Waterloo native Scott Raecker was so set on pursuing a career in banking that he was willing to leave his home state to seek work elsewhere when banking jobs were scarce in the 1980s. But after about 3 1/2 years in banking, he decided to go down a different career path to work in non-profit management. For the past 10 years, he has served as executive director of the Institute for Character Development in Des Moines. In addition, he is beginning his fifth term representing Urbandale in the Iowa House of Representatives.

What was your first job out of college?

I was interested in banking, and unfortunately, when I graduated from Grinnell [College] in 1984, it was at the height of the farm crisis in Iowa and there weren’t any jobs in banking. So I left Iowa to find work and I got a job working for a large bank in downtown Denver. I spent two years there, and left to join a smaller bank in Vail.

How did you get into non-profit work?

When I was working in Vail, I started volunteering with the Vail Valley Foundation. I enjoyed banking, but I didn’t feel like I was doing enough to give back to the community. An opportunity opened up at the foundation, and I took it. What was unique about working there is that former President Gerald Ford was very active on the board of directors and I got to work with him for several years.

What brought you back to Iowa?

While in Vail, I met my wife, who was an Iowa native. She was the town clerk in Vail. We both missed Iowa and wanted to come back to raise our family. We moved back in 1992 when former Gov. Robert Ray and Gov. Terry Branstad hired me to lead the state’s Sesquicentennial Commission.

How did you become involved with the Institute for Character Development?

Throughout the years working on the sesquicentennial, the committee tried to think about what kind of legacy we could leave behind. Gov. Ray got us thinking about mobilizing the state around causal issues. Looking at the problems across the state, we saw that a lot of them related to poor decision making and character. We started the Institute of Character Development in 1997 as a way to positively enhance the lives of Iowans by promoting civility through character development, focusing on the six pillars of character: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship.

How has the organization changed?

We started off with one pilot school in Des Moines, and now we’re in 264 of the state’s 368 school districts. Sites using the Character Counts! curriculum are really seeing results with a drop in the number of behavior incidents. We’re 10 years into it, and I think we’re only scratching the surface. As these kids who have been trained age into society, we’ll see more impact.

What do you see as the biggest challenge of this organization?

Modeling is the most significant way to teach and enforce good character. The biggest challenge for our state seems to be civility in the public arena. It’s difficult for our students to not be deceptive when they see state leaders doing negative, deceptive campaigning. We need to reflect on that.

What is the best piece of advice someone has given you?

My mother always said, “Remember who you are.” In our family, that related to character. She reminded us to not forget what we’d been taught at home when we went out into the larger world.

Who have been your role models?

In my family, my parents and grandparents have been great role models. In work, the top two would be Gov. Ray and former President Gerald Ford. All of these individuals demonstrated good character and civility.

How do you balance your work with being a legislator?

I wouldn’t be able to do both if my job wasn’t minutes from the state Capitol, which allows me to bounce back between the two during the day. Then I spend time in the evenings and weekends making sure that what I’m responsible for at work gets done. It takes a lot of support from my family, since it takes time away from them. It also helps that I have a supportive board of directors and office staff who see the value of citizenship with being in public office.

What do you do outside work?

I work hard, but I also like to play hard. I like to spend as much time as possible outside work doing activities with my family. We like to golf together, ski, play basketball, go biking – all kinds of outdoor activities. Also, my family has had tickets to University of Iowa football games since 1924. In the fall, you can usually find me before games in the parking lot of the dental building.