Lang
12/19/25
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has announced the appointments of Steve Lacy and Peter Cownie to the Iowa Board of Regents. Both appointments are subject to Senate confirmation.
Lacy is the former CEO of Des Moines-based Meredith Corporation. Cownie served in the Iowa House of Representatives from 2008 to 2018.
Cownie and Lacy replace Sherry Bates, who resigned earlier this month, and David Barker, who left the board in October to join the Trump administration.
Iowa law requires a political and gender balance on the board. Cownie is a registered Republican. Lacy identified as a Democrat when he was named to the managing council of the University of Iowa Center for Intellectual Freedom. But he also donated almost $9,000 to Reynolds’ last re-election campaign and supported Nikki Haley for president last year.