When younger people enter the workforce, they don’t necessarily know what the next steps are. For some of those graduating Grinnell High School or Grinnell College, Grinnell seems like the natural place to stay. In highlighting the extra efforts women must overcome to build their careers, we would like to spotlight four accomplished Grinnell women who have “built it,” from their careers to their fulfilling personal lives. Take a moment and read about these women’s early jobs, current career, and personal interests!
These women will serve as panelists on the Grinnell Chamber’s upcoming UnityPoint Health’s Connecting for Women, presented by Grinnell Mutual, on April 23, 2026! Purchase your tickets today on the Chamber website; space is limited and registration will close on April 21.
and function consultant of JM
Consulting
Jennifer McAlexander
Jennifer McAlexander is currently the owner and fashion/function consultant of JM Consulting. She specializes in color analysis and image consulting, along with Mary Kay skincare and makeup, to help women across Iowa discover their confidence. She was born, raised, and has to this day, not left Grinnell! She is a graduate of Grinnell High School and Marshalltown Community College.
Q: What was your first job?
My very first job was in Grinnell as a sales associate at Flowers on Fourth, currently called Bates Flowers by Design. At age 14, my options were to find a job in town or detassel corn. (I did not want to detassel corn.) I loved serving customers and making sales! It brought me great joy to help customers find the perfect gift, create a huge balloon bouquet for a celebration, or put together a carefully curated gift basket.
Q: How did you know you wanted to work in your current field?
A: In 2018, when I learned that such a career existed! It was the perfect combination of my God-given passions, talents, and learned skills – service, makeup, clothing, organization, sales, and helping others see their value and true beauty.
Q: What is your favorite thing about Grinnell?
A: Grinnell is home — it’s where I live, feel community, and am supported. Choosing Grinnell has allowed me to support and give back to people and organizations that helped mold me into the woman I am today. That builds community for future generations.
Q: What is one piece of advice you’d give a young woman starting her career?
A: Dress for success! (You did ask this of the image consultant.) Find clothing that you love and that loves you back. Having functional pieces appropriate for your career will allow you to get dressed with confidence so you can move forward in completing the tasks you’ve been called to do. Life can be hard. Getting dressed shouldn’t be.
Q: What is your favorite book/TV show/movie/podcast at the moment?
A: My favorite book is “Shopping for Time: How to Do It All and Not Be Overwhelmed” by Carolyn Mahaney, Nicole Whitacre, Kristin Chesemore, and Janelle Bradshaw.
Q: What do you like to do in your free time?
A: Peopling – people are my favorite things and pastime. Any time I get the chance to share time, life experiences, or stories with people, my heart is full. I bake a lot of chocolate chip cookies. I make many deliveries to our host students and their friends on Grinnell College’s campus.
Where you can find Jennifer and her work:
- Facebook: @JMConsultingFaithFashionFunction
- Instagram: @ jmcalexander_consulting
- Tiktok @jennifersuemcalex
- Website: https://www.jennifermcalexander.com/
consultant at Double You Marketing
Katy Wells
Katy Wells is currently the owner and brand consultant at Double You Marketing. After graduating from the University of Northern Iowa in 2007, she moved to the West Coast to work at an advertising agency. But she missed the Midwest (who wouldn’t?) and found herself happily settling in Grinnell. Wells now works with local businesses to develop and execute marketing campaigns. She was born and raised in Des Moines and lives in town with her husband and two daughters.
Q: What was your first job?
My first paying job was at Tropical Sno (a little Hawaiian shaved ice hut) in Altoona, Iowa. I was a manager at age 14, the owners were practical, and we could play Nintendo 64 during off times (huge perk for a teenager). My first “career” job started two weeks after college graduation at a boutique ad agency in San Diego.
Q: How did you know you wanted to work in your current field?
When I was in high school, the only remaining art class offered at Southeast Polk that I had not completed was Art Seminar: a class where the teacher would advise student-led projects. When I enrolled in the class, my teacher set me up with the Altoona Chamber of Commerce director who was working with a committee to rebrand the City of Altoona. While the logo design is not mine, I developed the strategic vision (“Encompassing Altoona”) that guided the development of the logo they still use 25 years later.
Q: What is your favorite thing about Grinnell?
Grinnell has offered a community where I can be myself and flourish. My extended family loves to visit us in Grinnell, especially in the summer with so many weekend activities; it offers a beautifully unique mix of small-town charm and the cultural pop that a liberal arts college inherently provides.
Q: What is one piece of advice you’d give a young woman starting her career?
For women starting a career or even restarting, reinventing or reconsidering: there is no leader or innovator who is absolutely sure of what they’re doing. We’re all just hypothesizing and using our experiences and learned experiences as a basis for decisions. You will run into plenty of clients, customers, and even peers who tend to speak with a sense of blind confidence. It’s OK to ask questions, poke holes, and admit what you don’t know. Chances are, plenty of others in the room don’t know either!
Q: What is your favorite book/TV show/movie/podcast at the moment?
It’s baseball season! If the TV is on, I like to have the Atlanta Braves playing in the background or if I’m watching more actively, we like to catch Shrinking on Apple TV. I’m more of a music listener than any other form of entertainment, so you can usually catch me DJing my own mix of tunes throughout the house.
Q: What do you like to do in your free time?
Have I mentioned it’s baseball (and softball) season?! In my free time, I like to coach my daughters’ softball and tee ball teams, grill and chill with my family on the back patio, golf, play outside, take trips to new places, attend sporting events and concerts – and enjoy whatever the day brings!
Where you can find Katy and her work:
- Facebook: @doubleyoumarketing
- Instagram: @doubleyoumarketing
- Website: https://www.doubleyoumarketing.com/
communications specialist at
Unity Point Health Grinnell
Steph Lair
Stephanie Lair is the senior marketing communications specialist at Unity Point Health Grinnell. She was born and raised in Grinnell, and graduated from Grinnell High School in 2002. She earned her undergraduate degree in Organizational Communications from the University of Northern Iowa in 2006 and later completed her MBA at the University of North Carolina Wilmington in 2019. After college, she traveled all over the world and met her husband, Thomas, in France. She is a proud mother of three.
Q: What was your first job and where was it?
A: My first job was selling sweet corn. My profits usually earned me a Candyland or Green River from the former Cunningham Drug, while the rest, my parents told me, went to my college fund. Later, I worked at the Grinnell Country Club pro shop where I picked up a few unexpected skills, including making the perfect cheese balls and vodka lemonades.
Q: How did you know you wanted to work in your current field?
I feel like each job or life experience has prepared and guided me to my next step. Honestly, I never know what’s coming next and that’s exciting!
Q: What is your favorite thing about Grinnell?
Its strong sense of community. I love how everyone’s paths and stories are intertwined. The people you see on the Parks & Rec fields are the same ones you run into at the library, and the people who might come to fix something at your house are who you end up seeing with their family at Pagliai’s Pizza. It’s the perfect place to raise a family.
Q: What is one piece of advice you’d give a young woman starting her career?
Volunteer and get involved in local organizations as much as possible. Volunteering helped broaden my professional skill set, as well as make meaningful connections that have helped me in many (emphasis on many) aspects of my life.
Q: What is your favorite book/TV show/movie/podcast at the moment?
I find myself constantly referencing themes from “The Anxious Generation” by Jonathan Haidt. Raising kids in a tech heavy world is intimidating, and the book outlines what has been lost through tech, addresses mental health in a tech world, and how adults can help give their kids a childhood they need.
Q: What do you like to do in your free time?
A: If I’m not running around to kids’ activities or working on a home improvement project, I love to get together with my friends, share some prosecco, and chit chat about everything.
decor store, Channing’s Customs & Co.
Channing Fraker
You might have seen Channing Fraker in downtown Grinnell. As the owner of the home decor store, Channing’s Customs & Co., she carries a variety of locally sourced items at her store, from dishware, earrings, fragrances, and more. Channing is also known for her custom work, like her signature handpaintings (which you may have spotted already on her store windows), custom wedding and baby gifts, and vinyl designs. When you enter her store, you can spot her personal touches — from her interior design to her lovely mural next to her register. Channing is originally from Williamsburg.
Q: What was your first job?
A: My first job was in retail. I worked at Rue 21 throughout high school and loved it. I loved working with my friends, and the job also started my love for merchandising and customer service.
Q: How did you know you wanted to work in your current field?
A: I would say I’ve been artistic since I was a child. Attending craft shows with my mom, I would sit under the table and draw or color. My love and appreciation for home decor, merchandising, and customer service grew through working in retail for over ten years. Eventually, this love led to starting my business and into owning my own store downtown.
Q: What is your favorite thing about Grinnell?
A: I love that Grinnell has the feel of a bigger city but the heart of a small town. The beautiful architecture is a plus!
Q: What is one piece of advice you’d give a young woman starting her career?
A: You don’t need all the answers to get started. The best way to run your own business is to start small and make all the connections you can to learn and grow!
Q: What is your favorite book/TV show/movie/podcast at the moment?
A: My all-time favorite movie is Sweet Home Alabama. I’ve currently been loving Lincoln Lawyer when I get to pick the TV show.
Q: What do you like to do in your free time?
A: With four kids and two businesses, I don’t know if much of our time is considered free at this stage in life but most of our time is spent with family. We have 24 nieces and nephews so we’re thankful to spend time with them whenever we can.
Where you can find Channing and her store offerings:
- Facebook: @Channing’s Customs
- Instagram: @channings_customs
- Website: https://www.channingscustoms.com/
More News + Announcements
Our Partners
