Simpson College board of trustees chair Terry Handley has been named the college’s acting president after the unexpected death of President Jay Byers on April 17.

Handley, a 2009 Simpson alumnus, joined the college’s board in 2015 and has served as its chair since 2021. He retired as president and CEO of Casey’s General Stores Inc. in 2019, closing a career of almost 40 years.

“I accept this responsibility with full confidence in our board, College leadership, faculty and staff to carry us through this extraordinarily difficult time,” said Handley. “As we continue to mourn the loss of President Byers together, one of the most important ways we can honor Jay is to ensure our students experience a strong finish to the academic year and that we appropriately celebrate the Class of 2025. That’s our focus right now.”

Handley will serve as acting president until the full board selects Simpson’s next president. No timeline has been set for that process, a news release said. The board will “explore and consider its best path forward” during its May 16 meeting, the release said.

“Terry has the compassion, wisdom and experience Simpson needs right now,” Deanna Strable, Simpson trustee and Principal Financial Group president and CEO, said in a prepared statement. “He has demonstrated steady, strong leadership as board chair, and he has the unwavering resolve and skills to keep the College moving forward through tough times. All of us on the board are ready to rally around him.”

The announcement also said longtime Simpson trustee and former chair Terry Lillis will assume Handley’s board responsibilities as acting board chair.