Bill Menner is the founder of The Bill Menner Group, a consulting firm focused on community development, rural partnerships and economic vitality. His clients include rural utilities, business start-ups, and both the Iowa Rural Development Council and the Iowa Rural Health Association, for whom he serves as their executive director.
Previous to the creation of that small business in 2017, Menner served the Obama Administration as Iowa’s state director of USDA Rural Development. During his tenure, Rural Development invested more than $5 billion in loans and grants in rural communities in Iowa.
Prior to his White House appointment to USDA, Menner served as executive director of Poweshiek Iowa Development, a county-wide economic development organization based in Grinnell. He also led downtown development, historic preservation and tourism efforts for the City of Grinnell.
Menner is an active volunteer, serving on numerous boards and commissions, including the UnityPoint Health-Grinnell and UnityPoint-Des Moines boards of trustees.
A native of the Cleveland, Ohio-area, Menner is a graduate of Ohio State University with a BA in journalism and an MA in political science. He has four children who range in age from 24 to 29.
Central Iowa Ag Summit 