Kimberly Reynolds is an American politician serving as the current governor of Iowa since 2017. She is a member of the Republican Party.
Education and early life
Reynolds was born as Kimberly Kay Strawn in St. Charles, Iowa. She attended high school at the Interstate 35 Community School District and graduated in 1977.
Reynolds attended Northwest Missouri State University, for one semester (Fall 1977) where she took classes in business, consumer sciences and clothing sales and design. She dropped out of college after one semester.
Reynolds later took classes at Southeastern Community College in the late 1980s, and then took accounting classes at Southwestern Community College between 1992 and 1995. She left both of these institutions.
Reynolds began partially online classes at Iowa State University in 2012, and received a Bachelor of Liberal Studies degree in December 2016.
Career
Reynolds previously served as the 46th lieutenant governor of Iowa from 2011 to 2017.
Before she was elected lieutenant governor, Reynolds served as Clarke County treasurer for four terms and then served in the Iowa Senate from 2009 to 2010.
Reynolds became governor of Iowa in May 2017 when her predecessor, Terry Branstad, stepped down to become the United States ambassador to China. She won a full term as governor in the 2018 gubernatorial election.
Reynolds’ gubernatorial ideology centers around family values
Kim Reynolds understands the challenges families face because she’s faced them herself. A fifth-generation Iowan, she grew up in a working-class family in St. Charles, Iowa. A recognized leader in state and local issues, Kim served as county treasurer and state senator before becoming Lieutenant Governor and Governor.
As Lt. Governor, she served as the chairwoman of the National Lt. Governors Association. In this role, she led nationwide discussions on policy, economic development, and issues affecting states across the country.
Kim has made Iowa a national leader in STEM education; and she’s led economic development trade missions to China, Germany, South Korea, Vietnam, the Philippines and Thailand, working towards increased exports, more foreign direct investment and new jobs for Iowa.
Throughout her entire life, Reynolds has never forgotten her working class roots. As a teenager she worked as a waitress at Younkers. And later, she worked as a checker at Hy-Vee all while raising a young family and getting her college degree.
That’s why her top priorities as governor are creating good-paying jobs, cutting taxes, investing in public schools, and increasing opportunity in every part of Iowa. Kim and her husband, “First Dude” Kevin, have been married 36 years, have three daughters and 10 grandchildren.
Governor Reynolds’ legacy
Under Reynolds’ leadership, Iowans have benefitted from:
- The largest tax cut in state history and continued tax reform
- Record investments in public education year-over-year
- Increased access to behavioral and mental health care, including the creation of Iowa’s first Children’s Mental Health System
- Aggressive workforce policy initiatives that will ensure 70 percent of Iowans achieve training or education beyond high school by 2025
Iowan heritage
Governor Reynolds is proud of her Iowa roots. A small-town, rural Iowa girl at heart, she grew up in Madison County. Kimberly graduated from Interstate 35 Community Schools in 1977. Also, she married her husband Kevin Reynolds in 1982, worked and raised three daughters, and completed her bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University in 2016 while serving as Lieutenant Governor.
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