Alumni Achievement

Byers new chair of chamber executives association Jay Byers, Simpson ’90, former ATO National Board Member, CEO of the Greater Des Moines Partnership, has been named chair of the board of directors of the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives. Byers officially assumed the leadership position at the recent annual meeting of the association, a global network supporting and representing those who lead local, regional and statewide chambers of commerce and other private-sector economic and community development organizations. According to a news release, the Virginia-based ACCE represents nearly 9,000 people who work for and work with more than 1,300 chambers of commerce. Byers will serve a one-year term and oversee activities of a 70-member board that provides leadership and direction to the association’s 25-person staff