Hannah VanDerHart
President & Chair
Hannah holds the position of Assistant Director - Engineering at Principal Financial Group. She earned a BA in Mathematics and Computer Science from Simpson College and a MBA from the University of Iowa. Hannah joined Tech Journey to give back to the community with hope of inspiring the next generation to get creative, learn something new and strive for their dreams. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family and volunteering to help students get excited about STEM.
Anabhra Soni
Vice President & Vice Chair
Anabhra is a Group Engineering Manager and part of the leadership team responsible for the digital transformation of John Deere Financial. With a MBA from the Indian School of Business, a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering from Iowa State University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from Mumbai, India, he oversees teams that deliver global dealer and customer facing products. Being part of Tech Journey enables him to contribute back to the community, especially investing in young talent who will grow the field of STEM. Anabhra enjoys traveling to national parks/forests and watching or playing cricket.
Joe Ollendick
Treasurer
Joe is the Chief Technology Officer for the International Association of Better Business Bureaus. At IABBB, Joe drives the innovation and operations model of the BBB Brand across Mexico, US and Canada. He holds a degree in Finance and has over 25 years experience leading multidisciplinary teams to reach their goals and objectives using technology as an enabler. Joe became involved in Tech Journey by volunteering as a Tech Camp instructor and has a passion for growing youth talent and promoting Des Moines as a recognizable technology innovation hub.
Lynn Swanson
Secretary
Lynn is the Chief Operating Officer of Xilution, a recent tech startup delivering digital solutions that help web development teams reduce the toil and expense of DevOps engineering. She graduated from the University of Iowa with a masters in business administration and undergraduate in mathematics. As a co-founder of Xilution, Lynn is interested in diverse avenues that continue to positively build the Des Moines community and contribute to the next generation workforce. Lynn is also a career Coach. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling the world and being part of the local music scene. You may find her playing in a band or spending time with the guitar, drums, keyboard or banjo.
Danielle Brommer
Director
Danielle is the Chief Growth Officer for Lean TECHniques. With more than a decade in the tech industry helping organizations attract, develop and retain top tech talent, she has a passion for diversity in the workplace. She has served on committees focused on educating and advancing women and other underrepresented workforce as well as local youth in the DSM tech community. She believes it is critical to broaden and diversify the tech talent pipeline to ensure a more inclusive and robust workforce for generations to come.
David Kessler
Director
David was one of the original founders of Tech Journey. He desires to unlock possibilities within the next generation of problem solvers and creatives, stating "There’s something magical that happens when you connect passionate tech professionals with young people. This combination changes the world." He is an Executive Consultant with Accenture. In his spare time, David enjoys time with family, church, audiobooks and education.
Philip Matthews
Director
Philip is a Senior Attorney in Deere & Company’s Intelligent Solutions Group with responsibility for technology agreements. Holding a JD from Gonzaga University School of Law and a BA from the University of Utah, his interest and involvement with Tech Journey allows him to help provide Des Moines area youth with technology learning opportunities while working with a passionate and diverse team of individuals. In his spare time, Philip enjoys spending time with his family and pets as well as 3D printing, biking, hiking, camping and traveling.
Matt McDonald
Director
Matt is the Director of Talent Acquisition at Athene. Through several years of being a recruiter in the information technology industry, he understands first-hand the shortage of tech talent in Iowa and more specifically, the shortage of diverse talent in tech. Matt has been an active volunteer for youth STEM opportunities through Hyperstream, iJAG, Tech Journey, Governor’s STEM Advisory working groups and others. He is a graduate of Central College and has attained certifications from Cornell University in Strategic HR Leadership and from HRCI as a Senior Professional in HR (SPHR). In his spare time, Matt enjoys golfing, attending live sporting events and time with family.
Tom Pesek
Director
Tom is a technical product manager for Compressor Controls Corporation. He holds the degrees of a BS in Electrical Engineering from Iowa State University, a MBA in International Marketing from the University of Louisville and a MBA from the University of Iowa. As a founding member of Area515 Des Moines Maker Space, Tom enjoys helping people, especially the young at heart, learn how to create and make.
Jennifer Robles
Observer
Jennifer is an alum of the Tech Camp program and currently a student at Iowa State University majoring in Computer Software Engineering. A graduate of Hoover High School in Des Moines, she also occupies the position of Part-Time Student Cloud Software Engineer at John Deere. One of Jennifer’s life goals is to inspire and be a mentor for students while helping them gain interest in the tech field. When Jennifer is not studying or working, she enjoys playing the piano, playing video games or reading a good mystery/thriller.
Martina Schubert
Director
Martina is the Chief Technology Officer at LenderClose, a recent FinTech startup with a solution that streamlines and shortens the lending process to enable a better borrower experience. With an Executive MBA from the University of Iowa, a bachelor‘s degree from Iowa State University, and an Associate of Applied Science degree in Computer Programming from DMACC, she desires to give back to the tech community by elevating others and is constantly considering how to get more people in tech. When Martina isn’t leading everything tech at LenderClose, you’ll likely find her on a local trail or road as she enjoys everything cycling!
Smita Volz
Director
Smita is an Analytics Manager at Wells Fargo. She has Bachelors degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, and Business Administration from Graceland University; and a Masters of Business Administration from Drake University. With her Indian and Nepalese heritage, Smita is actively engaged in the Asian American community, sharing her passion for culturally rich diversity in Iowa. She is an ardent supporter of several non-profit organizations and is sharing her talents, ranging from choreographing Bollywood dances, coaching FIRST LEGO League teams, organizing events, and volunteering at local schools.
Tim Sieber
Executive Director
Tim’s passion is developing and implementing programs that inspire youth to engage in computer science, coding, robotics, digital making and creativity. With almost 25 years of corporate, non-profit and higher education experience in information technology, computer programming and technology infrastructure, Sieber understands the issues and challenges with preparing our future technology workforce. Tim lives in Johnston and enjoys spending time with his family, serving the local church and traveling.