Saint Paul – Governor Tim Pawlenty today announced that he has accepted three finalists recommended to him by the Metropolitan Council Nominating Committee for an unscheduled vacancy on the Metropolitan Council in District 3. The vacancy will occur with the resignation of Mary Hill Smith effective December 31, 2008. District 3 includes the Hennepin County cities of Deephaven, Eden Prairie, Excelsior, Greenwood, Hopkins, Long Lake, Minnetonka, Minnetonka Beach, Mound, Orono, Shorewood, Spring Park, Tonka Bay, Wayzata, and Woodland. Eleven people applied for this position. The finalists are William J. Guidera, Robert J. McFarlin, Jr., and Nancy Tyra-Lukens.

Guidera, of Orono, is a vice president with News Corporation, where he leads the company’s state public policy initiatives. Previously he was an attorney and policy counsel with Microsoft Corporation and a legislative assistant in former Governor Arne Carlson’s Washington, D.C. office. Guidera is a member of the Metropolitan Council’s Transportation Advisory Board, Minnesota Zoological Board of Directors, and is active in his church and his children’s school. Guidera earned his law degree from George Mason University Law School in Arlington, Virginia, and his bachelor of arts degree from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine.

McFarlin, of Minnetonka, is vice president of corporate, community, and public affairs at Weber Shandwick in Bloomington. Previously he held a number of positions with the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), including acting Commissioner, assistant commissioner for policy and public affairs, and director of public affairs and chief of staff. McFarlin has volunteered with the International Special Olympics, St. Paul Winter Carnival, Minnetonka youth baseball and basketball, and the East Tonka Little League Board of Directors. McFarlin earned his masters and bachelor of science degrees from the University of Minnesota.

Tyra-Lukens, of Eden Prairie, is an active volunteer in her community, currently serving on the Suburban Transit Association, Southwest Metro Transit Commission, Southwest Corridor LRT Policy Advisory Committee, American Cancer Society Midwest Division Board of Directors, Eden Prairie Foundation Board of Directors, and Eden Prairie Reads. She was mayor of Eden Prairie from 2002 through 2006, and a member of the Eden Prairie City Council from 1994 to 2002 and was active in many related organizations during that time.

Tyra-Lukens earned her MBA from the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management, her master of science degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and her bachelor of arts degree from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

The Metropolitan Council coordinates planning and development in the seven county metropolitan area and directly operates several regional services. The Metropolitan Council consists of 16 metropolitan citizens appointed from geographically defined districts in the seven county metropolitan area and a chair. All 17 members are appointed by the Governor to four-year terms that are co-terminus with the Governor.