The West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce presented 10 awards to people and companies during its third annual Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Workplace Excellence Awards event on Sept. 7. Individual award winners included Ayanari Morales-Rodriguez, a Valley High School student who was named DEI Student Leader of the Year; Jackie Minsoe, a coach for the Hoover High School boys soccer program who was named DEI Emerging Leader of the Year; Kate Hightshoe-Lambert, a diversity officer at QCR Holdings who was named DEI Leader of the Year; and Adrianne Towe, executive director of Waukee Community Schools Foundation, who was named DEI Ally of the Year. Other awards included:

• Knight Moves: Small Business Award
• Merchants Bonding Co.: Medium Business Award
• Bankers Trust: Large Business Award.
• Iowa Safe Schools: Nonprofit Award
• Youth Justice Initiative: Education Award
• Spark DSM Minority Business Incubator: Best Inclusion Initiative.

A $4,800 local donation was presented to Can Play, and a pair of $1,700 scholarships were granted to Morales-Rodriguez and Iowa Safe Schools to select a minority leader to go through the West Des Moines Leadership Academy on a full-tuition scholarship beginning in the fall of 2024. The scholarships were sponsored by IMT Insurance.