Dan Krier 

State Fire Marshal

​​Daniel Krier has been state fire marshal since September 2023.

Krier began his career in public service in 2009 serving most recently as the fire marshal for the City of Brooklyn Park. During his time there, Krier implemented a robust fire inspection program, enhanced the fire investigation program, and expanded the department’s community outreach and educational activities. Before becoming state fire marshal, he was the vice president of the Fire Marshals Association of Minnesota.  

Krier started in the fire ser​vice as a paid-on-call firefighter for North St. Paul Fire in 2014 and was later promoted to full-time fire inspector in August 2015. Prior to working full-time in the fire service, Krier spent six years at the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Public Health Laboratory as an environmental analyst and a research scientist. His work at MDH included chemical threat preparedness and response, training of state chemical assessment teams, and research on firefighter exposure to cyanide in fire smoke. 

Krier has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of North Dakota and a master’s degree in environmental health from the University of Minnesota. 

 

Amanda Swenson

​Chief Deputy State Fire Marshal 

Amanda Swenson is the chief deputy state fire marshal overseeing our fire prevention and fire code functions.

Swenson has served as the chief deputy state fire marshal since June 2020.

Swenson joined the State Fire Marshal division in 2014 as a fire and life safety educator. In 2018, she became the supervisor of the State Services and Support Team, which includes public education, fire service specialists, state response teams and fleet.

Swenson has been a firefighter on the Braham Fire Department since 2010. 

Before she became a firefighter, Swenson earned a bachelor’s degree from Northland College in Ashland, Wis.

After earning her degree, she worked in the admissions office at Northland for seven years before returning to Minnesota. She then started working in 4-H youth development with the University of Minnesota Extension program in Mille Lacs and Isanti Counties. During this time, she also earned a master’s degree from the University of Minnesota.

 

Tate Mills

Chief Deputy State Fire Marshal

Tate Mills is the chief deputy state fire marshal overseeing our operations functions.

Mills has served as the chief deputy state fire marshal of operations since August of 2024.

Mills started with the State Fire Marshal division in 2016 as a fire service specialist, serving as a liaison to fire departments, fire service stakeholder groups and local governments. He helped fire departments throughout the state with everything from administrative issues to emergency response support. He also managed our drone program and previously managed the service planning grant program.

Mills began his fire service career in 1997 with the Albertville Fire Department. He worked his way through the ranks to the position of assistant fire chief (2005-2006) and in 2007 was named fire chief. During his eight years as fire chief, he helped implement the city’s first fire inspection program, developed a program to recruit and retain firefighters, and partnered with neighboring cities to implement a joint fire board. Mills also helped lead the department through the transition to its first full-time career fire chief. After that transition, he remained on the department for six years as assistant fire chief, leading day-to-day operations and fire investigations, retiring from the department in 2021.

Before his work with the State Fire Marshal division, Mills worked 15 years for a defense contractor and was also a nine-year member of the Minnesota Army National Guard’s 34th Infantry Division.

 

Elizabeth Arndt

Business Manager

Elizabeth Arndt is the business manager for the State Fire Marshal division, serving since September 2025.

In this role, she is responsible for managing the division's budget and overseeing critical business services, including administration, grants and fleet operations.

Arndt brings a strong background in public sector management, beginning her state service career in 2016 at the Department of Transportation (MnDOT). There, she held key roles, including financial project manager, business analyst, and contracts and finance manager, gaining cross-functional expertise across the Offices of Financial Management (OFM), Workforce and Agency Services (WAS) and Research and Innovation (ORI). Her achievements at MnDOT include leading major financial system upgrades (including the Statewide Integrated Financial Tool - SWIFT), re-engineering business processes for efficiency and overseeing multimillion-dollar research and contract programs. Prior to state service, she gained valuable experience as a finance manager at a marketing firm.

Arndt is a passionate leader focused on fostering and developing people and processes to implement sustainable change, with a strong commitment to promoting physical and psychological safety in the workplace. She has demonstrated this commitment through her involvement on the leadership teams of a state health and wellness committee and the MnDOT Strategic Women Advancing Transportation (SWAT) Employee Resource Group (ERG).

She holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Metropolitan State University and a project management certificate from the University of Minnesota.