Graduated class of 1985
Inducted in Hall of Fame 2018
“The Hoover-Meredith Learning Community Foundation unites the talents and resources of the community and alumni to strengthen an exemplary learning environment for all students.” The HMLCF is proud to sponsor the Hoover High School Alumni Hall of Fame, and congratulates Colonel Todd Jacobus and his family on his induction into the Alumni Hall of Fame. Thank you for representing in your work the ideals held in high regard in the hallways of Hoover High School.”
Todd Jacobus attended Samuelson ES, Meredith MS, and then Hoover High School. Graduating in 1985. He participated in Cross Country, Track, Tennis, Basketball and Band, and received 10 Varsity Letters. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve on March 23, 1984, during the Spring of his Junior year, graduated from The University of Iowa with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English / Education in 1989, and received a Masters of Public Administration from Drake University in 2003.
Todd served in the Iowa Army National Guard’s 224th Engineer Battalion in leadership and staff assignments for 16 years. He served as the Battalion Commander from 2004-06, which included a 14-month mobilization, and deployment to Ramadi, Anbar Province, Iraq, where his battalion served as the Divisional Engineer Battalion for the 1st & 2nd Marine Divisions. Following this deployment, the battalion was awarded the U.S. Army Superior Unit Award, and Deployment Excellence Award, the AUSA Walter T. Kerwin Readiness Award, and the NGAUS Milton A. Reckord Readiness Award. Todd served as the Commander of the Iowa Army National Guard Recruiting Battalion, represented the U.S. Army War College as a Senior Service College Fellow at Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy, and then commanded the 67th Troop Command, where he was responsible for 1,700 Soldiers and 18 deployable organizations stationed throughout Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Iowa. He deployed to Kosovo in 2015 as the Deputy Director of the NATO Advisory Team, where he provided oversight and direction to 12 International Advisors working under the NATO Operations Office in Brussels, Belgium, building readiness and standardization in Europe’s youngest country. His last assignment prior to retiring on December 25, 2017, was as the Iowa Army National Guard’s Director of Military Support to Civil Authorities, where he was responsible for providing oversight and direction of the Joint Planning Group as Iowans responded to a variety of natural disasters in Iowa, Texas, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
Todd was appointed by the Governor of Iowa to serve on the Iowa Commission of Veterans Affairs, and the Iowa Emergency Response Commission. He is President of the Hoover-Meredith Learning Community Foundation, Chair of the Hoover High School Alumni Association, is active with Grand View Lutheran Church, served on the Board of Directors for the Mighty Hawkeye Battalion Army ROTC Alumni Association, has been active with Boy Scouts of America for over 20 years, and is a member of the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Veterans (AMVETS), Military Officers Association of America, Za-Ga-Zig Shrine, Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, and is a Master Mason.
His awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Army Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, and the Combat Action Badge. He was a 1996 General Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award recipient, was awarded the Silver Order of the de Fleury Medal from the Chief of Engineers upon retirement. His military career spanned 33 years, and included deployments in support of Operations Desert Storm (1991), Iraqi Freedom (2004-06), and Joint Endeavor (2015-16).
Colonel Jacobus could be described as “The Role Model’s Role Model.” His exemplary service to our country and his dedication to his community is unmatched in the Hoover Alumni community. His character and ethics are of the highest standards, not only as a Soldier and community member. Anyone who has met or knows Todd even just as an acquaintance can speak to what a wonderful human being he is, and it is evident by the people close to him. Along with his wife Heather, he has raised four amazing Hoover graduates (2009, 2011, 2013, 2015) who were good students and involved in a variety of sports and activities.