Scott D. Ourth of Ackworth, Iowa, currently serves as director of public affairs for Warren County, Iowa. Mr. Ourth is a graduate of Graceland College ( Lamoni, Iowa). After college he took graduate courses at Central Michigan University (Mt. Pleasant, MI) and attended the University of Tennessee (Knoxville, TN).

Scott’s career in public service began in Washington, DC nearly a quarter century ago. He first served on Capitol Hill as a policy analyst and congressional press secretary. He soon became senior advisor on several United States Senate, House of Representatives, and gubernatorial campaigns. Following his management roles in many successful national campaigns, he returned to Iowa in 1998 to serve as 3 rd Congressional District field director for Gov. Tom Vilsack and Rep. Leonard Boswell. He later served as campaign manager for Rep. Boswell’s 2000 successful re-election bid. Scott has continued to act as senior consultant on many state and federal campaigns. In 2005, he was appointed assistant secretary of state for operations. He later served as field director in Chet Culver’s successful run for governor. After serving on the Governor-Elect’s transition team, Scott became chief aide to the Majority Leader of the Iowa House of Representatives during the 2007 legislative session. In 2008, Scott took a leave of absence from his Warren County post to manage Congressman Leonard Boswell’s successful Primary Election campaign.

A lifelong advocate for the elderly and persons with disabilities, Scott has served as an executive with the ARC and the Protection & Advocacy System. While serving as assistant secretary of state, he managed a disability rights portion of the Help America Vote Act, a $1.3 million federal mandate to ensure handicap accessibility to nearly 2,000 federal polling places in Iowa. He currently serves as vice-president of the Board of Directors of Disability Rights Iowa, a congressionally mandated disability-rights agency, and was recently appointed ADA coordinator for Warren County. Scott remains a dedicated and passionate voice for human and civil rights.

Scott is a devoted friend of Graceland University. His family has been represented on the Graceland campus since 1924, and Scott has been a member of the Graceland Alumni Board of Directors for the last seven years. He is an active member of the Community of Christ.

On two separate occasions Scott swam 11 miles non-stop across Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron to raise funds for the American Cancer Society. In 2002 he completed a non-stop hike of the 2,200 mile Appalachian Trail to raise money and awareness for children with developmental disabilities. His deep involvement with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy is but one of many ways Scott works to conserve and protect our natural environment.

Scott is married to Dr. Heather Ourth, assistant chief of pharmacy at the VA Hospital in Des Moines. Their son, Logan, is a seventh-grader at Indianola Middle School.

In his leisure time Scott reads history, biography, and science, enjoys a variety of outdoor sports, and assists his wife with her large vegetable garden. He is an ardent environmentalist and published author.

As director of public affairs for Warren County, Mr. Ourth assists the Board of Supervisors in a number of ways. These include, but are not limited to: grant writing, project administration, long-term strategic planning, media relations, policy implementation, infrastructure development, and community relations. He also acts as a general advisor to the Board.