David Maxwell and Mark Hillenbrand Named 2017 WDM Citizens of the Year; Collin Nelson Named Emerging Citizen of the Year

The West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce is proud to recognize David Maxwell and Mark Hillenbrand as recipients of the 2017 Citizens of the Year Award. In addition, Collin Nelson has been named as the second annual recipient of the Emerging Citizen of the Year.

David Maxwell serves as Associate Principal at Valley High School and Mark Hillenbrand is a Clinical Social Worker in private practice. The two gentlemen were selected for the honor based on their work with students and community members in the design and facilitation of the West Des Moines Equity, Diversity and Multicultural Discussions. These group discussions were initiated following several racially motivated incidents at Valley high School in an effort to create a plan “to eliminate systemic racial inequity and provide equitable educational opportunities.”.

Collin Nelson, selected as the 2017 Emerging Citizen of the Year, is a young professional employed by NAI Optimum, a local commercial real estate firm. Collin is an active member of the West Des Moines Chamber Accelerate Advisory Committee, Downtown Des Moines Chamber of Commerce, Emerging Leaders Collaborative, and the Iowa Commercial Real Estate Association. His philanthropic affiliations include the Iowa Corporate Games and Multiple Sclerosis Society.

The three gentlemen will be honored as West Des Moines Citizens of the Year at a special reception to be held on Wednesday, May 31 from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. at the Staplin Center for Performing Arts on the Valley High School Campus. The event is open to the public and there is no charge to attend.

For more information on the reception, please contact the West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce at 515-225-6009.