N. Joel Fry, MSW, LISW

Joel Fry, MSW, LISW received his Bachelor of Arts from Simpson College and his Master of Social Work and Aging Studies Certificate from the University of Iowa School of Social Work in Iowa City. While at the University he was awarded the American Cancer Society Training Grant in Clinical Oncology and this is where he began his therapy work with cancer patients.

Joel was a social worker with Hospice of Central Iowa in West Des Moines, Iowa from June of 1999 until October 2001.  He provided a wide range of services to patients and families including grief and loss counseling and emotional and spiritual support at the end of life.  In October of 2001 Joel was named the Metro Team Director for Hospice of Central Iowa and joined the leadership team.  As the director he supervised nearly 30 clinicians and provided leadership for a team with an average daily census of nearly 100 patients.  Joel served as the Metro Team Director until May of 2006.  Taking his compassion for the highest quality end of life care, Joel joined Weatherbee Resources in April of 2006.  Also, in 2006 Joel joined the National Hospice and Palliative Care Association’s team of faculty for their Manager Development Program.  He teaches this program throughout the United States.

In November of 2005 Joel and his wife Heather founded Team Restoration Ministries.  He is the President of Team Restoration Ministries; a ministry designed to strengthen marriages in Central and Southern Iowa.  Team Restoration Ministries partners with local churches to provide therapy services, conferences, and teaching on marriage and family related topics.

Joel teaches and lectures throughout the United States on a variety of end of life and marriage topics.  Joel has served as part-time faculty at Simpson College, where he taught a variety of social science courses.  He has also served as adjunct faculty at The University of Iowa School of Social Work where he taught end of life curriculum to graduate students.

Joel was first elected to the Iowa House of Representative in 2010 and continues to serve the State of Iowa as a State Representative.  He has served as Vice Chair of the Resource Committee. Assistant Majority Leader, House Majority Whip, Chairman of the Human Resources Committee and is currently chair of the Health and Human Services Budget.  He is currently a member of the Education Committee, Public Safety Committee, Human Resources Committee, Health and Human Services Budget Subcommittee and the Appropriations Committee.  He has worked extensively on mental health redesign and is seen in his caucus as a resource on numerous health and human service related issues.  He is blessed to represent the people from the great state of Iowa and most specifically those from South Central Iowa.

Most importantly Joel married his college sweetheart in 2000 and together they have 9 children.