37: Years he worked for the Iowa Department of Public Safety, from which he retired as director of the Division of Criminal Investigation in 2006. He also served as the agency’s commissioner (2007-2011) and as mayor of West Des Moines (1997-2006).
What makes him laugh: “Watching my children be parents.” Meyer and his wife, Kathy, have three grandchildren.
Honesty and frankness: Virtues he values most in others.
Cuba: Last country he visited, as part of the Greater Des Moines Partnership’s trip last fall.
7: Age of his first crush, on classmate Becky Murphy. Every time he went to the dentist, he’d pick out a toy ring and give it to her, only to have the ring stomped on, along with his heart, right in front of him.
Last big risk: Applying for the position of president of Des Moines University in 2010, which required him to “step out of my comfort zone. … I learned an unbelievable amount about myself—that at age 60, I could get energized by (applying to a position) in a field that was totally foreign to me.” Overall, he believes taking risks “broadens your horizons and gives depth and meaning to your life.”
“That I’m a registered independent.” What surprises people about him. “Some people are sure I’m a Republican because I worked in law enforcement and was the mayor of West Des Moines. Others are sure I’m a Democrat because I worked for (former governor) Chet Culver. … But I would (describe myself) as a social Democrat and a fiscal Republican.”
Theodore Roosevelt: Person from history he’d most like to meet.
Fishing: What he enjoys doing with his grandchildren.
A priest or a policeman: What he thought he’d grow up to be. Head altar boy as a youth in Jesup, Iowa, Meyer later studied criminal justice at Parsons College in Fairfield. (The college closed in 1973.)
The Lyres: The name of Meyer’s first band. He played the drums in rock and jazz groups during high school and beyond. Although Meyer says his days as a drummer may be gone, his three adult children are professional classical musicians: Violinist Matthew and violist Abby both play for the Des Moines Symphony, and violist Adam is the associate dean and director of music at The Juilliard School in New York.
Indulgence: “A really good martini—sometimes in the plural.”
On his nightstand: “Unbroken” by Laura Hillenbrand and “Gray Mountain” by John Grisham.
