As president and CEO of Lutheran Services in Iowa, Renee will lead the organization and oversee one of Iowa’s largest human services agencies, with more than 500 employees and an operating budget of $32 million.
“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.”
Renee has received numerous accolades recognized by the Des Moines Business Record as the Forty Under 40 Alumna of the Year (2023), a Woman of Influence, and named 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.
Renee earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Master’s in Business Administration from Drake University in Des Moines.
As a resident of West Des Moines, Renee is currently serving her second term as a City Councilwoman for the City of West Des Moines. She recently served as Vice President of Human Resources and Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Officer for Broadlawns Medical Center in Des Moines. Renee has a passion for helping to make the community a better place than she found it. She has served over 20 nonprofits as either a volunteer, board member, and CEO.
Renee can be reached at:
Renee.Hardman@LSIowa.org
Lutheran Services in Iowa
3125 Cottage Grove Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50311
As Chief Development Officer, Terri Speirs brings vast nonprofit experience with local, statewide, nationwide, and international agencies, including IMPACT Community Action Partnership, Mind & Spirit Counseling Center, Children & Families of Iowa, Des Moines Area Religious Council, and 17 years with Lutheran World Relief based in New York City and Baltimore. These experiences were formative to Speirs’ understanding of critical issues such as food security, mental health, foster care, domestic violence services, refugee assistance, maternal healthcare, global education, coffee farming, and more.
“I am honored to serve the community through this key role with an organization I’ve long admired. Joining the LSI team is an opportunity I accept with both humility and confidence,” said Speirs. “I am passionate about addressing complex social needs with practical solutions. I can’t wait to collaborate with stakeholders to tell the stories, increase the support, and boost the brand of LSI.”
In 2011, Speirs earned her M.F.A. in creative writing from Antioch University in Los Angeles. She earned her B.A. from the University of South Dakota, majoring in political science and criminal justice. Additional training includes leadership studies at St. Catherine University in St. Paul and Dale Carnegie in Minneapolis. She has taught composition at Des Moines Area Community College and written for Living Lutheran Magazine and the Des Moines Business Record. A lifelong learner, Speirs is committed to her own work of learning about difficult topics in history and processing current events.
Speirs has two adult children and lives in Des Moines with her husband Bob, Associate Pastor at Luther Memorial.
Terri can be reached at:
Terri.Speirs@LSIowa.org
Lutheran Services in Iowa
3125 Cottage Grove Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50311
Roni Knief is LSI’s Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer.
Roni has been with LSI since 2019, when she started as a budget and financial analyst and was later promoted to service line support and budget manager. In addition to many other tasks, Roni has overseen LSI’s annual budget development process, as well as financial analysis and contract reporting.
Prior to LSI, Roni has served in executive roles, including at American Enterprise Group and Etrema Products, where she has overseen finance, sales, and customer service. She has also owned a small business. In her free time, Roni enjoys golf, Crossfit, boating, spending time with her family, and watching sports — especially the Iowa Hawkeyes.
“I am grateful to be a partner with LSI’s service lines, providing financial insight and analysis so they can focus on providing life-changing care to the Iowans we are privileged to serve,” Roni says.
Roni can be reached at:
Roni.Knief@LSIowa.org
Lutheran Services in Iowa
3125 Cottage Grove Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50311
As vice president of capacity and strategy development, Dan Dean directs LSI’s personnel, quality improvement and compliance programs across the state. He is also responsible for strategic planning, development, measurement and the oversight of operations at all sites.
Dan joined LSI in 1997, first as resident manager for LSI’s Beloit Residential Treatment Center in Ames. He later served as statewide director in areas of quality and capacity development.
In 2017, Dan steered LSI through its most recent national accreditation process with the Council on Accreditation (COA), an intensive assessment that occurs every three years. LSI achieved a near perfect score, acing a rigorous review of more than 1,400 national best practice standards.
“We take a very strategic approach to quality at LSI, and it sets us apart,” Dan says. “It gives our funders confidence that their resources are well spent and that we deliver real and lasting results. Quality is an important part of fulfilling our promises – both to the people we support and the other agencies with whom we partner.”
An active member of Lutheran Services in America’s (LSA) Council of Human Resource Management, Dan currently serves on the Council’s board of directors. Since 2006, Dan has served as a COA national peer reviewer, traveling the country to review other human services agencies.
Dan earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in recreation education from the University of Iowa and his Master’s degree in Public Administration from Drake University in Des Moines.
A resident of West Des Moines, Dan and his wife Vicki have two children, Jordan and Ashley. They are active members of Lutheran Church of Hope. Dan stays busy with his family at church, school and the YMCA youth swim program.
Dan can be reached at:
Dan.Dean@LSIowa.org
Lutheran Services in Iowa
3125 Cottage Grove Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50311