Des Moines, IA – Three finalists for Des Moines University president were announced to employees and students October 11. A search committee has been working to fill the role since the retirement of Governor Terry Branstad in October 2009. The committee announced the following candidates:
- Stephen Dengle, M.B.A., current interim president and COO of Des Moines University.
- Angela Franklin, Ph.D., executive vice president and provost at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tenn.
- Eugene (Gene) Meyer, M.P.A., commissioner for the Iowa Department of Public Safety.
Dengle has been at Des Moines University (DMU) since 1979. He was named interim president of DMU the day Gov. Branstad resigned in 2009. He previously served as interim president December 2002 through August 2003. He has been the University’s chief operating officer since 2005. He has served as personnel director, executive assistant to the president, executive director of administrative services, vice president for administration and finance and chief finance officer. He has a B.S. and M.B.A. from the University of Iowa. He also serves as a board member for the Free Clinics of Iowa and American Osteopathic Foundation. He is a member of the finance committee for Mercy Medical Center-Des Moines. Before joining DMU he served as personnel director and assistant to the mayor of Burlington, Iowa, and personnel director for the Des Moines Metro Transit Authority.
Franklin oversees the academic and administrative aspects of three schools within Meharry Medical College and supervises human resources, information technology, enrollment management, student services, faculty affairs and development, campus operations and the library. She served as acting president of the university in 2009 and holds a professorship in psychiatry and behavioral sciences. Prior to Meharry, she held various appointments at Morehouse School of Medicine in Georgia. She is on the board of trustees for Furman University, a small liberal arts college in South Carolina and is vice chair of the development committee for the board. She has been an American Council on Education fellow at Oglethorpe University. She is also on the board of advisors for The Oasis Center: a youth development center in Nashville and member of the Tennessee Women’s Forum. She has been involved in the Liaison Committee on Medical Education as a site reviewer for accreditation of medical schools. She earned her Ph.D. in clinical psychology at Emory University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in Atlanta and is a licensed clinical psychologist.
Meyer manages 1000 employees as commissioner for the Iowa Department of Public Safety (IDPS) including administrative services, division of narcotics enforcement, Iowa State Patrol, Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), state fire marshal and the Intelligence Fusion Center. He has been in city and state government for more than 40 years and previously served as director and assistant director of DCI, director of planning, training and research for IDPS, assistant director of DCI’s major crimes bureau, special agent in charge for DCI and communications operator for IDPS. He is chair for the board of directors for the Iowa Peace Officer Retirement System and chairs the governor’s implementation committee for youth and detention. He is a board member for the Des Moines Symphony and member of the national advisory committee for Drake’s business college. He was an elected member of the West Des Moines Community School Board for three three-year terms and served as board president and vice president. He was the mayor of West Des Moines from 1997 until 2006. He has an M.P.A. from Drake University.
The three will visit campus and offer a presentation to employees and students in the next few weeks.
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