Cara Heiden

Current public company boards: Casey’s General Stores

Executive Experience: Cara Heiden is retired co-president of Wells Fargo Home Mortgage (WFHM), a Wells Fargo company and the nation’s largest provider of residential mortgages.

Cara focused on leading WFHM to continually achieve outstanding financial goals, nationally promoting the benefits of homeownership, as well as rallying the company’s employees to fulfill on the promise to customers and clients (working together to reach customers’ personal and financial goals through homeownership, and being our clients’ No. 1 partner to help build their business.) Asked to testify before the U.S. House of Representatives and address numerous other prestigious forums on responsible lending and servicing, Cara became a national advocate of making sure consumers are treated fairly throughout the mortgage industry. She was frequently recognized in U.S. Banker magazine’s “25 Most Powerful Women in Banking,” ranking 7th the year before her retirement.

Additional information: She devotes time to giving back to the community. Over the years, Heiden has served on various boards and capital campaigns such as chair of the board and 27 campaign chair for the United Way of Central Iowa, past chair of the board of Iowa State University Foundation, member of the ISU College of Business Dean’s Advisory Council, co-chair of Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity’s capital campaign, and tri-chair of Capital Crossroads, a regional economic development and quality of life multi-year strategic plan.  In October 21, Governor Terry Branstad appointed Heiden to the Iowa Innovation Corporation board, a non-profit corporation that serves as Iowa’s innovation intermediary. Currently she is director and past chair of the board of directors of the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines, chair of the board of directors for Lutheran Family Service, governor for Iowa State University Foundation, chair of the ISU College of Business Dean’s Advisory Council, member of Trinity Lutheran Church, in various leadership roles.

Before Cara’s 3 year career with Wells Fargo, Heiden spent three years with the accounting firm of Ernst & Young. She earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial administration with honors from Iowa State University and is a Certified Public Accountant. She and her husband have three daughters.