BISMARCK, N.D. — Gov. Kelly Armstrong has appointed senior adviser Conner Swanson to lead the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services, putting a longtime policy aide in charge of the largest agency in state government.
Swanson will take over as DHHS commissioner Aug. 29, succeeding interim Commissioner Pat Traynor, who has led the department since June 2025.
The appointment places Swanson at the helm of an agency with an approved two-year budget of more than $5.7 billion, including federal funding, and nearly 2,500 authorized full-time positions. The commissioner also serves in Armstrong’s Cabinet.
Swanson has served as a senior adviser in the Governor’s Office since Armstrong and Lt. Gov. Michelle Strinden took office in December 2024. His portfolio has included oversight of health and human-services policy and coordination with DHHS.
“From Capitol Hill to the State Capitol, Conner has navigated complex policy issues with skill and a depth of understanding that will serve North Dakotans well,” Armstrong said.
The governor pointed in particular to Swanson’s work on the Rural Health Transformation Program, which is directing hundreds of millions of dollars in federal grants toward improving health outcomes in North Dakota.
Armstrong said he expects Swanson to build on the department’s existing work with the goal of making North Dakota “the healthiest state in the nation.”
A Bowman, N.D., native, Swanson has spent much of his career working alongside Armstrong.
From 2020 through 2024, he served as a policy adviser and communications director for Armstrong while the Republican represented North Dakota in the U.S. House. Swanson also worked as a senior adviser to the House Budget Committee.
Earlier in his career, Swanson served in the U.S. Department of the Interior during President Donald Trump’s first administration and worked as an assistant to the North Dakota House majority leader.
While attending North Dakota State University, Swanson interned for then-Rep. Rick Berg and Sen. John Hoeven. He earned a master’s degree in natural-resources management from NDSU in 2017.
“I’m grateful to Gov. Armstrong for this opportunity and excited to officially become a part of the team at the Department of Health and Human Services,” Swanson said.
Swanson said his work with the agency through the Governor’s Office since 2024 has given him firsthand experience with its employees and programs.
Traynor will return to his position as executive director of the Dakota Medical Foundation after serving as interim commissioner for more than a year.
Armstrong credited Traynor with helping implement the Rural Health Transformation Program and guiding the department through other policy initiatives during his tenure.
“Pat’s boundless energy and passion for improving the health and well-being of all North Dakota citizens reverberated through not only DHHS but our entire administration,” Armstrong said.
Swanson will inherit a sprawling department responsible for programs ranging from Medicaid and public health to child welfare, behavioral health and services for older adults and people with disabilities.