|
(Lincoln, NE) Gov. Dave Heineman today announced the appointment of Robert Evnen of Lincoln to the District 1 seat on the Nebraska State Board of Education. He replaces Kim Peterson, who resigned from the position last month. She had served on the board since 1996. Evnen will serve through the completion of her term, which runs through 2008.
"I am pleased to be able to appoint a Board member with Bob's record of active participation to the State Board of Education," Gov. Heineman said. "He is a strong leader, and I am confident he will work well with fellow Board members and the Commissioner."
Evnen, a partner in the Lincoln law firm Woods & Aitken LLP, has been an active participant on many committees and task forces assembled by Lincoln Public Schools (LPS) and the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce. Those committees have tackled topics ranging from screening potential superintendents to studying the possibility of year-round schooling.
He helped lead a campaign to assess and redesign the way LPS taught reading in the wake of news reports about a 10-year decline in reading test scores. He also helped lead two successful bond issue campaigns to build elementary, middle and high schools.
Evnen said, "I am honored to be asked by the Governor to serve my state, and I look forward to working closely with the Board and with Commissioner (Doug) Christensen to maintain and improve the quality of education our schools provide the children of Nebraska."
Evnen, 52, a Sioux City, Iowa, native, grew up in Lincoln. He earned a bachelor's degree from Michigan State University and his law degree from the University of Southern California, where he served as a member of the Law Review.
His private law practice in Lincoln focuses on labor and employment law. He also was in private practice in Los Angeles before returning to Nebraska in 1987.
District 1 for the State Board of Education covers all of Lincoln except parts of the northwestern edges of town and includes much of Lancaster County.
|
