91´óÉñ

Cindy Schaus is an associate director of the 91´óÉñ Office of Corporate, Foundation, and Government Relations. As the ‘Grants Office’ this team works with faculty and staff to pursue external funding for research, teaching, and campus-wide initiatives. Their office is focusing on identifying potential external funding sources, assisting in proposal development from concept to submission, and helping steward and administer funded grants.

Prior to joining 91´óÉñ in 2021, Schaus led corporate giving strategies and engagement with charitable foundations and nonprofits while she holding leadership roles in financial services. Her experience includes leading corporate funding, communications, marketing, and shareholder engagement in the U.S. for the Netherlands-based Fortune 500 company, ING, and its North American subsidiaries Equitable of Iowa Companies, Aetna Financial Services, and ReliaStar Financial Services. Schaus is a two-time honoree for the international ING Circle of Excellence awards.

Schaus serves on the Board of Directors of the Grant Professionals Association of Central Iowa; and is currently the Treasurer. She also serves on funding panel reviews for regional, state, and national grant programs. She holds a B.A. in accounting from Simpson College and completed additional course work in art and art history at the University of Iowa, and master's in education at Iowa State University. Her background also includes certification in Strategic Giving and Foundation Planning with Boston College, and she has served as past chair of the Central Iowa Contributions Consortium, and past chair of the Financial Services Institute’s Council on Marketing, Growth, and Development.