Governor Jim Doyle today announced four new appointments to the Board of Regents. Jeffrey Bartell of Madison, Brent Smith of La Crosse, and Mary Cuene of Green Bay will serve as the new public members of the Board. Thomas Shields of Oshkosh will serve as the first non-traditional student representative on the Board.
Jeffrey Bartell is a corporate lawyer, former Wisconsin Assistant Attorney General and former State Securities Commissioner. He founded the Madison office of the Milwaukee-based Quarles & Brady law firm. Bartell received his Bachelors of Science degree in Economics and Juris Doctorate (cum laude) from UW-Madison and has taught courses in corporate and securities law at the University of Wisconsin Law School.
"Jeffrey Bartell is committed to giving back to the University of Wisconsin as well as his local community," Governor Doyle said. "I am confident that he will be a thoughtful board member and a great advocate for the university system."
Bartell is active in the arts and community affairs, chairing the Board of Trustees of the UW-Memorial Union, the Wisconsin Foundation for the Arts, and serving as a director of Forward Wisconsin, Meriter Hospital, and the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center in Madison. He recently was named a recipient of the 2006 University of Wisconsin Distinguished Alumni Award. Bartell and his wife, Dane County Circuit Judge Angela Bartell, live in Middleton and have five adult children and four grandchildren.
"I look forward to the challenge of helping guide our great state university which has had such a profound influence on my life and the lives of so many others here in Wisconsin and throughout the world," Jeffrey Bartell said.
Brent Smith is a shareholder with the law firm of Johns, Flaherty & Collins, S.C., and currently serves as the Wisconsin Technical College System Board President.
"Brent Smith has excelled as the President of the Technical College Board and will be an asset as a permanent member of the Board of Regents, ensuring that our two higher educational systems remain the pride of Wisconsin," Governor Doyle said. "He is always Western Wisconsin's biggest advocate and is committed to economic development in that region as well as the state as a whole."
Smith has also been president of the La Crosse Center Board since 1993 and serves as a member of the Gundersen Lutheran Health Plan Board of Directors, the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Chancellor's Community Council and the executive board of the La Crosse Loggers baseball team. He earned his Bachelors of Science and his Juris Doctorate from UW-Madison. Smith lives in La Crosse and has two daughters.
“I look forward to continuing to work with other Regents on increasing the number of baccalaureate degree holders in our state that is so critical to Wisconsin’s economic well-being,” Smith said.
Mary Quinnette Cuene is a learning facilitator in the Business Technology Department of Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, Green Bay. At NWTC, Cuene served as Faculty President for five years and has participated in numerous college committees and groups.
"Mary Cuene is an emphatic supporter of education in our state," said Governor Doyle. "As an instructor at the Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, she understands first-hand the issues confronting our students. She will bring a wealth of knowledge to the Board of Regents and will continue to be a leader on the Technical College Board."
Cuene was appointed to the Wisconsin Technical College System Board in 2003 and also represented the Board on the Wisconsin State Higher Education State Aids Board. Cuene received her Bachelors of Sc from UW-Green Bay and her M.S. from UW-Milwaukee. She has two grown sons, Justin and Tristan.
“The future of Wisconsin’s economy is inextricably bound to the higher education we, the State, provide," Cuene said. "I am excited to begin my tenure on the UW-Board of Regents and look forward to the opportunity of representing the WTCS on that Board. My goal is to advocate for even greater cooperation between the WTCS and the UW systems for the benefit of our students and our state’s growth.”
On December 21, 2005 Governor Doyle signed Senate Bill 121, which added a second student regent to the Board of Regents. The new student member must be at least 24 years-old and represent the views of non-traditional students.
Thomas Shields is a Political Science Major at UW-Oshkosh. He will be the first student to be appointed to the non-traditional student position on the Board of Regents. Shields received his Associates degree from UW-Fox Valley in May 2004. He currently serves as the UW System student representative on the Higher Educational Aids Board.
"Thomas Shields has really committed himself to improving the lives of students on his campus as well as campuses across the state," Governor Doyle said. "He will be a great representative of non-traditional UW students on the Board of Regents."
Shields has also served in many capacities on the UW-Oshkosh Student Association and is presently the Vice President. He was the Two Year Vice President of United Council of UW Students and the President of the UW-Fox Valley Student Association. Shields' anticipated graduation date is May 2008.
"It is a great honor and privilege to be appointed to this position by Governor Doyle," Shields said. "I look forward to serving and representing non-traditional students on the Board of Regents to the best of my abilities."
