Iowa State University Alumni Association

What to do when you don't know what to do ... that is the question! Entrepreneur and all-around boss lady Kathleen Riessen ('04 advertising & accounting) will walk you through the simple process she uses with her executive clients to eliminate difficult work questions and move forward with confidence. At the end of this podcast, you'll have the tools you need to say, "I know what I should do!"

ISU Alumni Association president & CEO Jeff Johnson shares how new graduates can tap into the Cyclone network. Whether its looking for a job or connecting with alums in a new city, there are many ways to take advantage of your new grad digital membership!

Barb Wollan, a human sciences specialist in family well-being with Iowa State Extension and Outreach, gives you tips on how to understand different types of debt and the best ways to pay them off over time. Plus, tips on properly using a credit card and how to check your credit report each year.

Barb Wollan, a human sciences specialist in family well-being with Iowa State Extension and Outreach, helps you identify financial goals to work toward. Plus, she will help you understand the difference between future goals and lifestyle goals.

Barb Wollan, a human sciences specialist in family well-being with Iowa State Extension and Outreach, helps you take a clear-eyed look at your financial situation and make a realistic workable monthly spending plan.

In the first episode of New Grad 101, Iowa State University Alumni Association president & CEO Jeff Johnson talks about the many ways for new graduates to become engaged alums.

Trent Preszler had an epiphany to make something with the tools he inherited from his father. With no experience in woodcraft, driven only by blind will, he built a canoe. Working with his hands tested Preszler’s limits but ultimately offered him a different per­spective on life, and the means to change it. "Little and Often," a USA Today Best Book of 2021, delivers a moving reflection on bereavem...

Ball Boy follows the adventures of Gray Taylor, a 14-year-old who discovers basketball when his mother moves them from Los Angeles to Beaudelaire, a small town in Kansas. Taylor uses basketball to become someone people notice and later to save the town. Paul Shirley (‘00 mechanical engineering), a former Cyclone basketball and NBA player, is the author of two humor memoirs, a novel, and a how-to b...

Does your career fit you? Or do you feel like you’re constantly trying to fit your passions and strengths to your career? In this podcast series, award-winning business coach and Iowa State alumna Erica Carrico (‘02 psychology) explores opportunities for a career that better aligns with your life purpose.

Does your career fit you? Or do you feel like you’re constantly trying to fit your passions and strengths to your career? In this podcast series, award-winning business coach and Iowa State alumna Erica Carrico (‘02 psychology) explores opportunities for a career that better aligns with your life purpose.

Does your career fit you? Or do you feel like you’re constantly trying to fit your passions and strengths to your career? In this podcast series, award-winning business coach and Iowa State alumna Erica Carrico (‘02 psychology) explores opportunities for a career that better aligns with your life purpose.

Does your career fit you? Or do you feel like you’re constantly trying to fit your passions and strengths to your career? In this podcast series, award-winning business coach and Iowa State alumna Erica Carrico (‘02 psychology) explores opportunities for a career that better aligns with your life purpose.

Does your career fit you? Or do you feel like you’re constantly trying to fit your passions and strengths to your career? In this podcast series, award-winning business coach and Iowa State alumna Erica Carrico (‘02 psychology) explores opportunities for a career that better aligns with your life purpose.

Does your career fit you? Or do you feel like you’re constantly trying to fit your passions and strengths to your career? In this podcast series, award-winning business coach and Iowa State alumna Erica Carrico (‘02 psychology) explores opportunities for a career that better aligns with your life purpose.

Does your career fit you? Or do you feel like you’re constantly trying to fit your passions and strengths to your career? In this podcast series, award-winning business coach and Iowa State alumna Erica Carrico (‘02 psychology) explores opportunities for a career that better aligns with your life purpose.

Brett McIntyre ('08 meteorology, journalism) joins us for a special homecoming edition of Live from Cy's Lounge. The Iowa State alum and meteorologist at Des Moines' WHO 13 News shares stories from covering some of Iowa's largest storms. Plus, get a first look at the weather forecast for Saturday's homecoming football game! Thank you to Campustown, the exclusive sponsor of Homecoming 2021. http://...

Kelly Norris (A)(MS '11) is an award-winning horticulturist and author of the book "New Naturalism." His work in gardens has been featured in publications including The New York Times and Better Homes and Gardens. Norris also documents his personal project called Three Oaks Garden, which he refers to as a repository of ideas, canvas for personal expression and planting field in a clearing atop an...

Michelle Book (L)('83 accounting) is the president & CEO of the Food Bank of Iowa, a non-profit distribution organization that meets the critical needs of food-insecure Iowans. #CyclonesEverywhere

Michael Hanstad (‘17 marketing) and Robert Doan ('18 culinary food science) are the co-founders of Charlotte's Kitchen. What first began as a concept of serving bar patrons quickly turned into one of the most sought-after food trucks in the Des Moines metro. Their specialty? Chicken sandwiches, of course. With flavors ranging from Nashville hot to crab rangoon, the duo of Iowa State alums have com...

Katherine Polak (DVM '10) is the head of stray animal care for the non-profit Four Paws in Bangkok, Thailand. In this role, she promotes the welfare of stray cats and dogs through partnerships, and collaborative, sustainable programs. Polak is the 2021 recipient of the ISU Alumni Association’s Alumni Humanitarian Award. #CyclonesEverywhere

Ariel Perry ('15 kinesiology & health) is the programming director at Can Play Sports, a non-profit organization in Iowa with a mission of increasing the positive impacts on youth through the growth and evolution of adaptive and no-cost sports programs. Can Play supplements the cost of playing sports and adapt the play to the skill level for each child – creating the opportunity to play despite th...

Clayton Mooney ('12 english) is the co-founder and CEO of Nebullam, an indoor farm selling fresh produce direct-to-consumers in central Iowa. Located in the Iowa State Research Park, Mooney and his team grow and harvest lettuce, sprouts, and tomatoes using their proprietary aeroponic equipment. This method uses substantially less water, fertilizer, lighting, and labor – allowing Nebullam to produc...

Kelly Howard (A)('08 journalism) is the CEO of EightSixtySouth, a strategic communications agency in Los Angeles working with fashion, beauty, and lifestyle brands. Howard is a former Iowa STATEment Maker and was the recipient of the 2020 ISUAA Outstanding Young Alumni Award. #CyclonesEverywhere

SoFi Stadium opened last year in southern California and serves as home to the Los Angeles Chargers and Rams of the NFL. The new state-of-the-art stadium is the most expensive ever to be built – and a Cyclone is behind it all. Mark Williams ('85 architecture) is the principal architect at HKI, Inc., the leading firm behind some of the most iconic sports and entertainment venues in the world. #Cycl...

After 24 years and 97 issues, Carole Gieseke is retiring as editor of VISIONS – the official alumni magazine of Iowa State University. Since 1997, Gieseke has traveled to all 50 states and several countries interviewing alumni and sharing their stories. Gieseke talks about her favorite memories writing for VISIONS, including the cross-country journey of "VISIONS Across America" she completed with...