TOPEKA — A Kansas City woman who is an Ottawa University graduate and who has a master’s degree from Baker is one of three people appointed by Gov. Sam Brownback to the Kansas Board of Regents. Ann Brandau-Murguia is director of the Argentine Neighborhood Development Association in Kansas City. She is also 3rd District representative on the Wyandotte County-Kansas City Unified Government Board of Commissioners. The regents oversee the state’s six universities, Washburn University, 19 community colleges, and six technical colleges. Brownback also named Dodge City attorney Shane Bangerter and Topeka Public School District audiologist Helen Van Etten to four-year terms, expiring June 30, 2017. However, Democratic Senate Leader Anthony Hensley has criticized the appointments, saying Brownback is illegally packing the board with his allies. Under state law, the nine-member board can have no more than five members of one party and Hensley said there already are five Republicans on the board. Hensley said Bangerter, a longtime Republican Party activist, recently changed his party affiliation from the GOP to unaffiliated before he was appointed. All of the three appointees received their undergraduate degrees from private colleges, although Bangerter received his law degree from the Kansas University School of Law.
Monday, July 8, 4 p.m.
