Stephanie Oppel looks to her family for inspiration when it comes to helping ICON Water Trails reach its full potential as a recreation and placemaking attraction that can help the region attract and retain talent, and improve water quality throughout Central Iowa. She started as ICON’s new executive director on Sept. 25. Oppel grew up spending time outdoors picnicking and birdwatching at Big Creek. Her parents and grandparents went fossil hunting on Sundays, and she recalls getting up at 5 a.m. with her oldest child when he was little and watching the sunrise at Jester State Park near Granger. “Iowa’s spaces have provided such meaning for me personally that I am so thrilled to be here and start to contribute to advance this for the next generation of people,” she said. Oppel said she will also draw on her past professional experiences as director of work-based learning at DMACC, associate director of programs for the Robert D. and Billie Ray Center at Drake, working at DMACC to advance manufacturing partnerships on behalf of all 15 community colleges with the Iowa Association of Business Industry and with FEMA doing flood recovery work. “With ICON there’s that large public infrastructure federal grant piece that I absolutely loved, getting to work with different jurisdictions, public works departments … so pulling those parallels I learned a ton about political engagement, about the multilayers of government, a ton about public-private partnerships, and about workforce development. So I really feel like all these positions I have had have built upon one another to prepare me for this.”

Does your background allow you to look at the work of ICON through a different lens?

I think I do bring a unique perspective because I’ve seen public-private partnerships and I’ve seen things from the federal side of things and federal funding and how we can bring that in. I also have a lot of connectivity around what do youth want and how do we retain our talent in this state, and learning that young Iowans really care about their community and want to see their values enacted. And to know how many jurisdictions, how many private companies are invested in this and checking all the boxes, not only the recreational piece and the water quality piece, but also the commitment to Central Iowa, that has a huge potential to impact the workforce and I really like all those things.

Can you describe your management style?

My approach is always to operate with the highest integrity as possible. That is consistent and clear communication, integrity in our policies and our practices. I love to be clear about setting expectations but also being flexible. My philosophy as a leader is that people do good work when they are empowered and they are trusted. I really focus on that. I want everybody that works with me to be successful, so I’m focused on what they’re trying to get out of it and helping them make sure those needs are met. 

What excites you about this position?

Everything. I feel like this work of ICON, my family is going to directly benefit from this and if my family benefits from it, there’s a lot of other families that will benefit from it. I think it’s an opportunity to really shape something that exists but that we have not fully revealed its potential.

You think about the paved trails and what that opened up in recreation, business connectivity, breweries that have popped up. We have these waterways that people are not navigating and they’re these hidden gems that if we can activate that, it brings this whole other dimension to the community and I love that. Uncovering what’s there in our natural resources. I love seeing so many people at the table excited about that. I don’t shy away from big, complicated projects. I thrive in that environment because it gets my brain going in a bunch of different ways, so I just love that.

What is your view of ICON as a placemaking, workforce development tool?

When folks are thinking about staying or coming here, they’re looking at the schools, they are looking at the communities and as we continue to see water talked about nationally, it’s part of people’s thought processes when they are evaluating where they want to be. It’s as much of that placemaking piece as anything else. It’s not only that personal piece, but it’s also industry, economic opportunity whether they are using that water in their product or because it’s workforce connectivity. We have opportunities to create great, incredible features. If we do that well in a way that takes into account all the conditions, we can also do some improvements to help water quality. 

Tell us something about yourself that people may not know

I like to do embroidery and I embroider clothes and give them to my friends.

What book have you recently read?

“Somewhere in the Unknown World,” by Kao Kalia Yang. I’m two-thirds of the way through it. It is a collection of stories from refugees all over the world that have made it to live now in Minnesota. It’s their stories and it’s absolutely stunning and provides incredible perspectives, this personal narrative about their experience. I think it’s incredibly valuable for the world we’re living in now to understand and humanize these people and that they are so much like us, and that connectivity. I love it.

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At a glance:

Age: 43

Hometown: Norwalk

Family: Married, five children

Education: Bachelor’s degree in history, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Master of Public Administration, Drake University, and Ph.D. in education, Drake University

Activities: Hiking, cycling, attending live music, spending time with family and friends

Business Record Forty under 40: class of 2020

Contact: stephanie@iconwatertrails.com