{"podcast":{"title":"Legacy Leavers","slug":"legacy-leavers-7408279","podcast_index_feed_id":7408279,"rss_url":"https://anchor.fm/s/1052dcd18/podcast/rss","website_url":"https://www.desmoinesfoundation.org/podcast","image_url":"https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_nologo/43718550/43718550-1747834823722-669489b42506a.jpg","author":"Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines","episode_count":13,"summary":"Welcome to Legacy Leavers, a podcast that celebrates the visionaries that have shaped, and are shaping, Greater Des Moines through philanthropy, leadership and service. At the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines, we believe we’re simply Better Together — and these powerful and inspiring stories prove it. From personal turning points to powerful acts of giving, we explore what truly drives a life of legacy.","last_synced_at":null,"page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/legacy-leavers-7408279"},"episode":{"title":"A Legacy Earned with Ambassador Mary E. Kramer","slug":"a-legacy-earned-with-ambassador-mary-e-kramer","published_at":"2025-12-03T10:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/legacy-leavers-7408279/a-legacy-earned-with-ambassador-mary-e-kramer","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/legacy-leavers-7408279","url":"https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cfgdm/episodes/A-Legacy-Earned-with-Ambassador-Mary-E--Kramer-e3bp9st","audio_url":"https://anchor.fm/s/1052dcd18/podcast/play/112026973/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2025-11-2%2F01c5cd0f-aedb-8309-8e47-38d37039f4f7.mp3","summary":"Today on the Legacy Leavers podcast, we're pleased to have Ambassador Mary E. Kramer join us to tell her story as an Iowa trailblazer whose remarkable career spans classrooms, boardrooms, the Iowa capitol and even international diplomacy. An Iowa native, Ambassador Kramer spent twenty years teaching and serving as a school administrator. In 1975, she transitioned into the corporate world—first as personnel director at Younkers, then as Vice President of Human Resources and Community Investments at Wellmark Blue Cross & Blue Shield. Mary entered politics in 1990 as an Iowa State Senator, ultimately becoming the first woman independently elected President of the Iowa Senate in 1997. In 2002, she chaired the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars, and in 2004, was confirmed as U.S. Ambassador to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean. She’s written two books and is an inspiring advocate and promoter of civility in life, work and politics. Mary Kramer embodies the wisdom that legacy isn’t given—it’s earned, moment by moment. Links from the Episode: Younkers Political Career More Than A Walk On The Beach: Confessions of an Unlikely Diplomat An Unlikely Ambassador and Her Diplomatic Daughter: Stories & Recipes for the Life You Want","meta_description":"Today on the Legacy Leavers podcast, we're pleased to have Ambassador Mary E. Kramer join us to tell her story as an Iowa trailblazer whose remarkable car…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2640,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/legacy-leavers-7408279/episodes/a-legacy-earned-with-ambassador-mary-e-kramer/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/legacy-leavers-7408279/a-legacy-earned-with-ambassador-mary-e-kramer.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}