Reynolds appoints longtime Republican, donor, and charter school head to Board of Regents

Gov. Kim Reynolds this week tapped another longtime Republican, donor, and collaborator to serve on Iowa’s nine-member Board of Regents — charged with governing the state’s three public universities, including the sprawling University of Iowa Health Care system, and their combined $7.8 billion budget.

Christine Hensley, 75, of Des Moines — whose resume includes business development manager for Midwest Housing Equity Group, vice president of community and government affairs for Bank of the West, and Des Moines City Council member for 24 years — will fill the seat vacated by former board President Michael Richards.

Richards — after eight years on the board, including seven as president — announced in January that he would leave the board in April. Richards, like Hensley, was a longtime Republican and financial backer of party leaders, including Reynolds and former Gov. Terry Branstad.

State law requires the Board of Regents to maintain gender and political balance — meaning neither gender or party can have more than five representatives.

With Hensley’s appointment, the board again will have the maximum five Republicans, two independents, and one Democrat.

The ninth spot on the board must be filled by a student regent from one of the three campuses. Reynolds hasn’t yet replaced former student regent Abby Crow, who was studying human physiology and biology at the University of Iowa but graduated in May and served on her last board meeting in June.

Hensley’s appointment balances the board at four women and four men, meaning Reynolds could choose either gender for the next student representative.

Upon learning she’d been selected, Hensley told The Gazette, “I was thrilled.”

“In all honesty, I'd kind of forgotten about it — because it has been a little while since I've been interviewed, and I’m just really excited. I’m looking forward to working and getting to know the other Board of Regents members.”

‘I would love to be considered’

Hensley said she interviewed for the position in August — years after first talking with Reynolds about possibly serving on a state board.

“I worked with Gov. Reynolds on several different projects,” Hensley said. “Most recently, I've been very involved with her with the charter schools. And she had asked me if there was ever any board or anything that she could do, and I thought about it a couple different times.”

Eventually, Hensley said, she considered her work across the academic spectrum and service since 2009 on the Iowa Student Loan Liquidity Corporation board — a different state board that sets policy for the private, nonprofit entity that works with lenders and all colleges and universities in Iowa to give and collect student loans.

“And I said I would love to be considered for a Board of Regents position if something opened up in the future, and that was a couple years ago,” Hensley said. “So I continued to work closely with her, and I’m still on the Iowa Student Loan board, taking on the charter school here in Des Moines. So it just seemed like a natural fit.”

Hensley chairs the governing board of Horizon Science Academy — a Des Moines-based charter public school that opened last year and serves about 200 students from kindergarten to third grade. According to Horizon’s website, the school will add a grade with about 50 students annually until reaching K-12 status.

“Horizon Science Academy Des Moines is a tuition-free, non-selective school that provides its students with an innovative world-class education, rich in math, science, and technology focused on preparing students to become bold inquirers, problem solvers, and ethical leaders, skill-ready for postsecondary education to meet the challenges of a competitive global workforce,” according to the website.

‘Helped her with her fundraising’

When asked what issues she’s looking forward to tackling as a new regent, Hensley said she feels strongly about student loan debt.

“I think universities really have some responsibility to be a part of the solution for that,” she said. “Being chair of the Iowa Student Loan Corporation, there's a lot going on in that arena, and I really hope that I can be a voice that would find some positive solutions to that.”

Hensley — who attended Drake University and St. Joseph Academy and was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from Grandview University in 2017 — also has served on the Iowa League of Cities and the Metro Advisory Council. In 2017, she was inducted into the Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame.

“Chris is a remarkable person who has shown time and time again what it means to be a true leader in her community,” Reynolds said in a statement. “Across her long and accomplished career in education, business, and elected office, Chris has proven she has the skills and innovative spirit necessary to work alongside our regent universities in the pursuit of academic excellence for our students.”

Since 2001, Hensley and her husband have given more than $23,000 to Republican leaders and leadership groups, according to state records, including $4,250 to Reynolds and $5,500 to former Gov. Terry Branstad.

When asked about her donations, Hensley said she’s given broadly across the Republican spectrum in Iowa.

“It’s been very much across the board,” she said. “Working closely with Zach Nunn right now. Working closely with Miller-Meeks right now. Have always worked closely with Gov. Reynolds and helped her with her fundraising.”

Vanessa Miller covers higher education for The Gazette.

Comments: (319) 339-3158; vanessa.miller@thegazette.com