President Jay Byers
About President Jay Byers
Jay Byers ’93 began his service as president of Simpson College on July 31, 2023. Byers had served on Simpson’s Board of Trustees since 2012. He is the 25th president of the College, which was founded in 1860.
Byers excelled in his 18 years of executive leadership with the Greater Des Moines Partnership, including the past 11 years as president and CEO. Under his leadership, The Partnership experienced significant growth, expanding to represent 11 counties and 24 Affiliate Chambers of Commerce with more than 6,500 members, making The Partnership the fourth largest regional chamber of commerce in the country. During his tenure, DSM has been the fastest-growing major metro in the Midwest in terms of population, GDP and job growth, and received countless rankings and accolades. Byers also previously chaired the Iowa Chamber Alliance at the statewide level and the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) at the national level and served as the U.S. representative on the International Chamber of Commerce World Chambers Federation General Council.
Prior to the president and CEO position, Byers served as The
Partnership’s senior vice president of Government Relations and Public Policy. Before joining The Partnership, he worked as district director for Iowa Congressman Leonard Boswell and as an attorney at the Ice Miller Law Firm in Indianapolis, Indiana, after earning his Juris Doctor from the University of Iowa College of Law.
“JAY IS THE PERFECT CHOICE TO LEAD SIMPSON COLLEGE. HE HAS A FERVENT PASSION FOR SIMPSON'S MISSION AND DISTINGUISHED HISTORY OF GAME-CHANGING, VISIONARY LEADERSHIP. WE ARE EXCITED TO SEE THE INNOVATIVE BOLDNESS HE WILL BRING TO BUILDING THE SIGNIFICANT STRATEGIC MOMENTUM CREATED UNDER (HIS PREDECESSOR) PRESIDENT KELLIHER."
— TerrY HANDLEY
Chair, Simpson Board of Trustees
Byers, a 2015 Simpson College Alumni Achievement Award winner, holds numerous other community leadership roles. He currently serves on multiple boards of directors, including Catch Des Moines, America’s Cultivation Corridor, ChildServe and the Blank Park Zoo Foundation. Byers’ other accolades include the Iowa Character Award (2023); recognition as the #2 Most Influential Business Leader by the Des Moines Business Record (2019-23); the Des Moines Business Record Forty Under 40 Alum of the Year (2012); the ACCE Chairman’s Award (2020); and Catch Des Moines Community Champion Award (2014).