Governor-elect Noem announces transition team

PIERRE — Governor-elect Kristi Noem and Lieutenant Governor-elect Larry Rhoden today announced the membership of their transition team.
The transition team will work with Governor-elect Noem and Lieutenant Governor-elect Rhoden to develop policy proposals for the upcoming legislative session, prepare Governor-elect Noem’s budget proposal, and identify and screen candidates for the Governor’s Cabinet and Staff. The team will work closely with Governor Dennis Daugaard to ensure an orderly transition to the new administration.
Matt McCaulley will chair the transition team. McCaulley is a partner with Redstone Law Firm in Sioux Falls, and has served as legal counsel to Governor-elect Noem for nearly a decade. He served in the State House of Representatives from 2001-2004, and also served as the chair of the House Judiciary Committee in 2003-2004.
Herb Jones was the deputy campaign manager of the Kristi for Governor campaign. Jones’ extensive government experience includes work in the Janklow, Mickelson, and Miller administrations and as chief of staff to U.S. Senator John Thune. Jones previously chaired Noem’s 2010 congressional transition team.
Steve Westra is the President of Hegg Hospitality Management, and COO of Hegg Companies Inc. Westra served in the State House of Representatives from 2013-2016, including two years as assistant majority leader. He currently serves on the State Tourism Advisory Board.
Liza Clark is commissioner of the Bureau of Finance and Management, the state’s chief financial officer. Clark joined BFM in 2005, including six years as chief budget analyst. She spent three years in Governor Daugaard’s office as a policy advisor, advising on issues relating to labor and regulation, workforce development, human resources, and higher education.

Kennedy Noem is a senior at South Dakota State University, where she is majoring in political science with a minor in economics. She is the daughter of Governor-elect Noem.
Lieutenant Governor-elect Larry Rhoden will also serve on the transition team.
The transition team is committed to the Four Pillars of Protection that Governor-elect Noem and Lieutenant Governor-elect Rhoden have promised to the State of South Dakota. The transition team will serve until January 5, 2019.
Tony Venhuizen has been designated by the Daugaard administration to serve as liaison to the Noem transition team. Venhuizen, who serves as Governor Daugaard’s chief of staff, also worked in the 2002 Rounds transition and the 2010 Daugaard transition.
Governor-elect Kristi Noem and Lieutenant Governor-elect Larry Rhoden also announced the following staff appointments:
Beth Hollatz will serve as the transition team’s inauguration coordinator. Hollatz worked on the Kristi for Congress campaign in 2010, the Kristi for Governor campaign this year, and also served as state director in Noem’s congressional office.
Megan Goltz will serve as Governor-elect Noem’s scheduler. Goltz served as the scheduler for Kristi during the Kristi for Governor campaign.
All members of the transition team will sign an acknowledgement that they have read, and will abide by, all ethics and conflict of interest laws and rules that apply to state officials, which are available in the State of South Dakota Employee Handbook.
 
Governor-elect Noem and Lieutenant Governor-elect Rhoden will be sworn in on January 5, 2019.