PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — After one year of serving as Gov. Kristi Noem’s chief of staff, Tony Venhuizen is leaving.

Noem announced today that Venhuizen will be appointed to the South Dakota Board of Regents. Venhuizen will succeed Kevin Schieffer of Sioux Falls, whose tenure on the board ended in March.

Venhuizen will leave his role with Noem’s staff later this month and his appointment will be effective then, a news release said.

This is the second staff member change in roughly a month. In March, Noem’s senior advisor and policy director Maggie Seidel announced she was leaving the Governor’s office.

Venhuizen is also one of several staff or administration members that have left Noem’s office or administration since she was elected.

This will be Venhuizen’s second term on the board. He served on the board as a student member from 2003 to 2008.

Venhuizen was Noem’s senior advisor before he became her chief of staff in April 2020. Prior to that, he served for eight years in the administration of Gov. Dennis Daugaard, including more than four years as chief of staff. 

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.