Kim Malsam-Rysdon serves as the Secretary of the Department of Social Services for the Daugaard Administration. Prior to joining Governor Daugaard's staff, Kim served as Deputy Secretary of Social Services, and Director of the Divisions of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities in the Department of Human Services. Prior to working for the state of South Dakota, Kim worked to help people with disabilities live and work in their communities.
Kim grew up in Wisconsin and New Hampshire before her family returned to South Dakota. She attending college at The University of South Dakota, where she received her bachelor's degree in political science. Kim went on to receive a Master's degree in Social Work from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Kim and her husband Steve have been married twenty years, and they are blessed to have two sons, Jake and Joe. In her spare time, Kim enjoys reading, gardening, traveling and enjoying the Missouri River with her family.