Ben Allen is Executive Director of Better Ballot Iowa.

Ben's professional background is rooted in the publishing industry as a project manager and departmental lead, creating photo-heavy informational and instructional books within the home improvement, home design, decorating, and gardening subject areas. His stint at Meredith Corporation saw him help create more than 100 books for the Better Homes and Gardens, Ortho, The Home Depot, Stanley, Miracle-Gro, and Scotts brands, among others.

He has long served with non-profit organizations to help improve the community in which he lives with terms on the boards of the ACLU of Iowa,  Metro Arts Alliance, and Master Gardeners of Polk County. He also volunteers with Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement.

Ben has a Master's degree in Journalism from the University of Kansas,—go Jayhawks!–and an MBA from Iowa State University–go Cyclones! Part of his childhood was in Columbia Missouri–go Tigers! Ben is often confused on who to root for at sporting events.

Ben lives in Des Moines with his wife, Marguerite “Peggy” Fitch, and two spoiled cats named Chester and Lily.

David J. Gion serves as the Vice President and Executive Director Emeritus.

David has spent 35+ years of his professional career in the Innovation Space, bringing new companies, products, and initiatives to market. He has also had a lifelong passion for our form of self-government. For the past 20+ years, he has been very frustrated with our Political Industry and the growing division. He has been looking for achievable, simple innovations that can help get our democracy back on track. In 2020, he learned of several simple, political innovations that he believes will make a significant impact on a healthier democracy. So, he decided to put more professional focus on the Political Innovation Space and work on innovations to “Get Our Democracy Back On Track!”

David has many interests, leading and inspiring people being one of his favorites. And, he is so curious, about 15 years ago, he deployed a “Four Shiny Objects Strategy”, a topic for a different day – many kudos to his wife Nancy!

Dwight Schumm serves as an At-Large Board Member. Although not originally from Iowa, he now considers himself a "lifer" having lived here for over 30 years. Dwight got interested in politics after (finally) becoming a citizen in 2009. He quickly developed a passion for non-partisan election reform after seeing how our current election system reinforces hyper-partisanship and gridlock. We can do better!

Dwight is a partner in an architectural engineering firm in Cedar Rapids where he designs large scale building systems with a focus on sustainability. His four children are in various stages of adulthood with the youngest just starting college. Besides improving elections, his interests (some might call them obsessions) include electric vehicles and all kinds of wilderness.

Thomas Ahart serves as the Board Secretary / Citizen Awareness Lead and At-Large Board Member. 

Thomas is proud to join the Better Ballot Iowa board of directors. Currently working as a consultant, he has spent more than 30 years in public education in a wide variety of roles from teacher to 10 years as superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools. A proponent of representative democracy, he has long been frustrated with our current process of choosing nominees for public office. He is a problem-solver and knows that we can and must do better if we are to preserve our still young democracy.

He has served on the boards of several non-profit organizations at the local, state, and national level with the goal of improving communities and strengthening education. He is currently chair of the board of directors for IMPACT Community Action Partnership of Central Iowa. Thomas has a BA in mass communications and speech communications from the University of Denver and an MPA, Ed.S., and Ed.D. from Drake.

He lives in Des Moines with his wife Jami, son Eli, and Stitch, their French bulldog.

Kelly Spencer serves as the Board Treasurer. 

Kelly is a native Iowan who spent a few years volunteering with Better Ballot Iowa before joining the board in 2026. She loves collaborating with fellow Iowans to improve politics in our state!

Kelly was born and raised in northeast Iowa, and earned her Accounting degree, CPA, and MBA at the University of Iowa. She has held a variety of finance roles, working in the aerospace and defense industry for over 25 years. Kelly lives in Cedar Rapids with her husband, two cats, and three chickens. She enjoys watching WNBA games, relaxing in her backyard, and spending time with her adult children.

Justin Whitty serves as the Volunteer Coordinator and At-Large Board Member. He is a native Iowan who earned a BS in History and Mathematics from Iowa State University and began his energy engineering services career in Chicago before moving back to Iowa to start his family.

While in Chicago, he volunteered as a mentor at food banks, at forest preserves, and with his neighborhood association, where he learned about political organizations from seasoned professionals. He continues to volunteer with Represent Us, a national political reform movement working to move the country toward the ideals of the American Anti-Corruption Act.

Pete Jones serves as Communications Chair and At-Large Board Member of Better Ballot Iowa. He lives in Johnston with his wife and three children.

After 20 years of developing marketing strategies for major corporations and agencies, Pete transitioned into real estate, helping first-time homebuyers and move-up buyers navigate the Des Moines metro market. He stays actively involved in his community through Johnston Rotary and the Johnston Chamber of Commerce.

Pete brings his marketing and communications background to Better Ballot Iowa because he believes a healthier democracy starts with giving every Iowan a voting system that truly reflects their voice — and he's committed to building a community his kids can be proud to grow up in.

Genevieve Johnson was the Operations Officer of Better Ballot Iowa.

Genevieve earned a BA and MA in Mathematics from the University of Northern Iowa and currently works for the University of Iowa as a Senior Application Developer supporting researchers. She enjoys hiking with her husband, playing with their dogs, and listening to true crime podcasts.

Tired of feeling like she’s voting for the “lesser of two evils” or throwing away her vote, Genevieve is excited to connect with fellow Iowans who desire a better voting system.

Amy Brown was the Finance Officer of Better Ballot Iowa. She is an insanely curious Iowa native who loves to create thriving communities.

Her career in the financial services industry spanned 27 years and among others, included leadership roles in human resources, customer experience, and continuous improvement. She holds a BS in Economics and Finance from Morningside University in Sioux City, Iowa. In her free time, Amy restores native prairies, renovates homes, and loves to travel.