2023 LINDA S WEINDRUCH AWARD - MICHAEL C RUBINO

Mike Rubino is the Director – Global Indirect Tax for Deere & Company. Mike is entering his 45th year of employment at John Deere with 33 of those years in the corporate tax department located in Moline, Illinois. Mike has held positions in International, Federal and State tax during this time. Mike’s state tax responsibilities include property tax, unclaimed property, sales, tax accounting, tax legislation and business incentives. Mike obtained his undergraduate degree in accounting from Augustana College in Rock Island and his MBA from the University of Iowa. 

Mike is a long time ITA Board of Directors member, Executive Committee member and committee chair of the Sales & Use Tax Committee. 

2022 LINDA S WEINDRUCH AWARD - ANN STOCKER

In 2015, Ann R Stocker retired from Cargill after serving in a variety of positions from sales to construction accounting to operational accounting to software development and finally to a tax position created just for her. She continued her career working part-time at RSM US LLP and Clow Valve Company, retiring again in 2021.  

Ann grew up in four different states and Puerto Rico but settled in Albia, Iowa for her senior year of high school.  She received a B.A. in Accounting from Central College and an M.B.A. with distinction from Keller Graduate School of Management. At Cargill, she worked closely with the Corporate Tax Department on various tax matters, audits and economic development projects for Corn Milling's nine manufacturing plants and distribution terminals. She worked with their Government Relations staff as well on tax legislation by lobbying in both Iowa and Nebraska and bringing local matters to their attention when needed. 

Ann is a former chairman of ITA's Board of Directors (2014, 2015) and is still active on the property and sales and use tax committees. She has served on the Streamlined Sales Tax Committee, Indian Hills Regional Development and the South Central Workforce Development Boards. Currently, she serves as Vice-Chair on the Board of Trustees and as a Director for their Foundation supporting Monroe County Hospital and Clinics.  She is active as a SHIIP volunteer counselor and volunteers for both AARP and United Way serving as an income tax preparer. She is very active in her church and community organizations. 

Ann and her husband, Michael, have two adult sons, Matt and Alex, who along with their families are involved in their farm operation located south of Albia. 

2021 LINDA S WEINDRUCH AWARD - AMBASSADOR TERRY BRANSTAD

Terry Branstad is with Founding Partners, Branstad Churchill Group.

Most recently Branstad served as the U.S. ambassador to China. Prior to that, he was the longest serving governor in Iowa and was a leader on many pro-business tax law changes.

He was presented with the award at the 2021 Tax Symposium, which was held at The Meadows Events and Conference Center.

Branstad was recognized for his outstanding efforts in support of fair business taxation and accountable government. During his long tenure in office, Governor Branstad's commitment to accountable government and sound budgeting principles eliminated deficits, led to balanced budgets and eventually produced surplus revenues. Governor Branstad promoted and achieved unprecedented tax reforms for the benefit of Iowa taxpayers throughout his six terms. Included among the many tax reform measures signed by the governor were the Iowa Taxpayer Bill of Rights in 1993, across-the-board income tax cuts and indexing of income tax brackets in 1998, a sweeping overhaul of Iowa’s property tax laws in 2013 and significant changes to sales and use taxation of Iowa manufacturers in 2016. 

2020 LINDA S WEINDRUCH AWARD - JENNIFER KINGLAND

Jennifer Kingland is President of Kingland Consulting, LLC.

Jennifer Kingland grew up in Lake Mills, Iowa, and obtained her B.A. in political science from Iowa State University. Shortly after graduating from ISU, Kingland got her real estate license and worked for Friedrich/Iowa Realty in Ames. Her passion for politics drew her back to Des Moines, where she worked for state Representative Russ Teig during the 1995 legislative session and subsequently worked in the office of Governor Terry Branstad. Kingland started her lobbying career with the Iowa Association of REALTORS® and served as their in-house government affairs director for eight years. In 2007, she established Kingland Consulting LLC and continued her political work as an independent multiclient lobbyist. This year will mark Kingland’s 25th legislative session lobbying at the Iowa State Capitol. During her career she has represented business clients on a variety of industry-specific and taxation issues at the Statehouse. Kingland is also responsible for the fundraising and management of the REALTORS® Political Action Committee, which is consistently among the largest in the state.  

Kingland is an active member of the Iowa Taxpayers Association with Iowa Association of REALTORS®. She has also been the lobbyist for ITA the last eight years. She has all the attributes that epitomized Linda S Weindruch and has worked tirelessly lobbying for sound tax policy for the benefit of Iowa.

2019 LINDA S WEINDRUCH AWARD - MICHAEL SADLER

Michael Sadler Posthumously Receives the 2019 Iowa Taxpayers Association’s Weindruch Award

Sadler was a 1985 graduate of Dowling Catholic High School and a 1989 graduate of Simpson College. He received his MBA in management from Upper Iowa University. Sadler was a long-time employee of CenturyLink (US West/Qwest), where he began in the call center in 1994 and climbed the ladder quickly to become assistant vice president of public policy. Sadler was very active in his community and received numerous accolades for his efforts and dedication to service. He was named “Fundraiser of the Year” by the American Diabetes Association in 2003, “Iowan of the Day” for the 2009 Iowa State Fair and “Forty Under 40 Alumnus of the Year” in 2014, just to name a few of the honors he received.

Sadler was an active member of the Iowa Taxpayers Association. He had all the attributes that epitomized Linda S. Weindruch and worked tirelessly on developing sound tax policy for the benefit of Iowa.  

2018 LINDA S WEINDRUCH AWARD - STACEY JOHNSON

Stacey is the director of public affairs for John Deere Financial Worldwide. Stacey’s leadership at John Deere Financial has grown immensely since she started in 2006. She is responsible for monitoring legislative and regulatory developments; identifying specific initiatives that may pose opportunities or threats to the organization; developing strategies and action plans to align with business goals; directing changes in public policy to improve the company’s financial position; building and maintaining relationships with public officials, legislative committees and government agencies to advocate and develop support in favor of the company’s interests; and coordinating with trade associations and business coalitions to develop support for the positions John Deere Financial takes. Stacey supports these efforts in more than 53 countries worldwide.

Stacey is a University of Iowa graduate, has a doctorate of jurisprudence from Drake University Law School and is the first recipient of the Drake Law School Legislative Practice Certificate. Following graduation from law school, Stacey managed and provided nonpartisan research and analysis of proposed legislation for the Commerce, Ways and Means, and the Economic Development committees on the Iowa Senate Republican caucus staff. She later became the president of the Iowa Taxpayers Association, representing Iowa’s leading corporate and business taxpayers, and then joined John Deere Financial and John Deere Public Affairs Worldwide. She has over 20 years of public affairs experience.  

Stacey currently serves as vice chair on the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden board of directors and as a member of the United Way Opportunity Council. She lives in Des Moines, Iowa, with her husband, Scott, and two children, Anna and Robert.

2017 LINDA S WEINDRUCH AWARD - JIM MCNULTY

Jim McNulty was born and raised in Jefferson, Iowa. After graduating from the University of Iowa in 1980, Jim began his career with the Iowa Department of Revenue.  From 1980-2000, Jim worked primarily in the corporation income tax area, including overseeing the Department's corporation income tax field audit program, managing the corporation income tax unit based in Des Moines, and resolution of Iowa corporation income tax protests. From 2001 until his retirement in 2014, Jim worked in the Policy Section where his responsibilities expanded to all income taxes administered by the Department. This included working with legislators, drafting administrative rules, coordinating with other state agencies on tax credit programs, and managing the Department's protest resolution area. Jim also gave numerous presentations to accountants and lawyers across the state on income tax issues.

Jim, with his wife Barbara, reside beneath the blue suburban skies of Norwalk, Iowa. They have two grown sons.

2016 LINDA S WEINDRUCH AWARD - GERALD BAIR

Gerald D. Bair is a retired director of the Iowa Department of Revenue and Finance with over 30 years of executive-level responsibility for administration of tax laws and financial requirements for the state of Iowa. He is experienced in working with federal, state and local officials as well as individual and business tax representatives to propose, implement and monitor statutory requirements. 

Bair has been recognized for his ability to focus on the customer, bringing diverse factions together to problem-solve while enhancing the customer’s ability to interact with the Department. He is nationally recognized in his leadership in the areas of technology and innovative management. 

2015 LINDA S WEINDRUCH AWARD - THOMAS JARRETT

Thomas Jarrett is Vice President, Taxes, for Deere & Company. He has held this position since August 2003. In his position, he is responsible for the company's global tax structure, which monitors compliance with tax rules and regulation that pertain to John Deere. Additionally, he oversees Deere's tax planning functions and works closely with the Public Affairs function on legislative matters.

He joined Deere & Company in 1988 as Director of Taxes. Prior to joining Deere, Jarrett worked for the Internal Revenue Service in positions of increasing responsibility. At the IRS, he spent thirteen years with its Appeals Division, which resolves disputed income tax issues. He was the Chief of Appeals in Kansas City, Mo, San Jose and San Francisco, Calif.

Jarrett is a former chairman of the board of directors (2006, 2007) and serves on the executive committee of the Iowa Taxpayers Association. He is also past chairman of the Taxpayer Federation of Illinois and now serves on the executive committee. Additionally, he serves on the board of the Illinois Manufacturers Association and the Illinois Tax Foundation.

A native of Decatur, Illinois, Jarrett is a graduate of the University of Illinois with a degree in accounting.

2014 LINDA S WEINDRUCH AWARD THOMAS HOBSON

Tomas Ray Hobson graduated from the University of Alabama with a degree in communications. After graduating, he joined the United States Air Force and served in the Vietnam War. Prior to spending the last 23 years at Rockwell Collins, Hobson worked for Reynolds Aluminum, Northern Telecom, and Martin Marietta.

Steve Evans (MidAmerican Energy), chair of ITA’s Linda S. Weindruch Award Committee, said, “Tom made positive impacts at work and in his community by actively serving on various boards, especially ITA. He embodied everything that makes the Linda S. Weindruch Award so special.”

As a highly respected executive at Rockwell Collins, Hobson  professionally represented his firm and his community by contributing his talents, at the requests of three separate governors of Iowa, on various economic task forces and committees in Des Moines and Washington, D.C. Hobson also served on numerous boards in the Cedar Rapids area, including the Eastern Iowa Airport Commission, Cedar Rapid Metro Economic Alliance, and the Iowa City Area Development Group. He served in leadership positions on the Iowa Business Council, Association of Business and Industry, and the Corporate Associate Partners of the National Lieutenant Governors Association. “Tom was chair of ITA during an important transition and helped set into motion strategic changes to ensure ITA’s long-term success. He is most deserving of this award,” said Ann Stocker, board chair ITA (Cargill).

Hobson passed away in June 2014. He is survived by his wife, Donna, and sons, Jordan and Matthew. “We miss Tom dearly, but his leadership and dedication to ITA will never be forgotten,” stated Dustin Blythe, president of ITA.

2008 LINDA S WEINDRUCH AWARD - LEONARD ALLEN

Leonard B Allen was the State and Local Tax Manager for Deere & Company from 1973 to 1995. Len was very active in the Iowa Taxpayers Association and was Chair from 1991-1993.

Before assuming the Chairmanship, Len was actively involved in the ITA Committee structure, assisting ITA in supporting some of our most significant accomplishments for manufacturing in the state of Iowa.

Throughout his tenure with the Iowa Taxpayers Association and John Deere, Len provided quality expertise, leadership, and was a steady hand during challenging times. His professional manner and commitment to enhancing the corporate tax structure in Iowa ultimately enhanced ITA’s stature and benefited the Iowa business community as a whole.

Len graduated from Colorado State University with a MS Degree in Business Administration. He and his wife, Lee have two daughters.

2007 LINDA S WEINDRUCH AWARD - STEVEN EVANS

Steven R Evans is the Vice President of Taxation of MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company. He joined a predecessor Iowa company in 1992 and has a combined 29 years of corporate tax and finance experience.

He has previously served as chairman of the Iowa Taxpayers Association (ITA), chairman of the Polk-Des Moines Taxpayers Association, and president of the Iowa chapter of Tax Executives Institute. He served on the Council of Economic Advisors under Governor Vilsack. 

Mr. Evans participated in the formation of ITA’s Accountable Government Committee and the development of its eight sound budgeting principles. He was a key leader in rewriting the state’s property tax system for energy utilities that has become model for other states. He has actively supported the development of other legislative tax matters in Iowa. 

Mr. Evans holds a Masters of Accountancy degree from Brigham Young University, after having earned his undergraduate degree in Accounting at the same university.