Robert Palmer

Robert Palmer

Age: 33

Title: General counsel and director of government affairs, Iowa League of Cities

Family: Wife Kelly Palmer; son Braydon Palmer and stepson Kaden Caylor

A reason why he is a Forty: He serves on the West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce Board and the Chamber’s Government Affairs Committee, as well as the West Des Moines Community Foundation Board and is the chair of the Grant Review Committee and the Drake University College of Arts & Sciences National Advisory Council.

What drives him: He wants his children to grow up in a great community. “To do that, it is important to be a part of the conversation as the region continues to develop, innovate and adapt to future opportunities,” he said.

An interesting fact about Palmer: He went to Europe with a plane ticket, a full suitcase and no plan and ended up traveling from the Czech Republic to Portugal and stopping at every county in between.