MHEC is governed by a 60-member commission. Each member state has five appointed commissioners: the governor or the governor's designee; two legislators, one from each house; and two other at-large members, at least one of whom shall be selected from the field of higher education.
Illinois Commissioners
Kelly Burke
Illinois General Assembly
State Representative
Term: 5/4/2017 to 1/2/2019
Alice Marie Jacobs
Danville Area Community College
President Emerita
Term: 3/1/2016 to 1/1/2019
Pat McGuire
Illinois General Assembly
State Senator
Term: 5/2/2017 to 1/9/2019
Suzanne Morris
Illinois Community College Board
Board Member
Term: 6/5/2015 to 7/1/2019
Indiana Commissioners
Charles R. Johnson Jr.
Vincennes University
President
Term: 3/27/2017 to 2/1/2021
Wendy M. McNamara
Indiana General Assembly
State Representative
Term: 6/13/2018 to 6/30/2020
Ken Sauer
Indiana Commission for Higher Education
Senior Associate Commissioner and Chief Academic Officer
Term: 3/27/2017 to Serves At the Pleasure of the Governor
Andy Zay
Indiana General Assembly
State Senator
Term: 6/15/2018 to 7/1/2019
Indiana Commissioner Alternate
Teresa S. Lubbers
Indiana Commission for Higher Education
Commissioner
Term: 1/5/2010
Iowa Commissioners
Nancy Boettger
Board of Regents, State of Iowa
Regent
Term: 5/3/2017 to 6/30/2021
Derrick R. Franck
Iowa Association of Community College Trustees
Board Member
Term: 7/1/2017 to 7/1/2021
Carrie Koelker
Iowa Legislature
State Senator
2/4/2019 to 1/10/2021
Olivia M.A. Madison
Iowa Governor's Designee
Term: 5/1/2017 to 4/30/2019, Serves At the Pleasure of the Governor
Sharon S. Steckman
Iowa Legislature
Ranking Member, Education Committee
Term: 5/10/2017 to 1/13/2019
Iowa Commissioner Alternates
Andrew J. Baumert
Iowa Association of Independent Colleges and Universities
Vice President for Marketing and Outreach
Term: 7/28/2016 to 1/1/2020
Todd Brown
Iowa College Student Aid Commission
Division Administrator, Financial Aid Program Administration
Term: 7/25/2017 to 7/1/2021
Timothy Fitzgibbon
First National Bank
Senior Vice President
Term: 5/1/2017 to 4/30/2019, Serves at the Pleasure of the Governor
Joe Mitchell
Iowa Legislature
State Representative
1/31/2019 to 1/10/2021
Herman Quirmbach
Iowa Legislature
State Senator
1/14/2019 to 1/11/2021
Kansas Commissioners
Blake Flanders
Kansas Board of Regents
President and CEO
Term: 9/20/2018 to 6/1/2022
Marci Francisco
Kansas Legislature
Senator
Term: 6/26/2017 to 7/1/2019
Richard E. Short
Kansas Governor's Designee
Term: 4/30/2018 to Serves At the Pleasure of the Governor
Helen Van Etten
Kansas Board of Regents
Board Member
Term: 9/20/2018 to 6/1/2022
Kansas Commissioner Alternates
Barbara W. Ballard
Kansas Legislature
State Representative
Term: 6/28/2017 to 7/1/2019
Molly Baumgardner
Kansas Legislature
Chair, Education Committee
Term: 6/26/2017 to 7/1/2019
Michigan Commissioners
David L. Eisler
Ferris State University
President
Term: 6/8/2017 to 3/18/2021
Bill Pink
Grand Rapids Community College
President
Term; 6/8/2017 to 3/18/2019
Scott VanSingel
Michigan Legislature
Chair, Higher Ed. & Community Colls. Appropriations Subcommittee
2/8/2019 to 12/31/2020
Michigan Commissioner Alternates
Daniel J. Hurley
Michigan Association of State Universities
Chief Executive Officer
Term: 7/1/2015
Casandra Ulbrich
State Board of Education
President
Term: 1/9/2019 to Serves At the Pleasure of the Governor
Minnesota Commissioners
Paul T. Anderson
Minnesota Legislature
Chair, Higher Education Finance and Policy
2/7/2019 to 12/31/2020
Connie Bernardy
Minnesota Legislature
Chair, Higher Education Finance and Policy Division
2/1/2019 to 1/5/2021
Karen Hanson
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Executive Vice President and Provost
Term: 3/25/2017 to 1/4/2021
Devinder Malhotra
Minnesota State
Chancellor
Term: 10/5/2017 to 1/4/2021
Minnesota Commissioner Alternates
Lyndon R. Carlson
Minnesota State Legislature
DFL-Lead, Ways and Means Committee
Term: 5/5/2015
Paul Cerkvenik
Minnesota Private College Council
President
Term: 12/8/2014
Sandra Pappas
Minnesota State Legislature
State Senator
2/9/2011 to Serves At the Pleasure of the Governor
Missouri Commissioners
Allen Andrews
Missouri General Assembly
State Representative
Term: 7/13/2017 to 7/1/2019
Gary Romine
Missouri General Assembly
Chair, Senate Education Committee and Chair, Joint Committee on Education
Term: 1/31/2017 to 1/2/2019
Mark W. Smith
Washington University in St. Louis
Associate Vice Chancellor and Dean of Career Services
Term: 4/12/2012 to 1/1/2014
Missouri Commissioner Alternate
Zora Mulligan
Missouri Department of Higher Education
Commissioner
Term: 8/29/2016
Nebraska Commissioners
Randolph M. Ferlic
Nebraska Governor's Designee
Term: 1/2/2015 to 1/1/2019; Serves At the Pleasure of the Governor
Deborah A. Frison
Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education
Vice Chair
Term: 1/22/2018 to 1/1/2019
Susan M. Fritz
University of Nebraska
Executive Vice President and Provost and Dean of the Graduate College
Term: 1/2/2015 to 1/1/2019
Rick Kolowski
Nebraska Legislature
Member, Education Committee
Term: 1/25/2019 to 1/2/2021
Julie Slama
Nebraska Legislature
State Senator
1/25/2019 to 1/2/2021
Nebraska Commissioner Alternate
Michael Baumgartner
Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education
Executive Director
Term: 9/3/2014
North Dakota Commissioners
Kyle Davison
North Dakota Legislative Assembly
Senator
Term: 6/2/2017 to 6/30/2019
Tim Flakoll
North Dakota Governor's Designee
Term: 12/15/2017 to Serves At the Pleasure of the Governor
Mark Hagerott
North Dakota University System
Chancellor
Term: 7/21/2015 to 6/30/2019
Dennis Johnson
North Dakota Legislative Assembly
Representative
Term: 6/2/2017 to 6/30/2019
Donald Morton
North Dakota University System
Chair, State Board of Higher Education
Term: 7/1/2017 to 6/30/2021
North Dakota Commissioner Alternates
James L. Davis
Turtle Mountain Community College
President
Term: 2/14/2017
Ohio Commissioners
Gary Cates
Ohio Department of Higher Education
Senior Vice Chancellor, Innovation & Enterprise Development
Term: 1/9/2019 to 1/8/2023
Stephanie Davidson
Ohio Department of Higher Education
Vice Chancellor, Academic Affairs
Term: 8/11/2017 to Serves At the Pleasure of the Governor
Jack Hershey
Ohio Association of Community Colleges
President
Term: 1/9/2017 to 1/8/2021
Ohio Commissioner Alternates
Bruce Johnson
Inter-University Council of Ohio
President
Term: 1/10/2007
David Ponitz
Sinclair College
President Emeritus
Term: 10/30/2007
South Dakota Commissioners
Michael Cartney
Lake Area Technical Institute
President
Term: 8/7/2017 to 1/2/2021
Larry J. Tidemann
SD Governor's Designee
1/11/2019, Serves At the Pleasure of the Governor
Janelle Toman
South Dakota Board of Regents
Director of Communications
Term: 9/10/2018 to 6/30/2022
South Dakota Commissioner Alternates
Reynold Nesiba
South Dakota Legislature
State Senator
Term: 3/27/2017 to 12/31/2018
Wisconsin Commissioners
Joan Ballweg
Wisconsin State Legislature
Representative
Term: 8/8/2017 to 6/30/2019
Rolf Wegenke
Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (WAICU)
President
Term: 10/3/2014 to 7/1/2018
Wisconsin Commissioner Alternates
Morna Foy
Wisconsin Technical College System
President
Term: 3/11/2013
Sean P. Nelson
University of Wisconsin System
VP of Finance
Term: 2/6/2018
