Gov. Tony Evers has appointed three new members to the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, bringing his number of picks to 11, compared to former Republican Gov. Scott Walker's five.
A former regent himself given his previous position as the head of the Department of Public Instruction, Evers announced Wednesday his appointment of Dana Wachs and Angela Adams, as well as one student regent, Jennifer Staton. In all, there are 18 members of the body which passes policies for the UW System, though 16 are appointed.
Their introduction to the board comes amid changing leadership, with incoming UW System president Jay Rothman beginning June 1 and as a search for the next UW-Madison chancellor is underway. First reported by WisPolitics, Ed Manydeeds has also decided against running for another term as regent president. The election takes place in June on the UW-Milwaukee campus.
The new appointees fill vacancies for regents Michael Grebe, Andrew Petersen and Corey Saffold, whose terms expired May 1.
Evers’ picks include Wachs, who has practiced law since 1985 and is partner in a Madison law firm. From 2013 to 2019, Wachs represented the 91st District in the state Assembly, serving on the Assembly Committee on Colleges and Universities and the State Building Commission, which often handles UW System building projects. He also ran as a Democratic candidate for governor in 2018.
Evers also appointed Adams, the chief communications and diversity officer of Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin and Metropolitan Chicago. She has served in other nonprofit and corporate roles, including at Ascension Wisconsin, Johnson Controls and Pfizer. Adams is also on the board of directors for Froedtert Hospital, Carmen Schools, African American Leadership Alliance Milwaukee and the Sherman Phoenix Foundation.
Adams and Wachs replace Grebe and Petersen, whom Walker appointed to the board in 2015. Petersen also served as president of the regents from 2019 to 2021.
Representing non-traditional students, Jennifer Staton replaces Saffold, whom Evers appointed in 2020. As a student at UW-Parkside, Staton will serve as one of two UW System students on the board. She is pursuing a degree in applied health sciences and a minor in biology. From 2007 until 2014, Staton also served in the U.S. Army, including as a combat medic while deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.
While regents serve seven-year terms, student regents serve two-year terms. Seven of Evers’ current appointees, however, remain unconfirmed by the Republican-controlled Senate.
In a legislative forum Thursday, Democratic state Sen. Kelda Roys called the lack of confirmations a “cynical power ploy.” If a Republican wins this fall’s governor’s race, the new leader could instead stack the board with their own appointees.
Unconfirmed regent Amy Bogost said this hasn’t affected the way the board functions, but it shows how political fodder has seeped into higher education.
“It’s a very strange place to be,” she said.
