Kim Reynolds

Early life, education, and family

Reynolds was born Kimberly Kay Strawn in Truro, Iowa and raised in St. Charles.

She attended Northwest Missouri State University, where she took classes in business, consumer sciences and clothing sales and design between 1977 and 1980. She later took classes at Southeastern Community College in the late 1980s, and then took accounting classes at Southwestern Community College between 1992 and 1995. She did not earn a degree from any of these institutions. In 2012, it was reported that she was taking classes at Upper Iowa University with the goal of "having degree in hand" before the 2014 election. In 2016, she received a Bachelor of Liberal Studies degree from Iowa State University.

Reynolds was twice sentenced for driving under the influence of alcohol, first in 1999 and again in 2000. The 2000 case was originally charged as a Second Offense OWI, but eventually reduced to First Offense OWI. Reynolds was sentenced to pay a $1,500 fine and serve 12 months of informal probation. A related open container charge was dropped entirely.

Reynolds has worked as a pharmacist assistant. She was also on the staff for the Clarke County Treasurer's Office, Department of Motor Vehicles. She then worked as a Board Member for the Iowa Public Employees Retirement System from 1996 to 2001.

Iowa State Senate

Reynolds served four terms as the Clarke County Treasurer before being elected on November 4, 2008 to represent Iowa Senate District 48 in 2008, defeating Ruth Smith (D) and Rodney Schmidt (I). In the senate, she was a member of five committees:

Lieutenant Governor (2011–2017)

On June 25, 2010, the Republican nominee for Governor Terry Branstad publicly proposed Reynolds for lieutenant governor. The next day, she received the Republican nomination from the 2010 Republican State Convention. She resigned from her Senate seat on November 12, 2010, to "focus solely on assisting Gov. (Terry) Branstad’s transition team."

Reynolds was the Lieutenant Governor of Iowa from 2011 until 2017.

Unlike lieutenant governors in many other states, Reynolds had specific roles, including co-chairing the governor's Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Advisory Council, co-chairing the Iowa Partnership for Economic Progress board, co-chairing the Military Children Education Coalition and serving as Gov. Branstad's representative on the board of the Iowa State Fair.

She has led economic development trade missions to China, Germany, South Korea, Vietnam, the Philippines and Thailand, working towards increased exports, more foreign direct investment and new jobs for Iowa. Reynolds also serves as the Chair-Elect of the National Lieutenant Governors Association (NLGA).

Governor of Iowa (2017–present)

On May 24, 2017, as the Lieutenant Governor of Iowa she assumed the governorship when incumbent Governor Terry Branstad resigned to become United States Ambassador to China. Reynolds is the first female governor of Iowa.

Lieutenant Governor selection

Since Reynolds elevation to the governorship subsequently caused the vacancy of the lieutenant governorship, the subsequent selection of an unelected lieutenant governor could possibly be challenged in the Iowa Supreme Court. On May 25, 2017, Reynolds announced Adam Gregg would serve as her acting Lieutenant Governor of Iowa, therefore not in the line of succession for the governorship, to avoid a legal dispute. Reynolds is waiting on a change to the Iowa State Constitution, which would require action by the Iowa Legislative Assembly and a statewide vote. Gregg's salary will be commensurate to the lieutenant general position ($103,212).