Ed McKechnie, chief commercial officer for Watco Companies, was appointed Wednesday by Gov. Mark Parkinson to the Kansas Board of Regents, a nine-member body which governs more than 30 Kansas universities and colleges.
McKechnie will serve the remainder of former member William Thornton’s term, which expires in June. Thornton resigned from the BOR after being named secretary of Kansas’ Department of Commerce. McKechnie said Wednesday he hopes to be reappointed to the board following the end of the term.
The Kansas Board of Regents is a nine-member body which governs the state’s six universities, and supervises and coordinates 19 community colleges, six technical colleges and one municipal university. Members are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Kansas Senate.
Along with serving on the board, each member works on various councils and committees, primarily in the education field, throughout the year. These councils and committees draw on studies to determine allocation of funds, distribution of support materials and in making administrative decisions.
McKechnie said his appointment to the BOR is the result of a process that began in November. Having two parents who taught at Pittsburg State University and being a PSU grad, McKechnie said he has a keen interest in the future of the local university, as well as all of the universities in the state.
“I’m successful today and I think our company (Watco) is successful today because of the people who had an impact on all of our lives,” he said. “A lot of those people were teachers at PSU, KU, K-State and Wichita State. I bring some experience from the legislative side of things and experience from the business world, so I think that allows me to at least look at things and have a little different thought about it.”
McKechnie served in the Kansas House of Representatives from 1991 to 2001, serving on a variety of committees, including Appropriations and the joint committee on Legislative Post Audit. For the past 10 years, McKechnie has been with Pittsburg-based Watco, leading the transportation company’s business development, communications and government affairs divisions.
He is also the secretary and treasurer of the Kansas Bioscience Authority Board, an entity committed to advancing Kansas’ leadership in bioscience.
“As a state legislator, business leader and lifelong Kansan, Ed has always been dedicated to promoting and improving all that our state has to offer,” Parkinson said in a statement issued Wednesday. “Ed knows from his many years in business that a strong economy requires a skilled, educated workforce. He will bring a unique perspective to the Board of Regents as it continues its critical mission of upholding our higher education institutions.”
McKechnie earned a bachelor of arts from Pittsburg State University. Dr. Steve Scott, PSU president, said he was “pleased” that McKechnie was appointed to the BOR.
“Ed brings a multitude of strengths and experiences that will serve him and the state well on the Kansas Board of Regents,” Scott said. “I’m confident he will be a strong and effective advocate for the Kansas system of higher education."
McKechnie joins fellow PSU alum Richard Hedges, of Fort Scott, on the Board of Regents. Hedges, former president of Fort Scott Community College, was appointed to the BOR in 2007 by then-Gov. Kathleen Sebelius.
PITTSBURG —
