Jenna Kimberley spent three months on the eastern border of Hungary after graduating from the University of Iowa.
There she worked as a teacher at the United Nations refugee camp in Debrecen, Hungary.
“I grew up in a beautiful home built by my father in the heart of Iowa,” said Kimberly, an influential emerging woman in 2022 at the Des Moines Federal Mortgage Bank. “I saw all these people carrying everything they own in their backpacks …. From this experience, I turned to the importance of stable housing.
This experience stimulated Kimberly’s passion for promoting affordable housing in central Iowa.
Since 2018, Kimberly has been on the board of directors of Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity and the Group. In 2021, she co-chaired the group’s Builders Circle, reaching a record 150 members, each donating $ 2,500 to fund a nonprofit program.
In her work at Kimberley Development Corporation, where she is vice president, Kimberly said she sees every day how affordable home ownership is for more and more Central Iowans. ..
“There are all code changes, architectural requirements and supply chain restrictions, all of which are driving home prices,” said Kimberley, president of the Greater Des Moines Home Builders Association in 2022. .. “For many, affordability is becoming more and more out of reach.
“I don’t think we want stable housing to be an elite privilege.”
When Kimberly left Iowa after graduating from college, she didn’t expect to return to live in the state. About nine years ago, her father, Bilkinbury, called her and asked if she was interested in leaving Washington, DC and returning to Iowa to learn how to run a homebuilding business.
The two had a lot of conversations in the coming months.
“I am very supportive of seeing where your boss is and asking yourself.” Who do I want to be five years from now? ‘” Said Kimberly. “What I saw [in my previous job] I was often divorced and had a close relationship with my colleagues, but I didn’t have many friends outside. [work]..
“I didn’t like what I saw, and I loved new challenges and learning, and the idea of helping my dad move the work forward in his life. So I set back.”
education He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and organizational management from the University of Iowa.Business Administration and Spanish Minors
home town Ankeny
family Husband Cole McClellan
Year 36
hobby Discover new countries, reading, skiing, dogs.
Words to live
“A person who is given a lot needs a lot.”
Three areas of influence
- She spends time helping to cheer up other women through the organizations she is involved with.
- She advocates affordable housing in the metropolitan area of Des Moines.
- She volunteers to build Habitat for Humanity homes, build My Future from the Des Moines Homebuilders Association, which introduces buildings to high school students.