Karen Hyun named Wisconsin DNR secretary

Madison — Dr. Karen Hyun, of Madison, has accepted an invitation from Gov. Tony Evers to serve as the next secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

“Dr. Hyun’s extensive science background and expertise working in fish and wildlife, shoreline restoration, and coastal management and resilience will make her a great asset to the Department of Natural Resources and to our administration,” said Evers in a press statement. “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 has experience working on natural resources, stewardship, and conservation issues. She has served as the chief of staff of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) since 2021. She also has more than a decade of experience in policy and environmental work.

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Hyun began her career in 2009, staffing the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Natural Resources. In 2012, Hyun served as a senior policy advisor for the U.S. Department of Commerce Office of the Secretary and also the chief of staff position for the department’s office of the deputy secretary in 2013.

Hyun then became the senior advisor for NOAA in June 2014 before becoming the deputy assistant secretary for fish, wildlife, and parks at the Department of the Interior in 2015. She led initiatives focused on coastal resilience, Gulf of Mexico restoration, marine conservation, and coastal stewardship at the National Audubon Society, serving as the director of water and coastal policy before becoming the vice president of coastal conservation in 2018.

“I’m honored to accept this appointment from Gov. Evers to lead the DNR,” said Hyun. “Wisconsin is known for its abundance of natural resources, wildlife, and outdoor recreation opportunities, and I have spent much of my life dedicated to understanding, conserving, and promoting the natural resources and spaces that we all know and love. I look forward to working alongside the dedicated DNR staff to ensure that Wisconsin’s ecosystems, wildlife, natural spaces, and resources remain accessible, safe, and available for generations of Wisconsinites to come.”

Hyun 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.

Wisconsin Waterfowl Association Executive Director Bruce Ross welcomes Hyun to the DNR.

“Dr Hyun’s history of commitment to science-based management of wildlife resources and broad executive leadership carries credibility that will serve Wisconsin well,” said Ross. “We look forward to meeting with Dr. Hyun as she settles in to continue our collaborative work on common issues in the months ahead.”

Hyun lives with her husband and children in Madison. She will begin her new role as Wisconsin DNR secretary Jan. 27.

The DNR secretary post has been vacant for more than a year after former DNR Secretary Adam Payne announced his resignation late October 2023. Payne had served in that role for approximately 10 months at the time of his resignation.

Asked in an email Monday why the search took so long, Gov. Evers’ spokesperson Britt Cudaback responded by saying “we can refer you to the governor’s many previous comments.” She did not elaborate.

Evers said in January 2024 that the Senate Republicans have made it harder to find a new secretary.

Republican lawmakers for years have treated the DNR with disdain, criticizing the agency for being too draconian in regulating pollution and delivering a low deer population in the state’s northern forests.

Tension has been running especially high between the GOP and the agency since Evers first took office in 2019.

Fred Prehn, a member of the DNR’s policy board appointed by then-Republican Gov. Scott Walker refused to vacate his seat for more than a year after his term ended in May 2021, maintaining a 4-3 majority on the board for Republican appointees.

The Republican-controlled Senate voted to reject four of Evers’ five appointees to the board in October 2023. Four Evers appointees currently serving on the board have yet to get a confirmation vote.

“It makes it more difficult just to hire a DNR secretary,” Evers told Wisconsin Public Radio then. “We’ll get somebody. We’ll get a good person. But to have that hanging over their head, and then having decisions being made by that person based upon ‘Am I going to be hired, approved by the Senate?’ That’s just wrong.”

Hyun’s appointment must now go before the Wisconsin Senate for confirmation. Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu issued a statement on Monday, Dec. 23 saying Republicans “look forward” to meeting with Hyun to discuss her qualifications. He didn’t offer any hints about whether she would win confirmation.

Gubernatorial appointees in Wisconsin can serve without affirmative confirmation votes until the Senate formally votes to reject their appointments.

LeMahieu went on in his statement to attack Evers for failing to replace Payne sooner. He said a qualified DNR leader might have persuaded the governor to sign a Republican bill in April that would have created grants to fight contamination by a group of chemicals known as PFAS. Evers vetoed the bill, saying it would have limited the DNR’s authority to hold polluters accountable. Both sides have spent the last eight months blaming the other for killing the bill.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.