Simpson College has selected Bret L. Mills as its new vice president for Business and Finance.

Mills served as Iowa’s deputy treasurer from 1994 to 2003, before joining the Iowa Finance Authority (IFA) as CFO. In 2005, Gov. Tom Vilsack tabbed Mills to lead the IFA as executive director. In 2010, Mills was selected by Gov. Chet Culver to become the director of the Iowa Department of Economic Development.

Since 2012, Mills has served as president of Conlin Properties Inc., in Des Moines, where he oversees accounting, finance, and development activities for the company’s property
management and real estate development consisting of 5,000 units.

A Certified Public Accountant, Mills earned a Bachelor of General Studies in communications, journalism and business from the University of Iowa. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and an MBA from Drake University.