Governor Branstad has accepted the resignation of a hometown friend who’s been managing a state agency for the past 16 months.
In December of 2010, shortly before Branstad started his fifth term as governor, Branstad announced Roger Lande would be the director of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Lande, a lawyer, grew up in Lake Mills — Branstad’s hometown.
Lande, who is 75 years old, is a former chair of the Iowa Association of Business and Industry and a former member of the Iowa Board of Regents. Branstad announced Lande’s exit from state government in a written statement, but did not name a successor to lead the agency. Lande plans to accompany the govenor on a trip to China next week, then spend more time at his vacation home in Canada.
Last summer Branstad asked Chuck Gipp to serve as the top deputy in the DNR. Gipp, a Republican, served in the Iowa House for 18 years and had been working in the Iowa Department of Agriculture.