Words from J. Patrick Traynor
• • • 

I’ve been blessed with an opportunity to join the administration of Gov. Kelly Armstrong and serve our state as the interim commissioner of the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services. After much reflection and discussion with my family, board members, and team, we’ve determined that now is the right time to answer this call to serve. I look forward to working with and learning from the dedicated team within the Department. The press release announcing this decision from the Governor’s Office can be found here.

The decision to take this role for one year, beginning June 2, 2025, reinforces the Foundation’s values of service, stewardship, continuous learning, and community involvement. I have full support from my board members and team, and believe it will be an extraordinary learning opportunity for us all. I have immense faith in my team to carry on the important work of the Foundation during my temporary leave.

We hope this will inspire other organizations to offer similar civil service opportunities, as these arrangements allow for shared learning between government and private industry, grow networks, and generate a pipeline for future collaborations to better serve the people of our great state.

Gratefully,
JPT

J. Patrick Traynor
Dakota Medical and Impact Foundations