Taryn Frideres

Taryn Frideres currently serves as the Chief of Staff to Governor Kim Reynolds of Iowa. Previously, Taryn served as Governor Reynolds’ Chief Operating Officer.

Previously, Taryn served as a trusted foreign policy advisor for more than a decade as a private sector lawyer, Senate staffer, and State Department official. From October 2019 till she started working for Governor Reynolds, Taryn has served as Deputy to the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, leading the Ambassador’s Washington office and serving as a liaison to the White House, State Department, and Congress. Prior to her current role, Taryn served as Senior Advisor to the Deputy Secretary of State and Special Advisor to the Director of the Office of Policy Planning.

Prior to joining the State Department, Taryn served as General Counsel to U.S. Senator Joni Ernst, staffing her on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

From 2010-2015, Taryn worked as an associate at the law firm of Squire Patton Boggs (US) LLP in the International Trade, International Policy, and Defense practice groups. During her time at the firm, she co-authored articles on Trade Promotion Authority and Foreign Agents Registration Act enforcement. In 2013, she co-founded a nonprofit organization—Pretrial Rights International—to advocate for Americans detained abroad.

Taryn was selected to participate in the Heritage Foundation George C. Marshall Fellowship in 2017 and the Foreign Policy Initiative Future Leaders Program in 2014.

An Iowa native, Taryn is a summa cum laude graduate of Drake University and holds a law degree, with high distinction, from the University of Iowa College of Law.