Governor Tim Pawlenty today announced the appointment of Brent Robbins and Mike Rusinko to the Minnesota State High School League.

Robbins, of Plymouth, is senior counsel for General Mills, Inc. where he handles complex commercial matters. He is a member of the bakeries and foodservice leadership team, ethics and compliance group, the antitrust section, and also provides support for the meals division. Robbins served as a special prosecutor for the City of Long Lake from 1997 to 1999. Robbins received his juris doctor degree from Vanderbilt Law School where he graduated in the top ten percent of his class. He received is bachelor of arts in history from Yale University. Robbins is a member of the board of directors of Court Appointed Special Advocates, Minnesota, a non-profit organization that advocates for policies and practices which enhance the quality of advocacy for abused and neglected children and Our Savior’s Housing Shelter. He is a former elementary basketball and soccer coach. Robbins is appointed to a four year term that expires July 31, 2011 and replaces Gene Sullivan on the board.

Rusinko, of Eden Prairie, is the managing director of Accenture’s Minneapolis location. Accenture is a 20 billion dollar, publically traded, global services company specializing in management consulting and technology services. Rusinko graduated with a bachelor of science degree in computer science from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. He is a member of the Minnesota Business Partnership, and serves on the board of directors for the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America. Rusinko served on the board of directors of the Eden Prairie Hockey Association from 2003 to 2006, and has over 10 years of coaching experience. He is a certified, level 3, USA Hockey coach. He also has experience coaching soccer and fast pitch softball. Rusinko is appointed to fill a four year term that expires July 31, 2009. He replaces Mike Fahey on the board.

The Minnesota State High School League is a voluntary, nonprofit association of over 400 public and private schools. Member schools provide opportunities for more than 200,000 Minnesota high school students to participate in athletics and fine arts competitions each year. The League administers the state tournaments for athletics, speech, music and dramatics. The League provides support for member schools with programs that address sportsmanship, chemical health, and scholarship recognition. The League also oversees more than 4,500 registered contest officials and judges. The Board of Directors for the League consists of 20 members, including four appointed by the Governor.