Governor appoints interim commissioner to lead North Dakota Health and Human Services during leadership transition

North Dakota – Governor Kelly Armstrong has appointed J. Patrick “Pat” Traynor, executive director of the Dakota Medical Foundation (DMF), to serve as interim commissioner of the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), effective June 2, 2025.

Traynor will take a one-year civil service leave from DMF to assume full-time leadership of the state’s largest agency, which operates under a two-year budget of over \$5.7 billion and includes nearly 2,500 authorized full-time employees. The HHS commissioner role is part of the governor’s Cabinet.

“Pat Traynor is uniquely qualified to lead Health and Human Services in its mission to make North Dakota the healthiest state in the nation and promote physical, behavioral and economic health and well-being,” Armstrong said. “His track record of making organizations more efficient and effective will serve North Dakota citizens well.”

Traynor brings extensive public and nonprofit leadership experience to the role. From 1994 to 2000, he served as executive director and CEO of the North Dakota Workers Compensation Bureau—now Workforce Safety & Insurance—where he led major reforms, eliminated a \$240 million unfunded liability, and helped build a \$350 million surplus.

Since 2000, Traynor has served as president of DMF, where he has overseen more than \$100 million in charitable investments aimed at improving health and quality of life. He also leads the Impact Foundation and is credited with launching the successful Giving Hearts Day initiative, which has raised over \$225 million for charities in North Dakota and northwest Minnesota since 2008.

“I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to return to state government and continue serving the citizens of the state I love,” Traynor said. “I look forward to working with the dedicated team at HHS to help empower all North Dakota residents and communities to reach their full potential.”

A Fargo native, Traynor holds an economics degree and a law degree from the University of North Dakota. He began his legal career at the Fargo firm Conmy, Feste, Bossart, Hubbard & Corwin and has served on various state and nonprofit boards, including the North Dakota State Retirement and Investment Office and the Anne Carlsen Center.

Gov. Armstrong also extended his thanks to Dirk Wilke for serving as interim HHS commissioner since January. Wilke will continue in his role as executive director of the department’s public health division.