Karen Hyun will be the state’s next secretary of the Department of Natural Resources, a cabinet position that’s gone unfilled for more than a year.
Governor Tony Evers announced the appointment Monday morning. Hyun will assume the office on January 27, and her appointment marks the end of the office’s longest vacancy in more than 50 years, according to a former agency head.
Hyun most recently served as the chief of staff of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, since 2021.
“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,” Evers said in a news release. “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.”
Hyun has also served as a senior advisor for NOAA and the deputy assistant secretary for fish, wildlife and parks at the Department of the Interior. She was the director of water and coastal policy for the National Audubon Society before becoming vice president of coastal conservation in 2018. During that time, Hyun spearheaded work on coastal resilience, marine conservation and restoration within the Gulf of Mexico.
She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from California’s Stanford University, as well as a doctorate from the University of Rhode Island. Hyun lives in Madison with her husband and children.