Leading in Times of Challenge with Jay Byers

Greater Des Moines Partnership CEO Jay Byers speaks on the challenges he’s faced at the organization in Greater Des Moines (DSM). Jay has been at The Partnership for 15 years and CEO for 8 of those years. Prior to that, he worked as senior VP of government affairs and public policy. Before joining The Partnership, Jay worked as district director for Congressman Leonard Boswell, as well as a corporate lawyer in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Jay's Leadership Tips

In 2014, Jay hadn’t been CEO at The Partnership for long, but found himself dealing with the unexpected Younkers fire in Downtown DSM. The Partnership’s office was on the same block as the Younkers building. He describes how The Partnership’s leadership team immediately began to put together a short- and long-term plan, assessing the situation and acting on what needed to be done to move forward as an organization. Jay recalls how the staff and community came together to solve the issues surrounding that particular challenge.

The Leading in Times of Challenge podcast was previously produced by the Greater Des Moines Partnership. To learn more about community events and leadership, check out The Partnership blog.