We are thrilled to share a bit about each of the members of the new LPIA State Central Committee elected at the 2022 State Convention.
Chair: Jules Ofenbakh
Jules grew up under communism in the Soviet Union which her family fled shortly after the coup. Jules said “My path to the Libertarian Party started before I became an American. I saw first hand that socialism really means the impoverishment of the many to support the largess of the few. We must stop the current attempt to import these failed, outdated ideas and instead support the fact that freedom comes from recognizing the natural rights of all individuals.” During her term she intends to increase fund raising by showing objective growth results, focused affiliate outreach, and targeted district campaigning. “We need to focus our efforts rather than spread ourselves thin. People come to America fleeing tyranny and oppression only to find that America is becoming more and more like the place they left. Veterans know first hand the cost of continued wars and government action. By focusing our resources on those races we can have the greatest opportunity for success and we’ll build a track record of success.”
Co-Chair: Benjamin Held
Understands geology, and how over a millennium Iowa has taken the poor, sandy soil blown in from Nebraska, and built one of the most beautiful landscapes, the Loess Hills of Western Iowa – a fertile land of superior corn, and people.
Secretary: Clyde Harold Gibson III
Clyde is a person who believes in spreading pure Libertarian ideals. Pushing the raw message of liberty into the marketplace of ideas is of great importance to him. He has been a registered Libertarian in Iowa since 2010. He has been elected the Chair of the Muscatine County Affiliate of the LPIA for two consecutive terms from 2020 to the current term. In 2021 he was appointed Interim Secretary of the LPIA and was elected the Secretary of the LPIA at the 2022 State Convention. He has a career as a Facilities Engineering Tech. in the Steel Industry. He was born and raised in New Jersey, arriving in Iowa after college. He currently resides in Muscatine County with his wife and 2 children.
Treasurer: Nathan Kleffman
Nathan Kleffman is a Sr. Architect at a Technology Consulting firm, delivering CRM projects for global companies. He currently serves as Treasurer for the Libertarian Party of Iowa and Chair for the Pottawattamie County affiliate. He has been active in libertarian circles since 2005, which included running for LP Texas State Rep (2010), giving passionate speeches on the LP national platform committee (2014), serving as treasurer for a PAC (2014-2018), and blogging on libertarian issues (2011-2016), including getting published on lewrockwell.com. Nathan lives in Council Bluffs, IA with his wife and four children.
At-Large: David Green
David Green is a Libertarian from birth, registered Libertarian since changing from independent in early 1990s. He has been active in the party since 2019, serving as LPIA At-Large Representative and active in Polk County LP since 2020. David spent his first 18 years in Shenandoah, Iowa (a more accurate description then the term “growing up”), followed by education in Iowa City before a short-lived career as a public school teacher and coach. David has been an independent insurance agent since 2006. He is passionate about the 2nd Amendment, ending the drug war, and personal responsibility.
At-Large: Jacob Stevens
Jacob Stevens grew up in Minnesota and joined the army when he was 18. After service he went to college for a mathematics degree. Jacob married an Iowan and moved to Iowa in 2005. He first got involved in politics during Ron Paul’s campaigns, but left the political realm in disillusionment after seeing the shady way Ron Paul was treated. Jacob then joined the Libertarian Party around 2018 because of work being done by friends who helped start the Mises Caucus within the LP. Jacob works as a trucker, and has a wife and 3 children.
District 1 Representative: Devon Wiese
Devon Wiese is a lifelong Iowan from Eldridge. He has been a part of the liberty movement in some form or fashion since 2007. He owns and operates multiple bars in the Quad Cities area and has seen first hand how the government crushes business. The last three years have pushed him back into the trenches to fight for a better world for his family. Devon looks forward to growing the party with the same philosophy that helped him grow his businesses. Growth through honesty, hard work, and a fiery passion for the task at hand.
District 2 Representative: Heath Long
Heath Long is a boomerang Iowan, who has also resided in Mississippi and Arizona. He has been a libertarian since 2008, but mostly inactive in Libertarian politics. Then 2020 happened. Inaction was removed from the table as a viable option. Heath is a husband, father, brother, and son. He is a Sr. Technical Architect at a Technology Consulting firm, delivering projects for some of the world’s largest companies.
District 3 Representative: Adam (AJ) Fisher
A registered Libertarian since age 18, AJ was born and raised in Des Moines; an only son, and a third generation Eastsider of “Lee Township” tradition. After studying the failed Drug War and Youth Gangs during a thesis in Criminology at University of Northern Iowa, he realized how individual freedom is stolen by the state. After graduating from UNI in 2003, he left Cedar Falls to work in DSM, but stayed out of local politics. Then in 2018, when Libertarian Gubernatorial Candidate Jake Porter was left out of the live debate despite his name on the ballot, AJ attended his first political protest in support of local Libertarians. Talking to fellow Iowans and granting ballot access for Jo Jorgensen was a rewarding experience in 2019. He volunteers time as a Sons of The American Legion member and is a strong advocate for the Second Amendment. AJ was first elected to the LPIA SCC in 2020 as the District 3 Representative, is active in the Polk County Libertarians group, and has been a member of the LP Redacted Caucus since 2021. AJ resides in East Des Moines where he raises two children with his wife, Ericka.
District 4 Representative: Rick Achtziger
Rick Achtziger has been involved in 3rd party politics since first working on the Ross Perot 1992 campaign. He has worked with the Reform Party, the Green Party, the Constitution Party, and has been working with the Libertarian Party for the last three years. He is proud to have never voted for a major party his entire life. He has worked his way up from hoeing cabbage with migrant workers to currently running food plants for Unilever, Conagra, Nestles, and more. He is a trained accountant but hated every minute of the work and chose to manage systems and people instead. He moved to Iowa in April of 2021.
