Gov. Terry Branstad has appointed Roxann Ryan as commissioner of the the Iowa Department of Public Safety, according to a release. Ryan had been serving as acting commissioner since Jan. 9, when Larry Noble retired. The appointment is effective immediately, but must be confirmed by the Iowa Senate. Ryan has a bachelor’s degree in economics from Iowa State University, a law degree from the University of Iowa and a doctorate in criminal justice from the University of Nebraska Omaha. Ryan served in the criminial division of the Iowa Attorney General’s Office from 1980 to 2004. She joined the Iowa Department of Public Safety in 2006, where she has served as a criminal intelligence analyst, in-house counsel and administrative rules coordinator. Ryan taught criminal justice for two years at Simpson College.