Ambassadors
Ambassadors help new members get acquainted with YPC and welcome them into the organization. YPC aims to have ambassadors attend nearly all YPC events throughout Greater Des Moines (DSM). Ambassadors can be easily identified at our events by their lanyard name tags. If you see any of them at our events, feel free to reach out and talk to them. YPC’s goal is to make all members feel comfortable.
Questions about the ambassador program? Please contact the Membership Chair.
Meet our current YPC ambassadors below.
Danny Rothschild
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Danny Rothschild
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Hometown:
Ames, IA
Employer:
Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
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How long have you lived in Des Moines?
14 years
Describe your YPC involvement.
I am a member of the Social,
Membership and Athletics Committees. You will see me at a variety of events because I am the YPC photographer.
What is your favorite YPC event?
The Kickoff party.
What is your favorite way to “Do More” in DSM?
I like to give back to the community by volunteering and taking pictures at a variety of events in DSM.
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John Redlin
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John Redlin
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Hometown:
Raleigh, NC
Employer:
Spanish Interpreter
UnityPoint Health-Des Moines Hospitals
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How long have you lived in Des Moines?
About 1 ½ years
When did you join YPC? What was your first event?
I joined YPC in the spring of 2016 and my first event was the “NEXT: Your Environment” tour of the Metro Waste Authority Landfill. It was a very informative event and I highly recommend participating in the NEXT Series as there is a topic of interest for everyone!
Why did you join?
I joined YPC to meet new people and to become involved in my community through local events, volunteering and diversity initiatives.
Describe your YPC involvement.
I participate in many different YPC events throughout the year, especially those organized by the Volunteer and Diversity and Culture Committees.
What is your favorite YPC event?
My favorite YPC events are the Dinners Around Des Moines and events such as the annual Sips, Samples, and Sights Architecture Tour. During these events, I enjoy the opportunity to celebrate Des Moines’ diversity through culture and food while networking with other like-minded young professionals in the area.
What is your favorite way to “Do More” in DSM?
I enjoy exploring the many neighborhoods throughout Des Moines and support local restaurants and businesses throughout the metro area. There are so many ways to give back to the community and during the summer and fall, you can find me volunteering at several festivals including the Des Moines Arts Festival, the Latino Heritage Festival and CelebrAsian. I also enjoy our city’s live music scene and supporting arts and entertainment venues such as the Des Moines Social Club and the Des Moines Art Center.
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Kyle Hurst
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Kyle Hurst
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Hometown:
West Des Moines, IA
Employer:
Power Engineers, Inc.
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How long have you lived in Des Moines?
18 years
When did you join YPC? What was your first event?
Spring of 2016, first event was the Sips, Samples, and Sights tour
Why did you join?
Looking to socialize with people my age and general demographic that wasn’t tied to a specific hobby/niche
Describe your YPC involvement.
My biggest interest has been in the social events. I haven’t been to as many of the “engagement” events usually due to scheduling conflicts.
What is your favorite YPC event?
Sips, Samples, and Sights set the bar pretty high; I haven’t been to anything as fun as that since--though that’s not to say I haven’t enjoyed myself at more recent events!
What is your favorite way to “Do More” in DSM?
That’s a bit of an open-ended question; what does “Do More” entail? I keep an eye out for social events around the metro and try to attend those to meet new people and build a social network in which I can help those I socialize with meet others. As the weather warms up I'm looking forward to what's on the menu for outdoor events. 80/35, the Iowa State Fair, and the Des Moines Arts Festival.
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Jacob Repp
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Jacob Repp
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Hometown:
Newton, IA
Employer:
New York Life
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How long have you lived in Des Moines?
10 years
When did you join YPC?
November 2017
What was your first event?
New Member Social
Why did you join?
I wanted to meet like minded people in my age group that wanted to make a difference in the city we live in. YPC has done nothing but succeed my expectations.
Describe your YPC involvement.
I'm at most socials. I'm a part of the social committee, even though I have another engagement when they meet. I'm an advocate about YPC, and am currently trying to get other young professional groups to partner with YPC.
What is your favorite YPC event?
New Member Socials and the monthly happy hour. That's where I started, and I can always find someone with a great backstory at these events.
What is your favorite way to “Do More” in Des Moines?
Get involved. I'm pretty active in various organizations in the area, and I enjoy sharing those passions with others, because otherwise they usually won't know about ways to get involved. This city has so much to offer, sometimes we just need a little bit of direction in order to uncover all of its opportunties.
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Jefferson Fink
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Jefferson Fink
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Hometown:
Carlisle, IA
( just southeast of Des Moines)
Employer:
Sellers, Galenbeck and Nelson
(a professional licensing defense law firm)
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How long have you lived in Des Moines?
Going on five years
When did you join YPC?
I joined in June of 2018. I have been following what the YPC/Greater Des Moines Partnership, and I was finally in a position in my life where I could go to YPC events.
What was your first event?
My first YPC event was a new member meet up.
Why did you join?
I joined to meet fellow minded, young professionals in the city that I love and call home.
Describe your YPC involvement.
I am slowly starting to get involved with the social events and hopefully soon, more of the specific committee events.
What is your favorite YPC event?
I love the monthly social meetups and the other social events that YPC hosts.
What is your favorite way to “Do More” in Des Moines?
My way to do more in Des Moines is to enjoy everything that DSM has to offer. Whether it’s the weather that is never the same, to shopping in the East Village, to eating ice cream in the sculpture park before a show.
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Shannon Shaver
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Shannon Shaver
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Hometown:
Canton, MI
Employer:
KCCI 8 News
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How long have you lived in Des Moines?
1 year
When did you join YPC?
January 2018
What was your first event?
New Member Meeting
Why did you join?
To meet new people and learn how to become more involved within the Des Moines community
Describe your YPC involvement.
I like to be social, so you can find me at most Happy Hours and New Member Meetings. I played for the spring softball team and have been to a few volunteer events. I hope to get even more involved with the Volunteer Committee.
What is your favorite YPC event?
I really enjoyed our joint Happy Hour with Young Variety at Smash Park. It was fun to explore a brand new space with another group of young professionals.
What is your favorite way to “Do More” in Des Moines?
Being a part of the Des Moines cycling and running community has really expanded my knowledge of the city, and has helped me meet people of all ages and backgrounds.
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Adam Perkins
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Adam Perkins
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Hometown:
Lake Quivira, KS
Employer:
Vision Financial Group
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How long have you lived in Des Moines?
5 years
When did you join YPC?
September 2017
What was your first event?
a New Member Meetup
Why did you join?
I had been trying to find a way to socialize outside of work. After my first couple events I realized there was so much more YPC could offer. I continued to be active in YPC because of the awesome people I met and the events that opened me up to all kinds of new things in Des Moines.
Describe your YPC involvement.
For the past year or so that I have been an official member I have participated in both committee meetings and social events. The committee I most regularly attend is Impact Downtown. Events I have been I have been involved since joining include the Gala, Iowa Wild Hockey Game, Dart Scavenger Hunt, I-Cubs game, Capitol Tour, most of the happy hours, and Sips, Samples, and Sights. This summer I also joined a YPC beach volleyball team with 5 other people I had never met before. It was a blast!
What is your favorite YPC event?
Not being an Iowa native, the capitol tour was a new and informative experience that helped me learn a lot about the history of the state and city.
What is your favorite way to “Do More” in Des Moines?
Helping other Des Moines transplants find ways to get involved, showing off some of our coolest places, and generally helping encourage them to feel like this is their city.
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Noemi Saenz
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Noemi Saenz
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Hometown:
Port Isabel, TX
Employer:
Neighborhood Finance Corporation (NFC)
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How long have you lived in Des Moines?
I have been living in the area for 15+ years.
Describe your YPC involvement.
I joined YPC this year to get involved with the Volunteer and Diversity & Culture Committees.
What is your favorite YPC event?
I really enjoyed partaking in the group tour of the Jordan House in West Des Moines with the Diversity & Culture Committee. I appreciated learning the history Iowa has to offer! I like the opportunities that the Volunteer Committee has like the Chili for Charity event earlier this year. YPC is a great way to meet people, connect and grow in a personal and professional way.
What is your favorite way to “Do More” in Des Moines?
I am fortunate that my position at NFC allows me to work with homeowners to complete renovations on their homes and in the process fulfill our nonprofit mission of revitalizing neighborhoods. I appreciate the opportunity NFC has given me to join groups like YPC. Also, we give back to our community by partnering with Rebuilding Together, Habitat for Humanity, the 6th Avenue Corridor and other groups for events like our annual neighborhood clean-up day. I help with donation events to give back by collecting school supplies and hygiene necessities for our Des Moines schools, and we are Toys for Tots drop off at our location. I even like to express how amazing Des Moines is with its many culture scenes by volunteering for 80/35 music event, Jazz in July, Latino Heritage Festival and the Farmer's Market.
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Kendra Simmons
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Kendra Simmons
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Hometown:
Salina, KS
Employer:
Fredrickson & Byron
(Senior Associate Attorney)
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How long have you lived in Des Moines?
Since April 2016
When did you join YPC? What was your first event?
I joined YPC shortly after moving from Kansas City to the Des Moines area 3 years ago. My first event was a New Member Meet-Up, and I joined the Impact Downtown and Civic Committees soon after that.
Why did you join?
Being an Iowa transplant, I wanted to connect with other young professionals and new friends. While I had ways of getting to know others in my profession, YPC offered the chance to meet other young professionals with a wide variety of experiences.
Describe your YPC involvement.
After a year of serving on the Impact Downtown & Civic Committees, I served as the Community Engagement Director. While I've rotated off the Board, I look forward to staying involved as an Ambassador and furthering YPC's mission of attracting and retaining young professionals to the Des Moines community.
What is your favorite YPC event?
I enjoy the unique events that give YPC members opportunities they wouldn’t have otherwise—like touring KCCI or WHO studios and meeting community executives like Tanner Krause and Suku Radia at the Professional Development Lunch & Learn events.
What is your favorite way to “Do More” in Des Moines?
Finding your niche that allows you to help others develop professionally. Serving on the YPC Board allowed me to do this and help grow the next generation of YPC leadership, which I look forward to continuing as an ambassador.
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