Jarad Bernstein knew Des Moines was special even after his first short visit in 2005. 

“People were happy, not to mention friendly,” Bernstein wrote in his application letter for Forty Under 40. “There was a sense of civic pride that was more genuine than I had ever experienced.”

When he returned to his home in San Francisco, he attended an event featuring candidates for governor. 

“I asked what each candidate does to keep educated young professionals like me from leaving the state for greener fields in, say, Iowa,” he said. “The only answer I got was ‘It’s warmer in California.’ That answer was not good enough, and soon after, I moved to Iowa.”

He had carried on a long-distance relationship with a Drake University student he met on a trip. When she got a job at Drake, he wasn’t thinking of moving to Des Moines. But their romance, and a job at Hubbell Realty Co., changed his mind. Lilliana is now his wife, and she also is active in the community.

Bernstein now makes a living carrying the official messaging of Drake, but earlier he worked for Catchfire Media LLC and Hubbell Realty in public relations positions. He points out that he hadn’t studied public relations at all –  his bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara was in global studies — before he served as director of media relations for the consulate general of Israel in six Western states.

As Bernstein settled into his new Midwestern home, the advantages of living in Des Moines became clearer. 

“If you raise your hand in this community, people are going to call on you and give you something to do,” Bernstein said. “In San Francisco, those opportunities don’t come to young professionals. They come to people with six-figure checks. I own a house here. That wouldn’t happen in California. I have a four-minute commute. That wouldn’t happen. The quality of life, despite the weather, is so much better here.”

It’s a long way from writing about Israel’s issues, but Bernstein loves life at Drake. 

Reasons he’s a forty:

• He serves as chairman of the Jewish Community Relations Commission.
• He helped the Drake Hillel student organization settle into a new facility, and he serves as its liaison with the Jewish Federation of Greater Des Moines.
• He has served as treasurer of the Central Iowa chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.
• He founded the Drake Neighborhood Association’s Community Engagement Committee.