Governor Kim Reynolds
Governor Kim Reynolds is the 43rd governor of Iowa, and has the distinction of being the first woman elected to the state’s highest office in November 2018.
Governor Reynolds has a long-standing record of public service, having served four terms as the Clarke County Treasurer before being elected to the Iowa Senate in November 2008. Two years later, as running mate of former Governor Terry Branstad, she was elected Lieutenant Governor and served nearly two terms before succeeding Branstad as Governor of Iowa in May 2017, when he left office to become United States Ambassador to China.
Governor Reynolds’ strong conservative values are reflected in her priorities for Iowa:
- Ensuring Iowa’s economic prosperity is widespread and reaches all Iowans
- Improving access to high-quality, affordable housing and child care for families
- Providing every Iowa student access to a quality education
- Creating universal broadband access statewide by 2025
- Ensuring strong, safe communities
- Improving access to quality health care
- Strengthening Iowa’s agriculture economy
Under her leadership, Iowans have benefitted from:
- The largest tax cut in state history and continued tax reform
- Record investments in public education year-over-year
- Increased access to behavioral and mental health care, including the creation of Iowa’s first Children’s Mental Health System
- Aggressive workforce policy initiatives that will ensure 70 percent of Iowans achieve training or education beyond high school by 2025
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, Governor Reynolds maintained a balanced approach to protect the health, lives and livelihoods of all Iowans. Iowa’s health care system and resources remained stable, more than 80% of its economy remained open for business, high school sports resumed during the summer of 2020, and schools reopened for the start of a new academic year in August. Iowa’s K-12 students are now back in the classroom for 100% in-person learning.
Governor Reynolds is also respected nationally for her leadership on important issues ranging from education to economic growth, and has held a number of positions at the regional and national levels:
- Republican Governors Association, Vice Chair
- Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG), Vice Chair
- American Workforce Policy Advisory Board, Previous Board Member
- Governors Biofuels Coalition, Previous Chair
- Midwest Governors Association, Previous Chair
Governor Reynolds is proud of her Iowa roots. A small-town, rural Iowa girl at heart, she grew up in Madison County, graduated from Interstate 35 Community Schools in 1977, married her husband Kevin Reynolds in 1982, worked and raised three daughters, and completed her bachelors degree from Iowa State University in 2016 while serving as Lieutenant Governor. The Reynolds’ cherish spending time together as a family with their daughters, sons-in-law, and especially their 11 grandchildren… all who live nearby in central Iowa.