Age 35  |  Fraud claims manager, Wells Fargo & Co.

Following her graduation from the University of Iowa, Wendy Wall moved to Florida for about two months before returning to her hometown.

Preferring spring tornadoes and Iowa winters to the southern state’s hurricane season, she came back to the Des Moines area to launch a career in the financial services industry.

Wall, who was married last August and recently began pursuing a master’s degree in public administration at Drake University, is now working to strike a balance between her professional development, personal life and volunteer activities as she continues her education.

“In my head, I’m kind of looking for ways to bridge that gap,” she said. “I try to find that good balance.”

A core member of Wells Fargo & Co.’s team of fraud claims representatives, Wall’s involvement with the Des Moines affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure has earned her a Wells Fargo Volunteer Award for three consecutive years.

Thirteen years ago, the promise of a free meal by her mother – a breast cancer survivor – enticed Wall to get involved with the nonprofit organization. “It must have been a really good dinner,” Wall said. “I’m still there.”

In 2008 and 2009, Wall chaired Komen’s annual Race for the Cure event in Des Moines. She served as on-site coordinator from 2004 to 2010, and has been on the Des Moines affiliate’s board of directors for three years.

She also has helped with Bras for the Cause, an organization committed to making sure uninsured and underinsured Iowans have access to mammograms and cervical testing.

“Wendy is probably one of the most organized and energetic people I have ever worked with,” said Stacey Fox, owner of Stacey’s Prom, Bridal and Lingerie, and a sponsor of Bras for the Cause events. “She doesn’t have to be in charge of the event to be giving it her all.”

Wall, who late last year joined the Orchard Place Foundation’s board of directors, also has volunteered with Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Girl Scouts of America and United Way of Central Iowa.

She is an alumna of the 2009-2010 Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute.