Mark Klever

Mark Klever was born and raised on a farm in Audubon County. After graduation from Audubon High School, he received his undergraduate degree from Northwest Missouri State University. Mark was an educator and coach at Grand Community Schools and Ackley-Geneva Schools. It was during this time he received his graduate degree from University of Northern lowa.

Later Mark became associated with Johnson & Sons Insurance Agency (1926) in Dayton, Oden and Boone. During this time Mark was able to be involved with the Independent Insurance Agents of lowa (IIAI) serving on the Rural Agents Committee and then as chair. He was then appointed to the lIAI Board of Directors and later elected state President. Mark was later selected as IIAl’s H. Red Nelson Agent of the Year.

The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA) selected Mark to serve on the national Rural Agents Committee, later serving as chair. He then served on lIABA’s Technical Affairs Committee meeting with the Insurance Service Office in the World Trade Center. It was during this time that crop insurance was becoming a very important insurance product. Mark initiated conversation with the National Crop Insurances Services (NCIS) and for the first time they agreed to have Independent Insurance Agents included in the companies crop insurance meetings.

Mark was a Lions Club member for 50 years. He served on the Dayton Community Club, Dayton Betterment Board and, of course, popped popcorn for the concessions at the Dayton Rodeo! He was active in Emanuel Lutheran Church as Sunday school teacher, church council, treasurer, but did not sing in the church choir.

Mark was fortunate to have been able to serve on several national board of directors: Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; Lutheran School of Theology Seminar and MOSAIC Homes. For 12 years he organized eye care mission trips to third world countries. His teams have done eye exams on over 10,000 school children and given out over 4,000 pairs of glasses. But he is most pleased that he was able to support the high school and university education of two girls in Tanzania and a girl and a boy in Uganda, who otherwise would not have received an education past 6th grade.