Members
Dr. David Russell, Commissioner
David R. Russell was named commissioner of higher education Dec. 2, 2010, by the Coordinating Board for Higher Education, after serving five months as interim commissioner.
Russell, of Columbia, most recently served as senior associate vice president and chief of staff for the University of Missouri System, where he was liaison between the university and the Coordinating Board for Higher Education and its administrative arm, the Missouri Department of Higher Education. Read more...
Kathryn Swan, Chair
Swan is president and owner of JCS Wireless, a small wireless communications company based in Cape Girardeau. She is involved in numerous professional and community organizations. She is a member of the board of directors of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Missouri NFIB (National Federation of Independent Business) Leadership Council, American Freedom and Enterprise Foundation, and United for Missouri.
Swan's current work in the community includes serving on the Cape Girardeau City Council, and on the board of the United Way of Southeast Missouri, Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce, vice-chair of the Southeast Missouri P-20 Council, vice-chair of the Cape Girardeau Higher Education Partnership Advisory Board, and member of Southeast Missouri State University Symphony advisory board. In addition, she is the immediate past Governor of District 7 Zonta International. Swan earned associate of arts and bachelor’s of science degrees in nursing from Southeast Missouri State University.
Dalton Wright, Vice-Chair
Dalton Wright, a Republican from Conway, is president/owner of Ozark Media, which includes the Lebanon Daily Record and several weekly newspapers, radio stations and an internet service provider serving multiple communities in Missouri. He is the current chairman of the Lebanon Downtown Business District and the Missouri Military Preparedness and Enhancement Commission. He also holds a Presidential appointment as the Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army for Missouri (West). Wright is a current member of the Lebanon Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber Ambassadors. Wright formerly served as president of the National Newspaper Association and the Missouri, Central Missouri, and Ozark press associations. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia. Wright was inducted into the Missouri Press Hall of Fame in 2000.
Betty Sims, Secretary
Sims served as a Missouri state senator from 1995 to 2002. At various times as a senator, she was the Assistant Floor Leader; chair of the Aging, Families and Mental Health Committee; and vice-chair of the Committee on Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence. Sims recently retired as a project specialist with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. She also served as chairman and member of the State Board of Accountancy from 1982 to 1987.
Sims currently serves on the Boards of the St. Louis Altenheim, Wyman, MICDS and is a member of the National Council for the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University. She also sits on advisory boards for the Crisis Nursery, Lydia’s House and the Girl Scouts.
She received a bachelor's degree from Washington University and an MBA from Southern Illinois University. The Governor has appointed Sims for a term ending June 27, 2016.
Doris J. Carter
Doris J. Carter was appointed to the Coordinating Board for Higher Education by Governor Matt Blunt on November 28, 2007. Carter retired in June 2003 from the St. Louis Public Schools after serving for forty years as a classroom teacher, Instructional Coordinator, Assistant Principal, and Principal of Carver Elementary School. She now co-owns a home-based travel agency business in Florissant. Carter is an active member in the community, having held leadership positions in various organizations including the St. Louis Alumnae Chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, the Gateway Chapter of Links, Inc., and is a member of the St. Louis Symphony Community Partnership Advisory Board, YWCA, and the Urban League.
Carter received her B.A. in Education from Harris Teachers College (now Harris-Stowe State University), her M.A. from SLU, and her Elementary Principal certification from UMSL.
Carter’s term will expire in June 2012.
Brian Fogle
Brian Fogle was appointed to the CBHE by Governor Jay Nixon on January 3, 2012. Fogle is president and CEO of the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, and previously served as director of community development for Great Southern Bank and in several positions with the banking industry in southwest Missouri for more than 20 years.
The Governor has appointed Fogle for a term ending June 27, 2012.
Lowell C. Kruse
Kruse was nominated to the CBHE by Governor Holden on January 3, 2003. He was reappointed by Governor Nixon on February 25, 2009. Kruse has recently retired as President and Chief Executive Officer of Heartland Health in St. Joseph Missouri, a position he held for 25 years. He currently serves as Senior Fellow - Healthy Communities for Heartland Foundation. In addition, he serves on the Board of Directors for the Excellence in Missouri Foundation and co-chairs the Missouri Family and Community Trust Board of Directors. Kruse earned a bachelor's degree from Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and a master's degree from the University of Minnesota.
Mary Beth Luna Wolf
Mary Beth Luna Wolf was appointed to the CBHE by Governor Matt Blunt on April 28, 2008. Ms. Luna Wolf was a policy advisor on labor, pension, education and child welfare issues to U.S. Senator Mike DeWine (OH) and served as General Counsel of his Subcommittee on Substance Abuse and Mental Health. Ms. Luna Wolf negotiated language that was included in federal legislation that would assist children in foster care and individuals with disabilities. She also worked on the Higher Education Act during her time in Washington D.C. Prior to her work in the U.S. Senate, she worked at the U.S. Department of Education and on President George W. Bush's White House Task Force for Disadvantaged Youth where she assisted in drafting recommendations on improvements to federal programs and policies that would assist those children most in need in our country.
Most recently, Ms. Luna Wolf worked as a St. Louis Director and Senior Policy Advisor in the Missouri Office of the Governor. She developed and managed a number of policy initiatives related to children and education and drafted legislation that became Missouri law helping to increase funding to Missouri's public schools and assist children with disabilities.
Ms. Luna Wolf started her career as an elementary teacher in St. Louis. She holds a bachelors degree from the University of Missouri and a juris doctorate from St. Louis University.
Ms. Luna-Wolf's term will expire June 27, 2012.