Keynote Speakers
Iowa Ideas 2026 Keynotes
October 1, 2026 8am – 9am
October 1, 2026 12pm – 1pm
October 1, 2026 4pm – 5pm
Chefs: Andy Schumacher, Cory Barrett, and Thyron Mathews
Speaking Time: 8am-9am
Meet chefs with Iowa roots who competed on national reality shows and now own thriving food businesses across the state. This panel explores the lessons chefs learned from their time on camera and how they are applying those lessons to impact Iowa’s communities and food culture. Kick off the conference with chefs defining Iowa’s culinary culture from leadership in the kitchen to bringing people together through food.
Kecia Steelman
President & CEO, Ulta Beauty
Speaking Time: 12pm-1pm
Kecia Steelman was named President & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ulta Beauty in January 2025. She joined Ulta Beauty in August 2014 as Senior Vice President of Operations and was elevated into executive leadership roles at the company beginning 2015.
Kecia leads a team of more than 60,000 associates, who are passionate about delivering wow experiences to guests. Under her leadership, Ulta Beauty acquired Space NK and has expanded internationally to Mexico and the Middle East. Her passion for people and commitment to keeping guests and associates at the center is a hallmark of Ulta Beauty’s culture. Kecia empowers teams across the organization to bring the power of beauty to life and enable associates to build fulfilling careers.
Kecia has more than 30 years of retail experience at high-growth companies. Prior to joining Ulta Beauty, Kecia held leadership positions across the retail sector, including Group Vice President and Vice President of Project Implementation & Operations at Family Dollar; Vice President and General Manager at Expo Design Centers and Director of Innovation & Strategic growth at Home Depot. She began her career at Target, where she served in a variety of retail operations and merchandising roles for 12 years. She received her bachelor’s degree in business management from Kennedy Western University.
Kecia is committed to giving back which is demonstrated through her involvement with several charitable organizations and fundraising efforts. After a longstanding partnership with the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF), she joined the BCRF board of directors in 2025. She also currently serves on the board of directors for The Bay Club, a KKR portfolio company, World Business Chicago, The Economic Club of Chicago, the Adler Planetarium, RILA (Retail Industry Leaders Association), Pinterest and Ulta Beauty. Kecia is also recognized as a life trustee for Metropolitan Family Services.
Gary Dolphin
Speaking Time: 4pm-5pm
The Voice of the Hawkeyes, Gary Dolphin, will join The Gazette for a live Q&A keynote session at the 2026 Iowa Ideas virtual conference.
Gary Dolphin has strong Iowa roots being born and raised in Cascade. He attended Brown Institute Journalism school in Minneapolis and Loras College.
Gary has spent 52 years in radio and television Sports and News, the last 29 as the play by play “Voice of Iowa Hawkeye football and basketball”. He hosts the weekly Coaches radio shows of Kirk Ferentz and Ben McCollum.
Prior to coming to the University of Iowa, Gary play by played Northwestern University basketball and worked for ten years with the Chicago Bears in game day television production.
A multiple Iowa Sportscaster of the Year winner, Gary is very involved in community affairs. He sits on the boards of the Dubuque Racing Association, The Unity Point Finley Hospital Foundation and the “Field of Dreams Bring it Home Campaign”, a 120 million dollar fundraising effort that will preserve the movie site and surrounding 297 acres for generations to come.
Gary serves as a speaker and Master of Ceremonies at a number of annual charitable and civic campaigns. He recently announced the “Gary Dolphin Journalism Scholarship” award, to be awarded annually to a deserving male and female high school or existing college student.
