Gov. Kim Reynolds on Thursday named Paul Trombino as director of the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
Trombino, who had been Reynolds’ chief operating officer since 2019, will be succeeded in that role by Taryn Frideres, a lobbyist and lawyer who had been working in the U.S. State Department’s Office of Planning since 2017, Reynolds announced.
A Denison native, Frideres received a bachelor’s degree from Drake University and a law degree from the University of Iowa College of Law, Reynolds said.
“I am excited to welcome Taryn back to Iowa,” Reynolds said in a prepared statement. “She has proven herself in challenging roles across the federal government, and her experience will make her a great asset in service to the people of Iowa as my Chief Operating Officer.”
Trombino, who served as Iowa Department of Transportation director from 2011 to 2016, has worn many hats in the Reynolds administration. Since May, he was both COO and interim director of the Iowa Department of Administrative Services, the state’s human resources agency. On Tuesday, Reynolds appointed Adam Steen to lead that department.
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