Simpson College board of trustees chair to serve as acting president

Simpson College in Indianola has announced board of trustees chair Terry Handley will step into the role of acting president after Jay Byers’ death late last week.

According to a news release, Handley was unanimously chosen by the board’s executive committee and will operate as acting president until a new president is selected. No timeline has been announced to fill the position. The board of trustees will discuss next steps at its May 15 meeting.

“I accept this responsibility with full confidence in our board, College leadership, faculty and staff to carry us through this extraordinarily difficult time,” Handley said in the release. “As we continue to mourn the loss of President Byers together, one of the most important ways we can honor Jay is to ensure our students experience a strong finish to the academic year and that we appropriately celebrate the Class of 2025. That’s our focus right now.”

Byers, a Simpson alum who became president of the private university in summer 2023, was found dead April 17 in the president’s residence on campus during a wellness check by Indianola police.

Indianola Police Chief Brian Sher said in a news conference last week Byers was found alone and police do not believe there was a criminal element to his death, but did not provide further details.

A memorial service for Byers will be held at 10:30 a.m. April 25 at Hoyt Sherman Place, located at 1501 Woodland Ave., Des Moines, according to his obituary.

Trustee Terry Lillis will take over for Handley as acting board chair, according to the release. Handley has served on the board since 2015 and became chair in 2021.

““Terry has the compassion, wisdom and experience Simpson needs right now,” said trustee Deeanna Strable in the release. “He has demonstrated steady, strong leadership as board chair, and he has the unwavering resolve and skills to keep the College moving forward through tough times. All of us on the board are ready to rally around him.”