Gov. Tony Evers announced today he appointed Karen Hyun, the chief of staff of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, as DNR secretary, filling a position that has been vacant for more than a year.
Evers praised Hyun’s “extensive science background and expertise working in fish and wildlife, shoreline restoration, and coastal management and resilience.” In addition to her current position with NOAA, Hyun has staffed the U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee, served as a senior policy adviser for the U.S. Department of Commerce Office of the Secretary, and deputy assistant secretary for fish, wildlife and parks at the Department of the Interior.
“Having spent most of her career working in environmental policy, Dr. Hyun brings a wealth of experience navigating many of the issues the department is charged with managing every day, and I’m so excited for her to get started,” Evers said.
Hyun will be Evers’ third Department of Natural Resources secretary. Preston Cole, Evers’ first leader at the agency, served for almost four years before retiring in November 2022. Evers then appointed Adam Payne to the post, effective Jan. 3, 2023. But he stepped down 10 months later, writing in his resignation letter that he wanted to spend more time with his family.
Since then, Evers has struggled to find someone to fill the role. He’s blamed that partly on the GOP-controlled state Senate rejecting 22 executive branch nominations since he took office in 2019. In the previous 40 years, the Senate had rejected four.
Hyun, who lives in Madison, earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Earth Systems from Stanford University in California and a doctorate in Marine Affairs from the University of Rhode Island. Her other experience includes working for the National Audubon Society, serving as the director of water and coastal policy, before becoming the vice president of coastal conservation in 2018.
