Kristi Noem

Kristi Noem
Official portrait, 2023
8th United States Secretary of Homeland Security
Assumed office
January 25, 2025
PresidentDonald Trump
DeputyMaryAnn Tierney (acting)
Benjamine Huffman (acting)
Troy Edgar (nominee)
Preceded byAlejandro Mayorkas
33rd Governor of South Dakota
In office
January 5, 2019 – January 25, 2025
LieutenantLarry Rhoden
Preceded byDennis Daugaard
Succeeded byLarry Rhoden
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from South Dakota's at-large district
In office
January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2019
Preceded byStephanie Herseth Sandlin
Succeeded byDusty Johnson
Member of the South Dakota House of Representatives
from the 6th district
In office
January 9, 2007 – January 3, 2011
Preceded byArt Fryslie
Succeeded byBurt Tulson
Personal details
Born
Kristi Lynn Arnold

(1971-11-30) November 30, 1971 (age 53)
Watertown, South Dakota, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Bryon Noem
(m. 1992)
Children3
EducationSouth Dakota State University (BA)
Signature

Kristi Lynn Arnold Noem[1] (/nm/ NOHM;[2] née Arnold; born November 30, 1971) is an American politician serving since 2025 as the eighth United States secretary of homeland security.

Noem served from 2019 to 2025 as the 33rd governor of South Dakota, resigning after being confirmed as Secretary of Homeland Security.[3] A member of the Republican Party, she was the U.S. representative for South Dakota's at-large congressional district from 2011 to 2019 and a member of the South Dakota House of Representatives for the 6th district from 2007 to 2011.

Noem became the first female governor of South Dakota when she was elected in 2018. During that election, President Donald Trump endorsed her. As governor, Noem rose to national prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic over her refusal to issue a statewide mandate to wear face masks, instead advocating for voluntary measures. South Dakota saw a drastic increase in COVID cases after the 2020 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally,[4] in which Noem participated.[5]

Noem is also a farmer and a rancher. She published her first autobiography, Not My First Rodeo: Lessons from the Heartland, in 2022. Her second, No Going Back (2024), ignited controversy over her description of killing a young family dog.

  1. ^ "Kristi Lynn Arnold Noem, State of South Dakota: Profile and Biography". Bloomberg News.
  2. ^ South Dakota Means Business. Governor Kristi Noem. July 16, 2020. Event occurs at 00:01. Retrieved August 20, 2024 – via YouTube.
  3. ^ "Governor Rhoden Receives Governor Noem's Resignation Letter - News". news.sd.gov. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  4. ^ "The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Set Off A Surge Of COVID Cases In South Dakota". NPR. Retrieved January 20, 2025.
  5. ^ "Noem Attends Sturgis Charity Ride, Defends COVID-19 Approach". South Dakota Public Broadcasting. August 10, 2021. Retrieved January 20, 2025.

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