Governor Tim Pawlenty today announced the appointment of Candace Campbell, Dr. Mary Sue Collins, Pat L. Dillon, Leonard S. Pederson, and Theresa A. Santiago, and the reappointment of Weston Cutter, Randall Olson, and Andrew Wells to the Board of Invention. 

Campbell, of Minneapolis, is the principal of CDC Associates, a business consulting firm, as well as an adjunct associate with the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs.  Campbell replaces Daniel Pauly as a Fifth Congressional District member of the board for a four-year term that expires on January 5, 2009.

Collins, Ed.D., of Ely, is the provost of Vermilion Community College in Ely, where she serves as the chief academic and operating officer.  Collins replaces Mary Mathews as an Eighth Congressional District member for a four-year term that expires on January 4, 2010.

Cutter, of Mendota Heights, is a geometry teacher at Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis, president of Cutter Edge, Inc., clock, watch, and jewelry repair, and an intellectual property consultant for Capital Safety in Milton Keynes, England.  Cutter, who has been a member of the Board of Invention since 2001, is reappointed as a Fourth Congressional District member to a four-year term that expires on January 7, 2008.

Dillon, of Bloomington, is the principal of Pat Dillon and Associates, a business consulting firm to technology-based companies, as well as an independent contractor for the Defense Alliance of Minnesota in Minneapolis.  Dillon replaces William Connelly as a Third Congressional District member for a four-year term that expires on January 7, 2008.

Olson, of Eagan, is the general manager with University Enterprise Laboratories in St. Paul.  Olson, who has been a member of the Board of Invention since 2001, is reappointed as a Second Congressional District member for a four-year term that expires on January 5, 2009.

Pederson, of Waterville, is the plant manager and chief financial officer of LCS Precision Molding in Waterville, a plastic injection molder of precision parts for the window and door industry.  He is also a member and treasurer of the Waterville-Elysian-Morristown School Board.  Pederson replaces Milton Toratti, who resigned from the board, as an at-large member to complete a four-year term that expires on January 1, 2007.

Santiago, of Eagan, has over 12 years of business experience in the manufacturing industry, and has played an active role in the Minnesota Chapter of the Precision Manufacturing Association.  Santiago replaces Daniel Ferber on the board as an at-large member for a four-year term that expires on January 7, 2008.

Wells, of Bemidji, is the CEO and president of Wells Technology, an aerospace manufacturing business, as well as the founder and director of Wells Academy, a non-profit machinists' trade school for disadvantaged people.  Wells, who is a Native American and a member of the Red Lake Ojibwa Tribe, has been a member of the board since 2002, and is reappointed as a Seventh Congressional District member for a four-year term that expires on January 4, 2010.

The Board of Invention encourages the creation, performance and appreciation of invention in the state. The board consists of 11 members appointed by the Governor including one from each congressional district and three at-large.