Board of Directors

Kathy Pearson, Secretary, The Progress Project

Kathy Pearson is the owner of Kaas Employment Services a professional search firm founded in 1992. She works on a national / international basis and recruits for executive, technical and engineering positions. She is a member of Inter-City Personnel Associates, a network of nation-wide independent recruiting firms.

She serves on the board of the Women’s Business Center of Iowa, an organization that helps women start businesses. She also serves on the Goodwill Business Advisory Council and a Kirkwood Community College Advisory Board. She is a past board member of Equipping Youth, a non-profit organization that focuses on character building, mentoring and prevention programs for at risk youth.

Kathy is the immediate past President of the Iowa Federation of Republican Women. Among many other things, she is involved at the local, state, and national level with Republican Women and the Republican Party.

Allison Dorr Kleis, Treasurer, The Progress Project

Allison Kleis stepped into the political arena in 1999, managing the office of Texas Governor George W. Bush’s Iowa Caucus Campaign.

After a caucus victory, and working with some wonderful mentors, in 2001, Allison was asked to serve as an aide to the Iowa House Majority Leader at the Statehouse. There, she continued to work for Republican leadership until late 2008.

She currently works as a political and fundraising consultant for Two Rivers Capital Development, recently working on the 2011 Inaugural of Governor Terry Branstad, the Terrace Hill Capital Campaign, and various impact fundraising projects.

Allison is a graduate of Iowa State University, and lives with her husband, Karlton Kleis, and their three children, outside of Grimes.