SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Jeremy Parsons of the Clay County Fair in Spencer, Iowa, was named 2022 chair of the IAFE during the business meeting at the 2021 IAFE Convention & Trade Show. The Convention took place Nov. 28-Dec. 1 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas.

A fair fanatic from an early age, Jeremy Parsons is probably one of the few people in the world who knew that he wanted to be a fair manager when he grew up. His introduction to fair management began in elementary school with a letter he wrote to then-Iowa State Fair Manager Marion Lucas. Since that moment, his life and fairs have intersected in a variety of ways, even during the 11 years he spent as a high school teacher and coach at Newtown-Harris High School in Newtown, Mo. 

Parsons’ nearly 30 years of fair experience, which started when he was a teenager, has included time as a volunteer at the Decatur County Fair in Leon, Iowa, and as a seasonal employee at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines and Missouri State Fair in Sedalia. After leaving the education field, he served as executive director of the Missouri State Fair Foundation before being named CEO/manager of the Clay County Fair in 2011. 

His responsibilities at “The World’s Greatest County Fair” include leading all aspects of the year-round operation of the 240-acre Clay County Fair & Events Center, orchestrating details for the annual fair and hundreds of non-fair events, and overseeing 12 full-time employees.

A passionate advocate for the fair industry and education, Parsons is involved in several industry organizations, including the IAFE. He graduated from the Institute of Fair Management in 2015 and received his Certified Fair Executive status in 2017. He has served in numerous leadership roles within the IAFE, including Young Professional Initiative Steering Committee chair, 2018 International Convention Program chair, and his current role as IAFE first vice chair. He is a past president of the Mid-West Fairs Association.  

Parsons is heavily involved in his community, currently serving as a member of the Spencer Community School Board of Education. He is also past president of the Spencer Chamber of Commerce and the Clay County Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Originally from Leon, Iowa, Parsons has a B.A. degree in English from Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Mo., and a M.A. degree in education from William Woods University in Fulton, Mo. He has four priorities in life, which he attempts to keep in the proper order – faith, family, the Chicago Cubs, and fairs. He and his wife Kelsi have three sons (Creighton, Silas, and Milo) and are active members of Spencer First Baptist Church.

• «Previous Post
• Next Post »

---