As Briar Cliff University’s 11th President, Dr. Keck (née Karstens) was appointed in 2018, and is a compassionate and proven leader with a background in higher education, law, and fundraising.

An Iowa native and one of nine children, Dr. Keck graduated from Wartburg College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology, after which she earned her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Iowa College of Law and then her Doctor of Philosophy degree in Education from Drake University. A lifelong learner, Dr. Keck is proud to be a first-generation college student, as well as the first in her family to earn an advanced degree. Her PhD research explored the experiences of college and university presidents as fundraisers while leading private, nonprofit institutions of higher education.

Dr. Keck began her career as an assistant prosecutor and associate attorney before establishing her own law firm. During this time, she also served on the Wartburg College Board of Regents and participated in their presidential search. It was during this process she determined she wanted to work in higher education in a leadership role.

This new passion for higher education eventually led Dr. Keck to philanthropy roles at the University of Iowa Foundation as their Director of Planned Giving, and then at Indian Hills Community College as their Executive Director of Philanthropy and Alumni Relations.

In addition to her success as a lawyer, business owner and university executive, Dr. Keck is also a lifelong believer in, and practitioner of, volunteerism. She currently serves in a board of director capacity for the following organizations: Leadership Siouxland, UnityPoint Health – St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center, Girls Inc. of Sioux City, and Iowa Sister States.

Dr. Keck exemplifies Briar Cliff’s Catholic Franciscan values, demonstrating service and openness to all, both personally and professionally. She has received accolades for her collaborative leadership style, an approach she has practiced since her days in the courtroom, fostering strong relationships through collaboration. Dr. Keck and her husband Jim reside in Sioux City. Additionally, Dr. Keck’s two adult children, Clara and Grant, reside in the Des Moines metro area.

Dallas Dean Clark (born June 12, 1979) is a former American football tight end who played 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Iowa, earned unanimous All-American honors, and was recognized as the top college tight end in the nation. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft and he was a member of their Super Bowl XLI championship team against the Chicago Bears. He also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Baltimore Ravens.

Clark attended the University of Iowa, where he played for the Iowa Hawkeyes football team from 1999 to 2002. He did not see action during the 1999 season, but he finally saw the field in 2000. He played on special teams and made six tackles during the season as a linebacker. Prior to the 2001 season, the Iowa coaching staff decided to move Clark to the tight end position.

Clark was the 2002 recipient of the John Mackey Award which is presented to the most outstanding tight end in college football, a first-team All-Big Ten selection, and a unanimous first-team All-American.[3] He won the Kenny Yana Award at the end of the 2002 season as well, as he helped lead Iowa to the Big Ten title and an 11-2 record. Although he had one more year of eligibility remaining, Clark decided to enter the 2003 NFL Draft. He left Iowa with 1,281 career receiving yards in just two years at the tight end position.

Clark was chosen in the first round of the 2003 NFL draft by the Indianapolis Colts with the 24th pick. When drafted, the Colts called Clark a “perfect fit” for their system, eventually replacing Marcus Pollard and Ken Dilger at the position.[6] He started 10 games as a rookie and had 340 receiving yards before suffering a broken leg against the New England Patriots. He started 15 games in 2004 and had 423 yards receiving with five touchdown receptions.

Martin Strel (born 1 October 1954), is a Slovenian long-distance swimmer, one of the most elite endurance athletes best known for swimming the entire length of various rivers. Strel holds successive Guinness World Records for swimming the Danube river, the Mississippi River, the Yangtze River, and the Amazon River. His motto is “swimming for peace, friendship and clean waters.”

Kevin Blake Weldon is a Nashville Country Music Recording artist, professional Mindset coach and 30 year veteran in the network marketing industry. As a recording artist, Kevin has 8 albums to his credit, 7 music videos, 2 top 40 hits and a #1 in Europe. To date His music videos have been viewed over 30 million times and his latest album, “Jeans”, was released this summer.

As a professional mindset coach, Kevin is certified with the Proctor Gallagher Institute and is a graduate of the prestigious PGI Matrixx program. Actively studying advanced mindset under Bob Proctor in Bob’s Inner Circle, Kevin has completed the Lead The Field program and is certified in the Thinking Into Results program as well. Kevin is also the co-founder of Sea Clearly Now, a professional mindset consulting business with his fiancee, Natalie Bouchard, former #3 in the world in women’s fitness bodybuilding.

In his Network Marketing career Kevin has risen to the top 3 income earners with 3 different companies and the #1 earner with his last company. With a true servant leader’s heart, Kevin has built personal downlines of over 550,000 while hosting in excess of 1000 training calls, zoom webinars and promotional videos. He was heavily involved in field development and served on several advisory boards and business development committees.

Kevin is a proud father of 2 amazing daughters who served 4 years in the USMC and when not on the road, spends his time between his hometown in east Texas, Nashville and Airdrie, Alberta.

Growing up, I was surrounded by powerful women who were thought-leaders, entrepreneurs and trail-blazers. One specifically was my mom, Heidi Ganahl – founder of Camp Bow Wow, the world’s largest pet-care franchise.

But when it came time to go off on my own, I was determined to pave my own path. During my time at the University of Oregon, I did everything I could to grow, learn and lead. I dove deep into my education, taking extra classes and joining clubs to further my knowledge. I led the largest sorority on campus as President, which then led me to become Panhellenic President and a leader of the FSL community. But something was missing.

As everyone around me was deciding where they would move or what job they would take, I was discouraged. Even after 45 informational interviews, I was feeling like I would never find the perfect match. A week later, I got a call from a recruiter and solidified a position in Portland, OR in IT staffing. After a year with the company, even though I was on the path to success, I was still feeling like there was something more for me – I was craving passion and purpose.

Enter SHEFACTOR™ – a brand my mom and I built together that inspires young women to live life with greater authenticity, empowerment, and joy. And it’s changed everything for me – I’ve learned so much about myself and pushed myself harder than I knew possible. I’ve identified what makes me tick, what I value, and how to be the best version of myself. But how could my journey have been different if I had a roadmap to help me realize my full potential sooner?

There’s more pressure than ever for young women to succeed in their career, but no focus on a holistic approach to balancing everything in their lives, to feeling fulfilled. By giving women the tools, mentorship, community, and empowerment to succeed, SHEFACTOR™ is helping women become confident, successful leaders of their lives and create the life they love – their “Journey to She”.

Timothy O’Donnell is one of the world’s most successful and experienced American long-course triathletes. As a professional, he has earned 50+ podium finishes including over 22 wins at major events throughout the world.

Along with the ITU Long Distance World Champion (2009) title, his other wins include nine Ironman 70.3 victories, two IRONMAN wins, and six Armed Forces National Championships. Most recently, Timothy came in 2nd place at the World Championship that took place in Kona, HI in 2019.

At the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, Timothy has finished 3rd (2015), 5th (2013), 6th (2016), 8th (2012) and earned the top American spot in 2013 & 2015. In 2013, he tied the existing American IRONMAN record with an 8:01:32 victory at IRONMAN Brazil. In 2015 at IRONMAN Brazil, he completed his fastest IRONMAN to date at 7:55:56. He was the IRONMAN 70.3 US Pro Champion in 2012 and the IRONMAN US Pro Champion in 2011. .

Jon McGraw co-founded Vision Pursue (VP) after its principles radically shifted his mindset, performance, and overall life experience.

He’s since guided and assisted in the successful application of these principles inside hundreds of corporate teams and sports franchises. He’s a sought after keynote speaker, workshop facilitator, and Performance Mindset trainer.

Before VP, Jon played 10 years in the NFL. plus completed business management and entrepreneurship programs at Harvard Business School and Wharton Business School.

Kyle Lowder is a 2 time Emmy nominated actor and producer. He received his first Emmy nomination for his portrayal of Brady Black on NBC’s DAYS OF OUR LIVES, on which he had a 6 year run. Following DAYS OF OUR LIVES he jumped networks to CBS where he spent another 6 years portraying Rick Forrester on THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL.

Over the next few years he would tour Italy as a recording artist promoting his self titled debut album, and play the role of Stacee Jaxx in the original Las Vegas company of Broadway’s Rock of Ages. He is the executive producer and star of both seasons of Amazon’s LADIES OF THE LAKE, which garnered him his second Emmy nomination for Best Digital Drama.

His most recent roles have come in the popular Christmas movie, A MERMAID FOR CHRISTMAS, and the upcoming, THE RAVINE, where he stars alongside Eric Dane, Teri Polo, Leslie Uggams and Peter Facinelli.