MADISON – Regent Charles Pruitt of Milwaukee has been elected the new President of the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents. Pruitt, who had served as Board Vice President for the last two years, was elected by a unanimous vote of the Board last week. He succeeds Mark J. Bradley in the position.
Regent Brent Smith of La Crosse, who nominated Pruitt for the position, said Pruitt has “a passion for both students and the higher education system, and is committed to giving students the opportunity to fulfill their education dreams.”
Pruitt has been on the Board of Regents since 2003, and works in Milwaukee as a partner and co-managing director of A.B. Data, Ltd., a direct-response marketing firm. He is also a board member of the Children’s Outing Association and the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation. Pruitt is a former assistant professor of political science at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn. He previously served as a member of the Milwaukee Task Force on Youth Crime and Violence, and the President’s Marketing Task Force for Macalester College, where he earned his bachelor’s degree. Pruitt earned both his M.A. and Ph.D. in Government from Harvard University.
The Regents also elected Michael Spector of Milwaukee as Board Vice President by a unanimous vote.
“Regent Spector brings to us many skills, abilities and attributes, which I am sure will serve us well,” said Regent Judy Crain of Green Bay, in nominating Spector.
Spector has been on the Board of Regents since 2005. He worked for 36 years with Quarles & Brady, Milwaukee, where he served as chair and managing partner before his retirement in 2002. Spector previously served as an Associate Deputy Attorney General of the United States, and as chair of Governor Jim Doyle’s Task Force on Educational Excellence. He is currently a member of the Greater Milwaukee Committee, the Leadership Council for the Organization of American Historians, and the UW Pathways to Excellence Board of Visitors. Spector earned his bachelor’s degree from UW-Madison, his law degree from Harvard University Law School, and attended the London School of Economics.
Media Contact:
David Giroux
UW System
608-262-44640
Charles Pruitt
414-961-6413
Michael Spector
414-277-5879