West Des Moines, Iowa, (February 23, 2017) — The ALS Association Iowa Chapter has announced the addition of four professionals to its Board of Directors. The new members are from organizations that include the Iowa Wild, UnityPoint Health at Home, the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, and Premier Real Estate Services.
“We are very excited to kick off 2017 with the addition of these great leaders,” says Josh Nuss, executive director of the Iowa Chapter. “Right now is the greatest time of hope for people living with ALS, and we are ready to continue making a difference this year.”
Learn more about the local leaders who will be joining the fight to defeat ALS.
Eric Grundfast, Senior Director, Sales, Iowa Wild Hockey Club
Eric Grundfast graduated from Eastern Connecticut State University with a degree in Sports and Leisure Management. He began his career in Albany, NY, with the Albany River Rats. From there, he moved to Providence, RI, where he worked for the Providence Bruins for four years prior to moving to Des Moines in 2013 to join the Iowa Wild Hockey Club. Eric enjoys being active in the community, participating in the annual day of caring with Iowa Chapter, and serving on the Development Committee. He currently resides in West Des Moines with his wife Sarah.
Melissa Heikes, Organizational Development Specialist, Human Resources, UnityPoint at Home
Melissa Heikes works in Training and Development, supporting UnityPoint at Home and UnityPoint Clinics, where she focuses mostly on employee and leadership development. She has an MBA with an emphasis in Human Resources and has been using her prior knowledge and skills to help the Iowa Chapter with any HR-related topics. Melissa is also assisting with growing the volunteerism efforts of the Iowa Chapter through the Service Enterprise initiative, and she contributes by actively participating on the Communications Committee. Melissa lives in Adel with her husband and two children.
Jamie Myers, Owner/Partner, Premier Real Estate Services
Jamie graduated from Iowa State University in 1994 and began working in the field for his family’s construction company. He earned experience in many positions managing all aspects of designing and constructing homes, apartment communities, retail centers, office buildings as well as the developments themselves. Today he is currently a founding partner in the Premier Companies who develops, builds and manages apartment communities and retail centers within central Iowa. In 2006 and 2007 he lost both his father and his uncle after fighting a long battle with ALS, which has fueled his passion to raise awareness and help create funding support to find a cure for this terrible disease.
Erin Springer, Nurse Clinical Specialist, Adult Neuromuscular Disorder Clinics, University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics
Erin has worked with the University of Iowa Health Care’s ALS clinic in Iowa City for five years as a nurse coordinator and has been a nurse since 2003. She enjoys connecting with patients and families in clinic and between appointments. Her goal is to provide the best care possible for patients and families and make sure the recommendations are helpful and apply to patients’ everyday lives. Erin works with an amazing team who truly care about patient and family quality of life. Erin and her husband have three very busy boys, so when she isn’t at work she’s driving them to practices or grocery shopping for food.
About The ALS Association
The ALS Association is the only national non-profit organization fighting Lou Gehrig’s Disease on every front. By leading the way in global research, providing assistance for people with ALS through a nationwide network of chapters, coordinating multidisciplinary care through certified clinical care centers and fostering government partnerships, The Association builds hope and enhances quality of life while aggressively searching for new treatments and a cure. For more information about The ALS Association Iowa Chapter, visit our website at www.alsaiowa.org.
