Advisory Council

Dirk van der Linden (1978) and his wife Lee (1980) have been the publishers of the Belmond Independent since 1985.

Before buying the Belmond Independent, Dirk worked at newspapers in Story City, Milford, and Sibley, Iowa.

As community journalists in rural Iowa, the van der Linden’s experience includes reporting, photography, editing, accounting, advertising sales and design, page layout, human resources, printing, supplies, distribution, and computer technology. The van der Lindens also own a Hallmark card shop that opened in 1993.

The Iowa Newspaper Association named the pair Master Editor Publishers in 2002. Dirk van der Linden was name one of the Ten Outstanding Young Iowans in 1996 by the Iowa Jaycees and was presented the Belmond Distinguished Community Service Award in 1997.

Since 1985, the Belmond Independent has won 46 honors in the Iowa Newspaper Association awards competition, including eleven honors for Dirk van der Linden in editorial writing.

He is a past president of the Story City Lions, Belmond Jaycees, Belmond
Chamber of Commerce, Belmond Housing Council, and the United Methodist Church Board of Trustees.