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Noem encouraged by chief of staff search

Gov. Kristi Noem stands next to Col. Derek Oakley, the new commander of the 28th Bomb Wing, on June 23, 2023
C.J. Keene
/
SDPB
Gov. Kristi Noem stands next to Col. Derek Oakley, the new commander of the 28th Bomb Wing, on June 23, 2023

Gov. Kristi Noem says she's talking to several candidates to take the position of chief of staff.

Noem’s most recent chief, Mark Miller, resigned earlier this month days after her deputy chief of staff also left.

Both cite family situations as reasons for their departure.

Noem said the replacement search is going great.

"We're excited with some of the changes that we see coming," Noem said at Ellsworth Airforce Base on Friday. "It's going great. Yeah, we don't have to look too far."

Miller was Noem’s fifth chief of staff. He also served in the position the longest. Noem did not provide names nor a timeline for his replacement.

"What's fantastic is the amount of people that are continuing to be interested in helping us lead the state of South Dakota and continue to see the kind of incredible growth that we've had in the last several years," Noem said.

“The last four or five years our state has faced unprecedented challenges and we’ve taken those challenges and we’ve taken those challenges and turned them into opportunities,” Noem said. “So, that’s fun to have a staff that works as a team like we have in the governor's office.”

Lee Strubinger is SDPB’s Rapid City-based news and political reporter. A former reporter for Fort Lupton Press (CO) and Colorado Public Radio, Lee holds a master’s in public affairs reporting from the University of Illinois-Springfield.