Board of Directors
The dedicated members of the Mind & Spirit Counseling Center board of directors help us further our mission to walk with people through counseling and education to find hope, healing, and a fulfilling life!
For more information on our board of directors, please contact us at info@mindspiritcenter.org.
Sally Wallace
President
Sally Wallace is a Registered Respiratory Therapist with a BS in Genetics and Bio/Chem. She has an MBA with emphasis in finance and planning. Her last position was the Chief Operating Officer of the Iowa Clinic. Before that she was a hospital administrator, a teacher and a practicing clinician. She also worked as a consultant to Des Moines University, helping to guide them into a different medical approach. For the last eight years, Sally’s focus has turned to raising a granddaughter full time, learning the ins and outs of DHS, legal guardianship, and the court system. DMPCC has played a major role in helping Sally find the help, guidance, and support she’s needed to learn how to cope, laugh, and feel safe.
Reo Menning
Vice President
Reo Menning is the President & CEO of RINAlliance, a company focused on helping the fuels industry comply with the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard. Before taking on this role, she was Executive Vice President of the association, FUELIowa, where she led communications, outreach and branding initiatives. In the past, Menning led the largest solid waste agency in Iowa, as well as having 14 years of experience in federal and state regulatory advocacy related to environmental, health and safety policies for the chemical industry. Reo holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry-Marketing from the University of Northern Iowa, a master’s degree in Environmental Science from Johns Hopkins University and an MBA from the University of Iowa. She’s a Certified Association Executive (CAE), and most recently became certified in leadership and life coaching through Grand View University. Reo lives in Clive, IA, with her three teenage daughters.
Andrea James
Immediate Past President
Andrea James is a Senior Financial Planner with Wells Fargo Advisors. She joined Wells Fargo in 2007 and has helped scores of individuals plan for their financial futures. She also works with trade associations, multi- employer trusts, non-profit and for-profit firms. Andrea has a Bachelor of Business Administration, Marketing and Management from Drake University in Des Moines, as well as the certified financial planner designations of CFP, AAMS, and AWMA.
Kendra Simmons
Secretary
Kendra Simmons is a shareholder and attorney, at Fredrikson & Byron, P.A., where she represents employers and practices in the areas of employment advice and litigation. She is often called on to present at seminars and other events and is also on the Board of the Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute. Kendra received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in Spanish from Baker University in Baldwin City, KS in May, 2010. In May, 2013 she received her Juris Doctor from Washburn University School of Law in Topeka, KS. Outside of the office, Kendra enjoys living in rural Madison County, biking around central Iowa with her husband, and exploring local restaurants and wineries.
Jane Funk
Treasurer
Jane Funk is the Chief Accounting Officer, Controller and Senior Vice President at West Bank in West Des Moines, Iowa. Prior to joining West Bank in 2014, she spent four years in leadership positions with other financial institutions and 18 years in public accounting with RSMUS LLP. Ms. Funk has extensive knowledge and leadership experience in the financial institution industry and accounting and financial reporting. Active in the community, Jane previously served on the board of Everybody Wins! Iowa for five years and continues as a volunteer/mentor in their elementary school Power Read program. She also serves on the West Bank women’s leadership committee, Women’s Impact Network. Jane and her husband live in Ankeny, IA; they have two adult children. An Iowa native, she is a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, is a CPA, and a member of the Iowa Society of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
Aura Baquero Cassab
Board Member
Aura Baquero Cassab is a bilingual mental health professional with a wide range of experiences including: artistic expression; education; community engagement; delivering educational programs; designing psychoeducational initiatives; and hands-on art therapy workshops for children, adults, and professional staff in Costa Rica and New York. While holding the position of Citizenship Project Outreach Coordination at the New- York Historical Society, Aura found her calling working hand in hand with multiple nonprofit organizations through different neighborhoods in the NYC area where many minority groups could benefit from this educational initiative. Her experience has provided her with a great deal of insight into how people learn, a passion for community advocacy towards mental health, and the opportunity of developing effective strategies to make educational programs engaging and meaningful.
Thomas R Fischer
Board Member
Thomas R Fischer is a semi-retired, independent IT Consultant in West Des Moines. He has over 35 years of experience successfully designing, building, executing and leading all types of enterprise level technology initiatives for a number of major corporations, including Guide One Mutual Insurance and Pioneer Hi-Bred International. As an independent consultant specializing in building Dashboards for Non-Profits, Thomas has worked with such clients as United Way and Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC). He recently built an Operational Dashboard for Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center. Thomas is involved with DMARC and Joppa. His BA is in Applied Computer Science from Grand View University and his Executive MBA is from the University of Iowa.
Jann Freed
Board Member
Jann Freed, PhD, is a leadership development and change management consultant with The Genysys Group. She assists organizations and leaders make change by facilitating vision based strategic planning, leadership development, and executive coaching. Jann is currently Vice-Chair on the Planning and Zoning Commission for the city of Des Moines, a director on the Bank Iowa Board, member of the Planned Parenthood Advocate Board, and on the Executive Committee of Nexus Women’s Executive Alliance. Jann is actively involved in the leadership at Central Presbyterian Church and a member of Women United of United Way. Her latest passion and initiative is Beyond the Money (BTM), a series of coaching cohorts to help employees prepare for the non-financial aspects of life after a formal career. In addition, Jann is an adjunct professor for The University of Iowa teaching a graduate leadership course. After a 30-year career at Central College, Jann is professor emerita of business management and the former Mark and Kay De Cook Endowed Chair in Leadership and Character Development. During her tenure, she was department and division chair, served on numerous committees, and acted as Interim Vice-President of Academic Affairs.
Shayla From
Board Member
Shayla From is a Community Volunteer and Leader in the Non-Profit Sector. She possesses over 35 years of experience working with nonprofits in Iowa. Shayla is a collaborative leader who initiates ideas and establishes new programs to improve organizations she is passionate about. She has served on a number of boards including Central College Board of Trustees, Central Red Society, Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, Junior League of Des Moines, and more.
Mary Gottschalk
Board Member
Mary Gottschalk has more than three decades experience in strategic financial management, both as a line manager and a consultant. Consulting clients included the boards and executive management of Fortune 500 firms in the U.S. and overseas; non-profit consulting targeted social service agencies in New York, Melbourne (Australia) and Des Moines. Mary came to Des Moines in January 2001 as Chief Financial Officer of the Federal Home Loan Bank, and after completing the engagement she was hired for, she decided to remain in Des Moines as an independent consultant (MCG Strategic Services) to provide financial and strategic planning for the non-profit sector. In the mid-1990’s Mary was deputy director of Community Access, Inc., a non-profit that provided housing and mental health services to the mentally ill in New York City. Mary has a BA (history and philosophy) from the University of Chicago, and an MBA (finance and economics) from the University of Cincinnati.
Jim Hayes
Board Member
Jim Hayes is the executive director of the Mind & Spirit Counseling Center and a spiritual director. Jim holds a master of divinity degree from St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore, and a doctoral degree in homiletics from the Aquinas Institute at St. Louis University. He studied philosophy at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas (Angelicum) in Rome, Italy. Jim has been in spiritual direction for over 35 years and served as a spiritual director since 1990. Previously, Jim served students and faculty at Simpson College in a variety of administrative roles and as a religion professor. He has also served as campus minister at Iowa State where he continued to expand his global awareness through study abroad and work with international students, including the use of conversational English, French, Italian and Spanish. Before his work in the higher education sector, Jim provided spiritual counseling and pastoral ministry in a wide variety of settings through priestly ministry in the Northeast Iowa Archdiocese of Dubuque.
Derek Johnson
Board Member
Derek Johnson, CPA is an Accounting Manager for R&R Realty Group. Derek has over six years of experience auditing nonprofit organizations and served on the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network board for four years. He has a passion for working with nonprofits and believes in supporting mental health efforts.
Kate Juelfs
Board Member
Kate Juelfs is the Chief Operations Officer / Chief Compliance Officer at Foster Group, a wealth management firm headquartered in Des Moines. Kate works with a variety of leaders within the firm to align the operation with the strategies of the company. Kate splits her time between regulatory compliance and business operations and oversees the Human Capital, Investments and IT function. Kate graduated from Upper Iowa University with a degree in Financial Management. In her free time Kate enjoys spending time with her family, freshwater fishing and reading.
Dani Musselman
Board Member
Dani Musselman, M. Div is the solo pastor at the United Methodist church Centennial UMC at Ivy, located in Altoona, IA. Dani graduated from Simpson College in with a bachelor’s in Religion and left Iowa to pursue her Master’s of Divinity in Fort Worth, TX. While in Fort Worth, she volunteered in United Methodist churches, working as a chaplain both at Texas Christian University (TCU) and at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, and interning at Ridglea Christian Church, a Disciples of Christ community. Dani has served as a Provisional Elder in the Iowa Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church since July 2020. She has been appointed to begin serving as Pastor of Hope United Methodist Church in Marshalltown, Iowa beginning in July of 2022.
Cory McClure
Board Member
Cory McClure is a family law attorney with child welfare experience. In addition to being an attorney, Cory has spent almost 30 years working as an Adjunct Instructor teaching within various higher education programs including Iowa Child Protective Academy at the University of Northern Iowa, and most recently, the Criminal Justice Department at Des Moines Area Community College.
James Rasmussen
Board Member
James Rasmussen has been Strategic Financial Planning Analyst at Unity Point Health Des Moines since 2011, responsible for budget and cost accounting support for hospital operations and business plan preparation for large capital projects. Jim has held a number of positions within Unity Point Health since 1988, including Finance Director for the corporate office, and initially, Director of Internal Audit. Prior to Unity Point Health, Jim was an auditor with what is now KPMG US LLP. Jim holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Administration from Iowa State and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Iowa. He’s a CPA and a Certified Healthcare Finance Professional. Jim’s held a number of not-for-profit service roles over the years, including a board member on the Iowa Statewide Poison Control Center and treasurer for a church and Bible camp.
David Sagula
Board Member
David Sagula is assistant vice president, Executive Talent and Development with the Principal Financial Group. He implements processes related to talent review, succession management, and individual and organizational executive development strategies throughout the organization. Prior to joining The Principal, he was director of client solutions and an executive consultant with Personnel Decisions International, a global talent and organizational consulting firm. Over his career with PDI, he worked with a broad range of talent, including the CEO level, and delivered talent solutions to many diverse organizations. David received his doctorate in counselling psychology from Michigan State University, his MBA from the Carlson School of Business at the University of Minnesota, and his bachelor’s in chemical engineering from Pennsylvania State University. He is a licensed psychologist and has been involved in many professional organizations including the Human Resources Planning Society and the American Psychological Association.
Marti Wade
Board Member
Marti Wade’s career has spanned four diverse industries: agribusiness, real estate, publishing, and software accounting. She has over 30 years of experience in both corporate and nonprofit environments. Prior to retiring from Workiva, where she developed their customer testimonial program, she was with Meredith Corporation’s custom publishing division and also supported the launch of Midwest Living Magazine. As Vice President of Marketing for Green Meadows, a division of Pioneer Hi-Bred International, she was a spokesperson in the community for advocating passive solar construction. At American Cyanamid, she was responsible for product marketing and sales throughout the North Central region. Marti is dedicated to service and volunteering, and has supported a number of non-profit organizations, including: Central Presbyterian Church, American Lung Association of Iowa, Des Moines Symphony Board, Junior League of Des Moines, and Iowa Pet Alliance. Marti has a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism with a concentration in Advertising and Public Relations from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
Breanne Ward
Board Member
Breanne Ward is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and a nationally recognized certified rehabilitation counselor with the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC). In 2014, she founded ForWard Consulting, LLC to provide culturally relevant speaking engagements and more motivation-led conversations for community change. March 2019, she has granted approval to provide mental health therapeutic services to persons 14 years old and up through this entity. Breanne has expertise in race-related, childhood, sexual, and intimate partner trauma. She also utilizes CBT, DBT, and trauma informed care practices to assist with changing the mindsets of those she works with.