Experience accumulates with age. Wisdom comes from what we do with it. Every year, dsm celebrates a new class of Sages Over 70, people whose experience, energy and generosity have helped shape Des Moines and Central Iowa. Their stories are as varied as their careers, but they share a belief in makin g the most of the time, talents and opportunities they’ve been given. We’re proud to share their profiles in these pages and at our annual Sages Over 70 event on Nov. 12 at the Krause Gateway Center. (For tickets, click here.) Proceeds from the event support the Sages Over 70 Fund at the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines, which provides grants to address pressing community needs. Read on for lessons, and a few surprises, from this year’s remarkable Sages. Jann Freed Steps Toward Wisdom Writer: Jann Freed “Traveler, there is not path. The path is made by walking.” — Antonio Machado Many people are called to walk the Camino de Santiago, the famous trail that stretches more than 450 miles from the French Pyrenees to the city of Santiago in northwest Spain. Every year, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims hike its paths through villages, farm fields and vineyards. Two of those pilgrims are my friends, Joyce Rupp and Pat Whitty. Joyce, an author, spiritual guide, conference speaker and international retreat leader from West Des Moines, walked the Camino at 60 and chronicled the trip in her book “Walk in a Relaxed Manner.” Pat lives in San Antonio and writes the newsletter “Breaking Age” on Substack. He was 83 when he finally made his own pilgrimage, walking 200 miles of the challenging Camino Primitivo over 16 days. I consider both of them sages, so I asked what they learned along the way. Keep moving. For both Joyce and Pat, the journey was hard. They walked for hours each day, often over difficult terrain and under a hot sun. Joyce carried her belongings on her back and learned quickly that hurrying only made the journey harder. She began stopping regularly to rest and, more important, letting go of the urge to keep up with younger or more physically adept pilgrims. The lesson applies well beyond the Camino: Just keep moving in the right direction. Slow down. Joyce had spent much of her life working and pushing toward the next goal. It took about two weeks on the Camino for her to slow down on the inside, to stop thinking about what she needed to do at home and simply be where she was. Pat had a similar experience. As a certified mindfulness instructor, he knew all about living in the present moment. But for the first 10 days, he found himself thinking about his calendar and to-do list. Make room for people. Joyce expected to relish the solitude. Instead, one of her biggest surprises was how much she enjoyed the other pilgrims. Conversations during breaks and evening meals introduced her to people from Japan, Brazil, Australia and elsewhere. She gradually learned to see each person not simply as someone who has a story but as someone who is a story — “a wonderment of humanity,” as she put it. Wisdom doesn’t require withdrawing from the world. Sometimes it comes from paying closer attention to the people walking alongside us. Know yourself. Pat viewed his Camino as a block of time to get to know himself more deeply. He carried several key questions with him: Who am I? Why am I here? What are my non-negotiables? And what are my actual values, not the ones I think I should have? Those questions may be particularly useful as we age, when the expectations and roles that once shaped our lives begin to change. Pat put it this way: “There is a difference between selfishness and self-knowledge. When you know yourself better, you show up differently for everyone around you, with more honesty, less reactivity and greater presence. The work you do inside yourself doesn’t stay inside. It ripples outward.” Don’t assume it’s too late. Pat had wanted to walk the Camino for years. Then he remembered a question posed by Chip Conley, who founded the Modern Elder Academy: “Ten years from now, what will I regret if I don’t learn it or do it now?” At 83, Pat decided the answer was obvious: He would regret not going. The journey proved more physically and mentally challenging than he had expected, but it also revealed reserves of resilience he didn’t know he had. He discovered he could keep going simply by putting one foot in front of the other. His larger lesson was just as simple: It’s not too late to do big things. Need less. Live more. For 32 days, nearly everything Joyce needed fit in her backpack. Other than food and water, she had very little. She had only two choices of what to wear each morning and, for once, no to-do list. She discovered how little she actually needed to be happy. When she returned home, she looked differently at her books, clothes and other possessions. The Camino had given her a new appreciation for simplicity and a new willingness to let go of excess. Make time to reflect. That’s perhaps the deepest lesson Joyce and Pat brought home. Aging well isn’t simply about staying busy, staying fit or trying to stay young. It’s about staying awake to your own life. Joyce told me that if older people live only on the surface, without reflecting on their attitudes and what brings them joy, they can become miserable. Slowing down and doing less, she says, creates room to “age from the inside out.” That idea seems especially fitting for the dsm Sages Over 70. They aren’t defined by particular careers or lists of accomplishments. They’re people who have continued to learn, to contribute, to connect and to ask meaningful questions. They have accumulated experience, certainly, but they haven’t stopped being curious about what comes next. The poet Mary Oliver asked, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” Pat carried that question with him as he walked toward Santiago. The Camino gave him 16 days to have a conversation about it with someone he had long neglected: himself. The people in the pages that follow have been having that conversation for decades. And, thankfully for all of us, they have a few things to teach us along the way. Contributor Jann Freed, Ph.D., is a leadership coach, speaker, 2024 Business Record Woman of Influence and a certified Sage-ing Leader through Sage-ing International. She writes about non-financial aspects of retirement for Forbes.com, and her books are available in stores and online at jannfreed.com. Mary Andringa Mary Andringa Education and manufacturing run deep in Mary Andringa’s life. She grew up in Pella, where her dad incorporated Vermeer Corporation in 1948. Andringa began her career as an elementary teacher and eventually joined her family’s manufacturing business in 1982, rising to CEO in 2003. During her tenure, Andringa transformed Vermeer into a global company with more than 4,500 employees, creating a variety of industrial and agricultural machinery. Her father started with one product, which has grown into a line of about 300 products. “My dad was always focused on unarticulated needs, so what’s the need out there that should [have] a mechanical way to solve it?” Andringa said. “From there, it was the culture of looking for better ways to do things.” Her work in lean manufacturing revolutionized Vermeer’s production processes. She supports the concept of kaizen, based on the Japanese philosophy of continuous improvement, which improved Vermeer’s efficiency and reduced production time. Making a brush chipper, for example, used to take 52 days; it now takes two. “That was a huge cultural change for Vermeer,” Andringa said. She noted, however, that “you never want to reduce anything that adds value.” That work influenced manufacturing practices across the nation. Andringa’s leadership philosophy is built on principles, people, product and profit — Vermeer’s four P’s. “Around people, it’s making sure that we are respectful, that we are helping people develop and be their very best,” she said. “[We develop] innovative, safe, quality products. We really stand behind our product. … For profit, it’s putting profit back into the business, so we share the first part of profit with our team members.” These days, she applies a kaizen approach to her retirement. She is focusing on helping others, and herself, to see retirement not as an endpoint but an opportunity for continued growth, contribution and purpose. — Zoe Seiler, Business Record staff writer HIGHLIGHTED ACHIEVEMENTS Served as CEO, president, chair and now chair emerita of Vermeer Corporation. Was the first woman to chair the Iowa Association of Business and Industry and the National Association of Manufacturers. Served on President Obama’s Export Council and the advisory board for EXIM Bank, the country’s official export credit agency. Pioneered lean manufacturing at Vermeer, dramatically reducing production time. Established Vermeer University, offering professional development opportunities to employees. HER ADVICE “When something seems like a problem, think about how you can turn it into an opportunity. Sometimes that means being curious and asking questions to find out what the opportunity is.” Stick to your values and, as a leader, articulate an energizing and compelling vision. “Talk about your values, the key initiatives you’re working on and tell that story in different ways so people are engaged with it.” “Together, everyone accomplishes more. Understand that everybody brings different skill sets, and sometimes it’s finding the right combination of skill sets that need to work together, and sometimes push each other back to have the right team and the right perspective.” COMMUNITY VOICE “Mary is an exemplary leader who takes pride in mentoring others and seeing them pursue their ambitions and achieve the potential that is within them. Through a variety of events at Vermeer, she exposes youth to careers in manufacturing. She is also committed to encouraging more women to find their successful career paths in manufacturing, including engineering.” — Cara Heiden, member of Vermeer Corporation Board of Directors Elizabeth Barnhill Elizabeth Barnhill Elizabeth Barnhill took on the job of director of the Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault when she was 30 years old. The annual budget was $60,000 and there were two people on staff, including herself. By the time she left 33 years later, the budget was over $3 million and had grown to encompass 26 rape crisis centers across Iowa plus a national coalition. “I got to do many different things and got to meet many interesting people,” Barnhill recalled. She could say the same about her childhood, when she grew up on various Air Force bases. “My parents were Southern Baptists,” she said. They were very committed to figuring out ways to help other people, and so I think that encouraged me to want to do that.” Many of the people Barnhill has helped over the years are survivors of sexual assault. She is a survivor herself. “Survivors are incredibly strong people, and I know so many people who’ve done all sorts of amazing things in their lives,” she said. “They’re not people who stay struggling in their lives. … I just think there’s always hopefulness there.” She said her work with the coalition changed her perceptions about people who commit sexual harm. There is actually a lot of hope for people to make changes,” she said. “There are people who need to stay away from the rest of us, but many people can and do make changes, particularly the earlier we intervene.” The example Barnhill learned from her parents — to figure out how to help people — applies at home, too. She built her family through adoption, including a daughter from inner-city Chicago, a daughter with albinism and serious health problems from India, and a boy from New York whose dying mother Barnhill brought to Iowa so she could care for them both. More recently, she’s been helping a Sudanese refugee family, a mother and eight kids, settle into a new life here in Iowa. “I’ve learned so much,” she said of the experience. “One of the really important things about getting older is understanding how much you don’t know.” — Lisa Rossi, Business Record staff writer HIGHLIGHTED ACHIEVEMENTS Championed legislation to protect sexual-assault survivors, ensuring their rights to confidentiality, to compensation, to a counselor and to make a victim-impact statement. Co-founded the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence and the Iowa Board for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers. Helped restructure Iowa’s services for sexual-assault survivors, expanding culturally specific programs for immigrant and LGBTQ communities. By 2013, Iowa had become a national model for delivering survivor-centered service. HER ADVICE Young people should “interrogate their own interests and beliefs and make sure they’re doing what they want to do for their own reasons, and not just because someone else is encouraging them.” “Continue doing what you can, what’s important to you.” COMMUNITY VOICES “Beth has been a relentless advocate for survivors, a trusted policy expert, a visionary leader and a powerful force for systems change. — Shundrea S. Trotty, executive consultant “Beth is one of the most thoughtful, principled and effective advocates for social justice I’ve had the privilege to know. She has always been ahead of the curve in recognizing trends and giving them context.” — Rekha Basu, journalist, and former columnist for the Des Moines Register Patricia Boddy Patricia Boddy Patricia Boddy is, among many other things, the epitome of consistency. For more than four decades and counting, she’s been shaping the way communities across Iowa think about conservation, sustainability and civic life through her environmental advocacy, public service and community leadership. But don’t get it twisted: Consistency doesn’t mean doing the same thing over and over. One look at her resume and you’ll see how she’s spread her time and talents across dozens of organizations, like a busy bee dusting pollen across flowers to help the whole field thrive. Boddy grew up in the St. Louis suburbs, where she often played outside. She has always been passionate about the environment. At first, her path seemed simple: Get a journalism degree from the University of Missouri and shine a reporter’s light on topics like water conservation and land stewardship. But shortly after graduating, she earned a second undergraduate degree in agricultural engineering from Iowa State — a move that “seemed crazy” at the time. She went on to earn a master’s in water resources and an engineering license, then worked in local news, engineering, conservation and at the Iowa DNR before landing at RDG Planning Design. One of her proudest accomplishments is the High Trestle Trail, though she’s quick to note it took a village to complete the project — “I was just a member of the team,” she said. David Dahlquist, the artist behind the bridge’s iconic design, said, “Pat’s role in the development and implementation of the High Trestle Trail cannot be overstated. I seriously doubt that it would have happened without her knowledge, passion and perseverance.” She “retired” in 2019. “My husband says I’m doing what I was always doing, I’m just not getting paid for it now,” she joked. She founded 900 Views LLC, a communications consulting firm, and serves on multiple boards. “I think we can get too caught up in the concept of a ‘career.’ The bottom line is: It’s the relationships I created along the way, the things I learned, and hopefully that I was able to nudge some level of impact. That’s what matters to me.” — Hailey Evans, associate editor HIGHLIGHTED ACHIEVEMENTS Received the Creative Conservationist Award by the Great Outdoors Foundation in 2024. Elected to the Urbandale City Council in 2024 and named Citizen of the Year by the Urbandale Chamber of Commerce in 2022. Served on numerous boards, including the Iowa Confluence (ICON) Water Trails and Metro Waste Authority. Co-founded Poetry Palooza. Received the A. Arthur Davis Leadership Award from the Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute in 2019. Named one of the Business Record’s Woman of Influence in 2015. Deputy director and interim director of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources from 2008-2011. HER ADVICE “Try the thing.” In other words, even when you fail at something, there’s opportunity for learning. Take your effort seriously, but don’t take yourself too seriously. Have fun along the way. Bloom where you’re planted. “If you care about something, you will find your path to make a difference where you can.” COMMUNITY VOICES “Pat Boddy has had an impact on the lives of virtually everyone in Iowa. Through her roles in journalism, conservation, engineering and advocacy, her work has figuratively and literally changed the landscape we all know as Iowa.” — Kevin Cooney, former news anchor for KCCI-TV “Pat Boddy’s vision for Iowa and her dedication to serving her community is an inspiration to myself and everyone who has worked with her.” — Cindy Axne, former U.S. representative John Bruntz John Bruntz John Bruntz is a country boy from South Dakota who grew up reading the Omaha World-Herald with his grandpa. His mother was a voracious reader, too, and he inherited the habit. He earned his law degree from the University of Iowa and went on to work for the Iowa Supreme Court. Along the way, he also worked as an in-house lawyer for a big business — probably before he was qualified, he said. “That might be a theme of my career: taking a chance on something that I wasn’t really prepared to do, but jumping in and winging it.” Eventually, he found his way to the Wittern Group, where he was CEO for nearly 30 years. During his leadership, the Des Moines-based vending-machine manufacturer expanded beyond traditional snack and beverage machines into automated systems that control access to products and dispense them where and when they’re needed. That shift helped the company find new markets. Bruntz also served for many years on the ChildServe board of directors during a time of transformational growth. He was motivated by personal connections. “My youngest sister has severe developmental challenges,” he said. “She didn’t have the … same opportunities in rural South Dakota … so when I saw the level of resources they committed to children with special healthcare needs, it really made me appreciate what ChildServe could do.” Over the years, Bruntz has let the work speak for itself. Teri Wahlig, CEO of ChildServe, said “he has quietly gone about making a positive impact and has earned a reputation for integrity, vision and strategic thinking in every organization he has touched.” Perhaps it’s the Midwest upbringing that makes him so humble. The South Dakota boy has now set foot on all seven continents and traveled to more than 120 countries. He’s climbed Mount Kilimanjaro to a summit of 19,341 feet. And yet, his feet remain firmly planted in Des Moines, where he continues serving Wittern Group as chairman of the board and several nonprofits, such as Joppa and the Greater Des Moines YMCA. — Lisa Rossi, Business Record staff writer HIGHLIGHTED ACHIEVEMENTS Led the Wittern Group for nearly 30 years as CEO. Serves as board chairman for three independent companies that are global leaders in their respective industries, with aggregate revenues of more than $1.5 billion and more than 8,000 employees. Named a Legend of Manufacturing by the Advanced Manufacturing Consortium in 2022. Served as chairman of the Iowa Association of Business and Industry. Received the highest peer rating for more than 25 years as a licensed attorney. Represented Iowa in the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition. HIS ADVICE “Bet on yourself. I probably went into two or three circumstances where I really wasn’t qualified to move into that position from a lateral standpoint, but figured, ‘If I get my foot in the door, we’ll kind of figure it out.’” “If you’re going to join something, bring a level of effort and energy that’s more than the minimum required. If it’s a volunteer role, you have to see where you can help, as opposed to saying, ‘Is this something that’s going to look good on my resume?’ … If you’re just filling a role but not really bringing value, you should recognize that and walk away.” COMMUNITY VOICES “John is a low-key, impactful person who has risen to senior leadership positions in many organizations. … When he speaks people listen, and his advice and counsel are highly valued.” — Jim Cownie, founder of JSC Properties and co-founder of Heritage Communications “John has a long track record of success and community involvement and, more importantly, he embodies the willingness to actively mentor and give back after serving in leadership roles for more than 40 years.” — Robert Brownell, former Polk County supervisor Frank Cownie Frank Cownie Des Moines native Frank Cownie’s life has been rooted in service. He inherited a profound belief that leadership is about giving back to the community, which motivated him to serve as Des Moines’ mayor for 20 years, a city record. His parents, a small business owner and a teacher, were committed to public service and shaped Cownie’s lifelong devotion to making Des Moines a better place to work and live. “My dad said, ‘Look, Frank, our business is in Des Moines. Our customers come from Iowa, most of them are in this area. That’s where our business is. We have to give back to our community,’” Cownie recalled. Before his time in public office, Cownie helped form Downtown DSM, Inc. The group worked to preserve downtown architecture and history to keep the city interesting while still attracting new businesses and residents. “A lot of people wanted to tear down a lot those old buildings, everything from the Equitable Building to the Des Moines Building and we said, ‘No, that’s the fabric, that’s the history here,’” he said. “We need to capture that fabric of who we are, then and now, and people appreciate that.” During his tenure as mayor, from 2004 to 2024, he championed many causes such as the redesign of Martin Luther King Parkway and several popular parks. He helped draft a new comprehensive plan that has attracted more downtown residents. He also served on a variety of international councils, co-chaired the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ homeless committee and led key environmental initiatives. He said he was most proud of getting the right people in the right places, including hiring a city arborist. The city has since planted thousands of trees that have beautified the city and helped lower its average temperature. As Cownie sees it, local input and collaboration are essential to improve city life. “Our job is to continuously make Des Moines a better place,” he said. “Still reflecting back to my dad’s early advice, we have to give back to our city, make it the place that we want it to be and honor all of our citizens, not just some of them.” — Zoe Seiler, Business Record staff writer HIGHLIGHTED ACHIEVEMENTS Served as mayor of Des Moines from 2004 to 2024. Helped form Downtown DSM, Inc., to address the needs of local businesses outside the central business district. Served as a trustee for the U.S. Conference of Mayors and became a leader on climate and environmental policy. Served as the global vice president of Mayors for Peace, which works to eliminate nuclear weapons. Helped guide the Principal Riverwalk development, downtown redevelopment, neighborhood revitalization, trail and park expansion, and flood-resilience planning. HIS ADVICE On leading locally and globally: “We have to take care of our citizens every single day. Our needs have to be heard by all levels of government. It’s all of us working together that can make a change and make a difference in a widespread way.” Develop a plan and keep it relevant. While updating the city’s 1963 comprehensive plan in the early 2000s, Cownie received pushback from the city manager who thought it involved too much citizen input. “I said, ‘Who do you work for if you don’t work for the citizens?’” COMMUNITY VOICES “I have never met someone so dedicated to making his community and the world a better place.” — Judy Sheahan, assistant executive director of the U.S. Conference of Mayors “Mayor Cownie has demonstrated deep and sustained involvement in strengthening the Greater Des Moines community. His contributions have helped make the region a more vibrant and inclusive place to live and work. — Swallow Yan, executive director of the Chinese Association of Iowa Joseph Giunta Joseph Giunta It’s been 60 years since Joseph Giunta first saw the Philadelphia Orchestra, but he can still remember every detail. “Everything is so vivid in my mind,” he said. “I can envision what it looked like, what it smelled like when [Eugene] Ormandy walked out on stage and gave the downbeat.” On the drive home to New Jersey, little Joe told his parents he wanted to be a conductor. And then he did, despite plenty of advice to the contrary and slim odds. He’s now in his 38th season as the Des Moines Symphony’s artistic director and conductor. “There’s no question the stars lined up for me, with help from certain people in the profession,” he said. “So when I grew up, there was no question I was going to do the same thing and pay it forward.” Giunta was in his 20s when he began conducting professionally. He lived out of a suitcase and carried lightbulbs in a leather case to swap for dimmer ones in hotel rooms, so he could better study his scores. He was leading the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony when he auditioned in Des Moines in 1988 and was hired the following year. He planned to stay a few years, but one contract led to another. A daughter arrived, and then a son. “In the ’90s, Des Moines hadn’t quite figured out what it wanted to be when it grew up,” he said. “But as the skyline grew, so did the orchestra.” Giunta elevated its standards through what he calls “the magic of consistency.” To him, “conducting is about empowerment, about creating an environment where people can do their best.” He’s performed with stars from Isaac Stern to Audra McDonald, mentored hundreds of up-and-coming guest soloists and reached thousands more through the Des Moines Symphony Academy. His favorite day of the year is when the academy’s youth orchestra rehearses with the Des Moines Symphony for a concert for grade-schoolers at the Des Moines Civic Center. “You see the stars in the eyes of those high schoolers and then see them react to 2,600 fourth- and fifth-graders,” he said. “I love that.” Each concert starts with a downbeat, like one many years ago in Philadelphia. — Michael Morain, editor HIGHLIGHTED ACHIEVEMENTS Has led the Des Moines Symphony Academy since 1989. Helped found the Des Moines Symphony Academy in 2003; it now serves nearly 500 students, including many who receive need-based scholarships. Has commissioned nearly 30 original works for the orchestra, including works inspired by the Iowa State Fair and Pappajohn Sculpture Park. Many of the composers have been women and people of color. Helped raise funds to shore up the orchestra’s finances and expand the endowment. Established a series of free pops concerts for the public; with more than 100,000 spectators, Yankee Doodle Pops is Iowa’s single largest annual event. HIS ADVICE “There’s always something more.” While he was still a student, Giunta figured he knew the gist of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony until an early mentor showed him how much more there was to learn. “That’s the beauty of it, the magic of it,” Giunta said. “That’s what makes great art.” “An optimistic working environment is really what spawns greatness, where everybody feels like they’re a part of something bigger.” COMMUNITY VOICES “Joe is the unquestioned ‘Musical Mayor’ of Des Moines.” — Robert Wootten, vice president of the Des Moines Symphony Board of Trustees “Joe Giunta expertly mentors all of the young emerging guest artists. … They get a kind of welcome and personal attention to musical detail and preparation that is unique and special. They’re always eager to return to Des Moines because they remember and value the learning experience.” — Richard Early, executive director of the Des Moines Symphony Photographer: Duane Tinkey ...read more read less