The 2017-18 class of Leadership Washington graduated on Wednesday, following nine months of learning about the industries, issues and concerns facing the Washington area. Corridor Business Journal

Waukee resident Kathryn Sandie, first vice president and branch manager for West Bank, has been appointed to the city’s planning and zoning commission. Kayt Gabrielson was appointed to the Waukee Public Library Board of Trustees. Des Moines Business Record

Broadcast journalist and executive producer Soledad O’Brien will be headlining Iowa’s annual Juneteenth Celebration in Des Moines, Insight on Business in the News Hour reports. Des Moines Business Record

America’s SBDC Iowa named Mara Bridal & Special Occasion Boutique of Charles City the winner of the SBDC’s statewide Business of the Month Award. Mara Bridal & Special Occasion Boutique opened in November 2017 and is owned by Tiffany Rottinghaus. Mason City Globe Gazette 

One Iowa, a statewide LGBTQ organization, is seeking applications from across the state for its new LGBTQ Leadership Institute, set to kick off this June. Applications will be accepted through tomorrow, May 15. Corridor Business Journal 

Jenny Novick is the brand new face of 68-year-old Foster Appliance in Iowa City, but she hopes customers will never notice the difference. Corridor Business Journal 

NATION

A venture capital firm aimed at promoting underrepresented founders such as people of color, women and members of the LGBTQ community launched a new $36 million fund that will invest in black female founders. Fortune

Companies are showing a willingness to recruit novice board members as they add women and minorities to their ranks. Bloomberg 

Women held just 5.1 percent of CEO posts at S&P 1500 companies in 2016 and 2017, a Pew Research Center analysis found. Women are also underrepresented as chief operating officers and chief financial officers, two roles that often serve as a stepping stone to the top job. Pew Research Center 

Democrat LaToya Cantrell took the oath of office in New Orleans last week, making her the first female mayor in the city’s 300-year existence. The Lily