IEC Intros: Meet Megan McDowell

When IEC was looking for communications help this past spring, I was definitely excited to talk about the opening. I’m a nature loving native Iowan who loves to canoe, and I had a feeling IEC would be a great fit. I currently live in Des Moines but grew up in the small community of Lorimor in Southwest Iowa. I was a weekend farm kid and learned a lot following my grandpa around, learning about conservation and the importance of taking care of the land. My grandpa was also the town water plant manager for several years, so water quality monitoring was something I was exposed to at a young age. I grew up canoeing around Iowa, and I loved the water from a very early age.

I had my eye on working for IEC since September 2019 when some friends and I attended their End of Summer Beach Bash at Confluence Brewing Company. I was excited to network and learn more about advocacy on water topics. I’m planning for a career in advocacy and environmental advocacy feels like it’s calling to me.

I’m currently enrolled full-time at Drake University to make a career change to Public Relations. I first went to college years ago for professional photography before I joined the Navy as a Quartermaster, which deals with navigation. Having the opportunity to work with IEC in the communications department, where I have been putting my social media knowledge and photography skills to use, as well as copy writing and helping with communications and advocacy tasks, has been really fun. Working with Angelisa, the IEC Communications Director, and the full IEC team has been a true joy.

I’m also discovering how much I enjoy working behind the scenes to get educational messages out, inspire people to take action, and being a part of a dynamic team helping fundraising efforts to meet and break goals. Every day, I learn another interesting nugget of knowledge on the tools and resources we use to help make IEC’s voice heard.

I’ve also had the opportunity to assist the water team with some advocacy efforts, including creating materials and helping plan online trainings. Most importantly, I’ve seen how much work is still needed in the environmental advocacy world, and I hope I can do even more after I graduate next spring. Maybe you will even continue to see me working for IEC. No matter where I end up in the future, I’ve built a great foundation and been a part of something important with IEC. Until then, I look forward to continuing to communicate with you during my time here.

1. iec intros