David Hurd served on the Board of Directors of the Greater Des Moines Public Art Foundation from 2006 through 2014. In January 2015, a Commendation of Distinguish Service conferred to him Emeritus Status on the Board of Directors, a position which he held until his death on 6 February 2016.
A native of Chicago, Hurd was Emeritus Chairman of the Principal Financial Group, the leading global financial provider and U.S. leader in 401(k) plans. He was one of the founding directors of the Iowa Environmental Council and Co-Convenor of Business for Peace. His distinguished career included numerous awards: Honorary Doctor of Public Service – Drake University; Iowa Insurance Hall of Fame; Des Moines Register’s Iowa Business Leader of the Year; Greater Des Moines Committee Iowa Business Hall of Fame; Community Commitment Award – Greater Des Moines Partnership, Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser – National Society of Fundraising Executives; the Lilywhite Award – Employee Benefit Research Institute, to name only a few.