The First episode of “On Leadership” features Vermeer Corporation CEO Jason Andringa. Our conversation spans from the value he gained from his engineering degree from a small liberal arts college to the importance of interpersonal interaction, lifelong learning and a journey mindset.

Prior to becoming president and CEO, Andringa served as president and COO, in addition to a number of other roles at Vermeer. Before joining Vermeer in 2005, he was a staff engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Andringa graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Calvin College and later completed advanced degrees including a Master of Science in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Southern California. Andringa and his wife live in Pella, Iowa, with their three children.

Ambassador Bernadette Allen is far too modest to put it this way, but her story contains repeating themes of finding opportunities to solve problems. Hers is a life and career filled with courageous acts– including leaving DC for a tiny college in rural Iowa– site unseen. In our discussion we talk about her path to a State Department career, the importance of communication and understanding others, and advice and resources for students interested in overseas government opportunities.

Bernadette Allen retired from the U.S. Department of State in May 2010 after a 30-year career. She served as the United States Ambassador to the Republic of Niger from March 2006 through January 2010. Other overseas postings included Consul General in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Chief of Consular Servies in the People’s Republic of China, consular and/or general services assignments in the Republic of the Philippines and the Republic of Burundi. Service years in Washington DC included desk officer to management level positions with focus on migration, border security and human rights issues in the Bureau of African Affairs, the Bureau of Consular Affairs, the Bureau of Legislative Affairs and the Consular Training Division at the Foreign Servie Institute. She speaks fluent French and maintains conversational ability in Mandarin Chinese

Ambassador Allen is a 1978 graduate of Central College, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in French Civilization and Linguistics. She also has a French language certificate from the Sorbonne University in Paris, France (May 1977). She currently serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees.

In this episode, Central College Trustee Christine (Epperly) Ieuter talks about growing up a coach’s kid, winding up in Chicago, he importance of networking and mentoring, the value of breadth in career building, a private-equity primer, the importance of community service and a lot more!

Christine Ieuter is a 1991 graduate of Central College, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting. Following graduation, Christine joined the Des Moines office of Ernst and Young before transitioning to the Chicago area where she spent the remainder of her career working in financial leadership roles of progressive responsibility for companies such as PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Allstate Insurance Company, and Essendent Inc. After momentarily retiring from Essendent, Chris was coaxed back into professional leadership to serve as CFO of Goto Logistics. She is also a member of the Central College Board of Trustees.

This episode features a leader in yet another industry. Pastor Sophie Mathonnet-Vanderwell talks about growing up in a different culture, using her degree in psychology, managing a dual-career marriage when you are sharing jobs, entering the pastorhood as a young woman in the 1980’s, the pastor’s leadership role, being comfortable with not knowing everything, and a lot more.

Sophie Mathonnet Vanderwell group up in Kobe, Japan. Although her parents were both French, she decided to go to University in the United States and emerged from Seattle Pacific Universiity in 1983 with a BA in Psychology, and a husband, Steve Vanderwell.  Sophie and Steve then matriculated through Princeton Theological Seminaries and graduated in 1986 with Masters in Divinity. She was then called to the Owasca Reformed Church in Owasco, New York, where she served until 1993, when she moved to First Reformed Church in Wyantskill, New York.  In March 1999, Sophie and Steve moved to Pella where they were called by Second Reformed Church. They retired in June of 2023.

This episode features a wide-ranging discussion with small business-owner and 1990 Central graduate Roger Dewaard. It kind of turned into a love letter to Central College, but during this conversation we talk about how Roger’s Central College education shaped his totally weird career path, the influence of studying and traveling in Mexico and what we learned about organizational culture playing football for Ron Schipper .

Roger DeWaard graduated from Central College in 1990 with a BA in Accounting. He then joined the Public Accounting firm, Denman and Company in Des Moines where he worked as an associate auditor for three years. After that he had a lot of jobs, including CFO and eventual owner of an IT consultancy, pastor, public school district CFO, and President of Hopkins Roofing.

Dr. Mark Putnam describes how he views his responsibility as one of eight Central College Presidents to have presided over the nearly 170 year history of the institution. In this wide ranging conversation, we cover Mark’s background and leadership lessons he learned along his paht, as well as wisdom related to the history and future of higher education.

Mark Putnam is serving in his 16th year as president of Central College, his 43rd year in higher education. During his presidency Central has pursued a series of strategic initiatives designed to build on the impressive traditions of the college, while embracing a future marked by innovation. Since his arrival in 2010, Central has raised more than $104 million in donations to animate these initiatives and completed major expansions and renovations of the college’s arts, athletics, student center facilities and Peace Mall in the heart of campus. In 2019, President Putnam guided the college through a highly successful, nationally-recognized rebranding initiative that combined a historic adjustment in annual tuition fees with new programming and record-breaking scholarship fundraising.

President Putnam is active in advancing educational opportunity and promoting economic, community and workforce development. Today his energies are focused on a strategy known as Imagine More: It’s Central to Pella. This new initiative is deepening the already close relationship between the college and the city of Pella through housing and real estate development projects achieved through public/private partnerships; development of fresh economic and business development opportunities for the college and local community to expand amenities and increase the quality of life for local citizens; and expanding partnerships with the local not-for-profit community to extend the reach of the college’s curricular model for engaged citizenship. As one of the founders of the Pella Area Community and Economic Alliance (PACE), his emphasis has been on the symbiotic relationship the college has enjoyed with Pella since the college’s founding in 1853, serving as one of Pella’s longstanding anchor institutions.

President Putnam’s service to higher education through the years has included leadership on many boards and commissions. Currently, he chairs the board of directors of the Iowa Association of Independent Colleges and Universities and represents the state’s independent colleges on the Iowa College Student Aid Commission, among others. His earlier professional appointments included service as senior vice president for executive affairs, chief of staff and chief planning officer at Northeastern University where he filled a succession of leadership roles. He also held key administrative positions at Connecticut College, Alliance Theological Seminary, Pace University and Alliance University (formerly Nyack College) where he began his career as an admission counselor. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy from Alliance University and Master of Arts, Master of Education and Doctor of Education degrees at Teachers College, Columbia University, focusing on organizational theory in higher education.