and passion for helping others succeed. It is truly inspiring. Abby has made a real differ in so many lives and this well-deserved recognition is a testament to Abby’s incredible impact. We’re beyond lucky to have Abby on the team!

Next up for Abby, is that she was recently promoted to Lead Employment Consultant, Abby started her new position at the beginning of the new year.

Say Hello to Our Newest Board Member

Jarrod Sheets is a Global Procurement Supplier Diversity Manager with The Cigna Group. He started this role in 2022 – previously, he had 19 years of experience in the financial services industry.  Jarrod has an MBA from Western Illinois University and has been a resident of Iowa for the past 22 years. In addition to participating in the Best Buddies Citizens program, he volunteers with the Blank Park Zoo, Lutheran Services in Iowa, and Avenue Scholars. We are excited to have Jarrod on our board and we look forward to all of the amazing work he will assist in accomplishing.