NXT515 Powered by Crew Iowa
NXT515 Powered by Crew Iowa

NXT515 – Built for high-potential, high-performing women —and managers, executives, and teammates who grow and lead with them.

A next-level leadership conference
November 10, 2026
Community Choice Convention Center | Des Moines, Iowa

The time for excuses is over. It’s time for what’s NXT.

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Caitlin Clark

Caitlin Clark

Basketball Superstar

Molly Fletcher

Molly Fletcher

Speaker | Sports Agent | Author

Evy Poumpouras

Evy Poumpouras

Former Secret Service Special Agent and Interrogator | TV Analyst

Greg Offner

Greg Offner

Speaker | Author | Entertainer

Seema Shah

Seema Shah

Chief Global Strategist

Trina Flack

Trina Flack

President/CEO
Catch DSM

Dan Culhane

Dan Culhane

President/CEO
Ames Chamber of Commerce

Beth Goetz

Beth Goetz

Henry B. and Patricia B. Tippie Director of Athletics Chair
University of Iowa

Joe Schmidtlein

Joe Schmidtlein

President
Rasmussen Group

Agenda

November 10, 2026

8:00am-9:00am: Registration
9:00am-9:15am: Welcome
9:15am-10:15am: Molly Fletcher
10:15am-10:30am: Break
10:30am-11:15am: Breakout Sessions
11:15am-11:30am: Break
11:30am-12:15pm: Breakout Sessions
12:15pm-12:45pm: Lunch
12:45pm-1:45pm: Evy Pompouras
1:45pm-2:30pm: Breakout Sessions
2:30pm-2:45pm: Break
2:45pm-3:45pm: Caitlin Clark
3:45pm-4:00pm: Break
4:00pm-6:00pm: Networking Reception featuring Greg Offner

What’s NXT?

NXT515 – Built for high-potential, high-performing women —and managers, executives, and teammates who grow and lead with them. The NXT 515 No Excuses Tour is a one-day event designed to ignite inspiration, expand your network and arm you with the tool to take the next step. Hear from powerhouse keynote speakers from a Secret Service interrogator to “the female Jerry Maguire” to a global sensation and local legend. Join action-driven breakouts offering education, resources and opportunities and leave with a stronger network, renewed confidence and without a single excuse.

NXT 515
Tuesday, November 10, 2026
Community Choice Convention Center
833 5th Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50309
9am

Accommodations

Hilton Des Moines Downtown

435 Park Street
Des Moines, IA 50309

More information coming soon!

Book Your Room

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Caitlin Clark

Caitlin Clark is one of the most exciting basketball players of her generation, a transcendent athlete who has broken records on and off the court, achieving global popularity thanks to her logo threes, visionary passing, and competitive spirit. Now in her second season in the WNBA, Clark posted a triple-double on opening night and earned her second WNBA All-Star selection, this time as a team captain after getting the most fan votes in league history.

Clark’s rookie year was one for the record books, beginning with being selected first overall by the Indiana Fever in 2024 WNBA Draft, the most watched in league history. During her remarkable rookie season, she earned a WNBA All-Star selection, shattered single-season and single-game assist records, broke the rookie scoring record, and made history as the first rookie to record a triple-double with her dynamic, aggressive style of play. Her impact on the court helped propel the Fever to their first playoff appearance since 2016. Capping off her extraordinary rookie year, she became the first rookie since Candace Parker (2008) to make the First Team All-WNBA, one of only five players to ever achieve this honor, and was named the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year.

After being recruited by some of the top collegiate programs in the country, Clark chose to stay close to home and play for the University of Iowa. In four years with the Hawkeyes, she led the team to three Big 10 championships and back-to-back NCAA Championship appearancess, re-writing history along the way. In the last home game of her senior season, Clark surpassed Pete Maravich for most points scored by a Division I basketball player, men's or women's. Clark is in rare air as a two-time winner of the Wooden Award and multiple-time winner of the Naismith Award, college basketball's most prestigious honors. The University of Iowa retired Clark’s No. 22 jersey to honor her iconic career.

Off the court, Clark is also making an impact with The Caitlin Clark Foundation which is focused on youth empowerment through education, nutrition, and sports—the very pillars of her success. The foundation is already benefiting organizations like the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Iowa and making meaningful impact in the community. Clark's relentless pursuit of excellence transcends anything she ventures into, as she remains committed to enduring change, both within the game and beyond its boundaries.

  • 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year
  • 2024 First Team All WNBA
  • 2x  WNBA All-Star (2024, 2025 – Captain)
  • 2024 WNBA 1st Overall Pick 
  • NCAA All-Time Leading Scorer (Men & Women) 
  • NCAA All-Time 3-PT FG Leader (Women)
  • 4x AP All American  
  • 2x Naismith Women's College Player of the Year  
  • 2x John R. Wooden Award

Don’t Miss Caitlin at NXT515. Register Today

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Molly Fletcher

Hailed as the “female Jerry Maguire” by CNN, Molly Fletcher made a name for herself as one of the first female sports agents. During her almost two-decade career as President of CSE, Molly negotiated over $500 million in contracts and represented over 300 of sports' biggest names, including Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz, PGA TOUR golfer Matt Kuchar, broadcaster Erin Andrews and basketball championship coaches Tom Izzo and Doc Rivers.

As a World's Top 50 Keynote Speaker, she delivers her inspiring message to audiences around the world. She is the author of five books, including The Energy Clock and Fearless at Work, and her latest TED Talk, “Secrets of a Champion Mindset,” has more than one million views.

Molly is the founder and host of the Game Changers with Molly Fletcher podcast, where she interviews experts and celebrities in every field including Arthur Blank, Dabo Swinney, John Mackey, Matthew McConaughey, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and Simon Sinek.

Her insights have been featured in prestigious media outlets, including CNN, ESPN, Forbes, Fast Company, InStyle, and Sports Illustrated.

Molly recently launched her first on-demand course, Up Your Game, to help people unlock their drive and up their game. Her company Game Changer Performance Group helps clients unlock peak performance through its three signature training experiences: Energy, Negotiation and GamechangHER.

To See Molly at NXT515, Register Today

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Evy Pompouras

For more than 12 years, Evy Poumpouras served as a Secret Service special agent in an action-packed career, where she was responsible for protecting some of the world’s most high-value assets. She was a member of the Presidential Protective Division for President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama and also safeguarded Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George H.W. Bush. Beyond her time in the Secret Service, Poumpouras has built a dynamic career as a widely recognized multimedia journalist, host, and producer. She conducts headline-grabbing interviews and investigates major stories in the media, appearing regularly on “TODAY,” MSNBC, and “Good Morning America” to share her sought-after expertise on national security, law enforcement, and crime.

Currently, Poumpouras serves as NBC’s law enforcement and national security analyst, where she applies her deep expertise to breaking news and high-stakes global issues. Having mastered the arts of communication and psychology throughout her wide-ranging career—from the front lines of presidential protection to the national media stage—she offers unconventional strategies for tackling challenges and living fearlessly.

Exclusively represented by Leading Authorities speakers bureau, Poumpouras has been described as “the epitome of a badass” as she brings a welcome edge to talks focused on looking inward to begin the journey to becoming your best self at work and beyond. Her positivity emanates from the stage and through to the audience as she reveals hard-won lessons on building a more confident and resilient mindset, communicating for maximum impact, and unleashing your inner fighter as you push past the obstacles on the path to success. Poumpouras shares thrilling anecdotes from her experiences in the Secret Service, offering a rare behind-the-curtain look at one of the oldest and elite security forces in the world, and showing audiences how they can apply Secret Service principles of communication, leadership, psychology, and inclusion in their own pursuits.

In addition to safeguarding our nation’s heads of state, during her tenure in the Secret Service, Poumpouras worked complex criminal investigations, operated undercover, and was an interrogator for the agency’s elite polygraph unit specially trained in the art of lie detection, human behavior, and cognitive influence. She was among the first responders during the 9/11 terror attacks on the World Trade Center and was honored with United States Secret Service Valor Award in recognition of her heroic efforts. In parallel to her work as a journalist and TV personality, Poumpouras is an adjunct professor for The City University of New York, where she teaches criminal justice and criminology.

Poumpouras’ online interviews and her TEDx talk on “Words: Your Most Powerful Weapon” have drawn millions of views, and she has spoken worldwide in front of many of the world’s top organizations, including NASDAQ, McKesson, United Technologies, Wells Fargo, and Corcoran Group. She is also the author of the bestselling book Becoming Bulletproof: Protect Yourself, Read People, Influence Situations, Live Fearlessly, in which she introduces unique and actionable strategies for influencing any situation and transforming yourself into a stronger, more confident, and more powerful person.

To see Evy at NXT515, Register Today

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Greg Offner

Gregory Offner is a multi-talented individual, with a passion for entertaining and educating others.

His keynotes, workshops, and corporate consulting engagements help the worlds leading organizations create high performing, highly fulfilled leaders. Prior to this work, Greg led global sales and marketing efforts for several Fortune 100 organizations; brokered complex Risk Management and Insurance programs for large commercial organizations; and drove process improvement initiatives as a certified Lean Six Sigma practitioner. But during that time, Greg lived a double life.

By day, he was a suit and tie wearing professional; but under the cover of night Greg was better known as “Junior” – a world renowned professional dueling pianist. As an entertainer, Greg has performed on stages of every size; for audiences of every size; on 5 continents. His ability to integrate that fun and energy into his programming (yes, he often uses a piano on stage) transforms his program from a keynote speech into a keynote experience. Greg’s work as a keynote speaker, coach, and workshop facilitator fills a void that most organizations leave in their training programming: soft skill development. Greg has always been passionate about soft skills, analyzing the onboarding, training, and development programs of 43 companies before the age of 30. He was fascinated by the performance differences between organizations which prioritized soft skill training and those who focused primarily on hard, job-specific skill development.

Most recently, Greg has spent over 2 months in total silence as a result of multiple surgeries needed to repair and rebuild his vocal cords…an experience that nearly left him mute; and which ignited the critical spark needed to transform his work from a “personal curiosity” to a “professional mission” – to help individuals and organizations identify the one change that can change everything.

Through a mix of speaking, audience participation, and a little dueling piano bar magic sprinkled in, Greg reveals the insights and tools you need to accelerate your growth, amplify creativity, and deliver a performance that leaves your audience (clients, stakeholders, or employees) cheering for an encore.

To See Greg at NXT 515, Register Today

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Seema Shah

Seema Shah is Chief Global Strategist at Principal Asset Management. Based in London, she oversees global market strategy, providing valuable insight and perspective on the global economy and markets to institutional and retail clients around the world. She is responsible for the creation of global economic macro and secular event research, in particular, global central bank policy and its impact on capital markets. Seema is a regular speaker at industry conferences and forums. She appears regularly on CNBC and Bloomberg TV and is frequently quoted by the financial news media. Seema joined the firm in 2010, previously working as a strategist within Principal Fixed Income. Prior to joining Principal, Seema served as an economist at Capital Economics where she focused on macroeconomic analysis of the UK and the European economies. She also worked with the macro consulting group at PricewaterhouseCoopers, and as an economist at HM Treasury & Inland Revenue Service. Seema received a master's degree and bachelor's degree with honors in economics from the London School of Economics.

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Trina Flack

Trina Flack is the President & CEO of Catch Des Moines, the Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau.

She has had a role in securing and hosting many events. That list includes NCAA Men’s Basketball 1st and 2nd Rounds, IRONMAN North American Championships, National Governor’s Association Annual Conference, National Speech & Debate Tournament, National Senior Games, Dew Tour, and the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival to name a few.

Trina is a graduate of Iowa State University with a Masters in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Journalism and Mass Communications. She believes strongly that investing in your community makes it a place that people will want to live AND visit. She serves on the Planning and Zoning Commission for the City of Ankeny and the American Planning Association board of directors. She also serves on the Capital Crossroads Regional Council, is past president of the Iowa Society of Association Executives, a member of DMAM Rotary, and is the treasurer of the Jaguar Track Committee.

Trina lives in the Des Moines area with her husband, Adam, and three children (Natalie, Tyler, Emma). She spends her free time running—and running kids around, eating ice cream, cheering for the Cyclones, and wandering the aisles of Target.

The Greater Des Moines Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Des Moines Area Sports Commission, collectively known as Catch Des Moines, is the official destination marketing organization promoting and representing Greater Des Moines to leisure travelers and meeting/sports planners. Our focus is to increase visitors to the metro and elevate the visitor experience to drive economic success and enhance the quality of life in the 15 local Greater Des Moines communities we represent.

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Dan Culhane

Dan Culhane, CEcD, CCE, is the President & CEO of the Ames Chamber of Commerce where he oversees a staff of 20 and programs for 9 organizations.

In his current role he has led several initiatives including the modernization of the Ames Municipal Airport, the annexation of over 1,300 acres for the creation of Prairie View Industrial Center, and the recruitment and expansion of over 75 companies to the Iowa State University Research Park and the Ames Metropolitan Statistical Area supporting the creation of thousands of jobs.

He is a 1993 Graduate of Iowa State University with a B.S. degree in Community & Regional Planning and a 1998 Graduate of the University of Oklahoma’s Economic Development Institute. He earned his CEcD (Certified Economic Developer) in 2000 and the Chamber industry’s highest designation, the Certified Chamber Executive (CCE), in 2011.

Dan has served on numerous boards and is a current member of the YSS Foundation board. He has also served on the board of the United Way of Story County and chaired the 2017 campaign, which was the largest campaign in its history and remains today. He co-chaired Reggie’s Sleep Out in Ames to promote the needs of homeless youth as well. He has served as chairman to several organizations over the years including the Iowa State University Athletics Letterwinner’s Club, the Iowa Chamber Alliance – a coalition of Iowa’s largest community’s Chambers of Commerce, the Professional Developers of Iowa, and the Mid America Economic Development Council – a multi-state peer group from Ohio to the Dakota’s.

A native of St. Charles, MN, Dan, and his wife Stacey live in Ames, Iowa and have two adult daughters, Katie, and Maggie, that live and work in Chicago and Kansas City, respectively.

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Beth Goetz

Beth Goetz was announced as Henry B. and Patricia B. Tippie Director of Athletics Chair at the University of Iowa on Jan. 18, 2024, after serving five months as UI’s interim director. Goetz joined the Iowa athletics staff as Deputy Director of Athletics and Chief Operating Officer (COO) on Sept. 7, 2022.

Goetz joined the Iowa athletics staff from Ball State University, where she served as Director of Athletics since May 2018. Prior to arriving at Ball State, Goetz was the chief operating officer/senior woman administrator at the University of Connecticut from 2016-18. She served as Minnesota’s Deputy Athletics Director from 2013-15 and the interim athletics director during the 2015-16 year. She was the associate athletics director at Butler University from 2008-13 following a 13-year stint at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, where she was the head women’s soccer coach and assistant athletics director/senior woman administrator Goetz was inducted into the UMSL Sports Hall of Fame in 2014.

In addition to her previous role as an administrator, Goetz has been selected for national leadership duties. Goetz was named to the NCAA Competition Oversight Committee in 2018 and served as vice chair of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee in 2021. She was named by Women Leaders in College Sports as the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS Nike Executive of the Year, and was recognized by the Indianapolis Business Journal (IBJ) as one of the publication’s 2021 Women of Influence.

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Joe Schmidtlein

Joe Schmidtlein is the President of the Rasmussen Group, a fourth-generation, family-owned company founded in 1912 with approximately 1,000 employees. In his role, Joe is responsible for leading the company’s strategic vision, operational performance, and long-term growth across its businesses serving the construction and materials industries. Under his leadership, the Rasmussen Group continues to build on more than a century of industry leadership while positioning the organization for future growth and innovation.

Joe brings extensive experience across the construction and heavy equipment industries, with a career rooted in sales leadership, operational management, and executive strategy. Prior to becoming President of Rasmussen Group two years ago, he held senior executive roles with leading construction equipment distributors and manufacturers. Throughout his career, he has developed a reputation for driving organizational growth, building high-performing teams, and strengthening customer and industry partnerships.

Over the past decade, Joe has made leadership development and personal growth a central priority. He has pursued advanced professional development through programs such as Sandler Sales Training, the Illuma Learning Institute, and Tony Robbins’ Unleash the Power Within and Business Mastery. These experiences have helped shape his leadership philosophy centered on accountability, continuous improvement, and empowering people to perform at their highest level.

Joe is actively engaged in both professional and civic leadership. He is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) and has served on numerous leadership boards and councils throughout his career. He has also dedicated time to community service through organizations including Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Topeka 20/30 Club, and St. Luke’s Church, reflecting a longstanding commitment to mentorship, service, and community engagement.

Born and raised in Topeka, Kansas, Joe maintains strong ties to his hometown while continuing to build his career and family life in the Midwest. He and his wife of 17 years reside in Ankeny, Iowa, where they are raising their three children.

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