Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announces next lieutenant governor

DES MOINES, Iowa (KTIV) – Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds announced who will be the state’s next lieutenant governor.

At approximately 10:30 a.m. on Monday, December 16, the Republican governor officially announced that Iowa State Senator Chris Cournoyer of Le Claire would take over after Adam Gregg announced his resignation as lieutenant governor on September 3 had. Gregg had served alongside Reynolds since 2017, stepping down to take a position at the helm of the Iowa Bankers Association.

“I am pleased to announce Chris Cournoyer as the new lieutenant governor,” Reynolds said. “First and foremost, she has the character, judgment and skills necessary to serve as governor should I be unable to do so – qualities that also make her ideally suited to our day-to-day work support. I can’t wait to leverage Chris’ extensive experience on key legislative committees, including Ways and Means, and his expertise in technology, innovation and artificial intelligence on a variety of issues important to Iowans.”

Cournoyer was sworn in during the special announcement Monday morning in the presence of the media.

“It is a great honor to serve as lieutenant governor, and the citizens of Iowa can have confidence that I will always approach this task with the seriousness it deserves,” said Lt. Governor Cournoyer. “I couldn’t be more excited to join Governor Reynolds’ team and do my part to implement her bold agenda for our state.”

As a state senator, Cournoyer has served in the Iowa Senate since 2019, representing the 35th Senate District. This includes portions of Clinton, Jackson and Scott counties, including Maquoketa and DeWitt parishes.

She worked as a senior consultant in the technology department at Andersen Consulting, the Fortune 500 company that later became Accenture. Cournoyer built a successful business as an independent website designer and developer and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science from the University of Texas. She was named an Iowa Woman of Innovation-STEM Champion by the Technology Association of Iowa and is a member of the Governor’s STEM Advisory Council. She is also a former member of the Quad Cities Engineering and Science Council and past school board president.

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