Saint Paul -- Governor Tim Pawlenty today announced the appointment of Walter Kramer to the Board of the Minnesota State Academies.

Walter Kramer, of Duluth, recently retired as a staff writer at Minnesota Power in Duluth. His lengthy career also included work as Executive Secretary for the Duluth Mayor's Committee on Employment of the Handicapped. Kramer is a 1964 graduate of the Minnesota State Academy of the Blind (MSAB) and received a B.A. in Speech from the University of Minnesota-Duluth. From 1999-2001 he represented MSAB alumni on the MSAB Site Council. Kramer also served on the MSAB's Public Relations Committee.

Kramer is appointed to fill a board position for a member of the general public with business, administrative, or financial expertise. He will fill the remainder of a term caused by the resignation for Phillip Koprowski. This term ends January 5, 2004. Kramer is also appointed to a full four-year term from January 5, 2004 to January 7, 2008.

The Board of the Minnesota State Academies governs the Minnesota State Academy for the Blind and the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf, both in Faribault. The board is made up of nine members, including six appointed by the Governor.