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Christine Downey-Schmidt was appointed to the Board of Regents by Governor Kathleen Sebelius in 2005, and she currently serves as the Board's Chair. She served as the Board's Vice Chair from 2006-2007, and has served as a member of the Board's Academic Affairs Committee. A former Kansas State Senator, Downey-Schmidt was elected to three four-year terms, serving from 1992 to 2004. As a State Senator, she served as the Ranking Minority Member of the Ways and Means, Education, and Agriculture Committees.

Downey-Schmidt serves on the Boards of Directors of the Kansas Arts Commission and the Dyck Arboretum of the Plains in Hesston, and serves on the Governor's Kansas Book Festival Advisory Council and the Kansas Educational Leadership Commission. In addition, she is a member of the Kansas Institute of Peace and Conflict Resolution in North Newton and a member of the American Association of University Women.

Downey-Schmidt attended Wichita State University where she earned a B.A. in Elementary Education and a M.S. in Education Administration and Supervision. She enjoyed a 20-year teaching career that ranged from the pre-school to college levels. She and her husband, Gordon, have four married children and six grandchildren. She enjoys traveling, gardening, reading, and being a grandparent.

Contact Regent Downey-Schmidt