Staff members

Tywana has been at the organization since 2008. She answers phones and greets visitors, assists other staff members and provides general office support. She previously worked as an administrative assistant and child care provider. Tywana is a native of Des Moines and lives on the city’s east side. She enjoys...

Angélica works closely on issues of child welfare, primarily, issues regarding older foster youth. Angélica is the lead state evaluator of the 1st Five Healthy Development Initiative. Angélica received her B.A. in sociology from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a Master's of Social Work, emphasizing children and families...

Anne worked at the Child and Family Policy Center for 10 years before the merger with the Iowa Policy Project, serving as research associate, communication director, and most recently as executive director. She has a particular interest in using data, research and stories to make meaningful change for Iowa families...

Sean’s work is focused on labor standards and practices in Iowa, with an emphasis on the construction industry, in partnership with the Center for Worker Justice of Eastern Iowa, the University of Iowa Labor Center, and the Economic Policy Institute’s EARN in the Midwest program. He is also interested in...

Amber Gustafson serves as Director of Development for Common Good Iowa, working with donors across the spectrum to facilitate sustainable giving to build the long-term success of our organization. With 10 years of experience in community organizing, public relations, advocacy and fundraising, Amber brings both skills and creativity to organizational...

Sheila concentrates her work on early childhood, primarily child care, preschool and home visitation. She also coordinates the advocacy and lobbying work at the state capitol. She has received numerous awards for her advocacy work around early childhood issues from the Iowa Head Start Association, the Association for the Education...

Tricia joined the staff of the Child and Family Policy Center (now Common Good Iowa) in June of 2015. She brings with her several years of experience in office administration and board staffing at non-profits such as the Iowa Community Action Association, the Volunteer Lawyers Project of Legal Services Corporation...

Mike coordinates fiscal policy work with other issue priorities at Common Good Iowa, engaging staff and partners to advance policy ideas that equitably and sustainably address the concerns of all Iowans. He is part of the communications team developing messages and strategies to better reach policy makers, advocates and the...

Nathan works out of the Iowa City office providing operational and development support for the organization. He also contributes to the energy and environmental policy work of the organization. Nathan received a B.S. degree in General Agriculture - Environmental Studies from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. He has two amazing...

Natalie Veldhouse works to advance policy that secures food and income assistance for Iowans through a combination of community engagement, policy analysis and advocacy strategies. She coordinates CGI’s Kids Count initiative, using data and community-identified priorities to advocate for policy that improves child well-being in Iowa. Natalie received her Master’s...