Doug Burgum

Burgum was married to Karen Stoker from 1991 until their divorce in 2003, and they have three children. He has been married to Kathryn Helgaas Burgum since 2016.

Kathryn Burgum has led the Recovery Reinvented program on addiction and recovery as first lady of North Dakota. Their public work on addiction treatment became part of Burgum's broader focus on behavioral health and recovery resources.

After graduating from North Dakota State University and earning an MBA from Stanford University, Burgum worked as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company. In 1983, he mortgaged inherited farmland to invest in Great Plains Software, a Fargo-based accounting software company, and became its vice president of marketing. He later became the company's chief executive.

Great Plains Software went public in 1997 and grew from a North Dakota startup into a major software business. Microsoft acquired the company in 2001, and Burgum became senior vice president of Microsoft's Business Solutions Group, where he worked for six years.

Burgum later co-founded Arthur Ventures, an investment firm focused on technology, life sciences, and clean technologies. He also founded the Kilbourne Group, a real-estate development company focused on downtown Fargo, and served as chairman of the boards of Atlassian and SuccessFactors. In 2009, John Hoeven presented him with the Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider Award, North Dakota's highest civilian honor.

Burgum entered electoral politics in 2016 without previous public office experience. He defeated longtime attorney general Wayne Stenehjem in the Republican primary and won the general election with more than 75 percent of the vote. He was reelected in 2020 with more than 65 percent and served as governor from December 2016 through December 2024.

As governor, Burgum promoted a business-oriented approach that included income tax cuts, reduced regulations, increased energy production, and changes to higher education governance. He set a goal for North Dakota to become carbon-neutral by 2030 through carbon capture, enhanced oil recovery, and agricultural practices designed to sequester carbon.

Burgum led the state's response to droughts, severe storms, and the coronavirus pandemic. He held frequent news conferences during the early months of the pandemic and prioritized addiction treatment, cybersecurity, and engagement with tribal nations. In 2023, he signed legislation making North Dakota the first state to require cybersecurity education for all K-12 students.

Burgum announced his campaign for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination in June 2023. He emphasized energy, economic policy, and national security, drawing on his record as a software executive and governor. He appeared in two Republican primary debates before suspending his campaign on December 4, 2023, after failing to gain enough support to remain competitive.

Burgum endorsed Donald Trump before the Iowa caucuses and became the Trump campaign's principal adviser on energy policy. He was considered for the vice-presidential nomination, but Trump selected JD Vance instead.

Trump nominated Burgum to serve as secretary of the interior after winning the 2024 presidential election. The Senate confirmed him by a 79-18 vote on January 30, 2025, and he was sworn in as the 55th secretary of the interior on February 1.

Burgum has used the position to advance the administration's energy agenda, including expanded fossil-fuel production, drilling on federal lands, mineral extraction, and faster project permitting. He also became chair of the National Energy Dominance Council and was named an energy adviser to the president.

As secretary, Burgum has supported opening additional federal lands to energy development and has taken steps to limit or halt offshore wind projects. He has also worked with the Department of Housing and Urban Development on using public lands for affordable housing.