President: Randy Renze
Beginning in 2025, Randy became the president of the Greater Des Moines Committee on Foreign Relations. His interest in international affairs comes from over three decades with John Deere where he traveled to countries across five continents with responsibilities in product safety and regulatory compliance, product test and evaluation and product support and marketing and from his life-long ties to the agricultural industry (Iowa Farm Bureau, Iowa Corn Growers and Iowa Soybean Association). Randy has been retired from Deere for ten years and have moved his focus to supporting non-profit organizations which include the World Food Prize (WFP), the Iowa Food Bank, the Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods (CSRL) at Iowa State University and the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE).
Randy’s interests have given him the opportunity to represent the WFP and ASABE nationally (Washington, D.C.) and internationally (Canada, Mexico and India) since retirement. He believes that supporting these organizations with funds and effort provides a meaningful way of giving back after a long and interesting career.
Recently Randy was awarded the Rosentreter Standards Development Award by ASABE for my contributions to international standards development. Additionally, he and his wife own a corn and soybean farm in western Iowa that his nephews custom farm.
Vice President/Simpson Outreach: David Skidmore
David Skidmore is a Professor in the Department of Political Science at Drake University and Vice Dean of the Qingdao University-Drake University United College. He received his Ph.D. degree from Stanford University. During the 1996-97 academic year, he taught at the Johns Hopkins-Nanjing University Center for Chinese and American Studies in Nanjing, China. He also served as a Fulbright Scholar based at the University of Hong Kong in 2010-2011. Skidmore is author, co-author, or editor of eight books, including, most recently, China, the West, and the Global Development Finance Regime: Competitive Convergence (Edward Elgar, 2025), and Research Handbook on American Foreign and Security Policy (Edward Elgar, 2026). He blogs on a Substack titled “Politics at Home and Abroad.”
Treasurer/ACFR Representative: Tony Braida
Tony Braida serves as VP of global banking at Bankers Trust. With more than 27 years of experience in international sales, marketing, and logistics in the private sector, Tony helps small- to mid-sized companies broaden their overseas markets. Prior to joining Bankers Trust in 2014, Tony worked in international sales and marketing for Iowa Export-Import Trading Company and RYKO Solutions, Inc. He graduated from Central College in Pella, Iowa, with a B.A. in International Management and Spanish and earned his Master’s in International Management from Boston University/Sapienza Universita’ di Roma in Rome, Italy.
Apart from his position with Bankers Trust, Tony serves on several local boards with international reach, including the International Traders of Iowa, Iowa International Center, U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, as well as treasurer of the Greater Des Moines Partnership’s International Council.
Secretary: Nancy Lynch
Marketing Support: Steve Schaaf
Steve Schaaf is native of eastern Iowa with degrees from ISU and Drake University, Steve has been active with the GDMCFR since 2018. Steve’s roles have included serving as Secretary, President-elect and President of the Des Moines Committee. Presently, Steve’s role is to support the Board with meeting prep and marketing.
Member: Pat Grote
Pat Grote is the Executive Director of the Iowa International Center, which she joined in 2016. She earned a Master of Business Administration with a marketing emphasis from the Keller Graduate School of Management in Chicago and received a Bachelor of Journalism in Advertising from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. Pat has spent much of her career in the nonprofit sector, and prior to joining the IIC, she served as the Chief Development Officer for Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa. Prior to that, she worked as a consultant, specializing in non-government organizations. Her interest in international affairs started with her uncle, who spoke German and taught English in Okinawa, Japan and would bring exotic trinkets from his travels.
Member: Chuck Montgomery
Member: Jess Truby
Jess Truby is a supply chain analyst at Corteva Agriscience. Adding to an extensive career in agriculture, molecular biology, and pharmacology, Jess recently earned his MBA from Drake University in Leadership and Human Capital Development. This journey significantly enhanced his strategic thinking, business acumen, and a wealth of leadership skills. Besides his daytime role with Corteva Agriscience, Jess also serves on two non-profit Boards of Directors, where he enjoys guiding their mission and contributing to their strategic success. This experience has been invaluable in developing my understanding of organizational governance and strategic oversight.
Member: Alec Zama
Alex Zama was born and grew up in Moldova, one of the former republics in the former Soviet Union. He went to an university in Moldova where he completed his undergraduate degree in horticulture. He then worked as an assistant manager and then as a manager in Moldova before coming to the USA in 1994. After coming to the USA, Alec completed his masters (MBA) at the University of Arkansas and then his doctorate (DBA) at St. Ambrose University. Prior to starting his teaching career at Grand View, Alec worked as a manager of an international exchange program for the US Department of State and consulted on international business. He also worked as an interpreter and translator for English-Romanian and English-Russian projects. Alec understand six languages but is fluent in three only.
Member: Rachel Ong
Rachel Ong believes that cross-cultural understanding begins with shared experiences—often best fostered around a meal, music, or art —and a common belief in the goodness of people. Her experiences in international development and public health in the post-Soviet states drive her passion for citizen diplomacy.
Rachel graduated from Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service with a Master of Arts in Russian and East European Studies. She also has a BA in Russian from the University of Iowa. At the American International Health Alliance in Washington, D.C., she coordinated partnership programs in the post-Soviet space to improve public health and create sustainable institutional change.
Rachel currently serves as the Government Relations Manager for Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity, where she advances policy solutions to expand affordable homeownership opportunities across Iowa and beyond. Outside of work, she enjoys camping, volunteering, and playing fetch with her dog, Archie.
Intern/Admin Support: Bea Goodman
Bea Goodman is a rising junior at Drake University majoring in Political Science and Law, Politics and Society, with a minor in music. At Drake, Bea is a writer and managing editor for the Drake Political Review, a member of the Drake Wind Symphony and a member of the Drake Orchestra. Along with interning for the GDMCFR, this summer Bea was a Global and Strategic Engagements intern for the World Food Prize Foundation. During the 2026-2027 academic year, Bea will be a college ambassador for the Iowa United Nations Association, as well as the intern for the Greater Des Moines Committee on Foreign Relations.
