Governor Kristi Noem announced that she will appoint Tony Venhuizen to the South Dakota Board of Regents. Venhuizen will succeed Kevin Schieffer of Sioux Falls, whose tenure on the Board ended in March. He will depart his role as Noem’s chief of staff in late April, and his appointment will be effective at that time.

“Tony has been an incredible asset to our team, and he will be missed. I am so grateful for his leadership and service to the people of our state,” said Governor Noem. “His institutional knowledge and experience will be an asset to the Board of Regents, and I look forward to working with him in this new role.“

Venhuizen is a graduate of Armour High School. He earned his bachelor’s degree from South Dakota State University and his law degree from the University of South Dakota. Venhuizen has served as Noem’s chief of staff since April 2020, after having served in her office as a senior advisor. Prior to that, he served for eight years in the administration of Gov. Dennis Daugaard, including more than four years as chief of staff.

“It has been an honor to serve with Gov. Noem and her team over the past year, especially as our state confronted the COVID pandemic,” said Venhuizen. “I always intended for my return to the Governor’s Office to be for the short-term, and I am particularly honored that Gov. Noem has asked me to return to the Board of Regents.”

Venhuizen served previously on the Board of Regents from 2003-08, having been appointed three times by Gov. Mike Rounds as the board’s student member. He has served on the Board’s academic and finance committees and on three presidential search committees. While in the Governor’s Office, Venhuizen spent more than eight years as education policy advisor. He chaired the Council on Higher Education Policy Goals, Performance and Accountability and the Open Government Task Force. Venhuizen also served on the Blue Ribbon Task Force and the DakotaCorps Scholarship Board.

Venhuizen lives in Sioux Falls with his wife, Sara, and their three children.