Saint Paul -- Governor Tim Pawlenty today announced the appointment of Jennifer Anderson, Debra Bowers, Christopher Burns, Arlene Bush, Linda Garrett-Johnson, Lynette Olson, and Emily Acosta Thompson to the Minnesota Academic Excellence Foundation (MAEF).

Jennifer Anderson, of Minnetonka, is an attorney at the Edina law firm of Thiel, Campbell, Gunderson, and Anderson, P.L.L.P. She is past president of the Minneapolis Women's Rotary and is also past president of the Business Forum. Anderson is a graduate of the Hamline University School of Law. A current member of the MAEF Board, she is reappointed to a second term which ends January 1, 2007. Anderson serves as a business representative on the Board.

Debra Bowers, of Elk River, is Director of Educational Services for Elk River Area Schools (Independent School District 728). She is a member of the Minnesota Association of School Administrators. Bowers received a Ph.D. in Education Administration from the University of Minnesota. She is appointed to a term which ends January 2, 2006. Bowers will serve as an education representative on the Board and fills the seat formerly held by Lurline Baker-Kent.

Christopher Burns, of Woodbury, is an attorney at the Minneapolis law firm of Rider Bennett, LLP. He has been a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity and the Youth at Risk Program in Onandaga County, New York. A native of Woodbury, Burns is a graduate of the Syracuse University College of Law in New York. He is appointed to a term which ends January 2, 2006. Burns will serve as a business representative on the Board and fills the seat formerly held by Greg Lea.

Arlene Bush, of Bloomington, is a former Chairperson of the Board of Education for Bloomington Public Schools (Independent School District 87) and former President of the Minnesota School Boards Association. She currently serves as a Chamber Ambassador at the Bloomington Chamber of Commerce. Bush is appointed to a term which ends January 1, 2007. She will serve as a business representative on the Board and fills the seat formerly held by Judith O'Donnell.

Linda Garrett-Johnson, of St. Paul, is Director of Youth Development at the YWCA of St. Paul. She also serves as CEO/President of The Word Applied, formerly known as Panorama Consulting and Training. Garrett-Johnson previously served on the board of TURN (Twin Cities Urban Reconciliation Network). She is appointed to a term which ends January 1, 2007. Garrett-Johnson will serve as a business representative on the Board and fills the seat formerly held by Valerie Halverson Pace.

Lynette Olson, of Cambridge, currently serves as E-Learning Accreditation Project Director for the Minnesota State Colleges & University System (MnSCU). She is active in both the Minnesota Council for Quality and the School Improvement Process at the Minnesota Department of Education. A current member of the MAEF Board, Olson is reappointed to a second term which ends January 1, 2007. She serves as an education representative on the Board.

Emily Acosta Thompson, of Shoreview, is serving as Interim Superintendent at the Mahtomedi School District while she is on a leave of absence from the St. Paul School District. She is a member of the Minnesota Elementary School Principal's Association and has been an active participant in MAEF activities. Thompson is appointed to a term which ends January 1, 2007. She will serve as an education representative on the Board and fills the seat formerly held by Mary Trowdridge.

The Minnesota Academic Excellence Foundation (MAEF) identifies and presents awards to outstanding students, educators, and supporters of education. MAEF provides teachers with educational tools such as the Classroom Quality Program. MAEF also administers the Education Quality Leadership Academy and offers workshops and training sessions to help school leaders improve school performance. MAEF is governed by a 21 member board of directors appointed by the Governor.