State Senate Confirms Governor’s Appointees to CSU System Board of Governors

The Colorado Senate on Thursday confirmed Gov. Bill Ritter’s appointments for the CSU System Board of Governors. The following individuals will serve a four-year term: Ed. J. Haselden, who was reappointed, is the president and CEO of Haselden Construction and a community leader from Castle Rock; Mary Lou Makepeace, who is a new appointment and former mayor of Colorado Springs; and Scott C. Johnson, also a new appointment, who is the owner and operator of Flying Diamond Ranch and from Kit Carson.

“We are pleased to have Mary Lou and Steve join the board and to have Ed continue on as vice chair. Each person brings to this board a keen perspective and real passion about the value of public higher education and the importance of keeping education affordable to all students,” said Patrick McConathy, chair of the Board of Governors.

Haselden currently serves as vice chair of the CSU System Board of Governors and will continue in that capacity. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Denver Metro Economic Development Corp., Board of Trustees of the Douglas County Regional Catholic Schools Corp., the University of Colorado Hospital Foundation Board of Trustees and the U.S. Bank Board of Advisors. Haselden served as President of the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Colorado and currently serves as a National Director of AGC of America. He holds degrees in architectural engineering and in business finance from the University of Colorado.

Makepeace is currently the vice president for Colorado programs of the Gay and Lesbian Fund, which is a part of the Gill Foundation. She was the first female mayor of Colorado Springs and served from 1997 to 2003. As mayor, she served as chair of the board of Colorado Springs Utilities. Makepeace has served on several state, local and national committees, including the Colorado Space Advisory Committee, the Policy Advisory Council of the American Public Power Association, the Energy Committee of the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the Leadership Training Council of the National League of Cities. She is also an adjunct faculty member at the Center for Creative Leadership at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. Makepeace has a master’s in public affairs from the University of Colorado and a bachelor’s in journalism from the University of North Dakota.

Johnson is a fourth generation graduate of CSU. He is involved in several committees with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. Johnson also serves as a member of the National Western Stock Show and Colorado Farm Bureau. He is the basketball coach for Kit Carson High School and a lifetime member of the Kit Carson Historical Society as well as a trustee of Kit Carson United Methodist Church. Johnson has a bachelor’s degree from Colorado State University and has conducted master’s course work at the university.

The Board of Governors consists of 13 members, nine of whom are voting members. The remaining members include one faculty member and one student leader from CSU in Fort Collins and CSU-Pueblo.

Colorado State University System consists of CSU in Fort Collins, CSU-Pueblo and CSU-Global (an online university), which in total attract about 31,000 new and returning scholars annually. Highly skilled graduates number more than 7,300 a year, and more than 198,000 alumni live throughout the state, nation and world. CSU is home to several top centers and programs and has annual research expenditures totaling $328 million.

-30-