ANKENY, Iowa--FFA members across Iowa will be celebrating success when they gather for the 87th Iowa FFA
Leadership Conference on April 19-21 at Iowa State University's Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. The Iowa FFA 
State Leadership Conference is the 5th largest of its kind in the National FFA Organization.
"Go All Out", the theme for this year's convention, is geared toward supreme dedication to leadership, growth, 
and success. It also seeks to challenge FFA members to think about how they can "Go All Out" in everything 
that they do.
The annual conference will provide agricultural education students the opportunity to participate in Career 
Development Event competitions, be recognized for accomplishments in events during the past year, become 
inspired by motivational speakers, interact with college and business professionals, and develop leadership 
skills. Chapter delegates and Iowa FFA Officers will also conduct the annual business session to make 
decisions for the student-run Iowa FFA Association. Students will also be engaged in a service project with 
Meals from the Heartland with a goal of packaging their one-millionth meal since beginning this partnership in 
2012.
Several exciting guests will be present at the 2015 Iowa FFA Leadership Conference. These include keynote 
speakers Dr. William Keim of Oregon State University, motivational speaker and Founder of The Character 
Institute; and Kyle Scheele, a professional youth speaker. National FFA Southern Region Vice President 
Stephen McBride will also address the conference.
The Iowa FFA State Leadership Conference is possible with support from the following partners of the Iowa 
FFA Foundation: Iowa State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Farm Credit Services of 
America, Des Moines Area Community College, and Iowa Farm Bureau Federation

^{Original works by local high school students now due April 10th}  

^{Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dave Loebsack announced today that high school students in the Iowa's Second Congressional District may now submit their original artwork to be considered for the 2015 Congressional Art Competition. The annual competition is hosted by the United States House of Representatives to recognize talented young artists from across the nation. The winning student from each district is invited to Washington, D.C. to attend a reception held in their honor and will have his or her artwork displayed in the U.S. Capitol for one year. Due to local schools schedules, the deadline for entries to be received has been extended to April 10th.}  

^{"The vast amount of talent that Iowa's students display year after year continues to amaze me. The creativity of our talented young artists demonstrates that the arts are thriving in Iowa," said Loebsack. "For a young artist, having your artwork displayed in the U.S. Capitol is quite a remarkable accomplishment. I look forward to seeing this year's entries and meeting the winning student."}

^{Once again, to make the contest as easy as possible and open to as many students as possible, this year's winner will be chosen by the public through an online vote. Details on how to submit art work are available by clicking here to visit Loebsack's website. All entries must be received no later than Friday, April, 10th at 11:59pm. The artist of the winning piece will receive two round trip tickets to Washington, D.C. to attend the reception and unveiling of their artwork in the Capitol (all other expenses must be covered by the winner). For additional details about the competition, students or teachers should contact Jared Mullendore at 563-323-5988 or by email at Jared.Mullendore@mail.house.gov.}

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Davenport, Iowa (March 30, 2015) - Opening Saturday at the Figge Art Museum in the fourth floor gallery is the University of Iowa Art Faculty Biennial exhibition.

Curated by University of Iowa Museum of Art (UIMA) Museum Director Dr. Sean O'Harrow, the UIMA will kick off the spring season with this annual exhibition featuring the recent work of world renowned UI Studio Arts professors including: Eliza Au, Isabel Barbuzza, Peter Chanthanakone, Monica Correia, John Dilg, Laurel Farrin, Sue Hettmansperger, Anita Jung, Sarah Kanouse, Michele Lauriat, Amanda Lechner, Steve McGuire, Daniel Miller, Virginia Myers, Jeff Rich, Ronald M. Rozencohn, James Snitzer, Margaret Stratton, Serina Sulentic, Serhat Tanyolacar, Breanne Trammell, Josh Van Stippen, Susan Chrysler White, Rachel Williams, Jon Winet and Kee-Ho Yuen.

As a direct reflection of the range of medium taught in the Studio Arts program, the pieces and installations on display will include works of paint, sculpture, inter-media, mixed-media, metal arts, photography, 3-dementional design and graphic design. This year, works by the fellows of the Grant Wood Colony will also be included.

A free public reception celebrating the opening of this exhibition as well as the Eye on UI: Brodsky, Dorfman, Kipniss, Lanyon exhibition will take place at 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 11 with light appetizers and a cash bar. Free and open to the public.

University of Iowa students, faculty and staff receive free admission to the Figge with their UI ID cards; UIMA members get in free with their UIMA Membership cards.

The exhibition will be on display April 4 - May 31, 2015.

Companion Programming:

Dancers in Company Performance

6 p.m. Thursday, April 9

Free Admission
Dancers in Company consists of twelve dancers, undergraduates and graduate students from the University of Iowa. The group will return to the Figge for a performance in the lobby as part of a night that celebrates the artistic traditions at the University of Iowa. Presently, the company is directed by Charlotte Adams. Sponsored by the River Cities' Reader.

Artist Talks

7 p.m. Thursday, April 9
Free Admission
University of Iowa faculty from the School of Art will speak about their pieces included in the exhibition University of Iowa Art Faculty Biennial (April 4-May 31).

About the Figge Art Museum

The Figge Art Museum is located on the riverfront in downtown Davenport at 225 West Second Street. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday and Sundays noon to 5 p.m. Thursdays the museum is open until 9 p.m. Admission to the museum and tour is $7. Admission is free to Figge members and institutional members, and free to all on Thursday evenings from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. To contact the museum, please call 563.326.7804, or visit www.figgeartmuseum.org.

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CHICAGO - Governor Bruce Rauner announced today he has made appointments to two cabinet-level positions. The appointments include the Illinois Lottery, the Illinois Department of Aging and the Illinois Human Rights Commission.  

Name: B.R. Lane   

Position: Illinois Lottery Superintendent  

Governor Bruce Rauner announced he has selected B.R. Lane to become the next Superintendent of the Illinois Lottery. Lane's experience in the gaming industry and with regulatory matters in the public and private sectors make her uniquely qualified for the position.   

For nearly five years, Lane was the Manager of Regulatory Compliance at International Game Technology, a leader in computerized gaming equipment. Lane managed compliance in development and distribution of casino content and oversaw corporate gaming licenses. Lane also negotiated favorable regulatory treatment of a new gaming system in select markets, which generated $4 million in savings for the company, its affiliates and subsidiaries.   

Most recently, Lane was the Interim Director of the Gary/Chicago International Airport. She oversaw the entire organization to ensure compliance in the highly regulated aviation industry. In this role she was responsible for the competition of capital projects, business and legislative affairs, stakeholder relationship management and regulatory integrity.   

Prior to her work with the airport, Lane was the Chief of Staff for the City of Gary, Indiana. She oversaw all city departments from legal and finance to public safety. She negotiated a lengthy legal dispute with a casino interest, which resulted in $13 million to the city. She also developed and managed organizational key performance indicators to drive operational efficiency.    

Lane is a graduate of Morgan State University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in English. She earned a law degree from Harvard Law School and an M.B.A from the University of Memphis.     

   

Name: John Holton  

Position: Director - Department on Aging     

Governor Bruce Rauner has selected Director John Holton to continue leading the Department of Aging. He has served as the agency's director for the past three years.     

Holton's work for Illinois dates back to 2007, when he began working for the Illinois Department of Human Services. For three years, he was the Associate Director in the Division of Mental Health. Prior to that, he studied public health in Chicago's neighborhoods when he served as a site director for Harvard University School of Public Health's project on human development.     

Holton holds a Ph.D. in Human Development from Pennsylvania State University, a master's degree in Urban Education from the University of Hartford and a bachelor's degree from Howard University.     

   

Name: Rose Mary Bombela-Tobias  

Position: Chairman - Illinois Human Rights Commission    

Governor Bruce Rauner has appointed Rose Mary Bombela-Tobias to become the Chairman of the Human Rights Commission. Bombela-Tobias is the former Director of the Illinois Department of Human Rights. She was the first Hispanic to hold the position and the first Hispanic to hold a cabinet-level position.    

For more than 35 years, Bombela-Tobias has worked to improve diversity and treatment of minorities. She is currently a principal of the Global Diversity Solutions Group, which specializes in diversity consulting and multi-cultural workforce dynamics. Prior to this, she was the Director of Central States for SER - Jobs for Progress, the nation's largest Latino direct services organization.     

Before Bombela-Tobias' work in the private sector, she served the people of Illinois for 20 years in a variety of roles. Her most notable contribution was instituting the Minority and Female Business Enterprise Program. In addition to becoming the first Hispanic to lead the Illinois Department of Human Rights, she also worked for the Illinois Department of Central Management Services and the Illinois Department of Personnel. Bombela-Tobias was also the Special Assistant to the Governor for Hispanic Affairs under Governor Jim Thompson.

 

Bombela-Tobias has a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas-El Paso. She lives in Chicago.

 

 

 

Name: Hamilton Chang

Position: Commissioner - Illinois Human Rights Commission

 

Governor Bruce Rauner has appointed Hamilton Chang to the Human Rights Commission. He is the Vice Chair of U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk's Asian-American Advisory Committee and has been recognized in the Chinese community for his contributions.

 

Chang has more than 25 years of experience in finance and management. He led groups specializing in risk management. He is currently the Managing Partner of Ballparks of America-Branson, which is a youth baseball facility for 10-12 year olds. He also serves as a Trustee for New Trier Township.

 

Chang earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan and a master's degree from the University of Chicago.

Name: Duke Alden

Position: Commissioner - Illinois Human Rights Commission

 

Governor Bruce Rauner has appointed Duke Alden to the Illinois Human Rights Commission. His experience in business and involvement with a number of non-profit organizations make him well-suited for the position.

 

Alden is extremely active in the Chicago community and currently is the Chairman of the Howard Brown Health Center, which works to eliminate disparities in health care experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana. He has also worked with Vital Bridges, an organization that helps men and women impacted by AIDS/HIV, and for CARPLS, which provides legal services to people who could otherwise not afford them.

 

Alden is currently the global leader of Information Governance for Aon. He oversees risk assessment and policy development to drive business efficiency, mitigate risk, and reduce spending. Prior to joining Aon, Alden was a strategy consultant for Huron Consulting Group where he assisted some of the world's largest companies in the areas of discovery strategy, process design and cost-savings.

 

Alden earned his bachelor's degree from Missouri State University and his law degree from Tulane University. He lives in Chicago.

 

 

 

Name: Nabi Fakroddin

Position: Commissioner - Illinois Human Rights Commission

 

Governor Bruce Rauner has reappointed Nabi Fakroddin to the Illinois Human Rights Commission. Fakroddin has served on the commission since 2010.

 

Fakroddin is a licensed professional and structural Engineer. He is past president of the Illinois Engineering Council and the Illinois Association of County Engineers. He is a member of the St. Charles Zoning Board of Appeals and a former member of the Western Illinois Regional Manpower and Planning Commission.

 

Fakroddin is the recipient of numerous awards, including American Public Works Association's Top Ten Public Works Leaders in the U.S. and a Distinguished Service Award from the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying.

Fakroddin earned his bachelor's degree from Indiana Technical College. He lives in St. Charles.

 

 

 

Name: Robert Cantone

Position: Commissioner - Illinois Human Rights Commission

 

Governor Bruce Rauner has reappointed Robert Cantone to the Illinois Human Rights Commission. He has served on the commission since 2011.

 

Cantone is an attorney focusing on personal injury claims on behalf of people who have been injured due to motor vehicle accidents, slip and fall accidents, construction accidents, product defects and medical malpractice. Additionally, he has acted as an arbitrator for the Cook County Mandatory Arbitration program since 1990. He is also a member of the Chicago Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association and the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association. 

Cantone earned his bachelor's degree from DePaul University and his law degree from Lewis University College of Law He lives in Orland Park.

 

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