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What brought you to Planned Parenthood?

Well, I’ve always been a big supporter of Planned Parenthood. I actually got very involved as a volunteer with the Freedom Fund at Planned Parenthood, which is like the politically active wing of the organization. And when I had the opportunity to leave the news business with the shuttering of the news operations at KDSM, it was just a wonderful opportunity for me to see what was out there and this job came up. To me, I really wanted to do something where I could get more involved in the community again, but in a different capacity, because when you’re in the news business, you’re not really allowed to get involved in a lot of things. I thought, I want to give back, and if there is any organization that I would love to be a part of, it would be Planned Parenthood.

What is your career background?

Well, I worked at KDSM – Fox 17 for nearly eight years. I started out as the news director when we launched “Fox News at Nine.” I was the news director, but I also reported stories every day, and so I was out in the field. Then before that, from 1990-2000, I worked on various different political campaigns in the state. I worked on a presidential, a governor’s race, some local races, doing both media-related work and also some fund raising. Prior to that, from 1984 to 1990, I was at WHO-TV as primary anchor for the 6 and 10 o’clock news.

Did you ever think you would occupy a C-level position?

No, and it’s really awesome, because it’s a new role for me in terms of raising money and reaching out to members of the community, not just in Greater Des Moines, but all of the 88 counties that we serve. It’s great, and gosh, there’s a lot to learn. It’s a very complex organization, and so from day one it’s just figuring out all of the different parts that make the wheel go ’round. But yeah, I am honored to have this position; it is great.

How is working in nonprofit different from your past work experience?

One of the biggest differences is that when you work in news, you can’t get too politically active. You’re really not allowed to do much outside the parameters of your job just because of maintaining fair and balanced perspectives on things. So that is the biggest difference. I can really get more involved in a lot of things. I was definitely ready for the change.

Do you think your journalism background will help in this position?

I think it will pay great dividends. A lot of people recognize me, and they still know who I am, and they sort of feel comfortable; I guess in a sense they kind of establish a relationship with people who are on the news. I started in television in 1977, so it had been my career for a long time, which is kind of interesting because it really does work well to branch off into something like this. You just get to know a lot of people in the community. A lot of people know me, and I’ve had the chance to get to know a lot of people. I hope that will at least just open some doors for me.

Has the transition been smooth?

Well, I’m still in the transition. I’ve only been here a couple of weeks, but I was out of the (news) business once before, and you know, I think it is going to be great. I was at the point in my career where I was ready to go in a different direction and do something different.

How do you get your mind off work?

Well I love to travel. I run, and hopefully, I am going to do the half marathon coming up in October, except I’ve had a hard time keeping up my training schedule with my new job, because sometimes I’m tired by the time I get home.