Bill Menner is the founder of The Bill Menner Group, a consulting firm focused on community development, rural partnerships and economic vitality. His work includes contract executive leadership of the Iowa Rural Health Association and the Iowa Rural Development Council.

Prior to the creation of his consultancy, Menner served the Obama Administration as Iowa’s state director of USDA Rural Development. In that position, he oversaw an organization providing support for housing, community facility, energy and businesses across rural Iowa. Between 2009 and 2017, Rural Development invested more than $5 billion in loans and grants in rural communities in Iowa.

Before his White House appointment, Menner was economic development director in Grinnell, Iowa. There he also led downtown development, historic preservation and tourism efforts.  He started his career as a public radio reporter in Ohio and Iowa.

Menner is an active volunteer, serving on numerous boards and commissions. He currently serves as president of Partners for Rural America, chairs the American Hospital Association’s Committee on Governance, is treasurer of the Grinnell Area Chamber of Commerce board and serves on the boards of the Grinnell Area Arts Council and the UnityPoint Health-Grinnell Regional Medical Center Foundation.

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.