Future Ready Iowa Summit - All Options on the Table

NASA Astronaut Colonel Raja Chari shared future-ready guidance to Iowans at the 2022 Future Ready Iowa Summit in Des Moines.
NASA Astronaut Colonel Raja Chari shared future-ready guidance to Iowans at the 2022 Future Ready Iowa Summit in Des Moines.

More than 600 Iowans registered for the 2022 Future Ready Iowa Summit – All Options on the Table to ask and to answer the most challenging questions facing our edu-nomic future.

“It’s our job to push our educational innovation to new heights,” Gov. Kim Reynolds said in her opening remarks as she encouraged all participants to take one idea from the Summit and put it into action.

STEM Council Co-Chair Diane Young shared about the importance of working together to prepare the future workforce in local communities across the state.

NASA Astronaut Colonel Raja Chari, an Iowa native, recently returned from six months in space and presented the keynote address at the Summit. He encouraged and inspired attendees to help Iowa’s youth find their own path, try new things and learn from failures.

Dr. Lisa Schulte Moore, MacArthur “Genius” awardee and professor of Natural Resource Ecology and Management and co-director of the Bioeconomy Institute at Iowa State University, urged attendees to encourage curiosity, foster teamwork and build bridges.

Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell facilitated a panel of Iowa futurists, including Janice Eagle Hawk, Realty Officer at Sac & Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa; Dr. Rachelle Keck, President, Grand View University; Kathryn Kunert, Vice President, Economic Connections and Integration, MidAmerican Energy; and Jeff Powell, President and CEO, Diamond Vogel, Inc. The panel shared insights into the future of the Iowa economy and workforce needs.

Twenty-two showcases of some of the brightest lights in future readiness lined the ballroom to make connections between education and workforce. More than a dozen breakout sessions occurred where Iowa leaders shared resources and supports for local innovation.

The excitement and energy for further advancement in future preparedness was made possible by generous support by our event sponsors:

For presentations and other archived materials from the Future Ready Iowa Summit, visit https://iowastem.org/archive.

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