2019 WEINDRUCH SCHOLARSHIP - BENJAMIN NIELSON

Benjamin Nielson was born and raised in Iowa City, Iowa. He earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a Certificate in Entrepreneurial Management from the University of Iowa in May 2016. He is currently a third-year student at Drake University Law School in Des Moines, Iowa, where he focuses on business and tax law.

This year he is participating in the 2019 ABA Law Student Tax Challenge, a moot court alternative in which two-person teams of students are tasked with solving cutting-edge and complex business problems that may arise in everyday tax practice. In addition, he currently works as a judicial intern with the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Iowa. Prior to that, he served as a law clerk for Global Atlantic Financial Group in Des Moines, where he worked primarily on issues related to domestic and international estate tax.

As a second-year student Nielson had the opportunity to work as a student attorney in the transactional practice of the Drake Legal Clinic, where he provided legal assistance to business startups, entrepreneurs and community nonprofit organizations to help them establish successful enterprises. 

2018 WEINDRUCH SCHOLARSHIP - ANDREW KARAS

Andrew B. Karas is a third-year law student at the Drake University Law School in Des Moines, Iowa. He currently serves as the lead student attorney in Drake’s Elder Law Clinic. He was the 2016 recipient of the Drake Dean’s Scholarship and has maintained a position on the dean’s list throughout his education. He is currently employed as the CFO of Radiant Complexions Dermatology Clinics, Inc., the position he has held since 2010.

Andrew received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Faith Baptist Bible College in Ankeny, Iowa, in 2003. While an undergrad, he was named in Who’s Who Among America’s College Students and inducted into Delta Epsilon Chi National Honor Society. He also held various student leadership roles. Andrew then went on to receive a Master of Business Administration degree with an emphasis in nonprofit management from Drake University in 2007. Along the way, he took additional graduate credits in accountancy.

Andrew started his financial career as a personal banker with Wells Fargo Bank. He then became the director of institutional advancement and assistant to the president of his alma mater, Faith Baptist Bible College. In 2010, he left that position to take his current role with Radiant Complexions Dermatology Clinics. Over the years he has served on various nonprofit boards, such as the Kirkendall Public Library Foundation in Ankeny, Restoring Hope International in South Africa and the Faith Community Foundation in Des Moines. He is currently a founding board member of Two Rivers Classical Academy, a nonprofit that works to improve the quality of teacher instruction and curriculum for home school families in Central Iowa.

Andrew lives with his wife, Melissa, and their two children in Clive, Iowa. He grew up in Fontanelle, Iowa, where he was home schooled. He is the proud son of Galen and Lisa Karas. He enjoys reading and history, and he dreams of learning the sport of curling after passing the bar exam in February.

2017 WEINDRUCH SCHOLARSHIP - DILLON MALONE

Dillon D. Malone is a third-year law student at the Drake University Law School in Des Moines, Iowa. He currently serves as the Editor in Chief of the Drake Law Review. During his first year of Law School, he interned with the Iowa Finance Authority and Meredith Corporation. In his second year, Malone was a Teaching Assistant for the Legal Research and Writing Program at Drake University Law School. He currently clerks for Carney & Appleby, P.L.C.

 Malone received his bachelor’s in Politics from Drake University. While an undergraduate at Drake, he was involved with the Drake College Republicans and Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, holding leadership positions in both. From 2012 to 2015, he clerked in the Iowa House of Representatives for Representative Ron Jorgensen.

Malone grew up in Dow City, Iowa, graduating from Boyer Valley High School in Dunlap, Iowa. He is proudly the son of Ted and Sandi Malone of Dow City. 

2016 WEINDRUCH SCHOLARSHIP - MARY ROSE SHELLEY

Mary Rose Shelley is a third-year law student at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. She serves as the deputy online editor on the editorial board of the Drake Law Review and is president of Drake Law Women. She is also a member of Delta Theta Phi Law Fraternity. She is currently working as clerk for the law firm of Dutton, Braun, Staack & Hellman in Waterloo, Iowa, and as a head representative for Kaplan. During her second year of law school, she was the secretary for the Student Health Law Association and the Baskets to Benefit co-chair for Drake Law Women. As Baskets to Benefit co-chair, Shelley organized a silent auction that raised over $1,700 for Children and Families of Iowa. 

Shelley received her bachelor’s in economics from the University of Northern Iowa, where she made the dean’s list several times. While at UNI, she was president of Orchesis Dance Company, a dance company of students interested in pursuing the choreography, performance and production of ballet, jazz, modern and tap styles of dance. She also studied abroad in Nicaragua with a group of economics students that helped build and paint a water shed at the local village school.  

Shelley grew up in Jefferson, Iowa, where she worked many hours at her mother’s local café and was actively involved in academics, sports and dance. In her free time, she enjoys dancing, biking the trails of the Cedar Valley and watching local bands. Following graduation from Drake Law, Shelley will work as an associate at Dutton, Braun, Staack & Hellman.

2015 WEINDRUCH SCHOLARSHIP - KELSEY LEPPERT

Kelsey Leppert is this year’s recipient of the Iowa Taxpayers Association Linda S. Weindruch scholarship. Kelsey is a Grimes native and a third-year law student at Drake University Law School in Des Moines. She serves on the staff of the Drake Law Review and is president of Drake Law Women. She currently is working in the Transactional Business and Nonprofit Clinic at the Drake Legal Clinic and as a research assistant for Professor Jerry Anderson. This past summer, she worked as a law clerk for the Iowa Department of Revenue in its Tax Policy & Communications Division.   

Outside the classroom, Kelsey sings in the Drake University Community Chorus, serves as a youth mentor at her church and volunteers with the West Des Moines Valley High School show choirs. Prior to attending law school, Kelsey received her Bachelor of Arts in Business Management and Spanish from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. During undergrad, she spent her junior year studying abroad in Valencia, Spain and was active in choir and Student Philanthropy Council. Following graduation from Drake Law, Kelsey hopes to practice law in the Des Moines area specializing in Estate Planning and Taxation.

2014 WEINDRUCH SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT - JAMES GREENWOOD

The 2014 ITA Weindruch Scholarship winner, James Greenwood, has made the Dean’s List, served as President of the Business Law Society, served as Vice-President of the Military Law Student Association, and has competed as part of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Society’s Mediation Team. In addition, James is a member of Delta Theta Phi Law Fraternity and the ABA Law Student Division. James sits on the Vestry (board) of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Des Moines. This year James has worked in Drake’s Low Income Taxpayer Clinic.

Prior to attending Drake, James served in the U.S. Navy for eight years as an Electricians Mate (Nuclear Operator) on board the USS Buffalo (out of Pearl Harbor, HI) and USS Ohio (out of Bremerton, WA). While on active duty, James completed Naval Nuclear Power School in Charleston, SC, and also received his Associates of Science from Vincennes University. He was honorably discharged and went on to receive his Bachelors of Arts from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst where he graduated Magna Cum Laude.

Greenwood was one of three finalists selected by the Drake Law School’s Office of Admissions and Financial Aid for consideration by a selection committee at the Iowa Taxpayers Association. Among his many qualifications, the selection committee chose Greenwood because of his achieved recognition through the attributes that epitomize Linda S. Weindruch: advocacy, leadership, fairness and a strong moral compass.