About
Our Board of Directors
Pete Tulipana
President
Pete Tulipana is the President & CEO of SINC. Prior to November 2020 he served as the President & CEO of the Iowa West Foundation for nearly a decade where he led a number of transformational projects in SW Iowa for the Foundation. Mr. Tulipana also served as the President & CEO of Heartland Family Service where he was instrumental in the development of the organization’s expansion into Southwest Iowa.
Heather Tomasek
Secretary
Heather currently serves as the Secretary for SINC. She has worked on several community and regional park improvement projects locally and internationally. Prior to SINC, she worked for the City of Council Bluffs and is a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, with dual degrees including Bachelor’s of Landscape Architecture and Science of Design.
John Burns
Board Member
John is an attorney practicing in Iowa and Nebraska. He served as a director on the Iowa West Foundation Board of Directors for 25 years. He is the President of the Southwest Iowa Foundation and is currently serving his second term as Chairman of the Enhance Iowa Board, a part of the Iowa Economic Development Agency.
Marlina Davidson
Board Member
Marlina was born and raised in Council Bluffs and attended Abraham Lincoln High School. She received her bachelor’s degree in Communication from Northwest Missouri State University and master’s degree in Communication Studies from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She is currently pursuing her doctoral degree in Educational Leadership. She was a faculty member in UNO’s School of Communication for 15 years and recently joined the Digital Learning team as an Instructional Designer. She and her husband, Dusty live in Omaha with their daughter Annabelle and care deeply about making an impact in the communities they grew up in.
Debbie Johnson
Board Member
Born and raised in Southwest Iowa, Debbie now lives in Southern Oregon but will always consider Iowa home. A graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where her major studies were Nutrition and Human Development, she has worked with numerous organizations focusing on the welfare of children and families.
Brenda Mainwaring
Board Member
Brenda is the President & CEO of the Iowa West Foundation. Prior to taking the role in September 2020, she was the Assistant Vice President of Public Affairs for Union Pacific Railroad, overseeing philanthropy, community relations and political affairs across UP’s southern region. She is a Council Bluffs native with a Master’s Degree in Anthropology from the University of Iowa.
Bob Schlott
Board Member
Bob is a lifelong resident of Southwest Iowa. He attended Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln HS. He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Iowa State University and received an MBA from Harvard University. Bob began his career at Warren Distribution, which became North America’s largest privately owned manufacturer of lubricating oils. Bob has three grown children, a toddler and shares his life with his amazing wife and partner, Polina Schlott.
Polina Schlott
Board Member
Polina is a wife and mother who has a passion for community engagement, gratitude, and living life to its fullest through the exploration of our relationship with the natural world. She was born in Riga Latvia, but is now a devoted American who is dedicated to improving our community through education, work with children, and an appreciation for the vibrancy that arts and culture bring to our world. Polina graduated from the University of Nebraska at Omaha with a bachelor’s in marketing and a master’s in public administration. She enjoyed a 15-year career as a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Acquisition Professional before dedicating herself to family and community service.
Steve Wild
Board Member
Steve Wild has served as President of the Charles E. Lakin Foundation since 2016. Previously, Wild was a transformational leader during his 40-year career in the securities industry including Founder and CEO of Securities America, Inc. Steve is a Nebraska native and has lived in Missouri Valley, IA for the last five years.