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 has chosen North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum to head the Interior Department. Some things to know about the two-term Republican governor of a sparsely populated state:

Burgum, 67, grew up in tiny Arthur, North Dakota, population 328. He earned a bachelor's degree from North Dakota State University and his master’s of business administration from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

He went on to become a wealthy software executive. He led Great Plains Software, which Microsoft acquired for $1.1 billion in 2001. Burgum stayed on as a vice president until 2007. He's also led other companies in real estate development and venture capital.

He beat a longtime GOP officeholder to become governor

In 2016, Burgum ran for governor, his first campaign for elected office. He touted a message of 

 as the state dealt with a massive revenue shortfall.

 North Dakota's longtime attorney general in the Republican gubernatorial primary. He handily won his first term in the strong Republican state, which has about 784,000 residents.

Burgum took a CEO’s approach to leading

Burgum has taken a business-oriented bent as governor of North Dakota, where agriculture and oil are the main industries. He's pushed 

 reduced regulations, and changes to animal agriculture laws and 

. Burgum also emphasized a “data-driven” approach to governing, advocated for a 

 in the state and prioritized engagement with tribal nations.

Burgum and his wife, Kathryn, have been public about her recovery from addiction, and as governor he has prioritized 

Burgum is known as a policy wonk who works long hours and is highly inquisitive.

He has largely resisted wading into social issues, such as 

 pushed by members of his own party, vetoing a few such bills 

 as he was planning a run for president, 

 a pile of bills opponents said targeted transgender people. They included a 

 medical treatments for transgender kids, 

 for transgender athletes, and transgender restrictions 

 from June to December 2023. He campaigned on priorities of energy, economy and national security, but 

He appeared in two Republican debates — including the first, which he attended after 

 playing basketball. He drew attention for his 

 $20 gift cards to people who would donate $1 to his campaign so he would have enough individual donors to make the debate stage.

When he entered office in December 2016, he dealt with the final months of the sometimes-chaotic 

He was the face of North Dakota's response to the coronavirus pandemic, holding dozens of press conferences, many of them daily in early 2020, including an emotional 

Last year, amid his presidential campaign, Burgum 

, putting some state funding in jeopardy.

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President-elect Donald Trump has chosen North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum to lead the Interior Department. The two-term Republican governor of the sparsely populated state has taken a business-oriented approach to his tenure. 

What to know North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, tapped by Trump to run the Interior Department

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