Local Elected Lieutenant Governor for 8 Kiwanis Clubs

Becky Gruening, National Sales Manager for the Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau (GDMCVB), has been elected as the volunteer Lieutenant Governor for District 16 of Kiwanis International, spanning October 2015 through September 2016. District 16 includes eight Kiwanis clubs in Polk County.

Gruening has been with the GDMCVB for 22 years. She is the current volunteer President of the Kiwanis Club of Des Moines and is a four-year member of the organization. Gruening also serves on the Kiwanis Miracle League at Principal Park Board of Directors.

“Becky is a great asset, not only to our team, but to the Greater Des Moines (DSM) community as a whole,” says Greg Edwards, President and CEO of the GDMCVB and Des Moines Area Sports Commission. “We’re proud of her accomplishments!”

In addition to her passion for Kiwanis, Gruening has served on various boards and committees including Read To Me Foundation, Travel Federation of Iowa and Central Iowa Tourism Region. She was a founder of the Iowa Group Travel Association and in 2005 she received the Travel Federation of Iowa’s Tourism Leadership Award and the Governor’s Volunteer Award.

Gruening has also served on the National Tour Association’s Board of Directors, Executive Council, Market Development Council, Destination Marketing Association (DMO) Council and Grassroots Legislative Network. She was the first DMO member to serve on the Executive Advisory Council for the Education in Travel Conference, positioning her as a lifelong Council member.

Founded in 1915, Kiwanis is a global organization of members dedicated to serving children of the world. Kiwanis and its family of clubs — more than 600,000 members strong — annually raise more than $100 million and dedicate more than 18.5 million volunteer hours to strengthen communities and serve children.

For more information, please visit kiwanis.org.

About Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau

The Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to promote Greater Des Moines as a fun, vibrant and affordable destination statewide, nationally and internationally. Our focus increases visitors to our community through meetings, conventions, sports events, leisure travel, and group tours, thereby contributing to the local economy.