On May 24, Kim Reynolds was sworn in as Iowa’s first female governor. Gov. Reynolds arrives in office as an ally of small business and advocate for farmers in the state.
“I will do my best to serve as a role model for others to follow, and hope to emulate the finest qualities of those who led before me,” Reynolds said in her inaugural address. “However, it is my responsibility, my challenge, to do my best, to give them the opportunity to write much more than, ‘She was Iowa’s first woman governor.’”
According to the Des Moines Business Record, Reynolds worked for an independent pharmacist in Mount Pleasant and learned about the inner workings of small business.
“He taught me that what set us apart from the big corporations was customer service,” Reynolds told the Des Moines Business Record in 2015. “That’s what we bring to the table – the importance of treating people well.”
Reynolds was elected Clark County Treasurer for four terms, served as a state Senator for District 48, and was selected to run as former Gov. Branstad’s running mate in 2010. The Des Moines Business Record also selected Reynolds as a woman of influence in 2015.