The governor has appointed a Des Moines businesswoman to the board that oversees the state-supported universities. Teresa Wahlert will fill one of the vacancies left on the Board of Regents when two board members connected to Wellmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield resigned over a dispute between the University of Iowa and Wellmark. Wahlert is president and C-E-O of the Mid-America Group — a company founded by a man who served as president of the Board of Regents over a decade ago. She’s a Dubuque native who graduated from St. Mary’s College at Notre Dame before earning advanced degrees from Creighton and M-I-T. Wahlert was at one time a vice president at Qwest and the C-E-O of the Greater Des Moines Partnership. She will now join Iowa Cubs owner Michael Gartner on the Board of Regents. Garnter was appointed by Governor Vilsack early this week to fill the Board’s other open seat.
