About David Maxwell
David Maxwell has been president of Drake University since May of 1999. He was director of the National Foreign Language Center in Washington, D.C., from 1993 to 1999, after serving as president of Whitman College from 1989 to 1993. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the Business/Higher Education Forum and sits on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. Maxwell previously sat on the board of directors of both the American Council on Education and the Association of American Colleges and Universities.
Photo: David Maxwell
About Tom Harkin
Sen. Tom Harkin has represented Iowa in the United States Congress for nearly four decades. He served Iowa’s 5th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1975 to 1985 and has been a U.S. Senator since 1985. Harkin’s legislative policy priorities have included federal farm policy, civil rights for Americans with disabilities, childhood nutrition and food access, healthcare access and reform, labor issues, and access to and improvement of education. He lives in the house in Cumming, Iowa, where he was born and plans to retire from Congress in 2014.
Photo: Tom Harkin
About Larry Zimpleman
Larry Zimpleman is chairman, president, and CEO of the Principal Financial Group, where he was first hired in 1971 as an actuarial intern. He is a two-time Drake University alumnus and current chair of the Drake University Board of Trustees. He is co-chair of distinctlyDrake, the University’s comprehensive fundraising initiative. He also serves on the boards of several other local and national organizations, including the Financial Services Roundtable Board & Executive Committee and the American Council of Life Insurers.
Photo: Larry Zimpleman
About Bill Knapp
Bill Knapp is the founder of Iowa Realty and Knapp Properties Inc., two of Iowa’s largest real estate companies. He served on the Drake University Board of Trustees from 1976 to 2006 and is the recipient of the Drake University Distinguished Service Medal, Drake’s highest honor. His lifelong commitment to community service and philanthropy is demonstrated in part by his financial support to Drake. Thanks to his generous support, Drake completed the William C. Knapp Center in 1992. The Roger Knapp Tennis Center was named in honor of Knapp’s late son, who served as the Drake men’s tennis coach from 1989 to 1994.
Photo: Bill Knapp
About Gregory Geoffroy
Gregory Geoffroy is president emeritus at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, after having served from 2001¬¬–2011 as the university’s president. He currently holds the title of professor of chemistry at Iowa State and is also serving as chair of the Board of Trustees of Ashford University. During Geoffroy’s tenure as president, Iowa State University expanded student enrollment and diversity and saw major improvements to campus infrastructure. From 1997 until 2001, Geoffroy served as the senior vice president for academic affairs and provost at University of Maryland in College Park, Md. Previously, he was at the Pennsylvania State University, serving in a variety of roles from 1974 through 1997, including dean of the Eberly College of Science and head of the chemistry department.
Photo: Gregory Geoffrey