Lawmakers choose three new University of Minnesota regents

If the proposed merger of the Fairview and Sanford health care systems results in the University of Minnesota’s hospitals and clinics being returned to the oversight of the state, a couple new regents with health care experience can offer guidance.

A Monday evening joint session of the House and Senate resulted in the election of Mary Turner, president of the Minnesota Nurses Association, and Penny Wheeler, the retired CEO of Allina Health, to six-year terms on the University of Minnesota Board of Regents.

They will be joined by West St. Paul City Council member Robyn Gulley and Tadd Johnson, a former University of Minnesota-Duluth professor and current regent, who was re-elected.

The Board of Regents’ 12 members include one from each of the state’s eight congressional districts and four at-large seats. They serve staggered six-year terms without pay, and, in odd-numbered years, one-third of the board is up for election.

Gulley was elected from the Second Congressional District, Turner from the Third and Johnson from the Eighth. Wheeler won the open at-large seat in a vote that required two ballots before she prevailed by two votes over Flora Yang, the president of the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Student Association.