Meet Our
Board of Directors
The ISS Board of Directors oversees our international programs and maintains the ethical and fiduciary responsibility of our organization to financial supporters, state government and Iowa's citizenry.
The Board is led by the Executive Committee, which is comprised of the President, President-Elect, Treasurer and Secretary. This committee meets prior to all Board meetings (and other times as necessary) and acts with the authority of the Board between meetings.
Dr. Will Zhang
President
Will has been volunteering for ISS since 1998. He has also served as Chair of the Iowa-Hebei partnership since 2000. Will has helped coordinate many exchange projects in Hebei, and in its neighboring cities Tianjin and Beijing. Will teaches English and global study courses at Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC).
Paolo Bartesaghi
Treasurer
Paolo joined ISS in 1998. His term on our Board of Directors began in 2004 and since then he has been President of ISS and currently serves as Chair of the Iowa-Veneto partnership. Paolo was born in Lecco, Italy, and worked extensively in the fashion industry for many years. He moved to Des Moines in 1997 and was the owner of the retail stores A Touch of Italy and Accenti. He is now a travel consultant for his company Traveling Treasures. Paolo has served on numerous boards and committees including Drake Fine Arts and the Des Moines Metro Opera. He is currently the President of the Italian-American Cultural Center of Iowa.
Teresa Parmenter
President- Elect
Teresa joined the ISS Board in 2014 but has been a citizen diplomat for over three decades. Teresa has played an integral part in the Yamanashi/Iowa Baseall Exchange and has been active in Iowa as the Athletic Director of Holy Trinity School and Governor of the Iowa Amateur Athletic Union for 16 years.
Tom Rial
Secretary
Tom has been involved with ISS in a number of roles, including President of the Board of Directors and Chair of the Stavropol Committee. Tom works for Vermeer as import-export Compliance and Logistics Manager.
Luca Berrone
Luca has been involved with ISS since the very beginning! He assisted in its formation in 1983 and has serve in various capacities since then, and has been on the Board of Directors since 2006. Luca was born and raised in Torino, Italy and built his ties to Iowa as a foreign exchange student at Hoover High School and then as an international student at Iowa State University. Luca is the President of SACMI, USA Ltd., a subsidiary of an Italian manufacturing company.
Rob Denson
Rob joined our Board of Directors in 2018. He is the president of the Des Monies Area Community College and has been there since 2003. In addition, Rob is active on nearly twenty community boards. Rob received his B.S. in Political Science and Economics and his M.S. in Higher Education Administration from Iowa State University. He graduated from Law School at the University of Florida in 1979 and is a board certified civil trial lawyer.
Grant Kimberley
Grant joined the ISS Board in 2014. He is the Director of Market Development for the Iowa Soybean Association, and has participated in overseas trade missions all around the world. Grant is a sixth-generation family farmer, and in February 2012, he and his family hosted then-Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping for a highly-publicized farm visit. Grant also met with Xi in Beijing the following month as a part of the Iowa Lt. Governor's trade delegation.
Phyllis Van Gilst
Phyllis joined the Board in 2004, and she has traveled with ISS on an exchange to Yamanashi, Japan where she climbed Mt. Fuji. Her international travel experience is extensive, and she has hosted many international guests over the past two decades. Phyllis is the Director of International Trade Compliance for Emerson Process Management.
Roger Nowadzky
Roger has been involved with ISS for over 21 years. Currently, he also sits on the ISS Board of Directors and has since 2014. Roger is an adjunct member of the Grand View University faculty. In the past, he has served as Legal Counsel for the Iowa Legislature, Deputy Executive Director and Counsel for the Iowa League of Cities, and City Attorney of Marshalltown.