We Celebrate Two New, and Two Outgoing, Board Members!

Commonalities among all our new and outgoing board members include a commitment to collaboration, learning, and community.

At our February board meeting, we’ll welcome new board members Sarah Kastelic and Luke Lynch and honor outgoing members Dr. Duane Carter and Elisabeth Buck.

She’s grounded in her Native values, believing we are all interdependent and need each other. She understands the importance and impact of bringing together the right partners and allies and developing coalitions to generate effective outcomes.

In her role on our board and on other boards she serves, Kastelic brings perspectives from Native communities and from the human services sector and emphasizes the importance of culture, spirituality, and healing in the work that’s being done.

“I care about the work the Foundation is doing, and I see a bigger vision for how we continue to help the larger ecosystem of nonprofits and foundations learn from what’s happening in this particular place,” she says. “I want to understand more about what the Foundation is doing and whether there are opportunities to adapt or replicate its work in other places.”

In addition, she says, “At the Foundation, there’s brave and bold leadership and service to the community, and there’s a willingness to learn over time from the communities being served. I’m looking forward to being a part of the conversations.”

President and CEO Kevin Walker notes, “Sarah is an outstanding changemaker for Native communities. She’s also one of the wisest and kindest nonprofit leaders I know. I have thought for many years that she could bring a wealth of insight to our board someday, and I’m delighted that now is the time.”

Before joining United Way, Lynch was the director of development at the Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence. He also held various roles in the Washington, DC, and Dubuque, IA, offices of retired Senator Tom Harkin.

“Luke has a real depth and skill navigating through issues and working in collaboration with others,” says outgoing board member Elisabeth Buck. She was president of United Way of Central Iowa when Luke was hired to lead OpportUNITY, a collaborative effort to reduce poverty in central Iowa. She adds, “He’s rooted in listening to the community, willing to learn, and brings youthful, new ideas to the conversation.”

Lynch says, “I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve on the NWAF board. The Foundation’s mission aligns with my values and I’m excited to learn more about the thoughtful approach to changemaking and witness the incredible impact of the NWAF team and grantees.” And he’s particularly interested in systems-level change and its impact in communities.

“Luke is known for being a connector—for asking questions and looking at different perspectives,” says Walker. “His Iowa roots run deep, and he leads from a place of love for his family and his community. I’m looking forward to his input and contributions to help the Foundation best live out its mission.”

We honor our outgoing board members Dr. Duane Carter and Elisabeth Buck.

Carter and Buck have been longstanding, distinguished members of our board. Carter joined in 2016, Buck in 2017.

“Duane served with diligence, calm, and an inclusive spirit, always willing to step up when the situation merited it. His energy and leadership played a vital role in our board’s journey,” says Walker. “I’ve loved being able to count on him as a wise counselor, a partner, and a friend.”

Reflecting on his board experience, Carter says, “Serving on the board has been deeply meaningful, values-driven, and closely aligned with who I am, as well as with my education and professional experience. To think that I’ve been involved for a decade—having an opportunity to be a part of this legacy and the intentional, impactful work the Foundation is doing—I’m really grateful and proud.

“I especially liked hearing from the grantees, how they’re making a difference in their community, one person at a time, and knowing that the Foundation played a small part in that.”

He also values his involvement in the Foundation’s stewardship of its investment portfolio, particularly its intentional approach to ensuring that assets are managed by a diverse slate of organizations and people to better reflect the communities the Foundation serves. And with his background in banking, organizational development and culture, he was all-in throughout the Foundation’s yearslong justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) journey.

When the Foundation stepped up last year and again this year to double its grant funding, Carter was proud to serve for an organization that was not just going along with business as usual when its grantees were in dire need.

“From the folks who work at the Foundation to the board, trustees, grantees, and all the people I’ve met along the way, I’ve received far more than I’ve been able to give. I’ll miss that, but I will carry it with me forever.”

During her tenure on the board, Buck says it was uplifting to continually reaffirm the value of the Foundation’s work. “I was program [committee] chair when we decided to double the Foundation’s funding, and I’m very proud of that. Grantees needed it so badly.”

She served in numerous roles on our board and says, “What I’ll miss the most is the people, the relationships, and the experiences seeing firsthand at a grassroots level the work going on in the Foundation’s region. It’s been an amazing experience and I’m sad to see it end.”

“Elisabeth’s commitment to community service, her passion to collaborate on work for communities that face the most barriers, and her understanding of how to navigate complex systems was invaluable to our board,” says Walker. “She has always showed up with a genuine, sincere attitude. Elisabeth doesn’t mess around! And she gets stuff done. We’re a better organization for her nine years of heartfelt service.”

Joyce Lee and Joe Eltobgi remain as chair and vice chair for our board.

For further inquiries about our board.

For members of the media and others interested in learning more about our board, please contact Communications Director Paul Bachleitner: pbachleitner@nwaf.org or (651) 225-7704.