The Conference Board Employment Trends Index increased again in April for the eighth consecutive month. The index now stands at 94.7, up from March’s revised figure of 93.9. The index is up 7.1 percent from a year ago. The increase was driven by positive contributions from six of the eight components, including number of temporary employees, job openings, industrial production and real manufacturing, and trade sales.

The funded status of U.S. corporate pension plans dropped in April, BNY Mellon Asset Management said. A drop in the Aa corporate discount rate last month drove liabilities higher and the funded status lower. The funded status in April declined 1.8 percentage points to 86.3 percent. Through the end of April, the funded status of the typical U.S. corporate plan is up 0.8 percentage point for the year.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Main Street Center has selected Des Moines to host the 2011 National Main Streets Conference May 22-25, 2011. The four-day conference is the only commercial district revitalization, educational and networking event that blends economic development, community revitalization and historic preservation. It provides a forum to share knowledge, best practices and innovative ideas with professionals and volunteers from small and rural towns, suburban communities and large and midsized cities from across the nation. The Iowa Legislature established Main Street Iowa within the Iowa Department of Economic Development in 1985. Main Street Iowa, the premier program of the Iowa Downtown Resource Center, currently provides services to 46 designated programs.

The Drake University Board of Trustees has added graduates Cathryn Lacy, a community volunteer in Des Moines, and Donald Lee Decker, president and chairman of Decker Truck Line Inc. in Fort Dodge, to its membership. Both will serve three-year terms on the board, which meets four times yearly and serves as the university’s policy-making and governing body. Lacy received a master’s degree in public administration from Drake in 1986 after earning a bachelor’s degree in dietetics and institutional management from Kansas State University. Lacy has served as director of health promotion and wellness programs for Iowa Lutheran Hospital in Des Moines and, most recently, as marketing sales director at Tone’s Spices. She has been active with a variety of organizations, such as the United Way Women’s Leadership Connection. Decker earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Drake in 1970 and later took graduate courses in economics at Drake. Decker Truck Line transports flatbed, refrigerated and dry van freight to 48 states and seven Canadian provinces. Decker, who is active in state and national organizations such as the Iowa Motor Truck Association, has managed the business for 35 years and owned it for 20.

Mercy Medical Center – Des Moines has selected Joe Garcia, Daniel Houston and Kevin Prust to its board of directors. Garcia is managing director and chief sales and marketing officer for Marsh Consumer. Houston is president of Principal Financial Group Inc.’s retirement and investor services division. Prust is senior vice president and chief financial officer at Weitz Co. Inc. He served as a member of the Mercy finance committee before being named to the board of directors. Other recent additions to the board are Sharon Krause, owner of Dalla Terra Ranch, and Suku Radia, president of Bankers Trust Co.