Title: Public Works Director
Company: Bettendorf
Email: bschmidt@bettendorf.org
Bio: Brian has been the Public Works Director for the City of Bettendorf since March 2012. As the Public Works Director, Mr. Schmidt oversees a staff of 119 employees and develops, manages, administers, and directs the programs and activities of the Department of Public Works in the functional areas of: administration, engineering, fleet management, operating and capital budgeting, personnel, roads, bridges, right-of-way construction and maintenance, stormwater and sanitary sewer maintenance and construction, maintenance of parks, facilities and grounds, flood control and levee management, snow removal, municipal solid waste disposal and recycling, and the City’s transit system.

Throughout his career, Mr. Schmidt and been an active member of the American Public Works Association and the Solid Waste Association of North America.

Prior to his employment with the City of Bettendorf, he worked for the City of Davenport as a city engineer for ten (10) years holding key leadership roles within their Public Works Department where he was responsible for the capital budgeting, design and project management of a variety of Capital Improvement programs and projects. Early in his career he worked for two (2) consulting engineering firms prior to beginning employment in the public sector.

Brian holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering degree from the University of Illinois and is a licensed professional engineer in the State of Iowa.

Prior to furthering his education, he served in the United States Navy for six (6) years.

Title: Senior City Planner and Floodplain Administrator
Company: Bettendorf
Email: tbeswick@bettendorf.org
Bio: Taylor Beswick, AICP, CFM, has more than 12 years of public-sector planning experience and has served the City of Bettendorf since 2021. As Senior City Planner, he works on development review, long-range planning, zoning, floodplain management, and geographic information systems.

Taylor has helped lead several major City initiatives, including Bettendorf’s comprehensive plan update, zoning ordinance rewrite, housing and accessory dwelling unit policies, annexation planning, flood mitigation, and citywide GIS coordination. He also provides GIS and data support as a member of the City’s Emergency Operations Center team.

Taylor works closely with residents, developers, elected officials, regional partners, and state leaders on issues affecting Bettendorf’s future. He is also active in statewide discussions about housing, land use, and community development, advocating for practical policies that reflect the experiences of Iowa communities.

Taylor is a 2007 graduate of Rock Island High School. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Geography and Economics from the University of Iowa and a Master’s Degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Amsterdam. Before joining Bettendorf, Taylor worked for Scott County, the Metropolitan Council of the Twin Cities, and the Bi-State Regional Commission.

Taylor enjoys spending time with his family, traveling, renovating his house, and biking with friends.

Title: Rock Island District Deputy Design Branch Chief, Mayor of Riverdale
Company: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, City of Riverdale
Email: mayor@riverdaleia.org
Bio: Anthony Heddlesten is serving his 3rd term as Mayor of Riverdale, Iowa following a term on city council. He is a licensed professional engineer, certified floodplain manager, and certified elected municipal official. He has served as a civil/environmental engineer working in the water resources industry for the better part of the last 19 years after graduating from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.

Anthony has overseen the restoration of nearly $80M in levees across the 5 state region following the 2019 and 2023 flood events, has elevated homes on the Gulf Coast, has helped retrofit Lake Red Rock with a hydroelectric power plant, and has constructed an island along the Illinois River as part of his engineering career.

He has responded to multiple disasters across the nation, with none more challenging or stressful than the July 11, 2025 flash flood events on Duck Creek.

Title: Water Resources Engineer
Company: Iowa Flood Center
Email: daniel-gilles@uiowa.edu
Bio: Daniel Gilles has been a Water Resources Engineer at IIHR-Hydroscience and Engineering since 2010, with much of his work supporting the Iowa Flood Center’s mission.

Daniel received his BS (2009) and MS degrees(2010) in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Iowa. Daniel and his wife Amanda reside in Riverside, Iowa with their two sons and twin daughters.

Much of his work with the Iowa Flood Center has been development of community-based flood inundation map libraries, which includes collecting field measurements of rivers, development of floodplain models, and map production. In his role, he also develops watershed-scale hydrologic models and investigates watershed behavior with implementation of broad-scale flood mitigation efforts. Some of his most rewarding projects have been those that provide technical assistance to small Iowa communities.

Daniel enjoys spending time with his family, woodworking, playing the guitar, and helping coach his kid’s sports teams.