Our Staff

Jared Harmon

Jared Harmon was born in Amarillo, Texas and moved to Council Bluffs, Iowa with his parents Gary and Patty Harmon. He graduated from Lewis Central High School in Council Bluffs. He later attended Simpson College, earning degrees in Economics and Business Management. Upon graduation from Simpson College in 2002, Jared attended Creighton University Law School and graduated with a specialization in Criminal Law in 2005. Jared began his legal career in Des Moines in 2005, and maintained a general legal practice until joining the Marion County Attorney’s Office in 2014. Jared was appointed Marion County Attorney in February of 2023.

Jared is supported by his wife and daughter.

In addition to his duties as Marion County Attorney, Jared also works as a deputy athletic commissioner for the State of Iowa and is an adjunct professor at Grandview University.

Ross Gibson

Ross Gibson was born in Iowa and has lived in Iowa for most of his life.  He attended and graduated from the University of Iowa in 2005, majoring in philosophy.  While at Iowa, Ross was also a member of the golf team.  After earning his undergraduate degree, Ross attended and graduated from Drake Law School in 2008, receiving his Juris Doctorate. Ross became licensed in the State of Iowa to practice law in 2008.  His first job as an attorney was at a small firm in the Des Moines, Iowa area.  In that position, Ross practiced primarily in the areas of criminal and juvenile law.  Ross then opened his own practice of law as the owner and operator of Gibson Law Firm in Urbandale, Iowa in 2010.  He maintained his practice of law until 2016 when he accepted a position as an Assistant Marion County Attorney.

As an Assistant County Attorney, Ross prosecutes offenses including sex abuse, domestic violence, child abuse, assaults, ongoing criminal conduct, and homicide or serious injury by vehicle.  He also advises and represents the County in various civil law matters.  Ross is the County Attorney’s Office representative on the County wide Safety Committee.  

In his free time, Ross enjoys playing golf, following Iowa Hawkeye sports, and playing Civilization 6 on his PC.

Joy Messer

Joy received her undergrad degree in history with a minor in political science at Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL.  She worked as a legal assistant at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher, and Flom LLP in Chicago before earning her J.D. at Chicago-Kent College of Law.  After passing the bar, Joy served as the district director for a state representative in the Chicago suburbs for four years.  She then moved to Charleston, IL, where she handled traffic, misdemeanor cases, felony cases as a prosecutor in Coles County, IL.  She also served for three years as the prosecutor for drug court, an alternative prosecution program designed to help addicts break the criminal cycle and provide counseling, training, and supervision to help defendants become sober long term rather than sending them to prison.  

In 2020, Joy relocated to Iowa and joined the Marion County Attorney’s office.  She handles post-conviction relief, traffic, misdemeanor, domestic abuse, and OWI cases, and assists with litigation technology.