Iowa Gov. Reynolds announces staffing changes

With one year left in her term, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on Friday announced several staff changes in the Office of the Governor.

Heather Nahas returns as communications director, a role she previously held from August of 2019 to September of last year. Nahas left the governor’s office to join the Iowa Hospital Association as senior vice president of marketing and communications.

She fills the position vacated by her successor, Jen Green, who joined the Iowa Attorney General’s Office in June as its new communications director.

Reynolds also appointed Gary Wynne as agriculture and energy policy advisor. Wynne previously worked for Iowa U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley and western Iowa Congressman Randy Feenstra, as well at the U.S. embassy in Brazil.

Madi Willis was appointed director of state and federal relations. Willis previously worked in the offices of Iowa U.S. Sens. Joni Ernst and Grassley, as well the office of central Iowa Congressman Zach Nunn.

Collin Slowey joins the governor’s office as chief speechwriter and communications advisor. Slowey previously served a speech writer for then U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio from 2021 until January of this year, when he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as U.S. Secretary of State under President Donald Trump.

Michelle Haupts was appointed scheduling director and previously worked in the Iowa Treasurer’s Office, the Iowa House Chief of Clerk’s Office and for the U.S. Southern District Court of Iowa.

Nick Tansey was appointed director of boards and commissions, and previously served as special assistant to Iowa Lt. Gov. Chris Cournoyer.

Reynolds also appointed Rachel Ostergren deputy press secretary. She previously worked on congressional and gubernatorial political campaigns, according to the governor’s office.

“As I look ahead to my final year as governor, I’m especially grateful to my dedicated staff who have supported me in serving Iowans over the years,” Reynolds said in a statement.

She announced earlier this year she will not seek re-election to another four-year term.

“I’m also pleased to welcome new members to my team who bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to their roles, and welcome back a veteran senior staff member who was with me throughout the pandemic and for much of my time in office,” Reynolds said.

Reynolds announces grant funding to expand child care access

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Reynolds this week also announced the state will commit $5 million in grant funding to expand 19 child care and preschool program partnerships in the state.

Rebuffed by lawmakers who failed pass her bill to overhaul the state’s child care system, Reynolds in May announced plans to boost child care access and incentive partnerships between child care programs and preschools.

She also expanded a pilot program that allows eligible child care educators to receive subsidies to afford care for their own children. Her administration also established a statewide fund where local businesses can get a tax break for making donations toward boosting wages in the child care workforce and an online dashboard for families to find available child care slots.

The Iowa Legislature adjourned for the year without approving Reynolds bill that was designed to tackle the same goals. While the Iowa Senate passed it, the Iowa House did not consider it, largely over concerns about how some of the bill’s provisions were funded.

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services issued a request for proposals for the Early Childhood Continuum of Care grant. Grants of up to $300,000 over three years will support partnerships between preschools and licensed child care centers to offer full-day care for 4-year-olds. The program received over 120 applications, according to the governor’s office.

A second round of Continuum of Care grants will be announced this fall for the 2026-27 school year.

Reynolds, in a statement, said the additional investment will strengthen school-aged readiness and support the needs of children and working families

The grant funds can be used to cover transportation between preschool sites and child care centers or fund child care staff, according to the grant application.

"Iowa has a strong and diverse statewide preschool system with many options for Iowa families,“ Reynolds said. ”We’ve also had tremendous success improving child care access, growing the workforce, and increasing wages for child care workers.

“Still, Iowa’s working parents need more flexibility to provide their children with full-day care plus early learning, which has been a gap in our system for too long. The Continuum of Care grant program provides a strategic solution by incentivizing child care providers and preschool programs to work together to better serve Iowa families. There’s a clear need for this program — as evidenced by the overwhelming number of applicants — and I encourage state legislators to explore ways to permanently support these partnerships.”

More information is available at www.iowagrants.gov.