Governor-elect Rob Sand named Elisabeth Buck and Morgan Miller co-directors of the Sand Transition Committee on November 5, putting two experienced Iowa government and political figures in charge of preparing his administration to take office in January. The announcement also introduced IowaForAll.com as the transition’s public website.
Who will lead the transition?
Buck is a former president of United Way of Central Iowa. Her background includes serving as deputy chief of staff to governors Tom Vilsack and Chet Culver, and serving as director of Iowa Workforce Development. United Way’s retirement announcement and leadership biography document that experience.
Miller is political director of the Iowa State Education Association, a role confirmed by the association’s staff directory.
The November 5 release names transition co-directors. It does not announce cabinet appointments or provide a complete transition-team roster.
How Iowans can participate
The transition website’s Join the Team page provides a résumé bank for people interested in working in the administration. As checked on November 5, it listed that general entry rather than a set of individual job openings.
A separate boards-and-commissions page invites expressions of interest in public service. The page specifies that its form is not an official employment or appointment application.
The handoff from Reynolds
In a November 4 statement, Gov. Kim Reynolds said she had spoken with Sand that morning, congratulated him and committed her team to helping the incoming administration prepare for its first day in office.
The next concrete developments to watch are further personnel announcements and the incoming administration’s stated priorities. Those decisions will show how the transition moves from organizing a team to preparing to govern.