Welcome To The Ag-Urban Leadership Initiative


		Paul J. Kirpes, President and CEO, TPG Companies Paul Kirpes is President and CEO of the TPG Companies. He is also is keeper of the company’s philosophical flame. Paul is known as a Social Entrepreneur and seeks out opportunities to create systemic and sustainable solutions.

		Paul began a consulting practice in 1976, and in 1989 he established The Philanthropy Group. He brings more than 30 years of small business, community and regional development, coalition building, ecology and organization development experience to clients. Clients benefit from his strategic creativity and his uncanny ability to engage leaders, funders, and other stakeholders in formulating their common vision and in determining strategy and plans that achieve their goals. Kirpes’ diverse professional experience and expertise includes fund-raising, sales and marketing, management consulting, business planning and development, writing, ecology and natural resource management, agriculture, information technology, international business and project management. Kirpes has raised more than $175 million and trained and counseled others to raise an additional $750 million. Kirpes has guided businesses, government, and non-government organizations (NGOs) through a wide range of planning and management needs including start-up, strategic planning, business development, program expansion, revitalization, turnaround initiatives and technology enhancement. In 2005 Paul and the TPG Companies introduced TPG Management Consulting to highlight expanding products and services for the corporate sector. TPG Philanthropy Group continues to focus on serving public benefit organizations, charities, communities and governments. Together, these two collaborative operations make up the TPG Companies, business consultants to the organizations that change the world. Paul is an adept motivator and enjoys writing, speaking to local, regional, national, and international groups and organizations on a variety of philanthropic, business, and personal development topics. Paul is a certified fund-raising executive (CFRE). He earned honors and distinction in double degrees from Iowa State University: B.S. in Animal Ecology, emphasis in Journalism and B.A. in Political Science with a minor in Environmental Studies.
		Carol Balvanz Director of Policy, Marketing and Resource Group, Iowa Soybean Association cbalvanz@iasoybeans.com Carol Balvanz joined the Iowa Soybean Association in 2005 as the Director of the newly formed PMR group. Her duties include overseeing development of non-checkoff revenue sources including membership. She also supervises staff and oversees policy and project development, facilitating discussion within the Policy. She also encourages development of new projects and relationships; she develops budgets and tracks progress through strategic planning. Another role she has is to develop strategy for corporate fund-raising. She also provides information back to both the CEO and the Board of Directors regarding projects and budgets. Last, Carol works to connect with other department heads and outside clients to encourage utilization of services provided by the PMR group. Prior to the Iowa Soybean Association, Carol worked for the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association where her duties included communication and policy work. She also was a high-school English teacher earlier.
		Patricia L. Grote Senior Consultant, TPG Companies Pat Grote grew up in Nebraska as a city girl and farmer’s granddaughter who could see acres of corn from her backyard in town. Today, she brings 20 years experience in leadership, marketing, public relations, communications and organization development to bear for agricultural and other organizations, working to help them produce solutions. After moving from Nebraska to Iowa to Indiana to Illinois and finally back to Iowa in 1995, Pat joined a Des Moines advertising agency and soon after took over its key agricultural accounts. She led several of them to state and national recognition and, more importantly, made significant gains on her clients’ objectives. Since then a significant portion of her consulting work has focused on organizations that support farmers, including some of Iowa’s most prominent ag and commodity organizations, as well as other ag-related business. In 2003, Pat signed on with the TPG Companies. She leads the company’s corporate marketing, as well as work with ag-related clients. She has experience with both commercial and public benefit organizations spanning such diverse sectors as agriculture, health care, faith-based, social services, financial, consumer, and business-to-business. She brings practical experience of weaving together the strengths of charities and business to create a stronger organization. Her background includes leading communications activities in several industries including agriculture, health care, financial services. She has also led communications-based projects for faith-based, government, and other social sector organizations. Pat thinks strategically and thrives on delivering impactful content to meet her clients’ needs. Pat has grounded her 20 years experience in public relations, marketing communications, strategic planning and organization development with an MBA from the Keller Graduate School of Management, Chicago. She also has a Bachelor of Journalism in Advertising from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
		Valerie Plagge Producer Services Coordinator/Outreach Marketing Specialist, Iowa Soybean Association vplagge@iasoybeans.com Valerie Plagge is the Producer Services Coordinator/Outreach Marketing Specialist for Northeast and North Central Iowa for the Iowa Soybean Association. At ISA her responsibilities include relationship building, meeting planning, and membership strategy. She connects projects with ISA members, soybean producers, corporate partners and general public through educational meetings, on-site promotions, county activities and trade shows. She also serves as the delivery system for projects needing statewide dissemination. While delivering programs she collects and offers input from county groups, directors and individual producers to help develop ideas for new projects. She is also directly responsible for membership revenue development in her territory. She also works with several different ISA departments, especially biodiesel, soymeal/livestock relations, research, and soyfoods. Prior to ISA, Val graduated from Iowa State University in December 2006 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Communications with a minor in agronomy.

	FUNDED IN PART BY SOYBEAN CHECKOFF DOLLARS ©2007 Iowa Soybean Association