Kraig Paulsen named interim leader of Iowa Department of Management

DES MOINES — Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Tuesday that she has appointed Kraig Paulsen to direct the state Department of Management effective Friday.

Paulsen, 57, a former speaker of the Iowa House from Hiawatha who currently directs the Iowa Department of Revenue, will serve as interim management agency leader. He replaces Joel Anderson, who was serving as interim director after Michael Bousselot resigned last month to successfully run for an open seat in House District 37.

"Kraig has been a valued and trusted member of my cabinet serving as the director of the Department of Revenue,” Reynolds said in a statement.

“With Kraig's wealth of knowledge and expertise in the financial sector, he will provide great leadership and sound fiscal management over the state’s budget and ensure our state continues to prosper and move forward.”

Paulsen was appointed director of the Iowa Department of Revenue in February 2019 — a role he will continue. He previously has served as director of the Supply Chain Initiatives and Business Analytics Initiatives at Iowa State University’s Ivy College of Business, commissioner at the Iowa Department of Transportation, and in the Iowa House from 2003 to 2017, including four years as the chamber’s speaker from 2011 to 2015.

“I’m honored that Gov. Reynolds entrusts me to provide Iowa taxpayers with excellence and accountability with the state’s finances,” Paulsen said in a statement.

“Fiscal responsibility is key to a healthy and balanced budget and I will ensure transparency through the process while making decisions that are in the best interest of Iowans.”