Branstad appoints state agency directors, regents and others

DES MOINES — Gov. Terry Branstad made a dozen appointments and reappointments Monday to his administration's top leadership team, including naming Jerry Bartruff the permanent director of the state Department of Corrections effective immediately.

Bartruff was Branstad's choice to temporarily replace John Baldwin, who resigned earlier this month, and Monday the governor took away the 'acting' tag and made him his choice to guide the state's prison and community-based corrections system.

Branstad also reappointed 11 other directors for another term to begin May 1, including David Roederer at management, Debi Durham at the helm of Economic Development Authority, Charles Palmer at human services, Mary Cownie at cultural affairs, Rod Roberts at inspections & appeals, Courtney Kay-Decker at revenue, Donna Harvey at the Department on Aging, David Jamison at Iowa Finance Authority, JoAnn Johnson as superintendent of the credit unions division, Arlen Ciechanowski, as director of the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy, and Doug Hoelscher as director of State-Federal Relations.

The gubernatorial appointments are subject to a two-thirds majority vote of the Iowa Senate to win confirmation.

Branstad also made scores of new appointments and reappointments to a host of state boards and commissions, including naming Mary Andringa of Mitchellville, Patricia Cownie of Des Moines and Rachael Johnson, a Sioux City student, to the Iowa Board of Regents, Dolores Mertz of Algona, Kristine Kramer of New Hampton to the state Racing and Gaming Commission and David Rose of Clinton to the state Transportation Commission.

Other notable appointments included former state Rep. Geri Huser of Altoona as chairwoman of the Iowa Utilities Board; Michael Coleman of Waterloo, John Chalstrom of Cherokee, Lawrence Kudej of Swisher and Lisa Hill, Johnston to the state Board of Corrections; Daniel White of Dubuque, David Bernstein of Sioux City, Jennifer Cooper of Des Moines, and Lisa Hull of Clarinda to the Iowa Economic Development Authority; Joe Riding of Altoona, Mary Boote of Des Moines, Nancy Couser of Nevada, Ralph Lents of Menlo to the state Environmental Protection Commission; James Albert of Urbandale and Saima Zafar of West Des Moines to the state Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board; Phyllis Hansell of Des Moines and Samuel Wallace of Des Moines to the Iowa Council on Human Services; Connor Flynn of Des Moines and Mary Rathj of Marion to the Iowa Lottery Authority Board; Dr. Kyle Ulveling of Carroll, Mary Romanco of Pleasantville, and Dr. Charles Wadle of West Des Moines to the Iowa Board of Medicine; Dennis Schemmel of Grimes, Richard Francisco of Lucas to the state Natural Resources Commission; and Angela Williams of Urbandale, Patricia Lipski of Washington, and Robert Hosford of West Des Moines to the Iowa State Civil Rights Commission.