Statewide Iowa — (RI) — Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds announced the appointment of a new director of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources this past week.
Kayla Lyon is a Decorah native who currently lives in Ames and will become the first woman to lead the agency and be the eighth director overall when she begins the job July 8th.
Lyon will replace Bruce Trautman who has served as acting director since the retirement of Chuck Gipp in May of 2018. Lyon has been the governor’s legislative liaison and lead policy advisor on agriculture and natural resources issues. She oversaw DNR operations including regulatory permitting, conservation efforts, and wildlife issues.
Prior to joining the Governor’s office, she spent her career in government affairs working on agriculture, renewable fuels, water quality, and environmental policy while representing farmers and agribusiness. That included a position as Director of Government Affairs at Iowa Institute for Cooperatives.
Photo: New Iowa DNR Director Kayla Lyon – courtesy Radio Iowa
