David Chivers describes his career path as a twisty, winding road.

At 39 years old, Chivers has followed that road through industries including nonprofits, education, marketing and consumer packaged goods. A few times, he’s landed in media. His first job was actually delivering The Des Moines Register. 

Now he’s leading the newspaper, working in an industry and in a place he plans to stay. Chivers succeeds Rick Green, who left the Register in February to become president and publisher of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

All his stops before Des Moines had one thing in common — digital innovation, and using it as a tool to develop a company’s audience and to drive growth. 

Most recently, Chivers was chief digital officer at Jostens. He worked for Dow Jones, where he was director of online marketing before eventually overseeing strategy, development and management of its Factiva product portfolio. Chivers also was executive director at WallStreetJournal.com, leading product development for the website and several areas of its digital network.  

His start is closer to Iowa and home. The Des Moines native, following a brief stint in Chicago after college, returned to Des Moines once before, early in his career. He worked for Erickson-McLellan (now McLellan Marketing Group) and as e-commerce manager and director of online audience development at Meredith Corp.  

At the Register’s helm, Chivers’ experience using digital innovation to drive growth is the expertise with which he plans to lead. He will tell you he’s not the person people might envision when they think of a newspaper publisher, but he’s confident that’s part of the reason he was chosen for the role.

“(Gannett officials) were excited about the fresh perspective I could bring,” he said. “They liked me, and I liked them — the rest, as they say, is history.”

How were you pegged for this role?
It’s an interesting story. My wife saw it posted online a day or two after Gannett started to advertise it. I had this moment where I thought it would be a great job and would get me back to a community I feel tremendously for. … I felt like many of my foundational thoughts on what a good news organization could be were molded by the Register. I knew I would kick myself for years if I didn’t apply.

Why else did it seem like a good fit for you?
I believe deeply in the Register’s mission and the communities we serve. To be gone almost 10 years, Des Moines is a different place than I left, and in a lot of good ways. Also, considering my background in digital transformation — digital products and marketing are becoming an increasingly important part of our distribution method. I’m committed to driving growth here. This organization has been around for 153 years. I plan to be here for a long time and that my time here will help position it to be sustainable for many more years to come.

You’re originally from Des Moines. Do you think that gives you a deeper understanding of the Register and the people it serves?
I don’t want to be so arrogant to believe that after three months I already have my finger on the pulse of the community, but I do feel like I have a strong sense of what it means to be Iowan. I’m deeply rooted in the Des Moines community. Born and raised here, I understand some key issues and players. 

What are some of the key priorities you’ve identified for the Register?
Broadly, there are a few things that are really important to me and to us as an organization. We need to diversify our audience. That’s a big theme. Diversifying is a broad issue for any industry, but our goal is figuring out how to connect and be relevant to a new generation of consumers. We want to do this for us and our partners. Also, how do we attract and retain younger readers? How do we continue to be valuable to more types of advertisers in our community? How do we help evolve the businesses of those who have partnered with us for a long time?

Being rooted in the local community also gives us opportunities to do more centering around local coverage. With some of the moves made before I came here, I think we’re positioned well to do this. Our USA Today insert has allowed us to refocus our efforts on local news because this great piece covers the national stories our readers care about.

Finally, a priority is to work with our people to create a culture that’s exciting to be part of. Our newsroom is one of the best in the state — perhaps one of the best in the country. We have a talented group of folks here, but how do we extend that to every functional area of our business?

Toward the end of last year, the Register implemented a new newsroom structure. Is that working out as planned? How is the model evolving?
I think it will continue to evolve. … It was not an easy process. It was painful for everyone involved, but I would say it is working well in key areas. There are areas where we can do things better, but it’s really given us an ability to focus more directly on local news, while at the same time looking at the channels and the audiences we’re trying to connect with.

Can you give specific examples of where it’s worked well?
We’re firing well on multiple cylinders. Our opinion section is doing tremendously in terms of content and the quality of conversation we’re stimulating. From any perspective, it’s compelling. Our goal is to highlight views from both sides, cut through rhetoric, and identify the key issues and what those issues mean to Iowans. Some may disagree, I’m sure, but I feel we present a balanced view. 

Also, our coverage around the Des Moines school district’s approach to outsource substitute teaching (is another example). We took a somewhat provocative approach to bringing that up when we saw it was removed from the school board agenda without public discourse. We thought that was wrong, and, wherever you fell on the subject, that it needed to be talked about in public. Our investigative reporting is one of the cornerstones of the Register’s brand — that, and highlighting voices and the spirit of Des Moines. I think of (Register columnist) Daniel Finney and the open, courageous (weight-loss) journey he is documenting. I could not be as open as he is. Also, Kyle Munson’s coverage of the state does a tremendous job showcasing the unique voices and perspectives that make us Iowa.

Gannett recently completed the spinoff of its print products from its digital and broadcast properties. What does this mean for the Register and the company moving forward?
I think there are two real reasons they did this. Again, I can’t claim to have great insight or responsibility, but one is a corporate governance and investor piece. The investor profile for someone looking at digital assets is different than the person looking at print publications and heritage publications. It makes a lot of sense from that perspective, and it’s something you see happening across the industry. 

The other piece — one that doesn’t get enough play — that I’m optimistic and enthusiastic about is the idea of focus. Now we have two smaller organizations that can be hyper-focused on tactics, business situations and opportunities that are unique to both those segments. For us at the Register, what we’re calling “New Gannett” allows everything from investment decisions to board-level discussions to focus on issues critical to our business.

Declining print circulation is something the Register continues to tackle. What is your plan to approach this challenge?
There’s no silver bullet for how we will fix it. It’s more a holistic suite of things we need to do to build a greater audience for all mediums, in new and different ways. It will be an exercise in focus and discipline. Our goal is to touch as many Iowans as possible through the Register. We reach two out of three Iowans per week through all of our properties. Of course, we would like that to be three out of three, so my focus is on what we can do around retaining and growing those who are interested in the print experience. 

But addressing the digital component is equally important. You will see a lot of focus from us on innovative storytelling through digital channels. Also, we will focus on more engagement in our community — finding interesting ways for us to look at getting our coverage, reporters and personalities out into the community more. We plan to host more live events or in-person experiences that will allow us to relate to a whole new group of consumers.

Any additional challenges the Register is facing?
I do think one thing we can do better is talking about the impact we have in our community. You think about circulation and revenue — those are both important, but there are a lot of softer things that are just as impactful to our communities besides the dollars and cents of our business. Measuring our impact in the community is more than just circulation. It’s about the stories we break and conversations we start. 

How do you see your role intertwining with the Des Moines business community?
My plan is to be as accessible to both the community and the business community as much as possible. I would welcome anyone to reach out to me directly. I can tell you, since I’ve been here, I’ve met a number of community and business leaders in one-on-one and small-group settings. One, I’m naturally curious about business in general, as well as the opportunities and challenges facing various industries.  

As my public and personal life become more blended, I would like to see Des Moines continue on the path it’s on in terms of community development, as well as growing new industries and new business. I’m currently on the board of the Greater Des Moines Partnership and am helping in that capacity.

Any other goals you’ve set for the company?
I’m excited about innovation, and my goal at the Register is figuring out where are those innovative opportunities to grow as the business, our community and the individuals who work here — then, determining which will be the sustainable model moving forward. You likely will continue to see us experimenting with virtual reality. Video is increasingly important. My hope is we will continue to be grounded, first and foremost, in quality journalism, while still being digitally innovative.

Where do your passions lie outside work?
I’m passionate about literacy and combating childhood poverty. You will probably see me participating in organizations that serve those needs. I’m also passionate about the arts. I’m glad to be located across the street from the Des Moines Civic Center. Also, the Des Moines Art Center was a childhood treasure, and I’m excited to support them in any way I can.  

I also love to bike. Next year, my plan is to actually ride in RAGBRAI. I’m learning how to golf, so that keeps me busy. I also love spending time with family and reading, which helps satiate a natural curiosity I have about the world around me. Aside from the Partnership, I’m not currently serving on any boards, but I am looking and open to opportunities.