1. I grew up in Boone, Iowa and my parents owned a restaurant, so worked many hours as a waitress in high school and college.
2. I have been married to Marty for almost 29 years.I have lived in 3 states: Iowa, Ohio, Florida.
3. I love to travel. My favorite destination is Hawaii. Love beach vacations - the ocean and a good book.
4. My favorite U.S. city is New York City - love the energy and culture. Would have liked to have lived there for a few years when I was younger. I have to go every couple years to get my fix. My 2nd favorite city is Chicago.
5. I grew up in dance and was a cheerleader all through school. Still love to dance. Take tap lessons and am in a ballroom dance club with my husband. If I hadn't gone to college, I would have opened my own dance studio.
6. Received MBA from University of Cincinnati; BA from UNI; and AA from DMACC.
7. Was the first Iowan to take the exam and be certified as a Professional Certified Marketer by the American Marketing Association in 1998. Also certified by the Market Research Association with the Professional Research Certification.
8. I started my own business in 2007 - On Point Strategies. I have expertise in both marketing and market research - a unique combination in the industry. Before my business, I worked on both the client and agency side of marketing and research.
9. The Technology Association of Iowa (TAI) was one of my first clients in 2007 when I started my business - to develop and direct the HyperStream program -- one of the most rewarding programs I've worked on in my career.
10. The name of my business was taken from dance - on pointe - while also having relevance to my work - helping my clients with targeted marketing/being on point with their marketing programs.
11. I don't miss an episode of Mad Men and Downton Abbey. And still love Saturday Night Live.
12. My favorite movie is Gone with the Wind.
13. My mom and I watch Dancing with the Stars together - however, I often disagree with the results, which is very frustrating.
14. In high school, I competed with dance two years in the Bill Riley Talent Search at the Iowa State Fair.
15. I love to moderate focus groups and facilitate planning retreats for clients.
16. My personal passion is the arts and culture - and I have served on several boards in the metro area over the years.
17. My travel bucket list: African Safari, Italy (again), London, Paris, Australia, Japan, Seattle, Northeast in the Fall, Alaskan cruise, Mediterranean cruise.
18. I'm currently President of the Rotary Club of Des Moines AM - which focuses on a range of community and international service projects, while meeting weekly with a great speaker line-up and professional networking.
19. I'm exploring going on a Rotary mission trip with my husband to South Africa.
20. I love to read and am in a book club.
21. One of my favorite things to do is to go to dinner and have great conversation with friends.
22. My favorite color is red - it's so vibrant, represents energy.
23. I would love to skydive - but know I would chicken out. Used to love roller coasters, but just wouldn't go upside down on a ride.
24. In college, I was elected by my peers to the board as National Secretary for Phi Beta Lambda (the college division of Future Business Leaders of America) - an amazing leadership experience.
25. A dream is to write a book - but still deciding what I might write about.

Tamara: HyperStream is a program developed by the Technology Association of Iowa Educational Foundation.  It's a career awareness program turned on its head.  This statewide program gives 6th-12th graders the opportunity to get involved with engaging and fun technology projects, while being mentored by technology professionals.  We should complete the 2013-14 school year in 100+ Iowa communities - either through after school clubs or within the classroom.

HyperStream's key message is that technology is involved in everything we do, so follow your passions and interests while being involved in technology.  Our program is open to students at any skill level, so they can explore the breadth of technology opportunities.  We're working hard on recruiting more females to our program, which has been a challenge, mirroring the workplace.

2. What have they created; what are they creating (any highlights/standouts)?
Tamara: We work in partnership with ISU and its IT-Adventures programming/competition.  We have four programming tracks for our students:  LEGO robotics, game design/programming, cyber defense and multimedia.  Our students work all year on a variety of projects in these four areas, while preparing for spring competitions.  They may explore just one of these areas or several.

Many of our clubs have also created what we call, free-form tech projects.  For example:  Waukee HS, mentored by John Deere Intelligent Solutions Group, created a mobile text messaging system on top of the twitter platform which is used for school announcements and activities.  Dallas Center-Grimes High School, mentored by Principal Financial Group, created a Website (Hyper Hub) that streams and archives school events and athletics, and serves as the home page for all the computers in the DC-G school district.  Johnston High School, mentored by Zirous, developed the home page apps for its 1:1 new laptop initiative.

3. What's your role in Hyperstream and what are the future plans for the program?
Tamara: I have worked with TAI in taking what was a vision for the association to a scalable program six years later.  We are proud that it is one of the top nine Iowa STEM programs selected by the Iowa Governor's STEM Advisory Council.  I direct all aspects of the program's development, working in close communications with the teacher champions, technology mentors, and the TAI staff and ISU partner.

Our goal is to be in 100+ communities by the end of this school year, which we are on pace to achieve.  Our goal over the next year is to add a 5th venue in app development.  We're excited about adding the virtual competition for middle schools this year in game design and multimedia.  And our Virtual MentorPlace will be launching this year full-force with two key aspects:  1) provide virtual mentoring opportunities for those rural communities where tech professionals aren't located, and 2) archiving a variety of Webcasts with tech professionals for the Clubs to access.

4. Who are the mentors and what are you looking for in a mentor?
Tamara: The success of HyperStream is largely due to the many technology professionals who volunteer their time to mentor the clubs.  Our mentoring teams come from all sizes of Iowa tech companies.  We are seeking mentors who can bring their passion for technology and coach the students on their tech projects.  Our mentoring teams include programmers, Web developers, business analysts, project managers, marketers, etc. - bringing a range of expertise to the four different programming tracks.  Our mentors don't have to be experts in  the specific tools and software that we provide, but rather have a passion for their industry and are comfortable in leading students through self-exploration and inquiry-based learning.  We provide the learning modules and curriculum for the clubs to utilize - so mentors don't have to be developing their own lessons.

5. Did you know Will.I.Am can code?
Tamara: I did know Will.I.Am could code.  I learned this a couple years ago through an article I read about him.  He's also featured in a powerful video from code.org that came out within the last 6 months to get young people excited about technology careers, especially programming.  In the video he says the rock stars of tomorrow will be the innovative technologists who can code and create cool technology.