TOPEKA — On Wednesday, the Senate Confirmation Oversight Committee approved Mark Hutton of Andover and Allen Schmidt of Hays to begin serving on the Kansas Board of Regents and confirmed Bill Feuerborn of Garnett for a second term on the Board. Hutton and Schmidt will fill the positions vacated by Joe Bain of Goodland and Zoe Newton of Sedan.

“Our higher education institutions play an important role in educating the next generation, which keeps our workforce and economy strong. The Regents ensure that the future of our state remains bright and prosperous by keeping our higher education system on track to meet these long-term goals,” said Gov. Jeff Colyer during his Oct. 4 announcement of the appointments. “Bill, Allen, and Mark bring a great amount of experience and talent to the Board and I am excited they’ve agreed to serve our great state.”

Bill Feuerborn was born in Garnett, Kan., and has served on the Board of Regents since 2014. He has spent the last 40 years in small business development and ranching. He also served as a state representative in the Kansas legislature from 1994 to 2012. He received his bachelor’s degree from Pittsburg State University.

Mark Hutton was the CEO of Hutton Construction Corporation in Wichita. He served as a state representative in the Kansas Legislature from 2013 to 2017. He is a graduate of Kansas State University, where he obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering.

Allen Schmidt is a retired U.S. Army Colonel from Hays, where he works as the Director of Planned Giving for Development Services of Northwest Kansas. Schmidt served as a state senator in the Kansas legislature from 2011 to 2013. He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kansas, master’s degree in psychology from Fort Hays State University, and a Master of Science degree from the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Penn.

— KBOR