About us

Kyven Gadson is an American Freestyle wrestler from Waterloo, Iowa. At Iowa State University, Gadson was a three-time All-American and three-time Big 12 Champ. He won the 2015 NCAA Championships in the 197 lb weight class. He is currently employed as the Associate in the office of Student-Athlete and Letterwinner Engagement. 

Outside of wrestling, Kyven is closely involved in the community and helped co-found two non-profits in 2020. The Be Rare Initiative and the Black Wrestling Association are Kyven’s sources for pursuing his passions and building his legacy. Kyven currently lives in Ames with his two-year-old daughter, Hayven.

Erica Andorf is the Director and Co-Founder of Be Rare Initiative, Manager/Agent for Kyven Gadson and Nate Carr, Jr, and the Director of Donor Relations at the Cyclone Regional Training Center. She has over twenty years of experience in marketing, non-profits, and management. 

Erica has two sons Blayke and Marcus. She is a wrestling fanatic and grandma to Quincy and Iylah. Erica wakes up each day blessed that she can pursue her dreams for the Be Rare Initiative. 

Emily Matulac is a sophomore at Iowa State University double majoring in Finance and Management. She grew up in Ames, IA, and was a wrestling manager for Ames High School where Erica helped mentor her. 

Emily is currently the President of the Multicultural Business Network at the Ivy College of Business and is a travel manager for the Iowa State wrestling team, along with other activities. She enjoys helping out wherever she can and always keeps busy.  

Karen Couves works at Iowa State University where she coordinates faculty, staff, and graduate student professional development programming for the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT). 

Karen also facilitates the Mindful and Contemplative Pedagogy series where she promotes the benefits of mindfulness in the learning environment in order to build community and connection across campus. 

Karen has been a member of the Ames community for ten years and enjoys volunteering at different events including Iowa Games and other outdoor activities.

Dr. A. Denita Gadson is a small business owner, writer, and pollinator. She is also an academic advisor in the College of Business at the University of Northern Iowa. Her purpose is to inspire and empower people to grow where they are planted and to serve and lead in the communities where they live, work, pray, and play. She is an advocate of the shop local movement, economic mobility for Black Americans, and mental health.

She enjoys reading, movies, traveling, volunteering, and serving God. She would like to one day attend a live Broadway show.

Denita received her PhD from The University of Iowa, M.S. from Iowa State University, and B.A. from Alcorn State University. 

 Kipp Van Dyke is the Assistant Dean of Students for Student Assistance and Academic Success at Iowa State University. He has been at Iowa State for 13 years and is thankful for the opportunity to serve ISU students and the ISU community. 

Kipp also co-authored the book 

The Voice of College: The Freshmen Experience (www.thevoiceofcollege.com). 

 Joni Yeates grew up in Cedar Falls Iowa. She attended Iowa State University and graduated with a BBA degree in accounting. Joni currently lives in West Des Moines where she works as an accountant for two non-profit organizations, Grace United Methodist Church and Valley United Methodist Church. She was formerly the Chief Financial Officer for PMPro Interactive Services. 

Joni is excited to join Erica and Kyven on the BeRare team because she believes in their mission to help young people develop social and emotional intelligence skills.