Samantha Rogers may not be an Iowa native, but the first time she saw the downtown skyline, she knew she had found her new home.
“It’s been about nine or ten years now,” she said, “but I remember driving by on (Interstate) 380 and seeing the downtown and thinking, ‘this is my fishbowl. I want to become a part of this community, I want to give back, and I want to immerse myself because I’m here and I want to do it right.’”
In fact, Ms. Rogers said she had the opportunity to return to her home state of Indiana after her recent divorce, but her professional connections in Iowa had become unbreakable.
“The people writing those recommendations in this community (for the Emerging Woman of Influence Award) – I’m not leaving that,” she said. “I feel so invested, but I also feel that they’ve invested in me. So being recognized as a woman, as a career professional, as someone who helps this community in a very palpable way – of course I want to stay and build others.”
Despite her relatively young age, Ms. Rogers has extensive experience in the complexities of human resources, beginning with her first post-college position with Knowledge Solutions of Indianapolis, where she worked extensively with the Indiana Department of Family Services on corrective actions for state employees, including occasional terminations.
“It was low-volume, high-stress jobs,” she said. “And it was a tough space to navigate.”
But as a result of those early-career challenges, Ms. Rogers said she was often approached by company CEOs who were seeking her input on complex employee-related issues and the art of conflict resolution.
“Because of the volume that I had as a young individual, working with so many different departments, I had seen so much that providing structure and clarity based on my experiences came very naturally,” she said, “and it was very much needed in the roles that I was in.”
Ms. Rogers’ career has progressed rapidly over the past decade, most recently with Skywalk Group, where she rose to the role of human resources business director before accepting her newest position with TrueNorth in December 2023.
Ms. Rogers said she’s grateful for the influence she’s imparted to others, as well as demonstrating leadership as a female business leader. She also said she focuses on inclusion, in all its forms, as a key factor in both her personal and professional life.
“Inclusion is not just giving someone a seat at the table, but making them feel welcome,” she said. “In my professional life, you obviously recruit for the best fit, someone who could contribute outside of groupthink. You want people that are specializing in things that are different from you. You want to bring in a diverse part of thought that includes more.”
Among the numerous letters of recommendation for Ms. Rogers’ recognition, peers and co-workers lauded her work ethic, integrity and extensive community involvement.
“What has always stood out to me is her drive and passion to be better today than she was yesterday and instills this in everyone around her,” wrote Tami Young, a partner at Skywalk Group. “She is never satisfied with the status quo. Most importantly, she has done this without ever compromising doing the right thing! Her moral compass is unwavering. Another outstanding quality is her innate leadership ability. She has honed her leadership skills throughout her employment and gets enormous satisfaction seeing her team develop and succeed. That is the key to a successful leader.”
“Samantha Rogers is someone who can help even the most chaotic firm to build a fantastic culture,” added ProCircular CEO Aaron Warner. “Samantha did a tremendous job of keeping us organized, focused, and still managed to incorporate fun into our work. With a group of hackers, IT experts, policy wonks and executives, the challenge was great. Through it all she has shown tenacity, empathy, and unending patience with our collective idiosyncrasies … I’m constantly amazed that Samantha hasn’t been in her work for twenty years. She’s a great blend of the consummate professional, the strict source of essential rules, and a smiling influence that keeps us growing and happy. She’s someone in the community that you can always call for advice and no doubt she’s a huge part of our future in Eastern Iowa.”
While still early in her career, Ms. Rogers said she hopes to leave a legacy of community involvement and professional inspiration.
“I’m trying to do the best I can because of intrinsic value, because I very, very much care about my professional work,” she said. “And I’m not just a mom, but a mom and a professional. And that’s important to me. It’s tough sometimes. But you can do both.”
This profile was originally published in the CBJ’s 2024 Women of Influence publication. The 2024 Women of Influence are an inspiring group of community leaders who have each overcome adversity, taken chances and challenged themselves to make a positive impact in their community, despite demanding schedules in their personal and professional lives.
The CBJ will host the 2024 Women of Influence 20 Year Gala from 5-8:30 p.m. Thursday, May 2, at The Hotel at Kirkwood Center in Cedar Rapids. Tickets are still available to this event, which includes networking, dinner and remarks from the winners.
