A member of the governor’s staff is tasked with finding new revenue streams at Iowa’s three public universities as the head of the Iowa Board of Regents’ new efficiency department.
Jacob Nicholson, operating officer of Gov. Kim Reynolds’ office, will earn $205,000 as the Regents’ chief efficiency officer, a role that was made official on Tuesday, June 16.
The board did not publicly post the job, and didn’t discuss the specific position during their meetings in February or April.
Nicholson will work on the board’s Revenue Enhancement and Productivity Study, or REAPS, which was created in December to identify new revenue streams at the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa.
Nicholson has “unique experience” in helping to reorganize state government and state of Iowa Boards and Commissions, Senior Communications Director Josh Lehman said, and Iowa Board of Regents Leadership wanted to “capitalize on his skills and background for this new position at the Board Office.”
Nicholson will officially step into the role on June 25, though how he will help generate new revenue streams and what the position entails remain unclear.
He was earning an annual salary of $183,851 in the governor’s office.
Gov. Kim Reynolds promoted Jacob Nicholson four years ago
Nicholson is a native of Slater and graduated from Iowa State University with honors, earning a bachelor’s degree in political science.
Reynolds named Nicholson her chief operating officer in 2022, promoting him from his position in the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
He started with Iowa’s DHS in 2008, ultimately becoming the response division administrator in 2019, a position he held until his promotion.
Nicholson has responded to more than 25 presidentially declared disasters, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Derecho, and widespread record flooding across the state in 2019.
Reynolds said Nicholson had “proven himself as a strong leader during our state’s most challenging times,” when she appointed him in 2022, and that his “his depth of knowledge and experience will make him a great asset to the people of Iowa.”
Regents seek REAPS consultant
Regent Kurt Tjaden, who is coordinating the REAPS study, did not specifically discuss the new position at his February and April updates.
On April 22, Tjaden said they established a target savings of $35 million over three years, which is roughly 5% of all Regent appropriations from the state general fund.
He also said the board office would develop and distribute a Request for Proposals (RFP) “for a consultant to assist with phase two of this initiative,” which went out on May 8, with a June 5 response deadline. The RFP requested proposals from consultants capable of performing “a comprehensive review of new/additional revenue streams and cost efficiencies across all regent institutions.”
The RFP asks the consultant to present cumulative findings to the board in February 2027, with specific emphasis that each school finds revenue “outside of the normal funding sources of state appropriations, tuition, and federal grant funding.”
Iowa is a leader in administrative savings
When comparing four-year public universities nationwide, the state of Iowa ranks as the fourth most efficient on administrative costs, former Regents president Sherry Bates said when the REAPS effort was approved. Bates resigned on Dec. 4, 2025.
“Savings and administrative efficiencies are something that our universities have been doing for some time, and doing it very well,” Bates said. “But the time is right for a new formal review to see what additional measures can be undertaken.”
Celia Brocker is a government, crime, political and education reporter for the Ames Tribune. She can be reached at CBrocker@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Reynolds’ staffer will make $205K leading new department for Regents
Reporting by Celia Brocker, Ames Tribune / Ames Tribune
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By Celia Brocker, Ames Tribune | USA TODAY Network
