Rooted & Rising: A Leadership Journey

Over the course of their careers, Jaye Kennedy and Nancy Lynk have sat through countless leadership trainings and workshops. Every one made big promises - confidence, a new approach, a better way to lead. And every one left them with the same quiet feeling: something essential was still missing.

The advice was never bad. It just wasn't complete. They kept waiting for a program that connected the inner person to the outer leader.  one built on the belief that you can't truly lead others until you're grounded in yourself.

Eventually, they got tired of waiting. So, they built it themselves.

Rooted & Rising: A Leadership Journey was born from a simple conviction: great leadership isn't a technique you learn, it's the person you become. When leaders are grounded in their values, something remarkable happens. They lead with clarity and authenticity, and, perhaps most powerfully, they grow leaders around them. That ripple effect is what Jaye and Nancy are creating.

Nancy Lynk is Senior Vice President of Commercial Banking at U.S. Bank, serving as a middle market commercial relationship manager. A central Iowa native and Iowa State graduate, she brings decades of experience in commercial banking and financial services, with deep and continued ties to the agricultural community. She's a natural mentor, sharing her wisdom with clients, colleagues, and community partners alike. Nancy currently serves as President of the Trees Forever Foundation, Trustee of the Tanager Place Foundation, and a board member of the Entrepreneurial Development Center.

Jaye Kennedy brings more than 35 years of nonprofit leadership experience, with expertise spanning community needs assessment, culture transformation, board development, fundraising, people development, and endowment investments. She most recently served 13 years as Chief Executive Officer of Waypoint Services. Before that, she was Director of Major Gifts at the University of Iowa, Development & Endowment Director at Tanager Place, and Vice President of United Way of East Central Iowa. Jaye currently serves on the Linn County Community Services Board, is a graduate of Mount Mercy University, and is President of Endowment Blueprints.