Susan Steingreaber was ready for a new start. Steingreaber, her husband and her baby moved from Kansas City to Iowa where she has embarked on a new career.

Iowa wasn’t new to Steingreaber. She grew up in Des Moines and received a bachelors degree in business administration and communications studies from the University of Iowa.   

After graduation, Steingreaber spent three years working in human resources, first at a staffing agency, and then at Maytag Appliances/Amana Refrigeration Products. After that, she moved to Kansas City, where she spent a year as a full-time mom. When her husband finished pharmacy school, they decided to return to Iowa.

“It’s where my roots are,” Steingreaber said. “I couldn’t imagine my son growing up in a different community.”

As she returned to Iowa, Steingreaber decided to return to the workforce, as well. At first, she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do.

“I was kind of burnt out on human resources,” she said.

She decided to evaluate her employment history and determine which aspects of her jobs she had enjoyed most. She would then try to find a job that had those features. Steingreaber found her favorite aspect of human resources was recruiting. She liked meeting new people and getting them excited about the work they were going to do. She considered taking a sales position, but couldn’t find a product about which she could garner the necessary enthusiasm.

While still in the midst of her job search, Steingreaber volunteered for the Pink Ribbon Classic, a golf fund-raiser held by the Polk County affiliate of the American Cancer Society. Her mother, Jan Miller Straub, was chair of the event and encouraged her to get involved. Steingreaber’s stepfather, Mel Straub, died of cancer, so finding a cure for the disease is an important issue for her family. She learned, through the Pink Ribbon Classic, that the American Cancer Society was looking for a new income development coordinator. Steingreaber applied for the job and, just weeks ago, got it.

“The product we sell has intrinsic motivation,” she said. “Our goal for the year 2015 is to reduce the incidence rate of cancer by 25 percent, the mortality rate by 50 percent. It’s not unattainable; we just have to keep working toward it.”