The Lutheran Services in Iowa (LSI) Board of Directors has tapped Renee Hardman, City Councilwoman of West Des Moines, as its next leader. Hardman begins her work as President and Chief Executive Officer with LSI, one of the state’s largest human services agencies, serving all 99 Iowa counties, on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024.
Regarded as a passionate and dedicated business and community leader, Renee Hardman, brings years of experience serving youth, women, and marginalized communities in the Greater Des Moines metropolitan area.
“We are delighted to welcome Ms. Hardman as our new President and CEO,” said Katie Fergus, Chair of the LSI Board of Directors. “We believe her experience as an accomplished business professional, nonprofit executive, and dedicated community leader will guide LSI in a positive and progressive direction, and we are excited to see how her vision and creativity help to shape the future of this 160-year-old organization.”
“I am honored and humbled to lead an organization that does such good work throughout the state for families, children, immigrants, refugees, persons with disabilities, DEI, and so many more,” said Ms. Hardman. “Serving my community and all 99 Iowa counties is my lifelong passion, and I am so excited to lift up our collective work while transforming and positively enhancing LSI’s brand.”
Hardman is currently serving her second term as a City Councilwoman for the City of West Des Moines. She recently served as Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Officer and Vice President of Human Resources for Broadlawns Medical Center in Des Moines. She also served for four years as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Iowa and spent 19 years as Senior Vice President of Human Resources for Bankers Trust.
Hardman received a bachelor’s degree and an MBA from Drake University. She has been recognized by the Des Moines Business Record as the Forty Under 40 Alumna of the Year, a Woman of Influence, and as one of the Top 25 Des Moines Business Leaders. She has also received a Lifetime Volunteer Award from President Biden and was recently awarded the Louise Rosenfield Noun Visionary Award. She is an Iowa Women Hall of Fame Inductee and a past Remarkable Woman Honoree by WHO 13.
Hardman is actively engaged in local, state, and national organizations having served on the BBBS National Diversity Committee and co-chair of the Governor’s DEI Task Force. She chairs the Des Moines University Multicultural Student Affairs Committee and serves as a Trustee for Des Moines University, a board member for the West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce, an inaugural Trustee for the West Des Moines Chamber Foundation, a member of the Polk County Housing Trust Fund, and a board member for the Iowa Association for the Education of Young People.
