Thursday, March 15, 2007
Governor Culver Appoints Four New Regents
(Des Moines) Today, Governor Chet Culver appointed four new appointees to the Iowa Board of Regents.
“Here in Iowa, we take great pride in our public education, and I consider the appointments to the Board of Regents to be one of the most important decisions I make as Governor,” said Governor Culver.
“I am a firm believer that the whole is greater than the some of its parts, and the Board of Regents
must work openly and closely with the many groups and individuals at our universities to move these
world-class institutions forward.
“This cannot happen if these groups do not have faith and confidence in the Board of Regents. It is with these two criteria in mind that I selected the four people you see standing beside me today. I am proud to announce that Bonnie Campbell, Jack Evans, Craig Lang, and David Miles will become the newest members of the Board of Regents. I thank each of them for their willingness to serve.
During my Inaugural Address and throughout this first legislative session, I have spoken of creating ‘One Iowa.’ These individuals truly represent that idea, and I am confident they will do all they can to move our regents institutions, and our state, forward.”
These new appointees must be submitted to the Iowa Senate today for confirmation. The Senate will have 30 days to confirm these appointees and confirmation requires approval from two-thirds of the Senate. The terms of the new appointees will begin on May 1st.
As required by state law, Governor Culver appointed two Democrats and two Republicans / No-Party to the Board.
BIOGRAPHICAL INFO ON NEW APPOINTEES:
BONNIE CAMPBELL:
Bonnie J. Campbell was elected Attorney General of Iowa in 1990 and served through 1994. She is the only woman to have held that office in her state. As Iowa Attorney General, Campbell chaired the Consumer Protection Committee of NAAG (National Association of Attorneys General), as well as the Federal Trade Commission and Food and Drug Administration Working Groups of NAAG.
In her legal practice, Campbell represents clients before various regulatory bodies, including the
state attorneys general. Her practice generally focuses on providing both legal and crisis management
counseling to businesses confronted with highly visible legal matters as they attempt to deal with the
public, the media, and an array of government agencies.
Campbell served with distinction for four years as Iowa Attorney General and then joined the Clinton Administration as one of its key officials on crime and gender-equity issues. Selected by Clinton in 1995 to head the Justice Department’s newly created Violence Against Women Office, Campbell emerged as a national leader for her work to bring victim-rights reform to the country’s criminal justice system. Campbell’s effectiveness led Time magazine in 1997 to name her one of the 25 most influential people in America.
Originally from Upstate New York, Campbell earned her bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude, and law degree from Drake University.
Campbell is a Democrat. She and her husband, Edward, reside in Des Moines, Iowa.
JACK EVANS:
Jack Evans is President of The Hall-Perrine Foundation, a private philanthropic corporation in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Prior to joining the Foundation in January of 1996, he was President and Chief Operating Officer of SCI Financial Group starting with the regional financial services company in 1972.
Evans is the past chairman and life trustee of Coe College, the Iowa College Foundation, the
Metropolitan Library Foundation, and the United Way of East Central Iowa. Other past board
activities includes Alliant Energy, Brucemore Inc., Cedar Rapids Airport Commission, Federal
Reserve Bank of Chicago, Four Oaks, and Westminster Presbyterian Church.
Evans is a former member of the Chicago Stock Exchange and a part-time instructor and a member of the Advisory Council of the Department of Finance in the Tippie College of Business at the University of Iowa.
Evans earned his BA from Coe College in 1970 and his MBA from the University of Iowa in 1972. Currently, he sits on the Board of Directors of Gazette Communications, Nuveen Institutional Advisory Corporation, Priority One, and United Fire and Casualty.
Evans is a Republican. He and his wife Nancy Evans live in Cedar Rapids and have three grown sons.
CRAIG LANG:
Craig Lang of Brooklyn, Iowa currently serves as President of the Iowa Farm Bureau. He was first elected to this post in December 2001 and re-elected to a second two-year term at the organization’s annual meeting in December 2003.
Lang’s service on the IFBF Board of Directors began in 1992 when he was elected as the District 6 representative. He then served as the organization’s vice president from 1996-2001 before being elected president.
Lang farms in partnership with his father and brother on 1,000 acres where they have a 400 head dairy operation. He has served on the Iowa Farm Bureau PAC and IFBF and AFBF dairy advisory committees.
He has also served six years as a director on the GROWMARK board and three years as director on the Cattleman’s Beef Board. He currently serves on the American Farm Bureau Federation board of directors, representing the Midwest region.
Lang is a Republican. He is an active participant at the Madison Church of Christ and a graduate of Iowa State University. His wife, Mary, a graduate of the University of Iowa, is a registered nurse and was formerly Mother Child Wellness Coordinator at Grinnell Regional Medical Center.
Craig and Mary have four children. Jessica and Chase are graduates of the University of Northern Iowa. Dane is currently attending UNI. Cade recently graduated from Kirkwood Community College and has begun farming.
DAVID MILES:
David Miles presently serves as Chief Financial Officer of Countryside Renewable Energy, Inc., a company organized in August 2006 for the purpose of consolidating independent (largely producer-owned) ethanol plants into a larger, more sustainable organization.
From January 2005 to September 2006, Miles was Executive Vice President of the Principal Mutual
Funds, with responsibilities for asset management, marketing, business development and corporate
governance for the nation’s 60th largest mutual fund family.
Prior to joining Principal, Miles spent five years with AMCORE Financial, Inc., a Northern Illinois-based financial services holding company with banking assets of $4.9 billion and investment assets of $4.4 billion.
Miles received his Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School and his Masters of Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government in 1983, and received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Public Administration from Drake University in 1979. He presently serves on the Drake University Board of Trustees, where he recently completed a three-year term as chair of the board.
Miles is a Democrat. He and his wife, Loree, a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, live in West Des Moines. His step-son, Erik Raker, has a Masters of Science Civil Engineering degree from Iowa State University.