Gov. Laura Kelly got what she wanted.
The Kansas Board of Regents on Friday named a 25-member committee to help search for a new president at Kansas State University.
Among the committee members, former U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts, a K-State graduate.
Kelly publicly lobbied the board, which she appoints, to put Roberts on the search committee to hire a replacement for outgoing President Richard Myers.
“It should go without saying, but Sen. Roberts represents some of the very best qualities of our state and the university,” the governor wrote in a column published recently in the Manhattan Mercury.
“With President Myers’ retirement, the state of Kansas needs a new leader who will continue to elevate the university and continue to execute its historic mission and strategic direction.
“Sen. Roberts knows what kind of leadership it takes to make the university thrive nationally and internationally.”
Kelly said she would recommend Roberts for the presidency if he were up for it.
“Since he will not agree to that, he needs to be part of the process to select K-State’s next leader.”
The other search committee members named Friday include:
Carl Ice, chair: Appointed to the Board of Regents by Gov. Laura Kelly in June, he ust concluded a 42-year career with BNSF Railway, the largest freight railroad the country. He is now vice chairman of the KSU Foundation Board of Directors, a member of the Salvation Army’s national board of directors, and a former member of the KSU Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering Advisory Council.
Mark Hutton, vice chair: Appointed to the Board of Regents by former Gov. Jeff Colyer, Hutton founded Hutton Construction in April 1992. The company specializes in commercial and industrial construction and employs 250. He earned a degree in construction science and management from K-State in 1977. He ran for governor in 2018.
Glenn Caldwell: Has served as a director on the board of East Kansas Agri Energy since its inception in 2001. He graduated from Kansas State University in 1970 with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural Engineering. He has served as the vice president of Caldwell Enterprises Inc., an oil and gas production company. Since 1982, he has served as the president and general manager of Caldwell Farms Inc.
Shari Crittendon: Appointed general counsel of K-State in June 2020. She earned her law degree from the Francis King Carey School of Law at the University of Maryland and a bachelor’s degree in communication and rhetorical studies/public policy from Syracuse University.
Michael Dowd: A senior studying animal Science and global food systems leadership at Kansas State Universitity. He is serving as the student body president and is a member of Blue Key Honor Society and the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity
Blake Flanders: President and CEO for the Kansas Board of Regents.
Wayne Goins: Director of Jazz Studies in the School of Music, Theater, & Dance at Kansas State University, where he conducts big bands and teaches combos, private guitar lessons, jazz theory and jazz improvisation courses.
Tanya González: Professor in the Department of English at K-State. She is currently serving as the acting associate provost for Institutional Effectiveness. She started at K-State in 2005 an assistant professor and served as faculty Senate president from 2019-2020.
Kevin Gwinner: Joined the College of Business Administration faculty at K-State in 1999and was appointed Edgerley Family Dean for the College of Business Administration in April of 2016. He is a professor of the Department of Marketing and held the Jon Wefald Chair in Business Leadership.
Terry Holdren: Chief executive officer and general counsel for the Kansas Farm Bureau.
Maria Izquierdo: A K-State student studying nutrition sciences. She served on the search committee for the newly created student ombudsperson position. By the end of the fall 2021 semester, she plans tohave authored and published her first research
article summarizing a three-year study that investigates the effects of Bicultural Identity Integration on adolescents’ decision-making pertaining to higher education.
Nabeeha Kazi Hutchins: Serves as president and CEO of PAI, a leading international nongovernmental organization with a 56-year history of advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights in communities around the world
Steve Lacy: Served as chairman of the board of the media conglomerate, Meredith Corp. until November 2020. Lacy joined Meredith in 1998 as chief financial officer. He served as president and CEO from July 2010 until February 2018. Lacy earned a bachelor’s in accounting and a master’s in busines administration from K-State.
Kevin Lockett: A former wide receiver in the NFL, Lockett is a partner at Fulcrum Global Capital, a venture capital fund focused on investments in the agriculture and animal health sectors. He spent seven years in the NFL, playing for Kansas City , Washington, Jacksonville, and the New York Jets. He also spent five years at K-State University where he was both an Academic All-American and an Athletic All-American.
Dennis Mullin: Serves as chairman of Steel and Pipe Supply, one of the largest steel service centers in the nation. Mullin is a member of the Business Advisory Council for the College of Business Administration at K-State, Trustee Emeritus for the KSU Foundation, and a board member of the KS State Bank of Manhattan.
Mary Oborny: A senior administrative specialist in the Department of Kinesiology at K-State. She joined K-State in 2015 in the College of Health and Human Sciences, working in the Department of Hospitality Management before moving to Kinesiology in 2017.
David Poole: A University Distinguished Professor of Kinesiology and Anatomy & Physiology at K-State. His research has helped define how oxygen is transported from the lungs to target tissues.
Usha Reddi: A former U.S. Senate candidate, Reddi has served as a commissioner for the city of Manhattan since 2013. She served as mayor in 2016-2017 and in 2020. She also serves as the National Committeewoman for the Kansas Democratic Party.
Darrell Reese, Jr: Currently a management trainee on the College Recruiting Team at BNSF Railway. He graduated from K-State in May 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a minor in leadership studies.
Charles Rice: Joined K-State in 1988 and is a University Distinguished Professor and holds the Vanier University Professorship at K-State. He is a professor of soil ,icrobiology in the Department of Agronomy. He has received more than $35 million in research grants and has more than 225 publications.
David Rosowsky: Joined K-State in 2021 as vice president for research. Before coming K-State, Rosowsky served as provost and senior vice president at the University of
Vermont. He also served as the dean of engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the head of the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering at Texas A&M University.
Alysia Starkey: Chief academic and administrative officer of K-State Polytechnic. She joined K-State Polytechnic in June 2002 and has served in various roles at the Salina campus, including assistant professor, associate professor, professor, library director, assistant dean of academics and distance education.
Gene Taylor: Director of athletics. Taylor is a 1980 business management graduate of Arizona State, and he received his master’s degree in sports administration in 1985 from St. Thomas University in Florida.
Mary Vanier: Vice chair of the KSU Foundation Board of Director. She has served on the board since 2012 and has been a trustee since 2004. She graduated from K-State in 1989 with a bachelor’s in hotel and restaurant management. She led the Grand Mere
Development, Inc. the residential and commercial real estate development which surrounds KSU’s Colbert Hills golf course
Lisa Wilken: An associate professor in the Carl and Melinda Helwig Department of Biological & Agricultural Engineering at K-State. Wilken is a native Kansan and earned a bachelor’s degree in biological and agricultural engineering from K-State in 2003 and a doctorate from Texas A&M University in 2009
