About the Urbandale Chamber

Creighton has over 20 years’ experience working in areas of economic development, construction, and municipal and state government.

His background in construction, land development, lobbying and working with local municipalities has helped many companies and leaders with regulatory requirements and working together to improve the quality of life of central Iowans through good planning and strong infrastructure.

Prior to joining Greiner Construction, Creighton worked at Olsson Engineering and served as the Executive Officer of the Home Builders Association of Greater Des Moines. He also worked in the office of the Iowa Senate Republican Leader and as a consultant and lobbyist for M & R Strategic Services. He served eight years as a City Council Member for the City of Urbandale, 2011-2019.

Creighton currently serves on the Polk County Housing Trust Fund Board of Directors, and has served on the boards of the Better Business Bureau, Developers Council of Greater Des Moines, Des Moines HBA Green Building Council, Iowa State Extension Iowa Housing Policy Roundtable, Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, Iowa HOBY, and Think Green Iowa. In addition, he is a member of the Des Moines Business Record Forty Under Forty class of 2010 and is a graduate of Leadership Urbandale.  Creighton also enjoys coaching Urbandale Little League and Urbandale Rec youth basketball.

Creighton graduated from the University of Iowa in 1997 with a bachelor’s degree in political science and history. He was born in New York and as part of a military family lived in Vermont, Alabama, and Michigan before moving to Iowa 1986. He has lived in Urbandale since 2006 with his wife Katie, and two children, Braeden and Stella.

Eric Williams, CFP® is a financial planner and part owner at AO Wealth Advisory. Through his own family’s journey of paying off debt, Eric discovered a passion for helping families set goals, make financial plans and create healthy money habits. He is the author of “It’s Your Money” and also serves on the Midland Credit Union board of directors.

Raised in Belmond, Iowa, Eric started his collegiate education at North Iowa Area Community College and graduated from Simpson College with a degree in business management. Eric worked in transportation and marketing before finding his career in financial planning, joining AO Wealth Advisory in 2015.

Outside of work he enjoys biking and spending time with his wife and two children

Ben has 7 years of experience in public accounting. He currently serves as an Assurance Manager for TDT CPAs & Advisors specializing in audits of non-profits, governmental entities as well as employee benefit plans. Outside of work Ben enjoys golfing, cheering on the Chiefs and the Cyclones, and spending time with his family. Ben and his wife live in Waukee with their daughter Baylor.

I’ve been a Head Hunter since 2015 and love it! Previous to that, I have 25+ years of Human Resources management experience, with Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certification. My full range of HR knowledge, coupled with a multitude of business and professional connections, ensures my success in identifying top talent to meet my client’s needs. Here at Career Search Associates, we help businesses fill full time positions ranging from the front desk to the CEO. We specialize in Administration, Accounting, Marketing, Sales, Human Resources, Project Management, Call Center Management and Retail Store Management. We are respected recruiters who also help the passive candidate that wants to explore opportunities in a confidential manner.

Marsha Smother is the Vice President of Human Resources for WorldWide Logistics, where she leads the development and execution of HR initiatives to drive talent acquisition, employee engagement, talent and performance management and organizational growth. A collaborative and results-driven senior HR leader with over 25 years of progressive experience, Marsha has a proven track record of delivering operational and strategic workforce solutions and fostering a culture of inclusion and high performance.

Before joining WorldWide Logistics, Marsha held the senior HR leadership role at Berkley Technology Services, where she was instrumental in shaping workforce strategies, enhancing employee retention and leading organizational change.

Marsha graduated from Iowa State University with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Operations Management. She also has earned her Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) certifications.

She resides in Johnston, Iowa with her husband Todd and two children and enjoys spending time with family and friends, attending Iowa State athletic events and traveling.

I’ve been a Head Hunter since 2015 and love it! Previous to that, I have 25+ years of Human Resources management experience, with Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certification. My full range of HR knowledge, coupled with a multitude of business and professional connections, ensures my success in identifying top talent to meet my client’s needs. Here at Career Search Associates, we help businesses fill full time positions ranging from the front desk to the CEO. We specialize in Administration, Accounting, Marketing, Sales, Human Resources, Project Management, Call Center Management and Retail Store Management. We are respected recruiters who also help the passive candidate that wants to explore opportunities in a confidential manner.

Renee has more than 25 years of experience working in the insurance industry with a focus on employee benefits and customer service.  She spent many years working for a local insurance broker and joined the carrier side in 2018.  She is now the Director of Operations for Delta Dental of Iowa. As a highly organized, motivated, and positive individual, Renee thrives on process improvements, collaborating with and leading others.

Raised in central Iowa, Renee is a proud graduate of Dowling Catholic High School.  She attended Iowa State University and earned a degree in Communications, with minors in History and Sociology.   Renee is also a 2010 graduate of the Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute and has previously served on the St. Pius X School Board.

Renee lives in Johnston with her husband Dave and three kids, Tyler, Josh, and Libby. Outside of work, Renee can be found spending time on her container garden and with her perfect dog Frankie and her crazy dog Lulu.  Come February, she’ll be following and cheering on the Chicago Cubs because for Renee, “baseball is life.”

LeAnn is the Co-Owner of Dinner Dispatch, a women-owned and operated meal prep and delivery service. Dinner Dispatch has been in business since 2019 and found its home in Windsor Heights in May of 2021.

Being a business owner is LeAnn’s second career. She moved to Iowa from Chicagoland to attend Drake where she got her degree in Elementary Education. After 12 years of teaching, marriage, and 2 kiddos, LeAnn partnered with fellow mom, Jen, and Dinner Dispatch was developed to help fellow working parents better deal with the dinnertime chaos. 

Having two owners allows each to do what they are passionate about, and for LeAnn, it’s the relationships. LeAnn manages the people side of Dinner Dispatch- hiring, training, and scheduling staff, building and maintaining the social media pages, and networking and connecting with the community through the Windsor Heights and Urbandale chambers.

When not working, LeAnn spends her free time reading, walking, and carting kids to activities.

Katie has over 15 years of experience working in community banking; she started as a part-time teller, and then enjoyed numerous positions in retail and mortgage banking before joining Iowa Banker’s Mortgage Corporation. In her role as Training and Development Representative, Katie helps mortgage loan staff at their member banks become successful, well-rounded lenders. Katie has a passion for helping people achieve success. 

Katie also serves as the Chair for the City of Urbandale Board of Adjusters and thoroughly enjoys serving the community in which she lives. 

Raised in Iowa City, Iowa, Katie is a proud Hawkeye. She attended the University of Iowa where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in finance, a minor in Spanish and an international business certificate. Outside of work, Katie enjoys traveling, attending live music events and spending time with family and friends. Katie lives in Urbandale with her husband, Josh, her two sons J.R. and Sawyer, and her two geriatric dogs, Molly and Zoey.

Gina is a small town Iowa girl. Proud of her roots, she was born and raised on a farm. Her work ethic stems from the life her parents instilled in her and her 5 siblings. She was raised with strong Christian values and the belief she could accomplish anything if she put her mind to it. 

Gina has spent the majority of her professional career in hospitality and working in the community. It was in this industry she found her passion for management, leadership and most of all, working with people! This simple position led her into development with multiple well-known brands.

In her free time, Gina is family focused. Family time is spent with her husband, Bobby and daughter, Shae. They enjoy time on the deck, grilling and entertaining. 

Mary has had careers in banking, was Executive Assistant to the President of USG Annuity & Life Company, a Fundraiser & Events Director at Make-A-Wish Foundation of Iowa, & employed for 11-years at the Partnership. 
Mary is a member & is active in a number of organizations. She is past president & member of LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association)-Amateurs of DM, current President of the Willow Creek Tuesday Morning Ladies Golf League, past president & current member of PEO Chapter KD of Des Moines, & current member of the Urban Heights Covenant Church among various other organizations.
 
Mary married Pat Knueven in 1980. Their son (Jason) and daughter-in-law (Becky) live in Gardner, Kansas, with their 2 boys, Cael & Cameron. She loves to play golf, travel, & spend time with her two grandsons.

I was born and raised in Hawkeye country- Iowa City! Go Hawks! While attending the University of Iowa, I was involved in many student organizations, where my passion for event coordinating began. After 5 years primarily in the wedding industry, I was ready to take on a different and new avenue of events, leading me to the Chamber world! I am dedicated to bringing impactful event opportunities to life for our community’s professionals. 
When I’m not running around Urbandale, you might find me trying to keep my flower garden alive, in the kitchen cooking an extravagant meal, boating at the lake with my family, or at a country concert. A few of my favorite things include iced coffee, any form of pasta, cats, Kenny Chesney, and gnomes (solely because they’re cute).

Sheila and her family moved to Urbandale, Iowa in 2001 and have lived here ever since. After ending a 20-year career with an insurance company, she started her own business. She joined the Urbandale Chamber of Commerce and became very involved in the community. She was on the Board of the Urbandale Community Action Network for many years. She is a graduate of Leadership Urbandale, Citizens Police Academy, and Citizens Fire Academy. In addition, she housed a Des Moines Buccaneer hockey player every year for seven years and volunteered to be the Housing Coordinator for the DM Bucs for five years. She received the Urbandale Citizen of the Year award in 2011. Sheila has a lot of experience in Office Management, Human Resources, Marketing, and Sales.

Sheila is married and has two grown sons; one is married with three children. Her family means the world to her, especially her grandchildren. Her life revolves around hockey and softball with her two grandsons playing travel hockey, and her granddaughter playing travel softball. When she is not with her family, she enjoys being outside tending to her flowers, reading, and she loves cooking and baking.