July 17, 2002 - Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board of Trustees Elects Officers
Contact: Melinda Voss, (651) 296-9443, melinda.voss@so.mnscu.edu
The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board of Trustees today elected officers for the coming year: Mary (Ditlevson) Choate, Bloomington, will serve as board chair; Jim Luoma, Cohasset, will serve as vice chair; and Michael Redlinger, Moorhead, will be treasurer. Their one-year terms begin Aug. 1.
Choate, who also served as board chair during the past year, is a graduate of St. Cloud State University. She and her husband own and operate seven McDonald's restaurants in the Twin Cities area, and she serves as secretary/treasurer for the business. She was appointed in 1998 to a six-year term on the board.
Choate earlier was a stockbroker with Piper Jaffray, E. F. Hutton and Norwest Investment Services. She has been active with the St. Cloud State University Foundation Board, serving as its chair in 1995-1997, and with the university's Alumni Board, for which she was president in 1984-85.
Luoma was vice chair during the past year as well. His professional career has been in education, starting as a teacher for the South Washington County School District and later as a principal in the district. He then was superintendent of the Grand Rapids public schools before retiring in 1999, the year he was appointed to the Board of Trustees for a six-year term.
Redlinger represents state university students on the board. He is a graduate of Minnesota State University Moorhead, where he earned a bachelor's degree in political science and now is pursuing a master's degree in the Public, Human Service and Health Administration program. Redlinger has been active in student government and is a past state chair and chief executive officer of the Minnesota State University Student Association. He was appointed to a two-year term on the board in 2001.
The Board of Trustees governs the largest system of higher education in the state. Minnesota State Colleges and Universities is made up of 34 state universities, community colleges, technical colleges and comprehensive community and technical colleges in 46 Minnesota communities. The system serves about 225,000 students per year in credit-based courses and an additional 95,000 students in non-credit courses.
Note: Photos of the board officers can be obtained by calling (651) 297-2720.
