Cabinet secretary retires days after South Dakota breaks contract with transgender organization
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Dec. 19—SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — South Dakota Department of Health Secretary Joan Adam announced her retirement today, according to a press release from the governor's office.
"My time with the Department of Health has been very rewarding. The dedication of the Department's employees is impressive and will continue to serve the state well. I am looking forward to focusing on family and personal commitments," Adam said in
the statement.
Adam has served at the South Dakota Department of Health for a combined 20 years, including as Division Director for Health Promotion & Disease Prevention, Division Director for Administration, and Secretary of Health.
The announcement comes days after the department terminated a contract with South Dakota-based nonprofit
The Transformation Project
, an organization whose mission statement is to "support and empower transgender individuals and their families while educating communities in South Dakota and the surrounding region about gender identity and expression."
According to online media outlet The Daily Signal, the decision from Gov. Kristi Noem on Dec. 16 to terminate the contract
came after the outlet,
"drew the governor's attention to...the group."
Ian Fury, Noem's chief spokesperson, told The Daily Signal the contract, "was signed without Gov. Noem's prior knowledge or approval."
Fury did not respond to a request for comment on whether the retirement of Adam was precipitated by the scandal.
In the Dec. 16
termination letter,
signed by Department of Health Deputy Secretary Lynne Valenti, the department claimed that the organization had "failed to perform" its obligations and was "in material breach" of the contract.
The
contract
— scheduled to end on May 31, 2023, and worth $136,000 — called for the organization to create a Community Health Worker program with at least one staff member.
According to the Department of Health,
a community health worker serves, "as a liaison between health/social services and the community to facilitate access to services and improve the quality and cultural competence of service delivery."
Fury told the Daily Signal that one example of how the organization engaged in a breach of the contract was a "failure to submit required quarterly reports."
"South Dakota does not support this organization's efforts, and state government should not be participating in them," Fury told The Daily Signal in a statement. "We should not be dividing our youth with radical ideologies. We should treat every single individual equally as a human being."
In the statement announcing Adam's retirement, Noem thanked the former department secretary for her service.
"Joan has lived a life of service to the Pierre community and to the people of South Dakota," Noem wrote. "She has been able to put families first because she recognizes the importance of her own family. I am grateful for her advice and wish her the best on everything that she does."
Jason Harward is a
Report for America
corps reporter who writes about state politics in South Dakota. Contact him at
605-301-0496
or
