Meet Dr. Daniel Zinnel, Incoming Mid-Iowa Health Foundation Board Member

In June 2023, Mid-Iowa Health Foundation welcomed Dr. Daniel Zinnel as a member of its Board of Directors. Zinnel is CEO of Proteus, Inc., an organization that provides affordable health care, education assistance, and job training to agricultural workers in the Midwest. Zinnel brings to the Foundation’s Board of Directors more than 15 years of nonprofit administration and leadership experience, expertise in local and national equity and inclusion efforts, and the perspective of having participated in Mid-Iowa Health Foundation’s HealthConnect Fellowship.

In this interview, Zinnel shares the experiences and perspectives he offers and the opportunities he sees to improve community health and well-being.

What was your experience with Mid-Iowa Health Foundation’s HealthConnect Fellowship?

The Fellowship has been an invaluable resource to our nonprofit organization for connecting with others who are doing such critical and incredible work and to think through potential ways to collaborate. The resources, different frameworks, and focus on systems and policy change have been instrumental in creating more sustaining and long-term impacts for organizations like ours. I’m glad the Fellowship continues with opportunities to build connections with incoming fellows and to network with existing fellows to talk through different strategies that could benefit the various individuals we provide services to.

What excites you about joining Mid-Iowa Health Foundation’s Board of Directors?  

While the HealthConnect Fellowship's first cohort included a former board member, it’s an honor to be the first HealthConnect Fellow to join the board since the fellowship began. While I can’t speak on behalf of all the fellows, I think I can offer insights and add to the discussion from a HealthConnect Fellow perspective and, hopefully, continue to support the organization in more of that type of work. The Central Iowa Basic Income Pilot is also really exciting. Having such a bold initiative be led by Mid-Iowa Health Foundation is incredible for our community. I’m excited to see the research and also see how the Foundation can drive and lead efforts toward solving some of the issues within our communities.

How does your work connect with the Foundation’s focus on system-change efforts to address the social determinants of health?

Within the primary care association world, we are thinking about the social drivers of health, which puts empowerment back on individuals. While there are things out of our control that happen to us, there are things we can be empowered to pursue once we have access to resources and the necessary care that we need.

At Proteus, all the programs we provide have some connection to a system-change effort and addressing the true needs of farmworkers in the Midwest. Our ethos is transforming to meet the needs of farmworkers. We try to eliminate as many barriers to care and resources they need for themselves and their families to thrive, so everything we do is closely connected to the Foundation’s work.

What experiences and beliefs shape how you approach this leadership opportunity?

I am always trying to recognize how my identities and experiences show up in spaces that I am in and to also think about how others with different identities and experiences might be impacted by decisions that are being made. My approach to the Foundation's Board will be asking questions to make sure we are approaching things from a justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility, and belonging standpoint to work toward addressing the injustices and inequities that the Foundation is trying to address.

I recognize that I have a lot of privilege in the identities and experiences that I have had and that there are many different communities I’ve had the opportunity to engage with. I bring experiences within the nonprofit space of working as a gay man, serving individuals with intellectual disabilities, improving reproductive health care, advocating with the LGBTQ community, and creating more access to resources for farmworkers. I think those experiences will hopefully allow me to contribute to the conversation in a meaningful way.

What are you most proud of in your professional career?

During the first summer of the pandemic, we were able to advocate with state leaders to put in place mitigation efforts that protected farmworkers from COVID-19. These strategies—including access to testing, placing workers in pods, serving meals, and providing hotel rooms for quarantine—prevented outbreaks. We also saw during this time that workers in meatpacking plants needed greater access to health care, so we partnered with a facility in Polk County to pilot a project that provided services onsite.

What do you see as the potential for a healthy, thriving community?

A lot of things must happen for us to see the potential for a healthy, thriving community. Before we get to that place, I see the potential in continuing to have dialogue with neighbors, with others who are different from us, and continuing to learn about different experiences to inform how we move toward a healthy, thriving community. It’s also about creating initiatives and efforts that are focused on areas of our community that are wanting and needing access to resources and making sure as many barriers and limitations are removed, so we really are a healthy and thriving community for all and not just for some.