MADISON – Regent Michael J. Spector has been elected the new President of the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents. Spector, who had served as Board Vice President for the last two years, was elected by a unanimous vote of the Board. He succeeds Charles Pruitt in the position.
Regent Mark Bradley of Wausau, who nominated Spector for the position, said Spector combined “a mastery of the facts, fairness, and an inclusive and respectful leadership style.”
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 former Governor Jim Doyle’s Task Force on Educational Excellence.
Spector is also 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. He earned his bachelor’s degree from UW-Madison, his law degree from Harvard University Law School, and attended the London School of Economics.
The Regents also elected Brent P. Smith of La Crosse as Board Vice President.
Smith is an attorney with Johns & Flaherty in La Crosse. He has served on the State Public Defender Board and the Wisconsin Federal Nominating Commission for Federal Judges. Smith has been president of the La Crosse Center Board since 1993 and serves as a member of the Gundersen Lutheran Health Plan Board of Directors. He is also on the UW-La Crosse Chancellor’s Community Council and the executive board of the La Crosse Loggers baseball team. He is past president of the Wisconsin Technical College Board. He received his bachelor’s and law degrees from UW-Madison.