USM Welcomes Six New Members to the Board of Regents
ADELPHI, Md. (May
14, 2007) - The
University System of Maryland (USM) welcomes six new members to the Board of
Regents this spring. Barry Gossett, the Hon. C. Thomas McMillen, James L. Shea,
Richard E. Scott, Jr., and Thomas G. Slater were nominated by Governor Martin
O'Malley and confirmed in March by the Maryland Senate. The Gossett, McMillen,
and Shea appointments are effective immediately. Scott, a rising senior at
Frostburg State University (FSU), will begin a one-year term as Student Regent on
July
1, 2007. Slater's five-year
term on the board will also begin on July 1.
The Hon. Roger L. Richardson,
newly appointed Secretary of the Maryland Department of Agriculture, serves on
the board ex officio.
"I am honored to welcome such
accomplished individuals to the board," said Clifford M. Kendall, board chair.
"Their wealth of experience and commitment to public higher education will be
invaluable to the University System of Maryland."
Barry Gossett, chairman and
CEO of the Baltimore-based Acton Mobile Industries, is past chairman of the
board of trustees of the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP) Foundation. He currently co-chairs the
foundation's Great Expectations Campaign for Maryland and serves as an ex officio on the board of
the University System of Maryland Foundation (USMF). He lives in Anne Arundel County.
The Hon. C. Thomas McMillen,
vice chairman of Fortress International Group and CEO of Homeland Security
Capital Corporation, served three consecutive terms in Congress as representative
of the fourth congressional district of Maryland, 1987-1993. A graduate of UMCP
and Rhodes Scholar, McMillen played 11 years in the NBA. He lives in Howard County.
James L. Shea, chairman of
the law firm Venable, LLP, serves on the boards of the Greater Baltimore Committee,
Empower Baltimore Management Corporation, and Downtown Partnership of
Baltimore, as well as several other organizations. He is a past trustee of the UMCP
Foundation, the Hippodrome Foundation, and the Calvert School. He lives in Baltimore County.
The Hon. Roger L. Richardson
was appointed secretary of the Maryland Department of Agriculture in
February
2007. A lifelong family farmer and grain grower on the Lower Eastern
Shore, he is the current director of the Maryland Center for
Agro-Ecology and the American Corn Growers
Association.
Student Regent Richard Scott
is a rising senior at FSU studying political science and theatre while pursuing
a certificate in public administration. He is from Calvert County.
Thomas G. Slater is the
founder of the Law Offices of Thomas G. Slater, P.C., based in
Frederick, MD. A graduate of Frostburg State University, Slater taught
in Frederick County public schools before studying law. He also is a
1980
graduate of the University of Baltimore School of Law. He lives in
Frederick County.
The governor also reappointed
Regents Patricia Florestano of Anne Arundel County and Orlan Johnson of
Prince Georges County to five-year terms on the board. Their
appointments
were confirmed by the Senate. Regent Clifford Kendall was nominated
last year
for a five-year reappointment. The appointment was confirmed by the
Senate this
year. He currently serves as board chair.
USM's governing body, the Board of Regents is
responsible for the system's academic, administrative, and financial
operations. In addition, the board formulates policy and appoints the USM
chancellor and the presidents of the system's 13 institutions. For more
information about the board, visit http://www.usmd.edu/regents.
Contact: John Buettner
Phone: 301.445.2719
Email: jbuettner@usmd.edu
